Condition managing system of storage battery for a movable body

• US 5,680,030 A
• Filed: 09/05/1996
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yuichi, Ito, Noboru, Kadouchi, Eiji, Takata, Kanji, Kinoshita, Megumi
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US08/663,212
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 320/6, 320/15, 320/21, 320/30, 320/32, 320/35, 320/43, 320/48, 324/427, 324/431, 324/433, 340/636, 429/61, 429/90, 429/149
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/345 Gastight metal hydride accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• 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 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/617 for achieving uniformity or desired distribution of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/633 characterised by algorithms, flow charts, software details or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/635 based on ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 : Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 : the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A condition managing system for a storage battery which is used as a drive power source for a movable body such as an electric car and which is formed by a number of sealed nickel/hydrogen storage batteries, comprises a battery pack 1, a detection unit 2 for detecting the condition of a battery pack, a battery condition judging unit 3, a movable body signal control part 4, a battery charger 5 for charging up the battery pack 1 under the control of a signal which is supplied from the battery condition judging unit 3, and a display part 6 for displaying the condition of the battery.

Claims

1. A condition managing system for a storage battery, comprising:

a battery pack which is formed by combining a number of storage batteries, said battery pack being used as a drive power source for a movable body;

a ventilation part for supplying cool air toward said battery pack;

a detection unit which is disposed in the vicinity of said battery pack to detect condition information about a voltage, a temperature and a pressure of a storage battery and an ambient temperature, said detection unit having an analog-digital conversion function of converting an obtained detection value from an analog value into a digital value and a signal sending function of successively sending said digital value in a serial method;

a movable body signal control part for controlling a discharging current of a battery, a charging current of the battery, a regenerative current to the battery which is generated during a braking operation of the movable body, and various types of information regarding the movable body;

a battery condition judging unit including a computation part for executing computations based on information from said detection unit and the movable body signal control part, a charging control signal part for supplying a charging control signal to a battery charger whose input source is an alternating current power source, a remaining capacity judging signal part for supplying a capacity judging signal to a display part, a lifetime judging signal part for supplying a lifetime judging signal to the display part, and a movable body control signal part for supplying a movable body control signal to said movable body signal control part;

the battery charger for charging said battery pack, under the control of the charging control signal from said battery condition judging unit; and

the display part for displaying a remaining capacity of the battery and a result of lifetime judgment, under the control of the capacity judging signal and the lifetime judging signal from the battery condition judging unit.

2. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 1, wherein the battery pack is formed by a plurality of the module batteries each comprising a number of cells;

the voltage of a battery is detected for each one of the module batteries;

a battery temperature is detected by at least two temperature sensors, one which is disposed at least within one of the cells of a battery module in which heat is built up from a neighboring battery module, and the other which is disposed at least within one of the cells of a battery module in which heat is not built up from a neighboring battery module;

a battery pressure is detected by a pressure sensor which is disposed at least within one of the cells of a battery module in which heat is built up from a neighboring battery module; and

the ambient temperature is detected by a temperature sensor which is disposed in the vicinity of an air inlet of the ventilation part.

3. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 1, wherein a polar column of a cell which forms the battery pack comprises a current line fixing part for supplying a current and a fixing part for a battery voltage measuring line;

and

said fixing part for a battery voltage measuring line allows a battery voltage measuring line to be attached to a threaded opening which is disposed on a top portion of the polar column, independently of said current line fixing part, so that the battery voltage is detected.

4. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 2, wherein insertion holes are formed in lids of battery jars of cells which form the battery pack to a depth near top portions of polar plates of batteries, and the temperature sensors are disposed in the insertion holes, so that the battery temperature is detected.

5. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 2, wherein a through hole is formed in the lids of the battery jars of the cells which form the battery pack a and voltage-current conversion apparatus is disposed in the through hole, so that the battery pressure is detected.

6. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 1, wherein the number of the cells of the plurality of the module batteries which form the battery pack are each formed by a sealed nickel/hydrogen storage battery.

11. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 2, wherein the number of the cells of the plurality of the module batteries which form the battery pack are each formed by a sealed nickel/hydrogen storage battery.

12. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 3, wherein the number of the cells of the plurality of the module batteries which form the battery pack are each formed by a sealed nickel/hydrogen storage battery.

13. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 4, wherein the number of the cells of the plurality of the module batteries which form the battery pack are each formed by a sealed nickel/hydrogen storage battery.

14. The condition managing system for a storage battery of claim 5, wherein the number of the cells of the plurality of the module batteries which form the battery pack are each formed by a sealed nickel/hydrogen storage battery.

