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

• US 7,091,695 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2005
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• 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:
  US11/103,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20050242775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320/134, 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:

a battery unit which includes plural battery modules connected in series each having plural battery cells connected in series; and

a control unit which controls the battery unit, wherein the control unit includes;

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; and

a high order control device which controls the plural low order control devices, wherein

the plural low order control devices are electrically connected in series, each of the plural low order control devices being supplied with electric power from the corresponding one of the plural battery modules, and wherein

the high order control device is supplied with electric power from a power supply different from the plural battery modules, the high order control device being connected electrically in series through an isolation unit with the plural low order control devices electrically connected in series.

2. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reference voltage of the plural low order control devices differs from a reference voltage of the high order control device.

3. A battery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the plural low order control devices is coupled to, as the reference voltage of the plural low order control devices, a negative electrode of the battery cell having a lowest voltage among the plurality battery cells of the corresponding one of the plural battery modules, and

the high order control device is coupled to, as the reference voltage of the high order control device, a negative electrode of the power supply.

4. A battery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the reference voltage sides of the plural low order control devices are isolated from the reference voltage side of the plural high order control device by the isolation units.

5. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plural low order control devices includes plural circuits, and a reference voltage for operating the plural circuits, wherein the reference voltage for operating the plural circuits is generated from a total voltage of the battery cells of the corresponding one of the plural battery modules.

6. A battery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the plural low order control devices includes an interruption element for interrupting a current flowing through a current path which is formed between each of the plural low order control devices and the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a lower potential side.

7. A battery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the plural low order control devices includes:

an output circuit for outputting a signal of a constant current to the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a lower potential side, and

an input circuit for receiving a signal of a constant current outputted from the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a higher potential sides, wherein

the input circuit is coupled to a reference voltage higher than the reference voltage of the each of the plural low order control devices, and converts a potential of the signal outputted from the output circuit in multiple steps.

8. A battery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the plural low order control devices includes:

an output circuit for outputting a signal of a constant current to the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a lower potential side, and

an output circuit for receiving a signal of a constant current outputted from the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a higher potential side, wherein

the input circuit is coupled to a reference voltage higher than the reference voltage of the each of the plural low order control devices, and converts a potential of the signal outputted from the output circuit in multiple steps, and wherein

the output circuit includes an interruption element for interrupting a current flowing through a current path which is formed between each of the plural low order control devices and the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a lower potential side.

9. A battery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the plural low order control devices includes:

an output circuit for outputting a signal of a constant current to the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a lower potential side, and

an input circuit for receiving a signal of a constant current outputted from the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a higher potential side, wherein

the input circuit is coupled to a reference voltage that is the same as the reference voltage of the corresponding one of the plural low order control devices on the higher potential side, and converts a potential of the signal outputted from the output circuit in multiple steps.

10. A battery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the plural low order control devices includes:

an output circuit for outputting a signal of a constant current to the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a lower potential side, and

an input circuit for receiving a signal of a constant current outputted from the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a higher potential side, wherein

the input circuit is coupled to a reference voltage that is same as the reference voltage of the corresponding one of the plural low order control devices on the higher potential side, and converts a potential of the signal outputted from the output circuit in multiple steps, and wherein

the output circuit includes an interruption element for interrupting a current flowing through a current path which is formed between each of the plural low order control devices and the corresponding one of the plural battery modules on a lower potential side.

11. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the isolation unit is a photocoupler.

12. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a battery pack housing the battery unit therein; and

a charger which houses the control unit therein and charges the battery pack, wherein

each of the battery pack and the charger has terminals, and wherein

the plural low order control devices are coupled to the corresponding plural battery modules through the terminals, respectively, by coupling same polarities of the battery pack and the charger to each other to charge the battery pack by the charger.

13. A battery apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the isolation unit is a potential conversion unit.