Battery pack assembled with recycled batteries and method of assembly

• US 8,742,723 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2008
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Okumura, Motoyoshi, Maegawa, Katsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIGGUSH, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US12/155,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20080315835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 320/112, 320/120, 320/132, 320/134, 320/150, 429/471, 324/427, 324/434
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/84 Recycling of batteries or fuel cells

Abstract

Provided is a battery pack producing method and a battery pack capable of suppressing defects such as overcharging or overdischarging in one or more of the used secondary batteries constituting a battery pack, and sufficiently exhibiting the performance of the used secondary batteries of the battery pack. This method includes an obtaining process for obtaining each full charge capacity of the used secondary batteries, a selecting process for selecting one or more used secondary batteries having similar full charge capacities from the used secondary batteries whose full charge capacities have been obtained, and an assembling process for assembling the selected secondary batteries.

Claims

1. A method of assembling a battery pack with reused batteries that have previously been used as power sources for electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles, the method comprising:

measuring a full charge capacity of each of a plurality of used secondary batteries;

selecting at least two of the plurality of used secondary batteries, from which a first battery has a largest full charge capacity and a second battery has a smallest full charge capacity, so that a difference in full charge capacity between the largest full charge capacity and the smallest full charge capacity is within 10% of the smallest full charge capacity; and

assembling only the selected at least two of the plurality of used secondary batteries to constitute the battery pack with only reused batteries selected by measurement of respective full charge capacity, wherein

the largest full charge capacity is different from the smallest full charge capacity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assembling step further comprises:

arranging the selected at least two of the plurality of used secondary batteries so that

(i) one of the selected at least two of the plurality of used secondary batteries having a relatively large full charge capacity is placed in a first position of the battery pack and

(ii) another of the selected at least two of the plurality of used secondary batteries having a relatively small full charge capacity is placed in a second position of the battery pack, wherein

a battery temperature at the first position is higher than a battery temperature at the second position.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assembling step further comprises:

selecting at least three used secondary batteries and arranging three or more of the selected at least three of the plurality of used secondary batteries in a row to constitute the battery pack so that one of the selected second battery is placed at a first end of the row, the one of the selected second battery having a smallest full charge capacity, and another of the selected at least two of the plurality of used secondary batteries having a second smallest full charge capacity is placed at a second end of the row.

4. A battery pack comprising:

a plurality of used secondary batteries combined for reuse, the used secondary batteries being previously used as power sources for electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles, and

the battery pack is constituted of only a plurality of used secondary batteries, wherein

a difference in full charge capacity between one of the plurality of used secondary batteries selected by measurement of respective full charge capacity, having a largest full charge capacity and another of the plurality of used secondary batteries having a smallest full charge capacity is within 10% of the smallest full charge capacity, and

the largest full charge capacity is different from the smallest full charge capacity.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of used secondary batteries are arranged so that

(i) a first of the plurality of used secondary batteries having a relatively large full charge capacity is placed in a first position of the battery pack during use and,

(ii) a second of the plurality of used secondary batteries having a relatively small full charge capacity is placed in a second position of the battery pack during use, wherein

a battery temperature at the first position is relatively higher than a battery temperature at the second position.

6. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein

the plurality of used secondary batteries are arranged in a row so that the another of the plurality of used secondary batteries having the smallest full charge capacity is placed at one end of the row and a second of the plurality of used secondary batteries having a second smallest full charge capacity is placed at another end of the row, wherein the used secondary batteries that constitute the battery pack are three or more.