Battery pack and over-discharge protecting method thereof
First Claim
1. A battery pack comprising:
- a first battery stack comprising a plurality of battery cells coupled in series;
a second battery stack comprising a plurality of battery cells coupled in series, and coupled in parallel with the first battery stack;
a controller for sensing voltages of the plurality of battery cells of the first battery stack and voltages of the plurality of battery cells of the second battery stack and for outputting a fuse blowing signal when at least one of the sensed voltages is lower than a first reference voltage; and
a fuse blowing unit for electrically decoupling the first battery stack and the second battery stack from an output terminal of the battery pack in response to the fuse blowing signal from the controller, the fuse blowing unit comprising;
a fuse between the first and second battery stacks and the output terminal;
a heating resistance coupled to the fuse to provide heat to the fuse;
a switch coupled to the heating resistance to allow a first electric current to flow into the heating resistance; and
a fuse blowing-proceed resistance coupled to the switch,wherein the fuse blowing unit is configured to output a fuse blowing-proceed signal to the controller as a result of a second electric current flowing through the fuse blowing-proceed resistance when the first electric current flows into the heating resistance, andwherein at least a portion of the second current flows through the switch.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery pack includes a first battery stack having a plurality of battery cells connected in series, a second battery stack having a plurality of battery cells connected in series and connected in parallel to the first battery stack, a controller for sensing voltages of the plurality of battery cells of the first battery stack and the plurality of battery cells of the second battery stack and for outputting a fuse blowing signal when at least one of the sensed voltages is lower than a first reference voltage, and a fuse blowing unit for electrically decoupling the first and second battery stacks from an output terminal of the battery pack in response to the fuse blowing signal from the controller. A fuse blowing signal is also sent to the fuse blowing unit when the at least one of the sensed voltages is higher than a second reference voltage.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A battery pack comprising:
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a first battery stack comprising a plurality of battery cells coupled in series; a second battery stack comprising a plurality of battery cells coupled in series, and coupled in parallel with the first battery stack; a controller for sensing voltages of the plurality of battery cells of the first battery stack and voltages of the plurality of battery cells of the second battery stack and for outputting a fuse blowing signal when at least one of the sensed voltages is lower than a first reference voltage; and a fuse blowing unit for electrically decoupling the first battery stack and the second battery stack from an output terminal of the battery pack in response to the fuse blowing signal from the controller, the fuse blowing unit comprising; a fuse between the first and second battery stacks and the output terminal; a heating resistance coupled to the fuse to provide heat to the fuse; a switch coupled to the heating resistance to allow a first electric current to flow into the heating resistance; and a fuse blowing-proceed resistance coupled to the switch, wherein the fuse blowing unit is configured to output a fuse blowing-proceed signal to the controller as a result of a second electric current flowing through the fuse blowing-proceed resistance when the first electric current flows into the heating resistance, and wherein at least a portion of the second current flows through the switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of over-discharge protection of a battery pack, the battery pack comprising a first battery stack comprising a plurality of battery cells, and a second battery stack comprising a plurality of battery cells and coupled in parallel to the first battery stack, the method comprising:
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determining a voltage of the first battery stack; determining a voltage of the second battery stack; blowing out a fuse between the first and second battery stacks and an output terminal of the battery pack when the voltage of the first battery stack or the voltage of the second battery stack is lower than a reference voltage by delivering a fuse blowing signal to a switch to cause a first current to travel through the fuse; and outputting a fuse blowing-proceed signal when a second current flows through a fuse blowing-proceed resistance as a result of the switch being turned on, wherein at least a portion of the second current flows through the switch. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification