Structure and operation method of battery pack

• US 7,790,307 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Te-Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Michener; Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLS, MONIQUE M
• Application Number:
  US10/724,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20040121223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,477 Days
• Field of Search: 429/61, 429/149, 429/50, 429/122, 429/126, 429/7, 429/178, 429/121
• US Class Current: 429/122
• 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 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/202 Casings or frames around the primary casing of a single cell or a single battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/269 Mechanical means for varying the arrangement of batteries or cells for different uses, e.g. for changing the number of batteries or for switching between series and parallel wiring methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance H01M6/50, H01M10/42
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack for reducing a memory effect is disclosed. The battery pack includes at least one or more battery cells. A battery cell with the smallest residual voltage is selected from battery cells each having a residual voltage greater than a minimum threshold voltage, and first charged. Power is supplied to a terminal from a battery cell having the smallest residual voltage among battery cells having the residual voltage greater than the minimum threshold voltage, thereby lengthening a life span of the battery pack.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

at least one battery cell;

first and second switches connected to each of the at least one battery cell;

a switch controller for controlling the first and second switches, wherein the first and second switches perform either charging of the at least one battery cell or supplying power from the at least one battery cell;

a voltage measuring unit for measuring a voltage of the at least one battery cell via the first and second switches; and

a controller programmed to select the at least one battery cell according to a residual voltage of each battery cell and a control signal of a terminal, and controlling the switch controller.

2. The battery pack of claim 1 further comprises:

an interface unit for interfacing an external terminal and a charging unit.

3. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein the interface unit comprises:

a power input terminal for transferring power supplied from the charging unit to the first switch;

a power supply unit for supplying power of the at least one battery cell received via the second switch to the terminal;

a command input terminal for outputting a control signal of the terminal to the controller; and

a command output terminal for outputting result data of the controller to the terminal.

4. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the first switch is a charge switch and the second switch is a supply switch.

5. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the control signal of the terminal indicates a mode change, a switch manipulation and measurement of a residual voltage of the at least one battery cell.

6. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a voltage measuring unit for measuring a charge voltage and residual voltage of the at least one battery cell;

a command interpreting and controlling unit for performing a controlling operation according to the measurement voltage of the voltage measuring unit and a control signal of the terminal; and

a charge switch controller for controlling the switch controller according to a control signal of the command interpreting and controlling unit.

7. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the voltage measuring unit, the command interpreting and controlling unit, and the charge switch controller are implemented as either a low voltage logical circuit or a microcomputer.

8. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the controller switches to a manual mode according to the control signal to perform either charging the at least one battery cell or supplying power from the at least one battery cell according to the residual voltage of each of the at least one battery cell.

9. The battery pack of claim 8, wherein the controller selects and charges the at least one battery cell having the least memory effect according to the residual voltage of each of the at least one battery cell.

10. The battery pack of claim 9, wherein the controller charges the at least one battery cell in a sequential order beginning with battery cell having the least memory effect according to the residual voltage of each of the at least one battery cell.

11. The battery pack of claim 8, wherein the controller selects each of the at least one battery cell having a residual voltage greater than a minimum threshold voltage and uses the selected battery cells for supplying power to the terminal.

12. The battery pack of claim 10, wherein the controller sequentially supplies power to the terminal using the at least one battery cell having the smallest residual voltage.

13. The battery pack of claim 8, wherein if the residual voltage of each of the at least one battery cell is lower than the minimum threshold voltage, the controller is switched to a basic mode for performing a charge and supplying power via the first and second switches by connecting all of the at least one battery cell in parallel.

14. The battery pack of claim 8, wherein the controller measures and reports a voltage of each of the at least one battery cell if there is an external request for a residual voltage measurement.