System, method and device for monitoring capacitor cells connected in series in a capacitor module

• US 8,773,109 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flextronics International Limited
• Original Assignee: Flextronics International Limited
• Inventors: Barth, Karsten, Kocur, Vit, Herke, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VINH P
• Application Number:
  US13/126,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20120001618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• US Class Current: 324/76.11
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition

Abstract

A system for monitoring a plurality of capacitor cells connected in series in a capacitor module which are used as electrical energy stores in an energy storage device and which can be charged in same by a charge current flowing through all the capacitor cells or discharged by a discharge current. The system includes a measuring unit which can determine the voltages applied to the individual capacitor cells by measuring voltages, an evaluation unit which sets a nominal voltage for the capacitor cells, and at least one discharge branch connectable to each capacitor cell and controllable by a discharge control unit which discharges a respective capacitor cell onto said discharge branch depending upon the set nominal voltage and the applied voltage.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a plurality of capacitor cells connected in series in a capacitor module which are used as electrical energy stores in an energy storage device and which can be charged in same by a charge current flowing through all the capacitor cells or discharged by a discharge current, the system comprising:

a measuring unit which can determine the voltages applied to the individual capacitor cells by measuring voltages;

an evaluation unit configured to separately determine a nominal voltage for each of the capacitor cells by performing a separate calculation for each of the capacitor cells such that a separate nominal voltage value is determined for each of the capacitor cells; and

at least one discharge branch coupled to at least one of the capacitor cells and controllable by a discharge control unit which discharges the at least one of the capacitor cells onto the at least one discharge branch depending upon the set nominal voltage and the applied voltage.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the evaluation unit determines the nominal voltages for the respective capacitor cells from an identified total voltage of the capacitor module and maximum voltages designated for charging the capacitor module to a maximum full voltage.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the evaluation unit determines the nominal voltages for the respective capacitor cells such that when the capacitor module is charged to the maximum full voltage, all the capacitor cells reach maximum voltage at the same time.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that the evaluation unit factors in the capacities of the individual capacitor cells.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the evaluation unit determines a capacity relation for the respective capacitor cells by measurement.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the evaluation unit determines the capacity relation by measuring the capacitor cell voltages at different states of charge.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that the measuring unit measures a total voltage of all the capacitor cells of the capacitor module.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that the measuring unit measures voltages at intermediate taps between two respective capacitor cells.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that the measuring unit measures the voltages between the respective intermediate tap and ground.

10. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that the measuring unit subtracts the voltage measured at the nearest ground-side intermediate tap from the voltage measured at the respective intermediate tap.

11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the measuring unit measures the voltages at the intermediate taps in consecutive measuring phases.

12. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that the measuring unit is allocated a switch network by means of which the respective intermediate tap can be connected to said measuring unit.

13. The system according to claim 12, characterized in that the switch network is controllable by a decoder.

14. The system according to claim 13, characterized in that the measuring unit measures the voltages at the intermediate taps in a measurement cycle synchronized in successive measuring phases.

15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the measuring unit determines the voltages at fixed intervals of time.

16. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that the measuring unit measures the voltages of the capacitor cells as a function of a total voltage of the capacitor module.

17. The system according to claim 16, characterized in that each capacitor cell is allocated to a discharge branch.

18. The system according to claim 17, characterized in that each discharge branch is individually activatable.

19. The system according to claim 18, characterized in that the discharge branch can be activated in a non-charging or non-discharging state.

20. A system for monitoring a plurality of capacitor cells connected in series in a capacitor module which are used as electrical energy stores in an energy storage device and which can be charged in same by a charge current flowing through all the capacitor cells or discharged by a discharge current, the system comprising:

a measuring unit which can determine the voltages applied to the individual capacitor cells by measuring voltages;

an evaluation unit configured to determine a nominal voltage for each of the capacitor cells, wherein the nominal voltage is a mean voltage of the capacitor cells; and

at least one discharge branch coupled to at least one of the capacitor cells and controllable by a discharge control unit which discharges the at least one of the capacitor cells onto the at least one discharge branch depending upon the set nominal voltage and the applied voltage.

21. The system according to claim 20, characterized in that the evaluation unit can determine deviations from the mean voltage from the voltages identified on the capacitor cells.