Battery pack

• US 6,069,468 A
• Filed: 07/09/1999
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Envision AESC Energy Devices Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NEC Mobile Energy Corporation (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Sonobe, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US09/350,171
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/110, 320/132, 320/149, 320/FOR 102, 320/FOR 142, 320/FOR 147, 320/DIG. 18, 320/DIG. 21, 324/426, 324/429, 324/433, 429/61, 429/90
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 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 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery pack, in which both specific information such as information for identifying the battery and information of battery status are stored. The battery pack has a rewritable storage device for storing the specific information of the battery and the information of battery status, and operation switching means for switching operation status of the battery to a testing mode or to a normal mode. It is designed in such manner that the specific information and the battery status information stored in the storage device are turned to rewritable in the testing mode, and that the specific information of the battery is turned to non-rewritable in the operation mode.

Claims

1. A battery pack with a secondary battery, comprising a rewritable storage device for storing specific information of the battery pack and information of operation status of the battery pack, and operation mode switching means for switching the operating status to a testing mode and a normal mode, whereby specific information and information of operation status of the battery pack stored in the rewritable storage device are turned to rewritable in the testing mode, and specific information of the battery is turned to non-rewritable in the operation mode.

2. A battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said rewritable storage device is an electrically rewritable non-volatile memory.

3. A battery pack according to claim 1, wherein there is provided a display unit, and said display unit is always turned on or is flashing in the testing mode in order to indicate that the battery is in the testing mode.

4. A battery pack according to claim 2, wherein there is provided a display unit, and said display unit is always turned on or is flashing in the testing mode in order to indicate that it is in the testing mode.

5. A battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said display unit comprises a lighting switch functioning in the operation mode and indicating the status of the battery only when operation is indicated by the lighting switch.

6. A battery pack according to claim 2, wherein said display unit comprises a lighting switch functioning in the operation mode and indicating the status of the battery only when operation is indicated by the lighting switch.

7. A battery pack according to claim 3, wherein said display unit comprises a lighting switch functioning in the operation mode and indicating the status of the battery only when operation is indicated by the lighting switch.

8. A battery pack according to claim 4, wherein said display unit comprises a lighting switch functioning in the operation mode and indicating the status of the battery only when operation is indicated by the lighting switch.

9. A battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said rewritable storage device stores an electric current difference obtained from a measured value by external measuring means for measuring charge/discharge current flowing to or from the battery in the testing mode and a measured value of charge/discharge current by current detection means of a battery provided in the battery pack.

10. A battery pack according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein there is provided charge/discharge control means for controlling charge/discharge current based on the electric current difference stored in the rewritable storage device in the operation mode.

11. A battery pack according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said rewritable storage device stores an electric current difference obtained from a measured value by external measuring means for measuring charge/discharge current flowing to or from the battery in the testing mode and a measured value of charge/discharge current by current detection means of a battery provided in the battery pack, and there is provided charge/discharge control means for controlling charge/discharge current based on the electric current difference stored in the rewritable storage device in the operation mode.

12. A battery pack according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rewritable storage device stores at least one of the groups of specific information including properties of individual batteries in the battery pack, charge/discharge capacity, charge/discharge voltage, charge/discharge current, overcharge protection voltage, overdischarge protection voltage, number of batteries accommodated in the pack, and series/parallel connection information of the battery.

13. A battery pack according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rewritable storage device stores electric current difference between a measured value of charge/discharge current flowing to the battery in the testing mode measured by external measuring means and a measured value of charge/discharge current detected by current detecting means of the battery provided within the battery pack, and the rewritable storage device also stores at least one of the groups of specific information including properties of individual batteries in the battery pack, charge/discharge capacity, charge/discharge voltage, charge/discharge current, overcharge protection voltage, overdischarge protection voltage, number of batteries accommodated in the pack, and series/parallel connection information of the battery.