Battery cell control system and method

• US 9,261,564 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nagakura, Hayato, Okada, Kanako
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US13/701,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 320/127, 320/132, 320/135, 320/136, 324/426, 324/433, 324/434, 702/60, 702/61, 702/63, 702/64, 713/340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• 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 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

In battery cell control system and method, a monitoring section connected to a battery cell included in an assembled battery, operated with the battery cell as a power source, and configured to monitor a state of the battery cell is provided and a first consumption of the battery cell which is consumed by the monitoring section in accordance with a voltage of the battery cell is estimated using the voltage of the battery cell.

Claims

1. A battery cell control system comprising:

a monitoring section connected to a battery cell included in an assembled battery, operated with the battery cell as a power source, and configured to monitor a state of the battery cell; and

an estimation section configured to estimate a first consumption of the battery cell which is consumed by the monitoring section in accordance with a voltage of the battery cell using the voltage of the battery cell.

2. The battery cell control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cell control system further comprises:

a capacity calculation section configured to calculate a capacity of the battery cell using the voltage of the battery cell and the first consumption; and

a control section configured to control the assembled battery in accordance with the capacity of the battery cell.

3. The battery cell control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the monitoring section detects the voltage of the battery cell at a predetermined timing and the capacity calculation section calculates a first battery cell capacity of the battery cell using the voltage of the battery cell detected by the monitoring section at a first timing and calculates a second battery cell capacity of the battery cell by subtracting the first consumption from the first battery cell capacity.

4. The battery cell control system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the estimating section estimates the first consumption using the voltage of the battery cell detected by the monitoring section at a second timing.

5. The battery cell control system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the estimation section estimates a first of the first consumption using the voltage of the battery cell detected by the monitoring section at a second timing and estimates a second of the first consumption using the voltage of the battery cell detected by the monitoring section at a third timing and the capacity calculation section calculates the second capacity of the battery cell by subtracting the first of the first consumption and the second of the first consumption from the first capacity of the battery cell.

6. The battery cell control system as claimed in the claim 3, wherein the monitoring section is constituted by a plurality of monitoring sections connected to a corresponding plurality of battery cells included in the assembled battery and configured to detect voltages of corresponding battery cells, the estimating section estimates the first consumption consumed by each of the monitoring sections using the voltages of the battery cells corresponding to the respective monitoring sections and the capacity calculation section calculates the first battery cell capacity of each of the battery cells corresponding to the respective monitoring sections using the voltages of the respective battery cells detected by the plurality of monitoring sections at the first timing and calculates the second battery cell capacity of each of the battery cells corresponding to the respective monitoring sections by subtracting the first consumption from the first battery cell capacity.

7. The battery cell control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the control section adjusts the battery cell capacity by discharging the battery cell using the second battery cell capacity.

8. The battery cell control system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the battery cell control system further comprises a capacity adjustment resistor connected to each of the battery cells and wherein the capacity calculation section subtracts a second consumption, consumed when a current is caused to flow from one of the battery cells which is to be capacity adjusted by means of the control section into the capacity adjustment resistor, from the first battery cell capacity to calculate the second battery cell capacity of the battery cell which is to be capacity adjusted.

9. The battery cell control system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the monitoring section is constituted by a plurality of monitoring sections connected to a corresponding plurality of battery cells included in the assembled battery, the control section communicates with at least one of the monitoring sections from among the plurality of monitoring sections, and the capacity calculation section subtracts a third consumption consumed by a communication between the control section and the monitoring section from the first battery cell capacity to calculate the second battery cell capacity of each of the battery cells connected to the corresponding one of the monitoring sections which is communicated with the control section.

10. A battery cell control apparatus comprising:

monitoring means connected to a battery cell included in an assembled battery and operated with the battery cell as a power source for monitoring a state of the battery cell; and

estimation means for estimating a first consumption of the battery cell which is consumed by the monitoring means in accordance with a voltage of the battery cell using the voltage of the battery cell.

11. A battery cell control method comprising:

providing a monitoring section connected to a battery cell included in an assembled battery, operated with the battery cell as a power source, and configured to monitor a state of the battery cell; and

estimating a first consumption of the battery cell which is consumed by the monitoring section in accordance with a voltage of the battery cell using the voltage of the battery cell.