Battery apparatus for controlling plural batteries and control method of plural batteries

• US 8,106,661 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Company Limited (Resonac Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Hideki, Emori, Akihiko, Kudo, Akihiko, Kai, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIGGUSH, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US12/512,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20090284223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320/163, 324/434
• US Class Current: 324/434
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/19 Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• 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 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• 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 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Lower order control devices control plural battery cells configuring plural battery modules. An input terminal of the low order control device in the highest potential, an output terminal of the low order control device in the lowest potential, and a high order control device are connected by isolating units, photocouplers. Diodes which prevent a discharge current of the battery cells in the battery modules are disposed between the output terminal of the low order control device and the battery cells in the battery module on the low potential side. Terminals related to input/output of a signal are electrically connected without isolating among the plural low order control devices.

Claims

1. A battery apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of battery modules coupled in series and each including a plurality of battery cells;

a first control device group having a plurality of first control devices corresponding to the plurality of battery modules, respectively, each of the plurality of first control devices detecting states of the plurality of battery cells contained in a corresponding one of the plurality of battery modules; and

a second control device which sends an instruction signal to the first control device group via an isolator,

wherein each of the plurality of first control devices is configured by an integrated circuit,

wherein a plurality of the integrated circuits of the plurality of first control devices are connected in series,

wherein a plurality of the integrated circuits are coupled in series in a manner that a signal output circuit of one integrated circuit and a signal input circuit of other integrated circuit between every adjacent two of the plurality of integrated circuits coupled in series are coupled by a signal transmission path in an electrically non-isolated manner,

wherein another integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits coupled in series receives the instruction signal sent from the second control device at the signal input circuit thereof via the isolator, and sends the instruction signal from the signal output circuit of the another integrated circuit to the signal input circuit of a next integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits via the signal transmission path,

wherein the receiving of the instruction signal at the signal input circuit and the sending of the instruction signal from the signal output circuit to the signal input circuit of the next integrated circuit via the signal transmission path is repeated to a still another integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits which sends the instruction signal to the second control device, and

wherein the second control device confirms the instruction signal returned from the still another integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits performing the signal transmission to the second control device and determines that the returned instruction signal is erroneous when an instruction of the returned instruction signal differs from an instruction of the instruction signal transmitted to the still another integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits.

2. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second control device compares the instruction of the returned instruction signal with the instruction of the instruction signal transmitted to the still another integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits to thereby determine that the returned instruction signal is erroneous when the instruction of the returned instruction signal differs from the instruction of the instruction signal transmitted to the still another integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits.

3. A battery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second control device resends the same instruction signal when it is determined that the instruction signal received from the still another integrated circuit is erroneous.

4. A battery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second control device determines that the instruction signal is erroneous when it is continuously determined for a predetermined number of times that the instruction signal resent and received from the still another integrated circuit is determined to be erroneous, and sends an erroneous signal to a high order system.

5. A battery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the another integrated circuit receiving the instruction signal from the second control device is a first integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits, and the still another integrated circuit sending the instruction signal to the second control device is a last integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits.

6. A battery apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the still another integrated circuit sending the instruction signal to the second control device sends the instruction signal via the isolator.