Battery pack controlling apparatus

• US 6,486,637 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2000
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takada, Masahiro, Kikuchi, Yoshiaki, Kanamaru, Kunio, Nakanishi, Toshiaki, Ishihara, Hirotaka, Inui, Kiwamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US09/696,367
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320/118, 320/119, 320/132, 320/134, 320/136, 320/150, 320/152
• US Class Current: 320/150
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A battery pack controlling apparatus for controlling input to or output from a battery pack is provided. The battery pack includes a plurality of blocks in series connection. Each of the plurality of blocks includes a plurality of batteries in series connection. The battery pack controlling apparatus includes: a battery power input/output section for controlling input and output of battery power to and from the battery pack; a block voltage detection section for detecting a block voltage of each of the plurality of blocks; a battery current detection section for detecting a battery current of the battery pack; an unusual heating detection section for detecting unusual heating of at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the block voltage and the battery current; and a vehicle controlling section for controlling the battery power input/output section based on results of unusual heating detection by the unusual heating detection section. The unusual heating detection section includes an internal resistance calculation section for calculating an internal resistance of each of the plurality of blocks based on the block voltage and the battery current. The unusual heating detection section detects unusual heating of the at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the internal resistance of each of the plurality of blocks and a predetermined threshold value.

Claims

1. A battery pack controlling apparatus for controlling input to or output from a battery pack, wherein:

the battery pack comprises a plurality of blocks in series connection; and

each of the plurality of blocks includes a plurality of batteries in series connection,

the battery pack controlling apparatus comprising;

a battery power input/output section for controlling input and output of battery power to and from the battery pack;

a block voltage detection section for detecting a block voltage of each of the plurality of blocks;

a battery current detection section for detecting a battery current of the battery pack;

an unusual heating detection section for detecting unusual heating of at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the block voltage a nd the battery current; and

a vehicle controlling section for controlling the battery power input/output section based on results of unusual heating detection by the unusual heating detection section,

wherein the unusual heating detection section includes

an internal resistance calculation section for calculating an internal resistance of each of the plurality of blocks based on the block voltage and the battery current, and

wherein the unusual heating detection section detects unusual heating of the at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the internal resistance of each of the plurality of blocks and a predetermined threshold value.

2. A battery pack controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the battery pack controlling apparatus further comprises a battery temperature detection section for detecting a battery temperature of the battery pack;

the unusual heating detection section further comprises a threshold value setting section for setting the predetermined threshold value based on the battery temperature of the battery pack; and

the unusual heated detection section detects unusual heating of the at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the internal resistance of each of the plurality of blocks and the predetermined threshold value as set by the threshold value setting section.

3. A battery pack controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle controlling section controls the battery power input/output section in a stepwise manner based on results of unusual heating detection by the unusual heating detection section.

4. A battery pack controlling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the unusual heating detection section further comprises:

a variance calculation section for calculating an average value and a variance σ

² of the block voltages of the plurality of blocks; and

a variance unusual heating detection section for detecting unusual rising of the internal resistance of the at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the block voltage of each of the plurality of blocks, the average value, and the variance σ

², and

wherein the vehicle controlling section controls the battery power input/output section based on results of unusual rising detection by the variance unusual heating detection section.

5. A battery pack controlling apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the variance unusual heating detection section determines unusual rising of the internal resistance of the at least one of the plurality of batteries when at least one of the block voltages is equal to or greater than a predetermined value at a time of charging or when at least one of the block voltages is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value at a time of discharging.

6. A battery park controlling apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the variance calculation section calculates an average voltage difference value representing an average of voltage differences between the block voltage at a first time and the block voltage at a second time as well as a voltage difference variance representing a variance of the voltage differences, and

wherein the variance unusual heating detection section detects unusual rising of the internal resistance of the at least one of the plurality of batteries based on the voltage differences, the average voltage difference value, and the voltage difference variance.

7. A battery pack controlling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first time comprises a point in time at which the battery current detected by the battery current detection section is substantially zero.

8. A battery pack controlling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the unusual heating detection section comprises a available capacity unusual heating detection section for detecting unusual rising of the internal resistance of the at least one of the plurality of batteries based on high available capacity diagnosis and low available capacity diagnosis for respective ones of the plurality of blocks, and

wherein the vehicle controlling section controls the battery power input/output section based on results of unusual rising detection by the available capacity unusual heating detection section.