Battery management apparatus

• US 8,760,112 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kuroiwa, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US13/193,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20120049787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/109, 320/104
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• 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: H02J 7/00716 in response to integrated charge or discharge current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A vehicle carries a battery package as its power source. Plural battery modules in the battery package respectively have a memory device for memorizing identification information that proves authenticity of each of the battery modules. A battery control unit in the vehicle has an authentication unit. The authentication unit determines whether or not each of the battery modules is a genuine product. When the battery module is determined as a non-genuine product, a control unit performs a restricted charging. The restricted charging restricts a charge amount of the battery, for effectively improving usability of the battery and for restricting use of a non-compliant battery.

Claims

1. A vehicle battery management apparatus comprising:

at least one processor, the at least one processor is configured to;

determine, in a battery checker, if a battery for a vehicle is compliant or non-compliant;

perform a normal charge control that controls a charge device to charge the battery, when the battery checker determines that the battery is compliant; and

perform a restricted charge control that controls the charge device to charge the battery, when the battery checker determines that the battery is non-compliant, wherein

the battery checker determines if a battery for a vehicle is compliant or non-compliant according to a battery condition, and

the restricted charge control includes a charge amount condition of the battery and a number of times the battery can be charged condition,

wherein, when the battery checker determines that the non-compliant battery is closer to a normal battery, a greater number of charge times is permitted than for the non-compliant battery that is determined to be more different from the normal battery.

2. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the restricted charge control is configured to charge the battery to a restricted charge amount that is less than a charge amount by the normal charge control.

3. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the restricted charge amount is set based on a value recorded in the battery.

4. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the restricted charge amount is set based on a charge rate of the battery.

5. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the restricted charge control is configured to charge the battery at a restricted charge speed that is slower than a charge speed of the normal charge control.

6. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the restricted charge control is configured to charge the battery for a limited charge time after having the non-compliant check result by the battery checker.

7. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a display unit for displaying that the battery is charged by the restricted charge control.

8. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 1, wherein

when the battery checker determines that the non-compliant battery is closer to a normal battery, a greater amount of charge is permitted than for the non-compliant battery that is determined to be more different from the normal battery.

9. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the restricted charge amount is set to allow the vehicle to travel a predetermined distance or a predetermined time.

10. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 9, wherein the predetermined distance is a distance to a service facility.

11. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the battery checker is further configured to determine closeness of the non-compliant battery is to the normal battery, as one of a plurality of predetermined levels of difference from the normal battery, and

the restricted charge control bases the number of times the battery can be charged condition on the closeness determined by the battery checker.

12. A vehicle battery management apparatus comprising:

at least one processor, the at least one processor is configured to;

determine, in a battery checker, if a battery for a vehicle is compliant or non-compliant;

perform a normal charge control that controls a charge device to charge the battery, when the battery checker determines that the battery is compliant; and

perform a restricted charge control that controls the charge device to charge the battery, when the battery checker determines that the battery is non-compliant, wherein the restricted charge control is configured to charge the battery to a restricted charge amount that is less than a charge amount by the normal charge control, wherein, the battery checker is further configured to determine closeness of the non-compliant battery is to the normal battery, as one of a plurality of predetermined levels of difference from the normal battery, and the restricted charge control bases the number of times the battery can be charged condition on the closeness determined by the battery checker.

13. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 12, wherein

the restricted charge amount is set to allow the vehicle to travel a predetermined distance or a predetermined time.

14. The vehicle battery management apparatus of claim 13, wherein

the predetermined distance is a distance to a service facility.