Battery pack and control method

• US 8,203,312 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2009
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Steve T.
• Application Number:
  US12/428,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20090273314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 320/135, 320/136, 320/106, 320/112, 320/149, 320/155, 324/426, 324/550, 340/636.1, 340/636.21, 361/98, 361/104, 363/56.03, 363/56.05
• US Class Current: 320/136
• 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 2200/103 Fuse
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack includes at least one secondary battery, a fuse, and a control section. The fuse is configured to cut off charge or discharge current of the secondary battery upon detection of an abnormality of the secondary battery. The control section is configured to detect the abnormality of the secondary battery, and to perform a fusion-cutting process of fusion-cutting the fuse in accordance with the result of the detection. Upon detection of the abnormality, the control section measures a first potential being the potential of a subsequent stage of the fuse and a second potential being the potential of the secondary battery. If it is found from the result of the measurement that the first potential and the second potential are equal, the control section determines that the fuse has not been fusion-cut by the fusion-cutting process, and stops the fusion-cutting process.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

at least one secondary battery;

a fuse configured to cut off charge or discharge current of the secondary battery upon detection of an abnormality of the secondary battery; and

a control section configured to detect the abnormality of the secondary battery, and to perform a fusion-cutting process of fusion-cutting the fuse in accordance with the result of the detection,

wherein, upon detection of the abnormality, the control section measures a first potential being the potential of a subsequent stage of the fuse and a second potential being the potential of the secondary battery, and

wherein, if it is found from the result of the measurement that the first potential and the second potential are equal, the control section determines that the fuse has not been fusion-cut by the fusion-cutting process, and stops the fusion-cutting process.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, further comprising:

communication terminals configured to communicate with an external electronic device,

wherein, if the fuse has not been fusion-cut, the control section transmits information indicating that the fuse has not been fusion-cut to the external electronic device via the communication terminals.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display section configured to display the fusion-cut state of the fuse,

wherein, if the fuse has been fusion-cut, the control section controls the display section to display that the fuse has been fusion-cut, and

wherein, if the fuse has not been fusion-cut, the control section controls the display section to display that the fuse has not been fusion-cut.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3,

wherein the display section is formed by a light-emitting device, and

wherein the light-emitting device is lit up to display that the fuse has been fusion-cut, and is blinked to display that the fuse has not been fusion-cut.

5. A control method of a battery pack comprising:

detecting an abnormality of at least one secondary battery, and performing a fusion-cutting process of fusion-cutting a fuse which cuts off charge or discharge current of the secondary battery, in accordance with the result of the detection;

measuring, upon detection of the abnormality, a first potential being the potential of a sequential stage of the fuse and a second potential being the potential of the secondary battery; and

determining that the fuse has not been fusion-cut, if it is found from the result of the measurement that the first potential and the second potential are equal, and stopping the fusion-cutting process.