Degradation measurement device, secondary battery pack, degradation measurement method, and program

• US 9,366,728 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Envision AESC Energy Devices Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NEC Energy Devices, Ltd. (Envision Group /TX/), NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Shin, Tashiro, Yoichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/002,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20140009164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 324/430
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• 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

Abstract

A battery sensing section measures a voltage across a secondary battery. A current sensing section measures a current flowing through the secondary battery. A control section holds the value of an external impedance present in a discharge path outside the secondary battery, discharges the secondary battery from a first time to a second time at which an integrated discharge capacity based on a measured discharge current becomes equal to a predetermined discharge capacity reference value, calculates the internal impedance present in the secondary battery at the second time based on the measured voltage, calculates the second open voltage at the second time by multiplying the sum of the external impedance and the internal impedance by the measured discharge current, and calculates the recovered capacity of the secondary battery based on the first open voltage at the first time, the second open voltage and the discharge capacity reference value.

Claims

1. A degradation measurement device comprising:

a battery sensing section that measures a voltage across a secondary battery;

a current sensing section that measures a current flowing through said secondary battery; and

a control section that holds in advance the value of an external impedance present in a discharge path outside said secondary battery, discharges said secondary battery from a first measurement time to a second measurement time at which an integrated discharge capacity based on a discharge current measured by said current sensing section becomes equal to a predetermined discharge capacity reference value, calculates an internal impedance present in said secondary battery at said second measurement time based on the voltage measured by said battery sensing section, calculates a second open voltage at said second measurement time by multiplying the sum of said external impedance and said internal impedance by the discharge current measured by said current sensing section, and calculates a recovered capacity of said secondary battery based on a first open voltage at said first measurement time, said second open voltage and said discharge capacity reference value.

2. The degradation measurement device according to claim 1, wherein if said secondary battery has been in a discharge state from a time before said first measurement time, said control section calculates said first open voltage at said first measurement time by calculating said internal impedance present in said secondary battery based on the voltage measured by said battery sensing section, and by multiplying the sum of said external impedance and said internal impedance by the discharge current measured by said current sensing section, and

wherein if a transition from an open state to a discharge state is made at said first measurement time, said control section calculates said internal impedance and said external impedance of said secondary battery at said first measurement time based on a drop in voltage across said secondary battery due to discharge in a first designated time period and the voltage thereafter measured by said battery sensing section, holds said external impedance, and sets the voltage across said secondary battery at said first measurement time as said first open voltage.

3. The degradation measurement device according to claim 2, wherein when a transition from an open state to a discharge state is made at said first measurement time, said control section calculates the sum of said internal impedance and said external impedance by dividing the voltage across said secondary battery at said first measurement time by the discharge current measured by said current sensing section, calculates said internal impedance by dividing the average value of a plurality of voltages measured by said battery sensing section after a lapse of said first designated time period by the discharge current, and calculates said external impedance by subtracting said internal impedance from the above sum.

4. The degradation measurement device according to claim 2, wherein said first designated time period is one second.

5. The degradation measurement device according to claim 2, wherein said control section updates said held external impedance each time the state of said secondary battery is changed from the open state to the discharge state.

6. The degradation measurement device according to claim 1, wherein said external impedance is a diagnosis load of a constant value, and said control section connects said secondary battery to said diagnosis load when the voltage used for calculation of said internal impedance is measured by said battery sensing section.

7. The degradation measurement device according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of said secondary batteries to be connected in parallel with each other exist;

said diagnosis load is provided in common for said plurality of secondary batteries; and

said control section makes a degradation diagnosis on any one of said plurality of secondary batteries, and connects said secondary battery to said diagnosis load when the voltage used for calculation of said internal impedance of said secondary battery to be degradation-diagnosed is measured by said battery sensing section.

8. The degradation measurement device according to claim 1, wherein said control section calculates as a calculated discharge rate value a difference between a proportion of a remaining capacity of said secondary battery obtained from said first open voltage to said recovered capacity and a proportion of a remaining capacity of said secondary battery obtained from said second open voltage to said recovered capacity, and calculates as a degree of degradation a proportion of a discharge rate reference value to the calculated discharge rate value, which is a proportion of the discharge capacity reference value to an initial capacity of said secondary battery.

9. The degradation measurement device according to claim 8, wherein said control section calculates said recovered capacity by multiplying the initial capacity by the degree of degradation.

10. The degradation measurement device according to claim 1, wherein said control section corrects said internal impedance to a value at a reference temperature based on a temperature characteristic of said secondary battery.

11. A secondary battery pack comprising:

a secondary battery capable of being charged and discharged;

a battery sensing section that measures a voltage across said secondary battery;

a current sensing section that measures a current flowing through said secondary battery; and

a control section that holds in advance the value of an external impedance present in a discharge path outside said secondary battery, discharges said secondary battery from a first measurement time to a second measurement time at which an integrated discharge capacity based on a discharge current measured by said current sensing section becomes equal to a predetermined discharge capacity reference value, calculates an internal impedance present in said secondary battery at said second measurement time based on the voltage measured by said battery sensing section, calculates a second open voltage at said second measurement time by multiplying the sum of said external impedance and said internal impedance by the discharge current measured by said current sensing section, and calculates a recovered capacity of said secondary battery based on a first open voltage at said first measurement time, said second open voltage and said discharge capacity reference value.

12. A degradation measurement method comprising:

holding in advance the value of an external impedance present in a discharge path outside a secondary battery;

discharging said secondary battery from a first measurement time to a second measurement time at which an integrated discharge capacity based on a measured discharge current becomes equal to a predetermined discharge capacity reference value;

calculating an internal impedance present in said secondary battery at said second measurement time based on a voltage measured by said battery sensing section, and calculating a second open voltage at said second measurement time by multiplying the sum of said external impedance and said internal impedance by the measured discharge current; and

calculating a recovered capacity of said secondary battery based on a first open voltage at said first measurement time, said second open voltage and said discharge capacity reference value.

13. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein a program for causing a computer to execute the steps of:

holding in advance the value of an external impedance present in a discharge path outside a secondary battery;

discharging said secondary battery from a first measurement time to a second measurement time at which an integrated discharge capacity based on a measured discharge current becomes equal to a predetermined discharge capacity reference value;

calculating an internal impedance present in said secondary battery at said second measurement time based on a voltage measured by said battery sensing section, and calculating a second open voltage at said second measurement time by multiplying the sum of said external impedance and said internal impedance by the measured discharge current; and

calculating a recovered capacity of said secondary battery based on a first open voltage at said first measurement time, said second open voltage and said discharge capacity reference value.