Semiconductor device, battery state monitoring module, and vehicle system

• US 9,494,654 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Kiuchi, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Steckbauer, Kevin R
• Application Number:
  US13/888,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0825 related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• 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 31/386 using test-loads
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/388 involving 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: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults

Abstract

A semiconductor device has a first and a second external terminals coupled to power supply wiring that couples one end of a current detecting resistance and a power supply terminal of a battery, a third external terminal coupled to an other end of the current detecting resistance, and a control circuit for controlling an output of a second measurement current destined to the third external terminal, and measures a voltage difference between the first external terminal and the second external terminal.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

first and second external terminals coupled to power supply wiring that couples one end of a current detecting resistance and a power supply terminal of a battery;

a third external terminal coupled to an other end of the current detecting resistance;

a measurement part for measuring a voltage difference between the first external terminal and the second external terminal;

a first resistance coupled between the second external terminal and the one end of the current detecting resistance;

a first current source for outputting a first measurement current to the second external terminal;

a second current source for outputting a second measurement current to the third external terminal; and

a control circuit for controlling an output of the second measurement current destined to the third external terminal,

wherein the first and second external terminals are coupled on a same side to the first resistance via an uninterrupted current path, and

wherein the control circuit intercepts outputs of the first and the second measurement currents by the first and the second current sources in a current monitoring operation of measuring a current monitor voltage value that varies according to a current flowing through the current detecting resistance, and measures a voltage difference between the second external terminal and the third external terminal in the current monitoring operation.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the control circuit makes the second measurement current smaller than the first measurement current in a first period when a first short-circuit test operation is performed, and makes a magnitude of the second measurement current larger than that of the first period in a second period when a second short-circuit test operation is performed, and

wherein the first resistance has a different resistance than the current detecting resistance.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, comprising:

first internal wiring coupled to the first external terminal;

second internal wiring coupled to the second external terminal;

third internal wiring coupled to the third external terminal;

fourth and fifth internal wiring coupled to the measurement part;

a first switching circuit that couples the first internal wiring and the fourth internal wiring in the first and the second short-circuit test operations, and couples the second internal wiring and the fourth internal wiring in the current monitoring operation; and

a second switching circuit that couples the second internal wiring and the fifth internal wiring in the first and the second short-circuit test operations, and couples the third internal wiring and the fifth internal wiring in the current monitoring operation.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the control circuit has an operating state setting register for storing a setup value that specifics an operating state of the semiconductor device, and switches the short-circuit test operation including the first and the second short-circuit test operations and the current monitoring operation based on the setup value.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a capacitor that is coupled with a node disposed between the first resistance and the second external terminal,

wherein the first current source outputs the first measurement current to the first resistance coupled between the second external terminal and the power supply wiring,

wherein the second current source outputs the second measurement current to a second resistance coupled between the third external terminal and an other end of the current detecting resistance, and

wherein the first resistance and the second resistance have a higher resistance than the current detecting resistance.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the control circuit has a measured value register for storing a measured value outputted by the measurement part for every operating state, and outputs the measured value stored in the measured value register at a request from a high-order system.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 3,

wherein the measurement part comprises a variable gain amplifier for amplifying a voltage difference inputted through the fourth and the fifth internal wiring and an analog-digital converter for converting an output value of the variable gain amplifier into a digital value and outputting the measured value, and

wherein the control circuit outputs a gain control signal for controlling an amplification factor of the variable gain amplifier.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the current detecting resistance comprises a shunt resistance,

further comprising a second resistance coupled between the third external terminal and the other end of the shunt resistance, and

wherein the first resistance and the second resistance have a higher resistance than the shunt resistance.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the battery comprises a lead battery.

