Method for controlling battery pack

• US 7,675,263 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Energy Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawasumi, Atsushi, Nishikawa, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fantu; Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US11/703,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20070188148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 320/114, 320/112, 320/110, 320/135, 320/136
• US Class Current: 320/112
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/583 in response to current, e.g. fuses
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/023 by short-circuiting
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/18 for batteries; for accumulators
• 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 battery pack includes a switching element, a heat resistor, and a fuse. The switching element turns to ON if the battery pack becomes in an abnormal state. The heat resistor is connected to the switching element and a battery in series. Current flows through the heat resistor when the switching element turns to ON. The fuse is located in a position where the fuse is heated by the heat resistor through which the current flows. The fuse is connected to the battery in series so that the fuse is disconnected with heat by the heat resistor at high temperature. Thus, the fuse cuts off a current flow in the battery. If the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the capacity or voltage of the battery is less than a preset capacity or voltage value, the fuse is disconnected with heat by turning the switching element to ON.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a battery pack including a switching element that turns from OFF to ON if the battery pack with a rechargeable battery is in an abnormal state, a heat resistor that is connected to the switching element and the rechargeable battery in series, and through which current flows when the switching element turns to ON, and a fuse that is located in a position where the fuse is heated by the heat resistor through which the current flows and is connected to the rechargeable battery in series so that the fuse is disconnected with heat by the heat resistor at high temperature when the current flows to cut off a current flow in the rechargeable battery, the method comprising:

determining whether the battery pack is in an abnormal state;

detecting whether the capacity or voltage of the rechargeable battery is less than a preset capacity or voltage value if it is determined that the battery pack is in an abnormal state; and

disconnecting the fuse with heat by turning the switching element to ON after the rechargeable battery is charged if it is detected that the battery pack is in an abnormal state and the capacity or voltage of the rechargeable battery is less than the preset capacity or voltage value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the capacity of the rechargeable battery is less than the preset capacity value, after the rechargeable battery is charged so that its capacity reaches the preset capacity value, the fuse is disconnected with heat by turning the switching element to ON.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the capacity of the rechargeable battery is less than capacity within a range from 30 mWh to 100 mWh as the preset capacity value, after the rechargeable battery is charged so that its capacity reaches the capacity within the range from 30 mWh to 100 mWh, the fuse is disconnected with heat by turning the switching element to ON.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the capacity of the rechargeable battery is less than capacity in a range from several mWh to 10 mWh as the preset capacity value, after the rechargeable battery is charged so that its capacity reaches the capacity within the range from several mWh to 10 mWh, the fuse is disconnected with heat by turning the switching element to ON.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the remaining capacity of the rechargeable battery is less than a percentage within a range from 0.2% to 15% as the preset capacity value, after the rechargeable battery is charged so that its remaining capacity reaches the percentage within the range from 0.2% to 15%, the fuse is disconnected with heat by turning the switching element to ON.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the voltage of the rechargeable battery is less than the preset voltage value, after the rechargeable battery is charged so that its voltage reaches the preset voltage value, the fuse is disconnected with heat by turning the switching element to ON.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein in a case where the rechargeable battery is a lithium-ion battery, if the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the voltage of the rechargeable battery is less than voltage within a range from 2.7 V to 3.5 V as the preset voltage value, after the rechargeable battery is charged so that its remaining capacity reaches the voltage within the range from 2.7 V to 3.5 V, the fuse is disconnected with heat by turning the switching element to ON.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes a control circuit that determines whether the battery pack is in an abnormal state, the control circuit determining that the battery pack is in an abnormal state by detecting any of abnormal current, abnormal temperature and abnormal voltage of the rechargeable battery.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein in a state where the battery pack is controlled not in charge operation, charge current of the rechargeable battery is detected, and the battery pack is determined as in an abnormal state if the detected charge current is larger than a preset value.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein in charge or discharge operation, or in a state where current does not flow, if the temperature of the rechargeable battery goes out of a preset value, the battery pack is determined as in an abnormal state.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack is determined as in an abnormal state if a short circuit is detected in a cell of the rechargeable battery.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein in a state where current does not flow in the rechargeable battery, if the voltage variation is not less than a preset value in a preset period, the battery pack is determined as in an abnormal state.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery is provided with a plurality of blocks that are connected in series, wherein, in discharge or charge operation, if the voltage variation of any block is not less than a preset value in a preset period, and the voltage variation of the any block is not less than a preset value compared with the voltage variation of other block, the battery pack is determined as in an abnormal state.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery is provided with a plurality of blocks that are connected in series, and each of the blocks is provided with a plurality of battery cells that are connected in parallel, wherein if any of the battery cells are not electrically connected, the battery pack is determined as in an abnormal state.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the battery cells are determined as not electrically connected based on detection of the voltage variation of each block.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack is determined as in an abnormal state if the battery voltage is less than a preset value after charge operation for a preset period.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein an abnormal state of the battery pack is transmitted to a device to which the battery pack is attached.

18. The method according to claim 9, wherein the battery pack includes an MPU including a control and calculation portion that composes the control circuit, and A/D converter that converts analog signals of the voltage, current and temperature of the rechargeable battery into digital signals, wherein the control and calculation portion as the control circuit determines that the battery pack in an abnormal state based on the output signals of the A/D converter.

19. A method for controlling a battery pack including a rechargeable battery, a fuse that is connected to the rechargeable battery in series, and a control circuit that determines whether the battery pack is in an abnormal state including the rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery discharging through the fuse and the fuse is disconnected with heat by discharge current in this discharge operation if the control circuit determines that the battery pack is in an abnormal state, the method comprising:

determining whether the battery pack is in an abnormal state;

detecting whether the capacity or voltage of the rechargeable battery is less than a preset capacity or voltage value if it is determined that the battery pack is in an abnormal state; and

disconnecting the fuse with heat by discharge current in discharge operation of the rechargeable battery after the rechargeable battery is charged if it is detected that the battery pack is in an abnormal state and the capacity or voltage of the rechargeable battery is less than the preset capacity or voltage value.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein if the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the capacity of the rechargeable battery is less than the preset capacity value, after the rechargeable battery is charged so that its capacity reaches the preset capacity value, the fuse is disconnected with heat by discharge operation of the rechargeable battery.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein if the battery pack is in an abnormal state, when the voltage of the rechargeable battery is less than the preset voltage value, after the rechargeable battery is charged so that its voltage reaches the preset voltage value, the fuse is disconnected with heat by discharge operation of the rechargeable battery.