Battery power source device, method for controlling the same, and method for providing address

• US 6,919,707 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawai, Hirokazu, Kadono, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUK, LAWRENCE W
• Application Number:
  US10/331,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20030129457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 320/117, 320/116, 320/119, 320/120, 320/125, 320/126, 320/128, 320/132, 320/134, 320/135, 429/61, 429 90- 92, 429 96-100, 307/61, 307/66, 307/65, 307/46, 307/48, 307/71, 324/431, 324/433, 324/426, 324/527, 324/434, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 701/114, 701/115, 701/110, 712/31, 712/32, 712/34, 712/43, 370/311, 370/312, 370/313, 710/131, 710/110, 710/126, 711/206, 711/207, 711/208, 711/220
• US Class Current: 320/117
• 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 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method for controlling and addressing a battery power source device having a plurality of battery pack systems connected in parallel or serially in parallel, each battery pack system having a battery pack block and a battery ECU connected thereto, is provided. The battery ECUs are connected to each other over communication lines, and a plurality of address setting terminals and address lines are connected to each other differently to provide a unique address to each battery ECU. When an abnormal state is detected in one of the battery pack blocks over the communication line, control is provided to the abnormal one of the battery pack blocks, identified by its address, to turn off its open/close relay contact to disconnect it from the parallel or the serial parallel connection, thereby preventing the function of the entire battery power source device from being stopped or degraded.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a battery power source device having a plurality of battery pack systems, the method comprising:

providing each of the battery pack systems connected in at least one of parallel and series with a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected in series with each other, and a battery electronic control unit (ECU) that controls an operating condition of the battery pack block;

detecting an abnormal state in one of the battery pack blocks with the battery ECU; and

disconnecting, with the battery ECU, the battery pack block detected as having the abnormal state from the other battery pack blocks.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein disconnecting further comprises one of opening or closing a relay of the abnormal battery pack block.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the battery pack systems further comprise secondary relays.

4. A method of providing an address for a battery power source device, the method comprising:

providing the battery power source device with a plurality of battery pack systems connected in at least one of parallel and series to each other, each battery pack system including a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected in series with each other, and a battery electronic control unit (ECU) for each of the battery pack blocks that controls an operating condition of the battery pack block, the battery ECU having a communication device that communicates with the other battery ECUs and with an external apparatus;

providing each of the battery ECUs with address setting terminals and connection lines, the number of setting terminals and connection lines being the same as a number of bits sufficient to identify a number of the battery pack blocks; and

connecting each of the battery ECUs with different combinations of the connection lines and the address setting terminals.

5. A method of providing an address in a battery power source device, the method comprising:

providing the battery power source device with a plurality of battery pack systems connected in at least one of parallel and series to each other, each battery pack system including a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected in series with each other, and a battery electronic control unit (ECU) that controls an operating condition of the battery pack block, said battery ECU being provided with a communication device that communicates among said battery ECUs and including address setting terminals and connection lines, the number of setting terminals and connection lines being the same as a number of bits corresponding to a number of the battery pack blocks;

setting one of the plurality of battery ECUs to be a master battery ECU by a connection between the connection lines and the address setting terminals; and

setting the remaining battery ECUs to be slave battery ECUs.

6. A battery power source device comprising:

a plurality of battery pack systems connected in at least one of parallel and series to each other, each battery pack system including a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected in series with each other;

a battery electronic control unit (ECU) for each of the plurality of battery pack blocks that controls an operating condition of the battery pack block; and

a plurality of communicators for each of said battery ECUs that communicate with said battery ECUs, each ECU including address setting terminals and connection lines, the number of setting terminals and connections lines being the same as a number of bits corresponding to a number of the battery pack blocks,

wherein one of the battery ECUs is set as a master battery ECU by a connection between the connection lines and said address setting terminals while the remaining battery ECUs are set to be slave battery ECUs.

7. The battery power source device according to claim 6, wherein said master battery ECU collects information on an operating condition of each slave battery ECU and communicates the information externally.

8. The battery power source device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a setter that sets, when an abnormal state is detected in the battery pack block controlled by said master battery ECU, one of the other battery ECUs, connected in parallel to said abnormal battery pack block, to serve as a master battery ECU, and that thereafter disconnects the abnormal battery pack block from the other battery pack blocks.

9. The battery power source device according to claim 8, wherein disconnecting further comprises one of opening or closing a relay of the abnormal battery pack block.

10. The battery power source device according to claim 9, wherein the battery pack systems further comprise secondary relays.