Control system and method for battery control unit

• US 6,850,035 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2001
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Eiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): TIBBITS, PIA FLORENCE
• Application Number:
  US10/380,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20040027091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/106, 320/112, 320/132, 320/131, 307/10.1, 307/77, 702/63
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A BCU control system (10) includes a BCU (14) that calculates various kinds of measured data based on battery states such as a temperature, voltage, current, etc., of an automobile battery (12) so as to control actuators such as fans (18A, 18B), a relay (12C), etc., and a computer (16) connected to the BCU by a communication line, thereby enabling to carry out a data communication. A data collection command and an actuator control command are transmitted from the computer (16) to the BCU (14), and the computer collects various kinds of data from the battery and the BCU so as to carry out processes such as a data display, a data analysis, etc., and control the BCU.

Claims

1. A control system of a battery control unit (BCU), comprising:

an automobile battery;

a BCU for controlling an actuator based on a state of said battery; and

a computer connected to said BCU by a communication means in a manner capable of performing a data communication therebetween, wherein

a data collection command and an actuator control command ie are sent from said computer to said BCU.

2. A control system according to claim 1, wherein said actuator includes a fan for said battery.

3. A control system according to claim 2, wherein

said actuator control command includes a fan control command,

said BCU transmits to said computer data showing a state of said fan in response to a reception of said fan control command, and

said computer displays a state of said fan based on said data.

4. A control system according to claim 1, wherein said actuator includes a relay for said battery.

5. A control system according to claim 4, wherein

said actuator control command includes a relay control command,

said BCU transmits to said computer data showing a state of said relay in response to a reception of said relay control command, and

said computer displays a state of said relay based on said data.

6. A control system according to claim 1, wherein said data collection command includes a data selection command, a data transmission start command, and a data transmission stop command.

7. A control system according to claim 6, wherein said BCU transmits to said computer state data showing a state of said battery in response to said data collection command.

8. A control system according to claim 7, wherein said state of said battery includes at least a current, a temperature, and a voltage of said battery.

9. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a map file for automatically setting a data collection program for said computer.

10. A control method of a battery control unit (BCU) which controls an actuator based on a state of an automobile battery, comprising following steps of:

(a) transmitting a data transmission command to the BCU;

(b) receiving data from the BCU;

(c) storing the data into a buffer; and

(d) reading the data from the buffer so as to execute at least one of a data analysis, a data display, and a graph drawing.

11. A control method of a battery control unit (BCU) which controls an actuator based on a state of an automobile battery, comprising following steps of:

(a) transmitting an actuator control command to the BCU;

(b) receiving data showing a state of the actuator from the BCU; and

(c) displaying a state of the actuator according to the data.

12. A control method according to claim 11, further comprising steps of:

(d) determining based on the data whether or not the actuator is properly controlled; and

(e) performing an error display when the actuator is not properly controlled.