Battery controller, battery control method and program

• US 9,041,355 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Yoshihito, Tajima, Shigeru, Yamazaki, Daisuke, Suzuki, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES RUIZ, JOHALI ALEJANDRA
• Application Number:
  US13/087,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20110260691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 320/134, 320/104
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

There is provided a battery controller including a storing unit which stores an upper limit voltage and a lower limit voltage, each defining a first voltage range in which a battery is charged/discharged, and a second upper limit voltage and a second lower limit voltage, each defining a second voltage range which is wider than the first voltage range, and a charge/discharge regulation unit which temporarily changes, when charge/discharge is performed in the first voltage range and permission for charge/discharge in the second voltage is received, setting of the battery such that charge/discharge is performed in the second voltage range.

Claims

1. A battery controller comprising:

a storing unit which stores a first upper limit voltage and a first lower limit voltage, each defining a first voltage range in which a battery is charged/discharged, and a second upper limit voltage and a second lower limit voltage, each defining a second voltage range which is wider than the first voltage range; and

a charge/discharge regulation unit which changes, when the charge/discharge is performed in the first voltage range and a permission for the charge/discharge in the second voltage range is received from a user, setting of the battery such that the charge/discharge is performed in the second voltage range.

2. The battery controller according to claim 1, wherein, after the setting of the battery was changed, when a value of voltage of the battery has fallen within the first voltage range, the charge/discharge regulation unit restores the setting of the battery such that the battery is charged/discharged in the first voltage range.

3. The battery controller according to claim 1, wherein the storing unit stores time at which the setting of the battery was changed or a number of times the setting of the battery was changed.

4. A battery controller comprising:

a storing unit which stores a first lower limit voltage, which defines a discharge range of a battery of a moving object, and a second lower limit voltage which is lower than the first lower limit voltage;

a voltage measurement unit which measures a current voltage of the battery;

a necessary power calculation unit which calculates electric power of the battery, which is necessary for the moving object to move from a current point of the moving object to a point where the battery can be charged; and

a charge/discharge regulation unit which changes setting of the battery based on the determined current voltage and the calculated electric power, such that the battery is discharged at a battery voltage between the first lower limit voltage and the second lower limit voltage, wherein the setting of the battery is changed when a permission for changing the setting is received from a user.

5. The battery controller according to claim 4, further comprising:

a time measurement unit which measures a time during which the battery is being discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage, when the setting of the battery was changed,

wherein the charge/discharge regulation unit gives a warning to the user, when the time during which the battery is being discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage reached or exceeded a predetermined time.

6. The battery controller according to claim 4, further comprising:

a time measurement unit which measures a time during which the battery is being discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage, when the setting of the battery was changed,

wherein the charge/discharge regulation unit reduces, when the time during which the battery is being discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage reached or exceeded a predetermined time, an amount of current to be discharged from the battery after the predetermined time.

7. The battery controller according to claim 6, wherein the amount of current to be discharged from the battery is gradually reduced according to time during which the battery is being discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage.

8. The battery controller according to claim 4, further comprising:

a time measurement unit which measures a time during which the battery is being discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage, when the setting of the battery was changed,

wherein the charge/discharge regulation unit stops discharge from the battery, when the time during which the battery is being discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage reached or exceeded a predetermined time, even if the current voltage is equal to or higher than the second lower limit voltage.

9. The battery controller according to claim 4, wherein the charge/discharge regulation unit reduces an amount of current to be discharged from the battery, when the battery is discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage, to be lower than an amount of current to be discharged from the battery when the battery is discharged at the battery voltage higher than the first lower limit voltage.

10. The battery controller according to 4, wherein the battery controller recovers kinetic energy by use of regenerative brake, when the battery is discharged at the battery voltage equal to or lower than the first lower limit voltage.

11. The battery controller according to claim 4, wherein, after the setting of the battery was changed, when the current voltage has increased to the first lower limit voltage or more, the charge/discharge regulation unit restores the setting of the battery such that the battery is discharged exclusively at a battery voltage equal to or higher than the first lower limit voltage.

12. A battery controller comprising:

a storing unit which stores a first upper limit voltage which defines a charge range of a battery, and a second upper limit voltage which is higher than the first upper limit voltage;

a voltage measurement unit which measures a current voltage of the battery; and

a charge/discharge regulation unit which changes setting of the battery, based on the current voltage, such that the battery is charged at a battery voltage between the first upper limit voltage and the second upper limit voltage, wherein the setting of the battery is changed based on a permission for changing the setting received from a user,

wherein the charge/discharge regulation unit stops the charging of the battery and starts discharging of the battery when the current voltage reaches the second upper limit voltage.