7. A method of charging up a storage battery for a system which comprises:

a battery pack which is formed by combining a number of storage batteries, said battery pack being used as a drive power source for a movable body;

a ventilation part for supplying cool air toward the battery pack;

a detection unit which is disposed in the vicinity of said battery pack to detect condition information about a voltage, a temperature and a pressure of a storage battery and an ambient temperature, said detection unit having an analog-digital conversion function of converting an obtained detection value from an analog value into a digital value and a signal sending function of successively sending said digital value in a serial method;

a movable body signal control part for controlling a discharging current of a battery, a charging current of the battery, a regenerative current to the battery which is generated during a braking operation of the movable body, and various types of information regarding the movable body;

a battery condition judging unit including a computation part for executing computations based on information from said detection unit and the movable body signal control part, a charging control signal part for supplying a charging control signal to a battery charger whose input source is an alternating current power source, a remaining capacity judging signal part for supplying a capacity judging signal to a display part, a lifetime judging signal part for supplying a lifetime judging signal to the display part, and a movable body control signal part for supplying a movable body control signal to the movable body signal control part;

the battery charger for charging said battery pack, under the control of the charging control signal from said battery condition judging unit; and

the display part for displaying a remaining capacity of the battery and a result of lifetime judgment, under the control of the capacity judging signal and the lifetime judging signal from the battery condition judging unit, the method being characterized in that;

charging of the battery pack which is performed by the battery charger which is controlled by the charging control signal from said battery condition judging unit consists of two parts, a first charging period and a second charging period,

and charging is performed using charging power until a result of a first remaining capacity judgment reaches about 90% to 100% of an initial capacity during the first charging period, the second charging period is thereafter started during which charging is continued using a very small charging current until a result of a second remaining capacity judgment reaches about 100% to 110% of the initial capacity, and charging is then stopped.

8. The method of charging up a storage battery of claim 7, wherein during charging of the battery pack which is performed by the battery charger which is controlled by the charging control signal from said battery condition judging unit, shifting from said first charging period to the second charging period is performed when it is detected that a result of judgment of a temperature increase rate of a battery reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, and the predetermined value which is used to judge said temperature increase rate is corrected based on the charging current and the battery temperature.

9. A system for judging a remaining capacity of a storage battery for use within a system which comprises:

a battery pack which is formed by combining a number of storage batteries, the battery pack being used as a drive power source for a movable body;

a ventilation part for supplying cool air toward the battery pack;

a detection unit which is disposed in the vicinity of said battery pack to detect condition information regarding a battery such as a voltage, a temperature and a pressure of a storage battery and an ambient temperature, the detection unit having an analog-digital conversion function of converting an obtained detection value from an analog value into a digital value and a signal sending function of successively sending said digital value in a serial method;

a movable body signal control part for controlling a discharging current of a battery, a charging current of the battery, a regenerative current to the battery which is generated during a braking operation of the movable body, and various types of information regarding the movable body;

a battery condition judging unit including a computation part for executing computations based on information from said detection unit and the movable body signal control part, a charging control signal part for supplying a charging control signal to a battery charger whose input source is an alternating current power source, a remaining capacity judging signal part for supplying a capacity judging signal to a display part, a lifetime judging signal part for supplying a lifetime judging signal to the display part, and a movable body control signal part for supplying a movable body control signal to the movable body signal control part;

the battery charger for charging said battery pack, under the control of the charging control signal from said battery condition judging unit; and

the display part for displaying a remaining capacity of the battery and a result of lifetime judgment, under the control of the capacity judging signal and the lifetime judging signal from the battery condition judging unit, the system for judging a remaining capacity of a storage battery being characterized in that;

said battery condition judging unit judges a remaining capacity by combining a result of a first remaining capacity judgment which is based on a discharged electricity quantity and a result of a second remaining capacity judgment which is based on a discharging voltage,

and a remaining capacity which is yielded by the first remaining capacity judgment is adopted while the remaining capacity remains from around 100% to around 20% of an initial capacity but a remaining capacity which is yielded by a second remaining capacity judgment is adopted when the remaining capacity according to the first remaining capacity judgment varies from around 20% to around 0% after dropped to around 20% of the initial capacity.

10. A system for judging a lifetime of a storage battery for a system which comprises:

a battery pack which is formed by combining a number of storage batteries, the battery pack being used as a drive power source for a movable body;

a ventilation part for supplying cool air toward the battery pack;

a detection unit which is disposed in the vicinity of said battery pack to detect condition information regarding a battery such as a voltage, a temperature and a pressure of a storage battery and an ambient temperature, the detection unit having an analog-digital conversion function of converting an obtained detection value from an analog value into a digital value and a signal sending function of successively sending said digital value in a serial method;

a movable body signal control part for controlling a discharging current of a battery, a charging current of the battery, a regenerative current to the battery which is generated during a braking operation of the movable body, and various types of information regarding the movable body;

a battery condition judging unit including a computation part for executing computations based on information from said detection unit and the movable body signal control part, a charging control signal part for supplying a charging control signal to a battery charger whose input source is an alternating current power source, a remaining capacity judging signal part for supplying a capacity judging signal to a display part, a lifetime judging signal part for supplying a lifetime judging signal to the display part, and a movable body control signal part for supplying a movable body control signal to the movable body signal control part;

the battery charger for charging said battery pack, under the control of the charging control signal from said battery condition judging unit; and

the display part for displaying a remaining capacity of the battery and a result of lifetime judgment, under the control of the capacity judging signal and the lifetime judging signal from the battery condition judging unit, the system for judging a lifetime of a storage battery being characterized in that;

during a judgment of a lifetime performed by said battery condition judging unit, an average value of total data is calculated based on battery condition information which is obtained regarding each module battery, said average value is compared with each module battery, and if a difference between the two is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, it is judged that the battery is defective because of a deteriorated capacity or shorting or that the lifetime of the battery is reached.