Power storage apparatus and electric vehicle

• US 9,231,280 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Komatsu, Yoshihiro, Kikuchi, Hidekazu, Umetsu, Koji, Sugeno, Naoyuki, Sato, Morihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rios, Jose Colucci
• Application Number:
  US13/598,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20130059182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• 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 10/486 for measuring temperature
• 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 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/271 Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/284 with incorporated circuit boards, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB]
• 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 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A power storage apparatus, electric device, electric vehicle, and power system are disclosed. In an example embodiment, a power storage apparatus includes a battery block comprising a plurality of battery cells and an isolating unit that enables wireless information transfer regarding battery information of the battery block.

Claims

1. A power storage apparatus comprising:

a plurality of battery blocks connected in series, each battery block comprising a plurality of battery cells;

a controller configured to measure battery information of the battery blocks and balance voltages based on the battery information by first balancing the voltages of the battery blocks independent of the plurality of the battery cells and then balancing the voltages of the plurality of battery cells within the battery blocks; and

an isolating unit that enables wireless information transfer regarding the battery information of the battery blocks.

2. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery information includes one of a voltage value, a current value, or a temperature value.

3. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the isolating unit includes a first card unit and a second card unit being configured for a contactless smart card protocol to facilitate the wireless information transfer, the first and second card units configured to transmit the battery information wirelessly to each other.

4. The power storage apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the isolating unit includes:

a first antenna mounted on a first trace layer of a printed circuit board and electrically connected to the first card unit; and

a second antenna mounted on a second trace layer of the printed circuit board and electrically connected to the second card unit, the second antenna being directionally aligned with the first antenna to enable the wireless information transfer of battery information between the first and second antennas.

5. The power storage apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the contactless smart cart protocol includes Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation with a carrier wave frequency of about 13.56 MHz at a speed between 212 kbps and 424 kbps, the carrier wave having an amplitude between 2 volts to 13 volts with a 10% degree of modulation.

6. The power storage apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the isolating unit enables wireless communication with at least one of the battery blocks via non-contact smart card technology by applying Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation to a carrier wave frequency between 10 MHz and 20 MHz.

7. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the isolating unit includes a controller area network (CAN) communication protocol to facilitate the wireless information transfer.

8. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein wireless information transfer includes transfer via at least one of electromagnetic induction, magnetic resonance, or electromagnetic radiation.

9. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to balance a voltage of a first battery block with a voltage of a second battery block.

10. The power storage apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the isolating unit enables wireless power transfer to power the controller.

11. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the isolating unit includes:

a first antenna mounted on a first trace layer of a printed circuit board; and

a second antenna mounted on a second trace layer of the printed circuit board, the second antenna being directionally aligned with the first antenna to enable the wireless information transfer of battery information between the first and second antennas.

12. The power storage apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first and second antennas are shaped in linear coil patterns.

13. The power storage apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first and second antennas are magnetically coupled through the printed circuit board.

14. The power storage apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second antenna is connected in parallel to a resistor and a capacitor to filter the received battery information.

15. The power storage apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first trace layer is separated from the second trace layer by at least one insulation layer of the printed circuit board.

22. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the isolating unit enables the wireless information transfer of the battery information using about a 13.56 MHz band.

25. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller balances the voltages of the plurality of battery cells within the each of the battery blocks independently of the other blocks.

16. A power storage system comprising:

a first storage module including;

a first battery block comprising a first plurality of battery cells; and

a first isolating unit that enables wireless information transfer regarding battery information of the first battery block; and

a second storage module including;

a second battery block comprising a second plurality of battery cells; and

a second isolating unit that enables wireless information transfer regarding battery information of the second battery block;

wherein the battery information of the first storage module is aggregated with the battery information from the second storage module to first balance a voltage of the first storage module with a voltage of the second storage module, and wherein the battery information of at least one of the first and second storage modules is then used to balance a voltage of at least one of the first plurality of battery cells and the second plurality of battery cells.

18. The power storage system according to claim 16, wherein the first storage module and the second storage module are connected in series.

19. The power storage system according to claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to use the battery information to balance the voltage of the first storage module with the voltage of the second storage module and then to balance the voltages of each of the first plurality of battery cells and the second plurality of battery cells.

23. The power storage system according to claim 16, wherein the first isolating unit and the second isolating unit enable the wireless information transfer of the battery information using about a 13.56 MHz band.

26. The power storage system according to claim 16, wherein the voltages of the first plurality of battery cells are balanced independently of the voltages of the second plurality of battery cells.

17. A power storage apparatus to power a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of storage modules, each storage module including;

at least one battery block comprising a plurality of battery cells;

a controller configured to measure battery information of the at least one battery block and use the battery information to first balance a voltage of the storage module with a voltage of another storage module and to then balance a voltage of the plurality of battery cells; and

an isolating unit that enables wireless communication with the controller and wirelessly transmits power to the controller; and

an electrical load including an electronic transmission or a motor of a vehicle, the electrical load receiving power from an aggregate of power from the plurality of storage modules.

20. The power storage apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of storage modules are connected in series.

21. The power storage apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to use the battery information to balance the voltage of the storage module with the voltage of the other storage module and then to balance the voltages of the plurality of battery cells within each storage module.

24. The power storage apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the isolating unit enables the wireless information transfer of the battery information using about a 13.56 MHz band.

27. The power storage apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the voltages of the plurality of battery cells are balanced independently of the voltages of battery cells of the another storage module.