Power supply device

• US 9,077,186 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Arakawa, Shinichi, Ohnuki, Yasumichi
• Primary Examiner(s): TAT, BINH C
• Application Number:
  US13/455,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20120274143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 320116-120
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/574 Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A power supply device includes a plurality of power supply units connected in parallel, and includes a positive electrode-side junction formed by the joining of positive electrode-side terminals of the plurality of power supply units and a negative electrode-side junction formed by the joining of negative electrode-side terminals of the plurality of power supply units. Each of the plurality of power supply units includes a battery unit, and a first relay that is provided between one of the positive and negative electrode-side junctions and the battery unit and is electrically disconnectably connected in series to the battery unit. Each of the plurality of power supply units includes a resistive element of which one end is connected between the first relay, which is connected to one of a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal of the battery unit, and the battery unit.

Claims

1. A power supply device, comprising a plurality of power supply units connected in parallel, and includes a positive electrode-side junction formed by the joining of positive electrode-side terminals of the plurality of power supply units and a negative electrode-side junction formed by the joining of negative electrode-side terminals of the plurality of power supply units,

wherein each of the plurality of power supply units includes a battery unit, and a first relay that is provided between one of the positive and negative electrode-side junctions and the battery unit and is electrically disconnectably connected in series to the battery unit,

each of the plurality of power supply units includes a resistive element of which one end is connected between the first relay, which is connected to one of a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal of the battery unit, and the battery unit, and

the other end of the first resistive element is connected to one of the positive and negative electrode-side junctions,

each of the plurality of power supply units other than the plurality of power supply units connected to the first resistive element includes a second resistive element of which one end is connected between the first relay, which is connected to one of the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the battery unit, and the battery unit,

the other end of the second resistive element is connected to one end of the first resistive element via a connection part, and

second relays that cut off current flowing to one of the positive and negative electrode-side junctions connected to the first relays of the plurality of power supply units from the plurality of power supply units through the other resistive elements and allow the flow of the current.

2. The power supply device according to claim 1,

wherein if the number of the other resistive elements is one, the second relays are connected between the other end of the other resistive element and any one, which is connected to the first relays, of the positive and negative electrode-side junctions or between the other resistive element and the other end of the at least one resistive element.

3. The power supply device according to claim 1,

wherein if the number of the other resistive elements is two or more, the second relays are connected between the other ends of the other resistive elements and any one, which is connected to the first relays, of the positive and negative electrode-side junctions.

4. The power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising:

third relays that are electrically disconnectably connected between the other of the positive and negative electrode-side junctions and the battery units.

5. The power supply device according to claim 4, further comprising:

balancing resistive elements that are provided between the battery units of the plurality of power supply units and the third relays and connect the battery units,

wherein the third relays are connected in series to the battery units of the plurality of power supply units and the number of the third relays is equal to the number of the plurality of power supply units.

6. The power supply device according to claim 5,

wherein the number of the balancing resistive elements is set to m−

1 when the number of the battery units is an arbitrary natural number m of 2 or more, and

among the m battery units, the battery units of which the number is larger than 1 and smaller than m are connected to the other one battery unit.

7. The power supply device according to claim 5,

wherein the number of the balancing resistive elements is set to m when the number of the battery units is an arbitrary natural number m of 2 or more, and

among the m battery units, all the battery units are connected to the other two battery units.

8. The power supply device according to claim 5,

wherein the battery units of the plurality of power supply units include current sensors on the outside of closed-loop circuits that includes the battery units, the resistive elements, and the balancing resistive elements.