Car power source apparatus

• US 7,705,561 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2007
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yano, Jyunya
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berhanu; Samuel
• Application Number:
  US11/812,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20080007204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 320/118, 320/104, 702/63, 324/434
• US Class Current: 320/118
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

The voltage detection circuit 3 is provided with an isolation transformer 4 having its primary side connected to battery 2 connection nodes 10, a switching device 5 connected to the primary side of the isolation transformer 4, an isolated input circuit 7 that switches the switching device 5 ON and OFF, and a secondary voltage detection section 8 that detects output voltage from the secondary side of the isolation transformer 4. In the voltage detection circuit 3, the series input circuit 6 of the isolation transformer 4 primary side and the switching device 5 are connected to battery 2 measurement nodes, the switching device 5 is switched ON and OFF with a given periodicity by the isolated input circuit 7, and the output voltage from the secondary side of the isolation transformer 4 is detected by the secondary voltage detection section 8 to determine the voltage across the measurement nodes.

Claims

1. A car power source apparatus comprising:

a battery array having a plurality of series connected batteries; and

a voltage detection circuit to detect the voltage of the batteries that make up the battery array;

wherein the voltage detection circuit is provided with;

an isolation transformer having its primary side connected to battery connection nodes;

a switching device connected in series with the primary side of the isolation transformer;

an isolated input circuit that switches the switching device ON and OFF with a given periodicity; and

a secondary voltage detection section that detects output voltage from the secondary side of the isolation transformer when the switching device is switched ON and OFF by the isolated input circuit; and

in the battery voltage detection circuit, the primary side of the isolation transformer and switching device series input circuit is electrically connected to a pair of measurement nodes at the battery for voltage detection, the isolated input circuit switches the switching device ON and OFF with a given periodicity to output a voltage at the isolation transformer secondary side corresponding to the primary side input voltage, and the secondary side output voltage is detected by the secondary voltage detection section to determine the voltage at one pair of measurement nodes in the battery array.

2. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the voltage detection circuit detects the voltage of each battery.

3. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the voltage detection circuit detects the total voltage of the battery array.

4. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the frequency at which the switching device is switched ON and OFF is 20KHz to 1 MHz.

5. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the primary side of the isolation transformer is connected via input switches to the connection nodes of a plurality of batteries.

6. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein input switches sequentially connect both ends of each battery as measurement nodes to the series input circuit to detect the voltage of each battery.

7. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein input switches are connected to the primary side of the isolation transformer and switching device series input circuit.

8. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein a ringing prevention circuit, which is a parallel connection of a resistor and capacitor in series with a diode, is connected in parallel with the primary side of the isolation transformer.

9. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the switching device is a semiconductor switch.

10. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the isolated input circuit is provided with an input transformer having its secondary side connected to the input side of the switching device, and a pulse circuit that inputs an ON-OFF pulse of given periodicity to the primary side of the input transformer;

and wherein the pulse circuit inputs an ON-OFF pulse to the primary side of the input transformer to switch the switching device connected to the secondary side ON and OFF with a given periodicity.

11. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the secondary voltage detection section has an A/D converter that converts output voltage to a digital signal synchronous with the ON and OFF period of the switching device.

12. A car power source apparatus as recited in claim 11 wherein the A/D converter detects voltage during timing intervals between points where the switching device switches from OFF to ON and from ON to OFF.