Protection device for assembled cell providing equal consumption current for each battery module, and battery pack unit

• US 8,212,523 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tatebayashi, Yoshinao, Harada, Yasuhiro, Takami, Norio, Shibuya, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, MANUEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/050,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20090224725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 320/134, 320/136, 320/152, 320/157, 320/162, 320/116, 320/118
• US Class Current: 320/118
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A protection device for an assembled cell including battery modules connected in series includes protection units each of which is configured to operate using a corresponding battery module as a power supply and a management unit connected to the protection units in common, the protection unit includes a measuring unit configured to measure its own consumption current to obtain measurement data, a communication unit which transmits the measurement data to a management unit and receives setting data from the management unit, a discharging unit which discharges the corresponding battery module, and a control unit configured to control the discharging unit based on the measurement data and the setting data so that a total of the consumption current and a discharging current by the discharging unit is of a constant value among the protection units.

Claims

1. A protection device for an assembled cell including a plurality of battery modules connected in series, each of which includes a plurality of secondary batteries connected in series, the protection device comprising:

a plurality of protection units provided corresponding one-to-one to a respective one of the battery modules, each of which is connected to a corresponding one of the battery modules through a power supply line including a current detection resistor so as to be fed with a supply current from the corresponding one of the battery modules, wherein each of the protection units is driven by the supply current; and

a management unit connected to the protection units in common, wherein each protection unit includes;

a voltage measurement unit configured to measure a voltage of the corresponding one of the battery modules;

a consumption current measuring unit configured to measure the supply current passing through the detection resistor, wherein the supply current is measured as a consumption current consumed in the corresponding one of the battery modules to obtain measurement data;

a communication unit which transmits the measurement data to the management unit and receives setting data from the management unit;

a discharging unit which discharges the corresponding battery module to produce a discharge current flowing through the discharge unit; and

a control unit configured to control the discharging unit to adjust the discharge current based on the measurement data and the setting data such that a sum total of the consumption current and the discharge current in the protection unit is substantially same as that in the other of the protection units.

2. The protection device according to claim 1, wherein the management unit includes:

an arithmetic operation unit configured to obtain a maximum value of respective consumption currents of the protection units based on the measurement data; and

a communication unit which receives the measurement data to provide the data to the arithmetic operation unit and transmits the maximum value to the protection unit as the setting data, and wherein

the control unit is configured to control the discharging unit so that a total of the consumption current and the discharging current is equal to the maximum value.

3. The protection device according to claim 1, wherein the management unit includes:

an arithmetic operation unit configured to obtain a difference between the maximum value of the respective consumption currents of the protection units and each of the consumption currents based on the measurement data; and

a communication unit which receives the measurement data to provide the data to the arithmetic operation unit and transmits the difference to the protection unit as the setting data, and

the control unit is configured to control the discharging unit so that the discharging current is equal to the difference.

4. A battery pack unit comprising:

an assembled cell including a plurality of battery modules connected in series, each of which includes a plurality of secondary batteries connected in series; and

a protection device according to claim 1.

5. A protection device for an assembled cell including a plurality of battery modules connected in series, each of which includes a plurality of secondary batteries connected in series, the protection device comprising:

a plurality of protection units provided corresponding one-to-one to a respective one of the battery modules, each of which is connected to a corresponding one of the battery modules through a power supply line including a current detection resistor so as to be fed with a supply current from the corresponding one of the battery modules, wherein each of the protection units is driven by the supply current; and

a management unit connected to the protection units in common, wherein each protection unit includes;

a voltage measurement unit configured to measure a voltage of the corresponding one of the battery modules;

a consumption electric quantity measuring unit configured to measure an electric quantity consumed in the corresponding one of the battery modules, wherein the consumed electric quantity is obtained as measurement data from the supply current passing through the detection resistor;

a communication unit which transmits the measurement data to the management unit and receives setting data from the management unit;

a discharging unit which discharges the corresponding battery module to produce a discharge current flowing through the discharge unit; and

a control unit configured to control the discharging unit to adjust an electric quantity to be discharged as the discharge current based on the measurement data and the setting data such that a sum total of the consumed electric quantity and the discharged electric quantity in the protection unit is substantially same as that in the other of the protection units.

6. The protection device according to claim 5, wherein the management unit includes:

an arithmetic operation unit configured to obtain a difference between the maximum value of the respective consumption electric quantities of the protection units and each of the consumption electric quantities based on the measurement data; and

a communication unit which receives the measurement data to provide the data to the arithmetic operation unit and transmits the difference to the protection unit as the setting data, and

the control unit is configured to control the discharging unit so that the discharging electric quantity is equal to the difference.

7. A battery pack unit comprising:

an assembled cell including a plurality of battery modules connected in series, each of which includes a plurality of secondary batteries connected in series; and

a protection device according to claim 5.

8. A battery pack unit comprising:

an assembled cell including a plurality of battery modules connected in series, each of which includes a plurality of secondary batteries connected in series; and

a plurality of protection units provided corresponding one-to-one to a respective one of the battery modules, each of which is connected to a corresponding one of the battery modules through a power supply line including a current detection resistor so as to be fed with a supply current from the corresponding one of the battery modules, wherein each of the protection units is driven by the supply current;

each protection unit includes;

a voltage measurement unit configured to measure a voltage of the corresponding one of the battery modules;

a consumption current measuring unit configured to measure the supply current passing through the detection resistor, wherein the supply current is measured as a consumption current consumed in the corresponding one of the battery modules;

a measuring unit configured to measure its own consumption current;

a discharging unit which discharges the corresponding battery module to produce a discharge current flowing through the discharge unit; and

a control unit configured to control the discharging unit to adjust the discharge current such that a sum total of the consumption current and the discharge current in the protection unit is substantially same as that in the other of the protection units.

9. The battery pack unit according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to control the discharging unit so that a total of the consumption current and the discharging current is equal to the maximum value of the respective consumption currents of the protection units.

10. A battery pack unit comprising:

an assembled cell including a plurality of battery modules connected in series, each of which includes a plurality of secondary batteries connected in series; and

a plurality of protection units provided corresponding one-to-one to a respective one of the battery modules, each of which is connected to a corresponding one of the battery modules through a power supply line including a current detection resistor so as to be fed with a supply current from the corresponding one of the battery modules, wherein each of the protection units is driven by the supply current,

each protection unit includes;

a voltage measurement unit configured to measure a voltage of the corresponding one of the battery modules;

a consumption electric quantity measuring unit configured to measure an electric quantity consumed in the corresponding one of the battery modules, wherein the consumed electric quantity is obtained as measurement data from the supply current passing through the detection resistor;

a discharging unit which discharges the corresponding battery module to produce a discharge current flowing through the discharging unit; and

a control unit configured to control the discharging unit to adjust an electric quantity to be discharged as the discharge current such that a sum total of the consumed electric quantity and the discharged electric quantity in the protection unit is substantially same as that in the other of the protection units.

11. The battery pack unit according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured to control the discharging unit so that the discharging electric quantity is equal to a difference between the maximum value of the respective consumption electric quantities of the protection units and each of the respective consumption electric quantities.