Battery apparatus for controlling plural batteries and control method of plural batteries

• US 6,762,588 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Company Limited (Resonac Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Emori, Akihiko, Kudo, Akihiko, Miyazaki, Hideki, Kai, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TIBBITS, PIA FLORENCE
• Application Number:
  US10/079,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20030044689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320/118, 320/119, 320/130, 320/132, 320/149
• US Class Current: 320/116
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/19 Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• 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 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Lower order control devices control plural battery cells configuring plural battery modules. An input terminal of the low order control device in the highest potential, an output terminal of the low order control device in the lowest potential, and a high order control device are connected by isolating units, photocouplers. Diodes which prevent a discharge current of the battery cells in the battery modules are disposed between the output terminal of the low order control device and the battery cells in the battery module on the low potential side. Terminals related to input/output of a signal are electrically connected without isolating among the plural low order control devices.

Claims

1. A battery apparatus, comprising:

plural battery modules connected in series each having plural battery cells connected in series;

plural low order control devices which are provided in correspondence with the plural battery modules, respectively, each of the plural low order control devices controlling the plural battery cells corresponding to one of the plural battery modules, the plural low order control devices including a low order control device at a highest potential among the plural low order control devices, a low order device at a lowest potential among the plural low order control devices, and at least one low order device at a potential between the highest potential and the lowest potential among the plural low order control devices;

a high order control device which controls the plural low order control devices;

isolating units which connect an input terminal of the low order control device at a highest potential among the plural low order control devices to the high order control device, and an output terminal of the low order control device at a lowest potential among the plural low order control devices to the high order control device; and

interruption elements each of which is disposed between the output terminal of a corresponding one of the plural low order control devices and the battery cell in a corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a low potential side and blocks discharge current of the battery cells in the corresponding battery module, wherein

terminals related to input and output of a signal are connected in an electrically non-isolated state among the plural low order control devices, the terminals related to input and output of a signal for the at least one low order device at a potential between the highest potential and the lowest potential among the plural low order control devices being connected only to others of the plural low order control devices.

2. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input terminal of each of the plural low order control devices is electrically connected to the battery cell on a high potential side among the battery cells within the corresponding battery module being controlled by the low order control device.

3. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plural low order control devices, the isolating or potential conversion units which are disposed on the low order control devices in the highest and lowest potentials, and the high order control device are mounted on a same package, and power is supplied from outside of the package to the high order control device.

4. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said interruption elements are disposed in a closed loop including the output terminal of the corresponding one of the plural low order control devices and the battery cell in the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on the low potential side.

5. A control method of a battery apparatus which comprises:

plural battery modules connected in series each having plural battery cells connected in series;

plural low order control devices which are provided in correspondence with the plural battery modules, respectively, each of the plural low order control devices controlling the plural battery cells corresponding to one of the plural battery modules, the plural low order control devices including a low order control device at a highest potential among the plural low order control devices, a low order device at a lowest potential among the plural low order control devices, and at least one low order device at a potential between the highest potential and the lowest potential among the plural low order control devices; and

a high order control device which controls the plural low order control devices, the high order control device being connected to inputs of the low order control device at a highest potential among the low order control devices, and to outputs of the low order control device at a lowest potential among the low order control devices, inputs and outputs of the at least one low order control device at a potential between the highest and the lowest potential of the low order control devices being connected only to other low order control devices,

the control method comprising the step of;

comparing by the high order control device a signal transmitted to the low order control device at a highest potential and a signal returning from the low order control device at the lowest potential, and transmitting a next instruction when the battery apparatus is determined to be normal.

6. A control method of a battery apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

by one of the plural low order control devices, detecting states of the plural battery cells of the corresponding battery module controlled by the one low order control device, obtaining a logical add or a logical product of a signal representing the detected states and an input signal transmitted from the low order control device at a higher potential among the plural low order control devices, and outputting a result of the logical add or product to the low order control device at a lower potential side among the plural low order control devices; and

checking abnormality of the battery apparatus by the high order control device according to the signal returning from the low order control device at the lowest potential.

7. A control method of a battery apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the low order control device performs capacity adjustment to discharge remaining capacity of one of the battery cells in the corresponding battery module which voltage is higher than a reference value, and the low order control device having completed the capacity adjustment is placed into a sleep mode.