Apparatus and method for managing battery system

• US 9,222,985 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Jung-Soo, Jung, Jong-Mo
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ortiz, Elim
• Application Number:
  US13/901,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20130249317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 307/116, 324/433, 320/134, 320/118, 320/126, 320/119
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• 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 10/482 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: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• 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

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, provided is an apparatus for managing a battery system having a plurality of battery cells connected in series, the apparatus comprising a performance measurement section for measuring a performance of each of the battery cells; a cell switching section for turning on or off a connection of each battery cell to other battery cells; and a controlling section for comparing the performance of each battery cell measured by the performance measurement section with a reference performance and, in the presence of the battery cell(s) having measured performance lower than the reference performance, controlling the cell switching section to interrupt the connection of the relevant battery cell(s) to other battery cells.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing a battery system having a plurality of battery cells including first and second battery cells connected in series, the apparatus comprising:

a performance measurement section for measuring at least one of voltage, current, resistance and capacity of each of the battery cells as a performance of each of the battery cells, respectively;

a system switching section for turning on or off a current flow path for the whole of the plurality of battery cells;

a first cell switching section having a positive terminal directly connected to a negative terminal of the system switching section and having a negative terminal directly connected to a positive terminal of the first battery cell, the first cell switching section for turning on or off a connection between the first battery cell and other battery cells;

a second cell switching section having a positive terminal directly connected to a negative terminal of the first battery cell and having a negative terminal directly connected to a positive terminal of the second battery cell, the second cell switching section for turning on or off a connection between the second battery cell and other battery cells;

a controlling section for comparing the performance of each of the battery cells measured by the performance measurement section with a reference performance and, in the presence of the each of the battery cells having a measured performance lower than the reference performance, controlling at least one of the first and second cell switching sections to interrupt the connection, to other battery cells, of each of the first and second battery cells, respectively, having the measured performance lower than the reference performance, and turning off the system switching section before controlling either of the first and second cell switching sections; and

an auxiliary battery configured to, in the presence of the interruption of the connection, to other battery cells, of each of the battery cells having the measured performance lower than the reference performance, additionally connect to other battery cells in series, instead of each of the battery cells interrupted.

2. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second cell switching sections is in the form of a 3-contacts switch.

3. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein although each of the battery cells having the measured performance lower than the reference performance is present, in the case that a number of the battery cells being pre-interrupted to connect to other battery cells exceeds a certain number, the controlling section does not interrupt the connection, to other relevant battery cells, of each of the battery cells having the measured performance lower than the reference performance.

4. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein in the case that a number of the battery cells being interrupted to connect to other battery cells exceeds a certain number, the controlling section provides a warning information to a user.

5. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein in the presence of the interruption of the connection, to other battery cells, of each of the battery cells having the measured performance lower than the reference performance, the controlling section provides a user with at least one of the location, performance and number information of each of the battery cells interrupted.

6. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 5, further comprising a memory section for storing at least one of the location, performance and number information of each of the battery cells interrupted.

7. A method for managing a battery system having a plurality of battery cells including first and second battery cells connected in series, and a system switching section for turning on or off a current flow path for the whole of the plurality of battery cells, the method comprising:

measuring, by a performance measurement section, at least one of voltage, current, resistance and capacity of each of the battery cells as a performance of each of the battery cells, respectively;

turning on or off, by a first cell switching section, a connection between the first battery cell and other battery cells, the first cell switching section having a positive terminal directly connected to a negative terminal of the system switching section and having a negative terminal directly connected to a positive terminal of the first battery cell,

turning on or off, by a second cell switching section, a connection between the second battery cell and other battery cells, the second cell switching section having a positive terminal directly connected to a negative terminal of the first battery cell and having a negative terminal directly connected to a positive terminal of the second battery cell;

comparing, by a controlling section, the performance of each of the battery cells measured by the performance measurement section with a reference performance;

in the presence of each of the battery cells having a measured performance lower than the reference performance, controlling, by the controlling section, at least one of the first and second cell switching sections to interrupt the connection, to other battery cells, of each of the first and second battery cells, respectively, having the measured performance lower than the reference performance;

turning off, by the controlling section, the system switching section before controlling either of the first and second cell switching sections; and

additionally connecting, in the presence of the interruption of the connection, to other battery cells, of each of the battery cells having the measured performance lower than the reference performance, an auxiliary battery to other battery cells in series, instead of each of the battery cells interrupted.