BATTERY CONTROL UNIT SYSTEM

• US 20160207415A1
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Inventors: SATO, Kimihiro, YAMAMOTO, Satoshi, TSUZUKU, Takahiro, HASE, Ryusuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,908,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

A battery control unit system is provided that detects a state of a battery used for driving a vehicle and monitors the state of the battery on the basis of detected information so as to control a circuit device surrounding the battery according to a result of the monitoring. The battery control unit system may include an internal power source that is connected directly in parallel with the battery and that supplies power to the battery control unit system, and a microcontroller that operates using the internal power source and detects, by a software process, an on/off-state of a battery pack switch that is provided in a battery pack including the battery and the battery control unit system.

Claims

1. A battery control unit system that detects a state of a battery used for driving a vehicle and monitors the state of the battery on the basis of the detected information by use of calculation, so as to control a circuit device surrounding the battery according to a result of the monitoring, the battery control unit system comprising:

an internal power source that is connected directly in parallel with the battery and that supplies power to the battery control unit system; and

a microcontroller that operates using the internal power source and detects, by a software process, an on/off-state of a battery pack switch that is provided in a battery pack including the battery and the battery control unit system.

2. The battery control unit system according to claim 1, wherein

the microcontroller has unit to control the battery control unit system to operate in a low-power-consumption mode when detecting the off-state of the battery pack switch.

3. The battery control unit system according to claim 1, wherein

the microcontroller has unit to control, on the basis of information on an operating state of the vehicle, a battery disconnection switch to remain on when detecting the off-state of the battery pack switch, the battery disconnection switch being provided in a feed line that connects the battery to the vehicle.

4. The battery control unit system according to claim 1, wherein

the microcontroller detects the on/off-state of the battery pack switch according to whether a potential that is input into an input terminal of the microcontroller is a high-level potential or a low-level potential.