APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR BATTERY MANAGEMENT WITH MALFUNCTION PREVENTION ALGORITHM

• US 20160268819A1
• Filed: 10/07/2014
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: HAN, Hyun, KWON, Ho-Sang, KIM, Jin-Seob
• Granted Patent: US 9,564,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• 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: 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: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/103 Fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/583 in response to current, e.g. fuses
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/087 for dc applications
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/20 responsive to excess voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/18 for batteries; for accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for battery management. The present disclosure may significantly reduce the likelihood that a fuse of a battery pack will be melted based on a voltage value of a battery cell to which an error has occurred. Accordingly, the present disclosure may avoid an economic loss and a time loss that may occur when the fuse is incorrectly melted and the battery pack becomes unusable.

Claims

1. An apparatus for battery management, comprising:

a fuse provided on a charge/discharge line of a battery pack;

an auxiliary control unit configured to measure a voltage of a battery cell included in the battery pack, and when the measured voltage value, or a first voltage value is higher than a preset first reference voltage value, to output a melting signal, or a signal for melting the fuse; and

a main control unit configured to measure the voltage of the battery cell included in the battery pack, and when a first condition is satisfied and a second condition is satisfied, to melt the fuse, the first condition in which the measured voltage value, or a second voltage value is higher than a preset second reference voltage value and the second condition in which the melting signal is received from the auxiliary control unit.

2. The apparatus for battery management according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit is configured to determine whether the first condition is satisfied, after the second condition is satisfied.

3. The apparatus for battery management according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit is configured to output a malfunction signal indicating that the auxiliary control unit has malfunctioned, when the second condition is satisfied and the first condition is not satisfied.

4. The apparatus for battery management according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first line electrically connecting the auxiliary control unit to the fuse;

a second line branched off from the first line, the second line electrically connecting a first node to the main control unit, the first node being a branch of the first line and the second line; and

a fuse switch provided on the first line connecting the first node to the fuse, the fuse switch being turned on by the control of the main control unit,

wherein the main control unit is configured to turn on the fuse switch to allow the melting signal outputted from the auxiliary control unit to flow into the fuse to melt the fuse, when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied.

5. The apparatus for battery management according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary control unit comprises:

a voltage measurement module configured to measure the voltage of the battery cell;

an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter configured to convert the measured voltage value to a digital voltage value; and

a memory unit configured to store the measured voltage value and a preset reference voltage value.

6. The apparatus for battery management according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit comprises:

a voltage measurement module configured to measure the voltage of the battery cell;

an A/D converter configured to convert the measured voltage value to a digital voltage value; and

a memory unit configured to store the measured voltage value and a preset reference voltage value.

7. A battery pack comprising:

an apparatus for battery management according to claim 1; and

a plurality of battery cells connected in series or in parallel.

8. An energy storage system comprising:

a battery pack according to claim 7.

9. A battery charging system comprising:

a battery pack according to claim 7; and

a charger to supply power to the battery pack.

10. A battery operating system comprising:

a battery pack according to claim 7; and

a load which is supplied with power from the battery pack.

11. A method for battery management, comprising:

measuring, by an auxiliary control unit, a voltage of a battery cell included in a battery pack,

outputting, by the auxiliary control unit, a melting signal, or a signal for melting a fuse when the measured voltage value, or a first voltage value is higher than a preset first reference voltage value;

measuring, by a main control unit, the voltage of the battery cell included in the battery pack;

determining, by the main control unit, whether a first condition is satisfied and a second condition is satisfied, the first condition in which the measured voltage value, or a second voltage value is higher than a preset second reference voltage value and the second condition in which the melting signal is received from the auxiliary control unit; and

melting, by the main control unit, the fuse when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied.

12. The method for battery management according to claim 11, wherein the determining by the main control unit comprises determining whether the first condition is satisfied, after the second condition is satisfied.

13. The method for battery management according to claim 11, further comprising:

outputting, by the main control unit, a malfunction signal indicating that the auxiliary control unit has malfunctioned, when the second condition is satisfied and the first condition is not satisfied in the determination by the main control unit.

14. The method for battery management according to claim 11, wherein the outputting of the melting signal comprises outputting, by the auxiliary control unit, the melting signal via a first line electrically connecting the auxiliary control unit to the fuse and a second line branched off from the first line and electrically connecting a first node to the main control unit, the first node being a branch of the first line and the second line, while a fuse switch provided on the first line connecting the first node to the fuse maintains a turn-off state, and

the melting of the fuse comprises turning on, by the main control unit, the fuse switch to allow the melting signal outputted from the auxiliary control unit to flow into the fuse.

15. The method for battery management according to claim 11, wherein the measuring of the voltage by the auxiliary control unit comprises:

measuring, by the auxiliary control unit, the voltage of the battery cell;

converting, by the auxiliary control unit, the measured voltage value to a digital voltage value; and

storing, by the auxiliary control unit, the converted voltage value as a first voltage value.

16. The method for battery management according to claim 11, wherein the measuring of the voltage by the main control unit comprises:

measuring, by the main control unit, the voltage of the battery cell;

converting, by the main control unit, the measured voltage value to a digital voltage value; and

storing, by the main control unit, the converted voltage value as a second voltage value.