Battery set structure and charge/discharge control apparatus for lithium-ion battery

• US 6,060,864 A
• Filed: 02/25/1999
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Harashima, Masaru, Uchida, Akihiko, Motomiya, Hirohito, Morioka, Shizuo, Tanaka, Masayasu, Tashiro, Naoki, Tsukazawa, Hisao, Morita, Masanori, Ito, Hironori, Hino, Yuichiro, Hagiwara, Masahiko, Sekine, Shigeru, Ozawa, Katsuo, Kasashima, Masahiko, Hosoya, Nobuyuki, Ukiya, Yoshiaki, Isooka, Naoki, Mitsui, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIBBITS, PIA FLORENCE
• Application Number:
  US09/257,061
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320/106, 320/112, 320/DIG. 13, 320/163, 320/134, 320/136, 324/433, 361/90-92
• US Class Current: 320/136
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• 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 10/48 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: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In a battery-driven portable computer, a battery pack is constituted by m battery sets connected in series each including n lithium-ion secondary battery cells connected in parallel. A voltage monitor for monitoring the voltage of the terminal electrode of each battery set and a charger for independently appropriately charging each battery set in accordance with a monitor result are arranged, thereby realizing battery driving by a lithium-ion secondary battery pack having a large capacity. A computer system monitors the voltages of the battery cells which are part of a secondary battery by comparing the battery voltages with a predetermined voltage value in order to detect overdischarge (undervoltage) or overcharge (overvoltage), outputs this information outside of the battery pack, and terminates processing prior to a circuit disconnect.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a secondary battery;

means for monitoring battery voltages of battery cells constituting the secondary battery;

means for comparing the battery voltages with a predetermined voltage value to detect an overdischarge state of the secondary battery; and

means for outputting detection information, detected by the means for comparing, to a portion outside the battery pack.

2. A battery pack comprising:

a secondary battery;

means for monitoring battery voltages of battery cells constituting the secondary battery;

means for comparing the battery voltages with a predetermined voltage value to detect an overcharge state of the secondary battery; and

means for outputting detection information, detected by the means for comparing, to a portion outside the battery pack.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, further comprising:

a fuse section arranged midway along a charge path of the secondary battery; and

means for fusing the fuse section in accordance with the detection information.

4. A computer system comprising:

a computer main body;

a battery pack having

a secondary battery,

means for monitoring battery voltages of battery cells constituting the secondary battery,

means for comparing the battery voltages with a predetermined voltage value, and

means for outputting detection information, detected by the means for comparing, to a portion outside the battery pack; and

a circuit arranged outside the battery pack for disconnecting an electrical path of the secondary battery, wherein the circuit disconnects the electrical path on the basis of the detection information.

5. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein the circuit for disconnecting is provided in the computer main body.

6. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined voltage value is an overdischarge protection set voltage.

7. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein the electrical path is a discharge path of the secondary battery.

8. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined voltage value is an overcharge protection set voltage.

9. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein the electrical path is a charge path of the secondary battery.

10. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein the circuit receives the detection information directly from the means for outputting.

11. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein the computer main body executes termination processing to normally end a process before the circuit disconnects the electrical path.