Secondary battery module, battery information management device, battery information management system, secondary battery reuse system, secondary battery recovery and sales system, secondary battery reuse method, and secondary battery recovery and sales method

• US 7,710,073 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Emori, Akihiko, Kawahara, Youhei, Yamauchi, Shuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): OMAR, AHMED H
• Application Number:
  US11/598,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20070108946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 320/132, 320/128
• US Class Current: 320/128
• 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 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• 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 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/54 Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators
• 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 6/52 Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste cells or batteries , e.g. recycling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/84 Recycling of batteries or fuel cells

Abstract

A secondary battery module includes a battery information storage unit for storing electric characteristic information and usage history information of the secondary battery module. A battery information management device and a terminal device respectively include interfaces to be connected to the secondary battery module. The battery information management device is provided with a battery information database. The battery information management device is connected to the terminal device through a communications network. In this way, battery information stored in the battery information storage unit, which is acquired by the battery information management device and the terminal device, is accumulated in the battery information database. Moreover, the battery information management device grades the secondary battery module for reuse based on the battery information and a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A secondary battery module comprising:

an assembled battery formed by connecting a plurality of cells;

a battery information storage means for storing as battery information at least one of electrical characteristic information and usage history information on the secondary battery module or the assembled battery;

first communications interface means, which is provided as a connection unit to which a battery controller that executes battery control by acquiring the battery information is connectable, and which when connected to the battery controller, functions to send the battery information stored in the battery information storage means to the battery controller, and also to receive the battery information outputted from the battery controller and send the received battery information to the battery information storage means;

second communications interface means for sending and receiving the battery information;

a control circuit for controlling reading and writing of the battery information from and into the battery information storage means; and

a housing, which houses the assembled battery, the battery information storage means, and the control circuit, and on which the first and second communications interface means are provided,

wherein the second communications interface means is provided as a connection unit to which an external device that handles information that is necessary for reuse of the secondary battery module is connectable, the second communications interface means functions to send to the external device and as information that is necessary for reuse of the secondary battery module the battery information stored in the battery information storage means when it is detected that the battery controller is separated from the secondary battery module and the external device is connected, and the second communications interface means functions to receive as information to be stored in the battery information storage means the battery information that is outputted from the external device and to send the received battery information to the battery information storage means when the secondary battery module is to be reused and the external device is connected, and

wherein the control circuit functions to read from the battery information storage means the battery information stored in the battery information storage means when the battery information stored in the battery information storage means is to be sent to the second communications interface means, and the control circuit functions to, when the battery information is sent to the battery information storage means from the second communications interface means, write into the battery information storage means the battery information that is sent to the battery information storage means.

2. The secondary battery module according to claim 1, wherein

the battery information storage means is configured to be included in a radio frequency identification tag.

3. The secondary battery module according to claim 1, wherein

the external device comprises a portable storage medium storage device storing the battery information.

4. The secondary battery module according to claim 3, further comprising:

a first switch for instructing, when the battery controller is separated from the secondary battery module and the portable storage medium storage device is connected to the second communications interface means, an operation for reading from the battery information storage means the battery information that is stored in the battery information storage means and that is to be sent to the portable storage medium storage device; and

a second switch for instructing, when the secondary battery module is reused and the portable storage medium storage device is connected to the second communications interface means, an operation for writing into the battery information storage means that battery information that is stored in the portable storage medium storage device and that is to be stored in the battery information storage means,

wherein the first and second switches are provided on the housing.

5. The secondary battery module according to claim 1, wherein:

the second communications interface means includes password judging means for judging whether or not an inputted password is a predetermined password, and

one of a reading operation for reading the battery information from the battery information storage means and a writing operation for writing the battery information into the battery information storage means is validated when the password judging means judges that the inputted password is the predetermined password, and one of the reading operation for reading the battery information from the battery information storage means and the writing operation for writing the battery information into the battery information storage means is invalidated when the password judging means judges that the inputted password differs from the predetermined password.