Circuit system for a battery electronic control unit

• US 7,471,064 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2005
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sobue, Satoshi, Yamamoto, Tomohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah; Akm E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang; Jue
• Application Number:
  US11/052,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20050194931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320118-123
• US Class Current: 320/116
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1203 the substrate comprising an insulating body on a semiconductor body, e.g. SOI three-dimensional layout H01L27/0688
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7317 Bipolar thin film transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery ECU controls a main battery composed of a plurality of battery cells connected to each other in series. The battery cells are grouped into cell blocks each having a cell-block monitor circuit. A control unit controls charging/discharging processes on the basis of signals output by the cell-block monitor circuit. A signal output by a cell-block monitor circuit on a high-voltage side turns on a transistor for propagating a signal to a cell-block monitor circuit on a middle-voltage side. In the cell-block monitor circuit on a middle-voltage side, the propagated signal turns on another transistor for further propagating a signal to a cell-block monitor circuit on a low-voltage side. In the cell-block monitor circuit on a low-voltage side, the propagated signal turns on a further transistor for outputting a signal to a control unit.

Claims

1. A circuit system comprising:

a plurality of circuit blocks, each including a circuit driven to operate by a power supply voltage in one of a plurality of voltage ranges obtained as a result of delimiting the voltage range of a predetermined power supply;

signal propagation transistors each used for propagating a signal output by a first circuit pertaining to a specific one of the circuit blocks to a second circuit pertaining to another one of the circuit blocks; and

a voltage-setting means for setting a voltage applied to a particular one of the signal propagation transistors at a magnitude smaller than a breakdown voltage of the particular signal propagation transistor, wherein

the voltage applied is further associated with a difference between a first electric-potential associated with the first circuit and a second electric-potential associated with the second circuit, the difference including a voltage drop of the voltage-setting means, the difference being greater than a breakdown voltage of the particular one of the signal propagation transistors, and

the voltage-setting means for setting a voltage applied to a particular one of the circuit block includes

a series circuit including a current generator and a Zener diode, which are connected between a higher electric-potential side and a lower electric-potential side of the particular circuit block, and

a voltage-setting transistor, which has a control terminal connected to the anode of the Zener diode and is connected in series between the higher electric-potential side of the particular circuit block and the signal propagation transistor.

2. The circuit system according to claim 1, wherein a specific one of the circuit blocks includes:

a signal output transistor, which is turned on when the specific circuit block outputs a signal.

3. The circuit system according to claim 2, wherein the specific one of the circuit blocks includes a signal relay circuit comprising:

a signal input transistor, which is turned on when receiving a signal from one of the circuit blocks on a higher voltage side; and

a signal propagation transistor, which outputs a signal to one of the circuit blocks on the lower voltage side when the signal input transistor is turned on.

4. The circuit system according to claim 1, wherein a specific one of the circuit blocks includes a signal output circuit comprising:

a signal input transistor, which is turned on when the signal propagation transistor included in one of the circuit blocks on the lower voltage side is turned on; and

a signal output transistor, which outputs a signal to a circuit pertaining to the specific circuit block when the signal input transistor is turned on.

5. A circuit system according to claim 4, wherein:

another specific one of the circuit blocks includes a signal relay circuit comprising;

a signal input transistor, which is turned on when a signal propagation transistor included in the particular one of the circuit blocks on the lower voltage side is turned on; and

a signal propagation transistor, which outputs a signal to one of the circuit blocks on a higher voltage side when the signal input transistor is turned on, and

the voltage-setting means of the signal relay circuit sets a voltage applied to the signal propagation transistor included in the particular circuit block on the lower voltage side at a magnitude smaller than a breakdown voltage of the signal propagation transistor.

6. The circuit system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the circuit blocks is disposed within one of a plurality of cell blocks connected to each other in series, each of the plurality of cell blocks including a predetermined plurality of cells connected to each other in series to form a secondary battery power supply; and

the circuit pertaining to the circuit blocks includes a charging/discharging control circuit for controlling charging and discharging processes of the cell blocks.

7. The circuit system according to claim 6, wherein:

the secondary battery power supply functions as a motor-driving power supply for providing power to a motor for driving a vehicle into a travel motion; and

the circuit system is applied to an electronic control unit for controlling the motor-driving power supply.

8. The circuit system according to claim 1, wherein the circuit system includes an integrated circuit built on a semiconductor substrate.

9. An electronic control unit (ECU) for controlling a battery having a plurality of cell blocks connected together in series, wherein each of the plurality of cell blocks is operative within a voltage range obtained by dividing a voltage range of the battery, the ECU comprising:

a plurality of cell block monitoring units respectively connected to the plurality of cell blocks to detect one of an over-charging and an over-discharging of the respective cell block and to adjust a terminal voltage of the respective cell block based on the detected one of the over-charging and the over-discharging;

a control unit for generating a diagnosis output in accordance with the detected one of the over-charging and the over-discharging; and

a plurality of signal circuits respectively disposed within each of the plurality of cell blocks for connecting the control unit to the plurality of cell block monitoring units, wherein

at least one of the plurality of signal circuits includes

a signal propagating transistor for propagating a signal from one of the control unit and one of the cell blocks having a first electric-potential to another one of the cell blocks having a second electric-potential, and

a voltage-setting means for setting a voltage applied to the signal propagation transistor at a magnitude smaller than a breakdown voltage of the signal propagation transistor, wherein the voltage is further associated with a difference between the first electric-potential and the second electric-potential, the difference including a voltage drop of the voltage setting means, the difference being greater than a breakdown voltage of the signal propagation transistor, wherein

the voltage-setting means applied to the signal propagation transistor includes

a series circuit including a current generator and a Zener diode, which are connected between a higher electric-potential side and a lower electric-potential side of the one cell block having a first electric-potential, and

a voltage-setting transistor, which has a control terminal connected to the anode of the Zener diode and is connected in series between the higher electric-potential side of the one cell block having a first electric-potential and the signal propagation transistor.

10. A circuit system including a plurality of circuit blocks operating at different power supply voltages divided from a power supply, the circuit system capable of propagating a signal without electrical insulation between the plurality of circuit blocks, the circuit system comprising:

a first circuit associated with a first circuit block of the plurality of circuit blocks and a first power supply;

a second circuit associated with a second circuit black of the plurality of circuit blocks and a second power supply,

wherein the first circuit includes a signal propagation transistor propagating the signal on a propagation path to the second circuit associated with the second circuit block, the signal propagation transistor having a predetermined collector-to-emitter breakdown voltage; and

voltage-setting means coupled between the signal propagation transistor and the first power supply through a circuit path apart from the propagation path, the voltage-setting means for setting a collector-to-emitter voltage across the signal propagation transistor at a level lower than the predetermined collector-to-emitter breakdown voltage when a difference between the first power supply and the second power supply exceeds the collector-to-emitter breakdown voltage, the difference including a voltage drop associated with the voltage-setting means, wherein

the voltage-setting means includes

a series circuit including a current generator and a Zener diode, which are connected between a higher electric-potential side and a lower electric-potential side of the first circuit block, and

a voltage-setting transistor, which has a control terminal connected to the anode of the Zener diode and is connected in series between the higher electric-potential side of the first circuit block and the signal propagation transistor.