METHOD FOR CORRECTING VOLTAGE SENSOR INCLUDED IN BATTERY RACK

• US 20160084912A1
• Filed: 11/28/2014
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Hyun-Chul
• Granted Patent: US 9,766,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/005 Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for correcting a voltage sensor. Because a plurality of battery racks are electrically connected to a power storage apparatus in parallel, a voltage sensor connected to each of the battery racks can be influenced by the voltage of other adjacent battery racks when measuring the voltage of each of the battery racks. Therefore, after electrically connecting only one battery rack to the voltage sensor, the voltage value measured by the corresponding voltage sensor is corrected.

Claims

1. An energy storage device comprising:

first to N^th battery racks, each including a plurality of secondary battery cells electrically connected in series, the first to N^th battery racks being electrically connected to each other in parallel;

first to N^th relay switches electrically connected in series to a high potential terminal or a low potential terminal of each battery rack, and designed to turn on or off in response to a control signal;

first to N^th rack voltage sensors electrically connected to each battery rack and each relay switch in parallel, and configured to output a measured voltage value as a signal; and

a rack control unit configured to output a signal to control the turn-on or turn-off of the first to N^th relay switches, and to receive the signals for the voltage values of the first to N^th battery racks from the first to N^th rack voltage sensors,

wherein the rack control unit outputs a control signal to turn on only a relay switch electrically connected to any one battery rack (hereinafter referred to as a target rack) among the first to N^th battery racks, and calibrates a signal for a voltage value outputted from a voltage sensor electrically connected to the target rack based on a sum of voltage values of secondary battery cells included in the target rack.

2. The energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein the rack control unit turns on all the first to N^th relay switches one by one in a sequential order.

3. The energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein the rack control unit receives the voltage values of the plurality of secondary battery cells included in each battery rack directly from a plurality of cell voltage sensors, and sums up the voltage values of the secondary battery cells included in the target rack, the cell voltage sensors being configured to measure the voltage values of the plurality of secondary battery cells and output signals.

4. The energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein the rack control unit receives the voltage values of the plurality of secondary battery cells included in the target rack from first to N^th cell management units, and sums up the voltage values of the secondary battery cells included in the target rack, the first to N^th cell management units being configured to receive signals for voltage values from a plurality of secondary battery cell voltage sensors included in each battery rack, respectively.

5. The energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein the rack control unit receives a sum of the voltage values of the secondary battery cells included in the target rack from first to N^th cell management units configured to receive signals for voltage values from a plurality of secondary battery cell voltage sensors included in each battery rack, respectively, and to sum up the voltage values of the secondary battery cells included in the target rack.

6. A method for calibrating a rack voltage sensor of an energy storage device, the energy storage device comprising first to N^th battery racks including a plurality of secondary battery cells electrically connected in series, first to N^th relay switches electrically connected in series to a high potential terminal or a low potential terminal of each battery rack, and designed to turn on or off in response to a control signal, first to N^th rack voltage sensors electrically connected to each battery rack and each relay switch in parallel, and configured to output a measured voltage value as a signal, and a rack control unit configured to output a signal to control the turn-on or turn-off of the first to N^th relay switches, and to receive the signals for the voltage values of the first to N^th battery racks from the first to N^th rack voltage sensors,

the method comprising:

(a) outputting, by the rack control unit, a control signal to turn on only a relay switch electrically connected to any one battery rack (hereinafter referred to as a target rack) among the first to N^th battery racks; and

(b) calibrating, by the rack control unit, a signal for a voltage value outputted from a voltage sensor electrically connected to the target rack based on a sum of voltage values of secondary battery cells included in the target rack.

7. The method for calibrating a rack voltage sensor of an energy storage device according to claim 6, wherein the step (a) and the step (b) are iteratively performed until the operation of turning on all the first to N^th relay switches one by one in a sequential order by the rack control unit is completed.

8. The method for calibrating a rack voltage sensor of an energy storage device according to claim 6, wherein the step (b) further comprises receiving, by the rack control unit, the voltage values of the plurality of secondary battery cells included in each battery rack directly from a plurality of cell voltage sensors, and summing up the voltage values of the secondary battery cells included in the target rack, the cell voltage sensors being configured to measure the voltage values of the plurality of secondary battery cells and output signals.

9. The method for calibrating a rack voltage sensor of an energy storage device according to claim 6, wherein the step (b) further comprises receiving, by the rack control unit, the voltage values of the plurality of secondary battery cells included in the target rack from first to N^th cell management units, and summing up the voltage values of the secondary battery cells included in the target rack, the first to N^th cell management units being configured to receive signals for voltage values from a plurality of secondary battery cell voltage sensors included in each battery rack, respectively.

10. The method for calibrating a rack voltage sensor of an energy storage device according to claim 6, wherein the step (b) further comprises receiving, by the rack control unit, a sum of the voltage values of the secondary battery cells included in the target rack from first to N^th cell management units configured to receive signals for voltage values from a plurality of secondary battery cell voltage sensors included in each battery rack, respectively, and to sum up the voltage values of the secondary battery cells included in the target rack.