Secondary battery devices

• US 7,333,315 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Chemical & Information Device Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Furuuchi, Yuji, Furuta, Kazutaka, Kawazu, Masami, Tamura, Hisaya, Matsuyoshi, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherry; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUER, SCOTT ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US11/139,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20050221164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 361/104
• US Class Current: 361/104
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• 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 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/103 Fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/583 in response to current, e.g. fuses
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A secondary battery device 1 including multiple protective circuits U₁-U₃ connected in parallel and each having two fuses f_a, f_b connected in series, wherein a terminal t_c of each heater h is connected to a switch element 4 via rectifier element D₁-D₃. Even if a potential difference is generated between terminals t_c, no residual current flows because any one of the rectifier elements D₁-D₃ is reverse-biased.

Claims

1. A secondary battery device comprising an accumulator, multiple protective circuits, and a first and a second output terminals, in which device:

each of the protective circuits includes two fuses connected in series to form a series circuit,

the series circuits of the two fuses are connected to each other in parallel, and

when an external circuit is connected to the first and second output terminals, a discharging current supplied from the accumulator to the external circuit and a charging current supplied from the external circuit to the accumulator flow through the two fuses of each of the series circuits;

wherein each of the protective circuits includes a heater, and one end of each heater is connected to a junction between the two fuses,

one end of a rectifier element is connected to the other end of each heater,

the other end of each of the rectifier elements is connected to a switch element, and

when the switch element is turned on, a current flows through each of the rectifier elements, the heater of each of the protective circuits and the switch element which is turned on.

2. The secondary battery device according to claim 1, wherein when a current at or higher than a predetermined level flows through the heater connected to the two fuses of one of the series circuits, the two fuses are heated and thereby at least one of the two fuses is blown.

3. The secondary battery device according to claim 2, further comprising a control circuit controlling the switch element, so that when the control circuit detects an abnormality, the switch element is turned on.

4. The secondary battery device according to claim 1, further comprising a control circuit controlling the switch element, so that when the control circuit detects an abnormality, the switch element is turned on.

5. A secondary battery device comprising an accumulator, multiple protective circuits, and a first and a second output terminals, in which device:

each of the protective circuits includes two fuses connecting one end to each other at a junction and the fuses connected in series to form a series circuit, and a heater, one end of each heater is connected to the junction,

the other end of each heater is connected to a switch element,

when the switch element is turned on, a current flows through the heater in each of the protective circuits via the switch element that is turned on, and

when an external circuit is connected to the first and second output terminals, a discharging current supplied from the accumulator to the external circuit and a charging current supplied from the external circuit to the accumulator flow through the series circuit of the two fuses in each of the multiple protective circuits;

wherein the junctions in the series circuits in the protective circuits are connected to each other.

6. The secondary battery device according to claim 5, wherein when a current at or higher than a predetermined level flows through the heater connected to the two fuses of one of the series circuits, the two fuses are heated and thereby at least one of the two fuses is blown.

7. The secondary battery device according to claim 6, further comprising a control circuit controlling the switch element, so that when the control circuit detects an abnormality, the switch element is turned on.

8. The secondary battery device according to claim 5, further comprising a control circuit controlling the switch element, so that when the control circuit detects an abnormality, the switch element is turned on.