Battery management system and driving method thereof

• US 7,728,599 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Choi, Soo-Seok, Park, Ho-Young, Lee, Young-Jo, Kim, Beom-Gyu, Seo, Se-Wook, Lim, Gye-Jong, Yun, Han-Seok, Tae, Yong-Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US11/848,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20080061764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 324/416, 324/427, 324/433, 320/104, 320/112, 320/116, 320/132
• US Class Current: 324/433
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0038 relating to sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/14 Preventing excessive discharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/19 Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1423 with multiple batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery management system and a driving method thereof. The battery management system manages a plurality of battery cells, and a plurality of cell relays respectively coupled to the plurality of cells. The battery management system includes a voltage detecting unit and an MCU. The voltage detecting unit receives a first voltage corresponding to an input voltage transmitted through a 3-contact relay coupled to a first cell corresponding to the turn-on first cell relay when the first cell relay is turned on, and generating a second voltage corresponding to the first voltage. The MCU calculates an effective gain in correspondence with a ratio of the second voltage to the input voltage and controls a connection of the 3-contact relay.

Claims

1. A battery management system for a plurality of cells, and a plurality of cell relays respectively coupled to the plurality of cells, comprising:

an auxiliary power unit;

a voltage detecting unit comprising a 3-contact relay, to transmit an input voltage from at least one cell relay of the plurality of cell relays when at least one of the plurality of cell relays is turned on and transmitting an input voltage from the auxiliary power unit on key-on and parking, to store a first voltage corresponding to the input voltage transmitted through the 3-contact relay, and to generate a second voltage corresponding to the first voltage; and

an MCU to calculate an effective gain in correspondence with a ratio of the second voltage to the input voltage, and to control the 3-contact relay.

2. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the voltage detecting unit comprises a differential amplification terminal to amplify the first voltage according to a gain of the voltage detecting unit.

3. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the voltage detecting unit comprises a voltage following unit to receive the first voltage, and transmit the second voltage, being the same as the first voltage.

4. The battery management system of claim 2, wherein:

the 3-contact relay electrically connects the auxiliary power unit to the voltage detecting unit on key-on and parking, and the input voltage is a reference voltage; and

the MCU calculates the effective gain in correspondence with a ratio of the second voltage to the reference voltage.

5. The battery management system of claim 4, wherein the MCU compares an effective gain calculated on key-on to an effective gain calculated on a previous parking, and determines whether a circuit of the voltage detecting unit has an abnormality.

6. The battery management system of claim 5, wherein the MCU compares an effective gain calculated at parking to a previous effective gain calculated on a previous key-on, and determines whether a circuit of the voltage detecting unit has an abnormality based on the comparison.

7. The battery management system of claim 6, wherein the voltage detecting unit further comprises an A/D converter to convert an output voltage transmitted from the voltage detecting unit, and transmit the converted output voltage to the MCU.

8. A battery management system for a plurality of cells, a plurality of cell relays respectively coupled to the plurality of cells, the battery management system comprising:

an auxiliary power unit;

a 3-contact relay to transmit an input voltage from at least one cell relay, of the plurality of cell relays, when the at least one cell relay is turned on, and to transmit an input voltage from the auxiliary power unit on key-on and parking;

a capacitor to store a first voltage corresponding to the input voltage transmitted through the 3-contact relay;

a differential amplification terminal to receive the first voltage stored at the capacitor, and to amplify the first voltage according to a gain and thereby generate a second voltage; and

a control relay to selectively connect the capacitor and the differential amplification terminal.

9. The battery management system of claim 8, further comprising:

an MCU to connect the 3-contact relay with the auxiliary power unit on key-on and parking, and to calculate an effective gain in correspondence with a ratio of the second voltage to the reference voltage.

10. A battery management system for a plurality of cells, the battery management system comprising:

an auxiliary power unit;

a 3-contact relay to transmit an input voltage from at least one cell relay, when the at least one cell relay is turned on and to transmit an input voltage from the auxiliary power unit at key-on and parking;

a capacitor to store a first voltage corresponding to the input voltage transmitted through the 3-contact relay;

a voltage following unit to receive the first voltage and transmit a second voltage being the same as the first voltage; and

a control relay to selectively connect the capacitor with the voltage following unit when the first voltage is transmitted to the voltage following unit.

11. The battery management system of claim 10, further comprising an MCU to connect the 3-contact relay and the auxiliary power unit on key-on and parking, and to calculate an effective gain in correspondence with a ratio of the second voltage to a reference voltage transmitted through the 3-contact relay.

12. A method for a battery management system comprising a plurality of cells, an auxiliary power unit, and a 3-contact relay coupled to the auxiliary power unit on key-on and parking, and a voltage detecting unit is to generate an output voltage using a reference voltage transmitted through the 3-contact relay, the method comprising:

transmitting the reference voltage to the voltage detecting unit on one of key-on and parking;

generating an output voltage corresponding to the reference voltage;

calculating an effective gain in correspondence with a ratio of the output voltage to the reference voltage; and

comparing the effective gain to a previous effective gain calculated on one of a previous key-on and a previous parking.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the output voltage comprises amplifying the first voltage according to a gain, and thereby generating the output voltage.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the output voltage comprises receiving the reference voltage and transmitting the output voltage, wherein the output voltage is the same as the reference voltage.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the comparing of the effective gain further comprises determining that a circuit of the voltage detecting unit has an abnormality when the effective gain calculated at key-on is not the same as the effective gain calculated on the previous parking.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the comparing of the effective gain further comprises determining that a circuit of the voltage detecting unit has an abnormality when the effective gain calculated on parking is not the same as the effective gain calculated on the previous key-on.