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

• US 6,891,352 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2004
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (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:
  US10/810,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20040178768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 320/118, 320/104, 320/122, 320/130, 320/132, 320/149
• US Class Current: 320/118
• 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 configuring corresponding one of the plural battery modules;

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

a voltage detecting unit which detects voltages of the plural battery cells within the battery module; and

error compensation means which compensates an error of a voltage detected by the voltage detecting unit.

2. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an A/D converter which converts a voltage detected by the voltage detecting unit into a digital value from an analog value and outputs the digital value;

and

wherein the error compensation means has a terminal and is provided within the A/D converter; and

the low order control device applies a digital value to the terminal in advance thereby to compensate an output value of the A/D converter.

3. A battery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the A/D converter comprises;

an integration unit which integrates a unit amount of electricity according to a number of pulses;

a comparing unit which compares an integral value of the integration unit with a voltage of the battery cell and stops the pulse;

a counter unit which outputs the number of pulses when the pulse is stopped by the comparing unit; and

wherein the error compensation means compensates an output of the counter unit according to the digital value given to the terminal.

4. A battery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the error compensation means changes a counted value of the counter unit according to the digital value given to the terminal to compensate an offset of the A/D conversion and changes a width of the pulse to compensate a gain of the A/D conversion.