Battery pack with a lithium ion secondary battery

• US 5,708,351 A
• Filed: 08/20/1996
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Takamoro, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US08/699,953
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2, 320/5, 320/15, 320/32, 320/35, 320/39, 320/49, 320/50
• US Class Current: 307/150
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection

Abstract

A battery pack of the present invention and uses a lithium ion secondary battery and is capable of adjusting the output voltage when temperature around the battery pack is low and causes the voltage of the secondary battery to drop. Therefore, the battery pack outputs a constant voltage on its output terminal without regard to the ambient atmospheric temperature.

Claims

1. A battery pack using a lithium ion secondary battery, comprising:

a protection circuit consisting of an overdischarge protecting circuit, an overcharge protecting circuit, and an overcurrent protecting circuit;

a temperature sensing circuit consisting of a temperature non-linear element, a current detector, and a voltage detector;

a controller for controlling a boosting ratio in response to an output of said temperature sensing circuit; and

a boosting circuit for boosting an output voltage of said lithium ion secondary battery in response to a control signal output from said controller.

2. A battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein said temperature non-linear element comprises a thermistor.

3. A battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control signal feeds a control circuit to said overdischarge protection circuit in order to control an overdischarge protection voltage of said overdischarge protection circuit.

4. A battery pack comprising:

a lithium ion battery;

a temperature sensing circuit;

a boosting circuit for boosting the output of the battery;

a controller responsive to signals output from the temperature sensing circuit to control the boosting circuit.

5. The battery pack of claim 4, further comprising:

a protection circuit responsive to the controller to protect the battery.

6. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein said battery circuit comprises a pulse width modulation controller and a switching element.