Power supply device for detecting disconnection of voltage detection lines

• US 8,754,654 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Furukawa, Kimihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENZE-GONGOLA, DAVID V
• Application Number:
  US13/194,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20120025836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 324/434, 324/433, 320/118
• US Class Current: 324/434
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 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: H02J 7/0018 using separate charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A power supply device includes battery units. Each unit includes a battery block, a voltage detector, a power supply circuit, and a disconnection detector. The block includes serially-connected battery cells. The voltage detector detects the cell voltages through voltage detection lines. The power supply circuit supplies power from the block to the voltage detector. The voltage detector is powered by electric power from the block. The disconnection detector detects disconnection of the lines based on the detected cell voltages. An unbalance resistor is connected to one of the blocks to increase power consumption of this block. Thus, a current flows in the line that is connected to a node between this block and an adjacent block connected next to this block.

Claims

1. A power supply device comprising a plurality of battery units, each of the battery units comprising:

a battery block that includes a plurality of battery cells serially connected to each other;

a voltage detecting circuit that detects the voltages of the battery cells, which constitute the battery block, through voltage detection lines;

a power supply circuit that supplies electric power for operating the voltage detecting circuit from the battery block; and

a disconnection detecting circuit that detects disconnection of the voltage detection lines based on the detection voltages of the battery cells, which are detected by the voltage detecting circuit,

wherein the battery blocks of the battery units are serially connected to each other to constitute a battery pack,

at least one of the battery blocks of the battery units includes an unbalance resistor that is connected to the battery block to increase the power consumption of the battery block so that a current flows in the voltage detection line that is connected to a node between the battery block and an adjacent block of the battery block, which is connected next to the battery block to which the unbalance resistor connected, and

the unbalance resistor has a preset value of resistance that allows flow of a bypass current thereby bypassing the power supply circuit through the unbalance resistor, the bypass current being larger than a variation of consumption currents flowing through the power supply circuit, the variation being caused by individual differences of the power supply circuit.

2. The power supply device according to claim 1 further comprising an equalizing circuit that achieves the cell balance between the battery cells, which constitute the battery blocks, and corrects the unbalance between the battery blocks, which constitute the battery pack.

3. The power supply device according to claim 2, wherein the equalizing circuit adjusts at least one of the battery blocks, which has higher power consumption, to a higher voltage or remaining capacity than the voltage or remaining capacity of other of the battery blocks, which has lower power consumption.

4. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the disconnection detecting circuit determines that the voltage detection line is disconnected if the voltage of a corresponding one of the battery cells detected by the voltage detecting circuit is smaller than a predetermined voltage value, or if the voltage difference between the detected voltage value of the corresponding one of the battery cells and a predetermined voltage value is larger than a predetermined value.

5. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit is a DC/DC converter.

6. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack is a driving battery that supplies electric power to an electric motor for driving a vehicle.

7. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack is connected to a solar battery, and can store electric power generated by the solar battery.