13. The battery controller according to claim 12, further comprising:

a time measurement unit which measures a time during which the battery is being charged at the battery voltage equal to or higher than the first upper limit voltage, when the setting of the battery was changed,

wherein the charge/discharge regulation unit stops charging of the battery, when the time during which the battery is being charged at the battery voltage equal to or higher than the first upper limit voltage reached or exceeded a predetermined time, even if the current voltage is equal to or lower than the second upper limit voltage.

14. The battery controller according to claim 12, wherein, in a case where the battery is connected to a Smart Grid, when a time during which the battery is being charged at the battery voltage equal to or higher than the first upper limit voltage reached or exceeded a predetermined time, or when the current voltage reached the second upper limit voltage, the discharge/charge management unit issues a discharge request to a server which regulates power supply of the Smart Grid.

15. The battery controller according to claim 12, wherein, after the setting of the battery was changed, when the current voltage has decreased to the first upper limit voltage or less, the charge/discharge regulation unit restores the setting of the battery such that the battery is charged exclusively at a battery voltage equal to or lower than the first upper limit voltage.

16. A battery control method, comprising:

storing, by a storing unit, a first upper limit voltage and a first lower limit voltage, each defining a first voltage range in which a battery is charged/discharged, and a second upper limit voltage and a second lower limit voltage, each defining a second voltage range which is wider than the first voltage range; and

changing, when the charge/discharge is performed in the first voltage range and a permission for the charge/discharge in the second voltage range is received from a user, setting of the battery such that the charge/discharge is performed in the second voltage range.

17. A battery control method, comprising:

storing, by a storing unit, a first lower limit voltage, which defines a discharge range of a battery of a moving object, and a second lower limit voltage which is lower than the first lower limit voltage;

measuring a current voltage of the battery;

calculating necessary electric power of the battery, which is necessary for the moving object to move from a current point of the moving object to a point where the battery can be charged; and

changing setting of the battery based on the determined current voltage and the calculated electric power, such that the battery is discharged at a battery voltage between the first lower limit voltage and the second lower limit voltage, wherein the setting of the battery is changed when a permission for changing the setting is received from a user.

18. The battery control method according to claim 17, wherein the setting of the battery is changed when the current voltage of the battery reaches the first lower limit voltage.

19. The battery control method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining an electric capacity of the battery at the battery voltage between the first lower limit voltage and the second lower limit voltage; and

determining whether the moving object is capable of moving from the current point of the moving object to the point where the battery can be charged based on comparison of the calculated electric power and the electric capacity of the battery at the battery voltage between the first lower limit voltage and the second lower limit voltage.

20. The battery control method according to claim 17, wherein the battery is discharged between the first lower limit voltage and the second lower limit voltage at a predetermined discharge current, wherein the predetermined discharge current is lower than an amount of discharge current of the battery before the setting of battery was changed.

21. A battery control method, comprising:

storing, by a storing unit, a first upper limit voltage, which defines a charge range of a battery, and a second upper limit voltage which is higher than the first upper limit voltage;

measuring a current voltage of the battery;

changing setting of the battery, based on the current voltage, such that the battery is charged at a battery voltage between the first upper limit voltage and the second upper limit voltage, wherein the setting of the battery is changed based on a permission for changing the setting received from a user; and

stopping the charging of the battery and starting discharging of the battery, by the charge/discharge regulation unit, when the current voltage reaches the second upper limit voltage.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, a computer program for causing a computer to perform:

storing a first upper limit voltage and a first lower limit voltage, each defining a first voltage range in which a battery is charged/discharged, and a second upper limit voltage and a second lower limit voltage, each defining a second voltage range which is wider than the first voltage range; and

changing, when the charge/discharge is performed in the first voltage range and a permission for the charge/discharge in the second voltage range is received from a user, the setting of the battery such that the charge/discharge is performed in the second voltage range.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, a computer program for causing a computer to perform:

storing a first lower limit voltage, which defines a discharge range of a battery of a moving object, and a second lower limit voltage which is lower than the first lower limit voltage;

measuring a current voltage of the battery;

calculating electric power of the battery, which is necessary for the moving object to move from a current point of the moving object to a point where the battery can be charged; and

changing setting of the battery based on the determined current voltage and the calculated electric power, such that the battery is discharged at a battery voltage between the first lower limit voltage and the second lower limit voltage, wherein the setting of the battery is changed when a permission for changing the setting is received from a user.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, a computer program for causing a computer to perform:

storing a first upper limit voltage, which defines a charge range of a battery, and a second upper limit voltage which is higher than the first upper limit voltage;

measuring a current voltage of the battery;

changing setting of the battery, based on the current voltage, such that the battery is charged at a battery voltage between the first upper limit voltage and the second upper limit voltage, wherein the setting of the battery is changed based on a permission for changing the setting received from a user; and

stopping the charging of the battery and starting discharging of the battery when the current voltage reaches the second upper limit voltage.