Battery pack

• US 8,274,260 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimura, Tadao
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES RUIZ, JOHALI ALEJANDRA
• Application Number:
  US11/299,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20060158151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,478 Days
• Field of Search: 320/132, 320/134, 320/136, 320/153, 320/162, 324/427, 324/431, 324/434
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack is provided which includes: a state detection section which decides whether secondary batteries are in an electricity-charged state or in an electricity-discharging state; a power decision section which decides whether the secondary batteries are in a power-on state or in a power-off state; and a residual-capacity calculation section which, if the state detection section decides that they are in the electricity-charged state, calculates the residual capacity of the secondary batteries by accumulating a current value detected by a current sensor, and if the state detection section decides that they are in the electricity-discharging state, calculates the residual capacity of the secondary batteries by acquiring the voltage of the secondary batteries when the power decision section decides that they are in the power-off state.

Claims

1. A battery pack which is configured to be connected to an electricity-charging apparatus that charges the battery pack or a load apparatus that discharges the battery pack, comprising:

a secondary battery having a battery plus terminal and a battery minus terminal;

a battery pack plus terminal configured to connect to a plus terminal of a load apparatus and a plus terminal of an electricity-charging apparatus;

a discharging minus terminal, through which a discharging current of the secondary battery flows, configured to directly connect a minus terminal of the load apparatus;

a charging minus terminal, through which a charging current of the secondary battery flows, configured to connect a minus terminal of the electricity-charging apparatus, the charging minus terminal being provided independently of the discharging minus terminal;

a voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery;

a current detecting means for detecting an electric current which flows in the secondary battery, said current detecting means being provided between the battery minus terminal and the charging minus terminal;

a detection line for detecting if a current flows in the discharging minus terminal, said detection line being provided between the battery minus terminal and the discharging minus terminal;

a state detecting means for detecting whether the secondary battery is in an electricity-charging state in which the electricity-charging apparatus and the battery pack are connected to each other or in an electricity-discharging state in which the load apparatus and the battery pack are connected to each other;

a receiving means for receiving, from the load apparatus, a power notification signal for deciding whether the secondary battery is in a power-on state or a power-off state;

a power deciding means for deciding that the secondary battery is in the power-on state when the receiving means has received the power notification signal, and that the secondary battery is in the power-off state when the receiving means has not received the power notification signal; and

a residual-capacity calculating means for, in response to the state detecting means detecting that the secondary battery is in the electricity-charging state, calculating the residual capacity of the secondary battery by accumulating the electric current which is detected by the current detecting means, and in response to the state detecting means detecting that the secondary battery is in the electricity-discharging state, and the power deciding means deciding that the secondary battery is in the power-off state, calculating the residual capacity of the secondary battery based on the voltage which is detected by the voltage detecting means, the residual capacity being calculated by accumulating the electric current only when the secondary battery is in the electricity-charging state, and the residual capacity being calculated based on the voltage only when the secondary battery is in the electricity-discharging state and in the power-off state, wherein;

the power notification signal transmitted from the load apparatus is indicative of a driving signal which flows in the load apparatus,

said state detecting means decides that the secondary battery is in the electricity-charging state when the current detecting means detects the electric current, and that the secondary battery is in the electricity-discharging state when the detection line detects the current,

the discharging minus terminal is configured to be directly connected to the battery minus terminal of the secondary battery,

the charging current is smaller than the discharging current, and

said current detecting means includes an electric current sensor configured to detect an electric current which flows in the secondary battery in the electricity-charging state.

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

a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the secondary battery; and

a correcting means for correcting the residual capacity of the secondary battery which is calculated by the residual-capacity calculating means based on the temperature which is detected by the temperature detecting means.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the correcting means:

includes a first correction table which indicates the relation between the temperature of the secondary battery and the correction factor of the residual capacity which is created in advance, taking into account the fact that the lower the temperature of the secondary battery becomes, the lower the discharge efficiency of the secondary battery becomes; and

corrects the residual capacity of the secondary battery which is calculated based on the voltage by the residual-capacity calculating means with reference to the first correction table.

4. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the correcting means:

includes a second correction table which indicates the relation between the temperature of the secondary battery and the correction factor of the residual capacity which is created in advance, taking into account the fact that as the temperature of the secondary battery changes, the charge efficiency of the secondary battery changes; and

corrects the residual capacity of the secondary battery which is calculated based on the electric current by the residual-capacity calculating means with reference to the second correction table.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein:

the secondary battery is formed by a plurality of secondary batteries;

the voltage detecting means detects the voltage of each secondary battery; and

if the secondary battery is detected being in the electricity-charging state, the residual-capacity calculating means calculates the residual capacity of the secondary battery by accumulating the electric current which is detected by the current detecting means, and

if the secondary battery is detected being in the electricity-discharging state, and if the power deciding means has decided that the secondary battery is in the power-off state, the residual-capacity calculating means calculates the residual capacity of the secondary battery based on the voltage which is detected by the voltage detecting means.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the residual-capacity calculating means:

calculates the residual capacity of each secondary battery based on the voltage of each secondary battery which is detected by the voltage detecting means; and

further, calculates the residual capacity of the whole secondary battery based on this residual capacity of each secondary battery.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the residual-capacity calculating means:

includes a residual-capacity table which indicates the relation between the voltage and the residual capacity of the secondary battery; and

calculates the residual capacity which corresponds to the voltage which is detected by the voltage detecting means with reference to the residual-capacity table.

8. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein:

the load apparatus is an electric motor; and

the receiving means receives, as the power notification signal, a drive signal which is sent when the electric motor is driven.

9. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the residual-capacity calculating means calculates the residual capacity of the secondary battery only by accumulating the electric current which is detected by the current detecting means if the secondary battery is detected being in the electricity-charging state by the state detecting means, and calculates the residual capacity of the secondary battery only based on the voltage which is detected by the voltage detecting means if the secondary battery is detected being in an electricity-discharging state by the state detecting means and the power deciding means has decided that the secondary battery is in the power-off state.

10. A battery pack which is configured to be connected to an electricity-charging apparatus that charges a secondary battery or a load apparatus that discharges the secondary battery, wherein:

the electricity-charging apparatus includes a current detecting means for detecting an electric current which passes through the secondary battery, and a transmitting means for transmitting, to the battery pack, a value of the electric current which is detected by the current detecting means; and

said battery pack comprises;

a battery pack plus terminal configured to connect to a plus terminal of a load apparatus and a plus terminal of an electricity-charging apparatus;

a discharging minus terminal, through which a discharging current of the secondary battery flows, configured to directly connect a minus terminal of the load apparatus;

a charging minus terminal, through which a charging current of the secondary battery flows, configured to connect a minus terminal of the electricity-charging apparatus, the charging minus terminal being provided independently of the discharge minus terminal;

a voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery;

a state detecting means for detecting whether the secondary battery is in an electricity-charging state in which the electricity-charging apparatus and the battery pack are connected to each other or in an electricity-discharging state in which the load apparatus and the battery pack are connected to each other;

a receiving means for receiving, from the load apparatus, a power notification signal for deciding whether the secondary battery is in a power-on state or a power-off state;

a power deciding means for deciding that the secondary battery is in the power-on state when the receiving means has received the power notification signal, and that the secondary battery is in the power-off state when the receiving means has not received the power notification signal;

a residual-capacity calculating means for, in response to the state detecting means detecting that the secondary battery is in the electricity-charging state, calculating the residual capacity of the secondary battery by accumulating the value of the electric current which is transmitted by the transmitting means, and in response to the state detecting means detecting the secondary battery is in the electricity-discharging state, and the power deciding means deciding that the secondary battery is in the power-off state, calculating the residual capacity of the secondary battery based on the voltage which is detected by the voltage detecting means, the residual capacity being calculated by accumulating the electric current only when the secondary battery is in the electricity-charging state, and the residual capacity being calculated based on the voltage only when the secondary battery is in the electricity-discharging state and in the power-off state;

a first detection line for detecting current flow in the charging minus terminal; and

a second detection line for detecting current flow in the discharging minus terminal, wherein;

the power notification signal transmitted from the load apparatus is indicative of a driving signal which flows in the load apparatus,

said state detecting means decides that the secondary battery is in the electricity-charging state when the electric current flows in the first detection line, and that the secondary battery is in the electricity-discharging state when the electric current flows in the second detection line,

the discharging minus terminal and the charging minus terminal are configured to be directly connected to the battery minus terminal of the secondary battery,

the charging current is smaller than the discharging current and

said current detecting means includes an electric current sensor configured to detect an electric current which flows in the secondary battery in the electricity-charging state.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the residual-capacity calculating means calculates the residual capacity of the secondary battery only by accumulating the electric current which is detected by the current detecting means if the secondary battery is detected being in the electricity-charging state by the state detecting means, and calculates the residual capacity of the secondary battery only based on the voltage which is detected by the voltage detecting means if the secondary battery is detected being in an electricity-discharging state by the state detecting means and the power deciding means has decided that the secondary battery is in the power-off state.