Abnormal voltage detector apparatus for detecting voltage abnormality in assembled battery

• US 7,710,120 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yudahira, Hirofumi, Nakanishi, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad; Patrick J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fantu; Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US12/400,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20090174411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 324/433, 324/434
• US Class Current: 324/433
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An abnormal voltage detector apparatus is provided for an assembled battery including a plurality of battery blocks connected in series to each other. In the abnormal voltage detector apparatus, a detecting part detects whether or not each of the battery blocks is in a voltage abnormality state by comparing either one of a voltage of each battery block and each battery measuring voltage, that is a voltage lowered from the voltage of each battery block, with a predetermined reference voltage, generates each of abnormality detecting signals containing information about a detected result, calculates a time ratio of a time interval, for which the assembled battery is in a voltage abnormality state, to a predetermined time interval, based on the abnormality detecting signals, and detects a voltage abnormality of the assembled battery based on a calculated time ratio.

Claims

1. An abnormal voltage detector apparatus for use in an assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery blocks connected in series to each other, said abnormal voltage detector apparatus detecting voltage abnormality in said assembled battery, each battery block comprising at least one secondary battery, said abnormal voltage detector apparatus comprising:

a detecting part for detecting whether or not each of said battery blocks is in a voltage abnormality state by comparing either one of a voltage of said each battery block and each battery measuring voltage, which is a voltage lowered from the voltage of said each battery block, with a predetermined reference voltage, for generating each of abnormality detecting signals containing information about a detected result, for calculating a time ratio of a time interval, for which said assembled battery is in a voltage abnormality state, to a predetermined time interval, based on the abnormality detecting signals, and for detecting a voltage abnormality of said assembled battery based on a calculated time ratio,

wherein said detecting part includes;

voltage changing circuits, each changing either one of each of the battery measuring voltages of said each battery block and the reference voltage;

a signal generator for generating a serial signal including control signals for controlling an operation of each of said voltage changing circuits;

a serial-parallel converter for converting the serial signal into parallel signals; and

a level converter circuit for converting a voltage level of each of voltage levels of at least one of the control signals of the parallel signals into each of converted voltage levels thereof, which is a voltage level of said each battery block, respectively, by utilizing voltage differences each between electrodes of each transistor, and for outputting the parallel signals having converted voltage levels to the voltage changing circuits as the control signals.

2. The abnormal voltage detector apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

voltage levels of the parallel signals include a voltage of negative terminal of said assembled battery; and

said level converter circuit boosts each of voltage levels of the parallel signals stepwise by a unit voltage, which is a voltage between the terminals of each of said battery blocks, to convert the voltage levels thereof into each of the converted voltage levels, respectively.

3. The abnormal voltage detector apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

voltage levels of the parallel signals include a voltage of a negative terminal of said assembled battery; and

said level converter circuit comprises;

a first booster circuit for boosting the voltage level of the parallel signals for a first battery block of said battery blocks only by a unit voltage, which is a voltage between the terminals of each of said battery blocks, to convert the voltage level thereof into the converted voltage level, and

a second booster circuit for boosting the voltage level of the parallel signals for a second battery block of said battery blocks by the plurality of the unit voltages, to convert the voltage level thereof into the converted voltage level.

4. The abnormal voltage detector apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said level converter circuit further comprises a third booster circuit for boosting the voltage level of the parallel signals for a third battery block of said battery blocks by the unit voltage and then boosting a boosted voltage level thereof by the plurality of the unit voltages to convert the voltage level thereof into the converted voltage level.

5. The abnormal voltage detector apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the serial signal contains a start bit as a header thereof; and

said serial-parallel converter automatically activates an internal oscillator in response to the start bit, and reads therein the serial signal outputted from said signal generator by using a predetermined clock outputted from the internal oscillator.

6. The abnormal voltage detector apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detecting part further comprises:

first transmission devices, each transmitting the abnormality detecting signal in an electrically insulted state; and

a second transmission device for transmitting the serial signal to the serial-parallel converter in an electrically insulted state.

7. The abnormal voltage detector apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detecting part relatively changes either one of each of the battery measuring voltages of said each battery block and the reference voltage, generates each of the abnormality detecting signals by comparing each of battery measuring voltages with the reference voltage, and detects whether or not said detecting part operates normally based on the abnormality detecting signals.