10. A battery state monitoring module, comprising:

a battery state monitoring device including a current monitor voltage measurement circuit for measuring a current monitor voltage value that varies according to a current value flowing through a current detecting resistance coupled to a power supply terminal of a battery; and

an arithmetic circuit that determines a state of the battery based on the current monitor voltage value measured by the battery state monitoring device, and transmits the determination result at a request from a high-order system,

wherein the current monitor voltage measurement circuit includes;

first and second external terminals coupled to power supply wiring that couples one end of the current detecting resistance and the power supply terminal of the battery;

a third external terminal coupled to an other end of the current detecting resistance;

a measurement part for measuring a voltage difference between the first external terminal and the second external terminal;

a first resistance coupled between the second external terminal and the one end of the current detecting resistance;

a first current source for outputting a first measurement current to the second external terminal;

a second current source for outputting a second measurement current to the third external terminal; and

a control circuit for controlling an output of the second measurement current destined to the third external terminal,

wherein the first and second external terminals are coupled on a same side to the first resistance via an uninterrupted current path,

wherein the control circuit stops outputs of the first and the second measurement currents by the first and the second current sources, respectively, in a current monitoring operation of measuring the current monitor voltage value, and

wherein the measurement part measures a voltage difference between the second external terminal and the third external terminal in the current monitoring operation.

11. The battery state monitoring module according to claim 10,

wherein the control circuit makes the second measurement current smaller than the first measurement current in a first period when the first short-circuit test operation is performed, and makes a magnitude of the second measurement current larger than that of the first period in a second period when the second short-circuit test operation is performed.

12. The battery state monitoring module according to claim 10, comprising:

a filter circuit including;

a second resistance coupled between an other end of the current detecting resistance and the third external terminal.

13. The battery state monitoring module according to claim 10,

wherein the battery state monitoring device further comprises a monitor circuit for outputting at least a battery voltage value that varies according to a voltage of the battery and a battery environmental temperature value corresponding to a temperature of the battery, and

wherein the arithmetic circuit determines a state of the battery based on the current monitor voltage value, the battery voltage value, and the battery environmental temperature value.

14. The battery state monitoring module according to claim 10,

wherein the battery state monitoring module includes the current detecting resistance, and

wherein the current detecting resistance comprises a shunt resistance.

15. A vehicle system, comprising:

a battery state monitoring module including a battery state monitoring device for measuring a current monitor voltage value that varies according to a current value flowing through a current detecting resistance coupled to power supply terminals of a battery, and an arithmetic circuit that determines a state of the battery based on the current monitor voltage value measured by the battery state monitoring device and transmits the determination result at a request from a high-order system; and

a central control unit for outputting an internal ignition signal that directs start and stop of an engine to an electronic load circuit for controlling the engine and a starter,

wherein the battery state monitoring device carries out a short-circuit test operation for testing a short circuit state between two different external terminals coupled to two different ends of the current detecting resistance, and a current monitoring operation of measuring a current monitor voltage value that occurs between the two ends of the current detecting resistance, and

wherein the central processing unit makes the engine move to a stop state by the internal ignition signal in response to a vehicle becoming in a stop state,

also directs a diagnosis processing of the battery including the short-circuit test operation and the current monitoring operation to the battery state monitoring device, and

when making the vehicle move from the stop state to a run state, makes the starter and the engine start by the internal ignition signal and also receives a result of the diagnosis processing of the battery,

wherein the battery state monitoring device includes;

first and second external terminals coupled to power supply wiring that couples one end of the current detecting resistance and the power supply terminal of the battery;

a third external terminal coupled to an other end of the current detecting resistance;

a measurement part for measuring a voltage difference between the first external terminal and the second external terminal;

a first resistance coupled between the second external terminal and a first end of the two different ends of the current detecting resistance;

a first current source for outputting a first measurement current to the second external terminal;

a second current source for outputting a second measurement current to the third external terminal; and

a control circuit for controlling an output of the second measurement current destined to the third external terminal,

wherein the first and second external terminals are coupled on a same side to the first resistance via an uninterrupted current path,

wherein the control circuit stops outputs of the first and the second measurement currents by the first and the second current sources, respectively, in a current monitoring operation of measuring the current monitor voltage value, and

wherein the measurement part measures a voltage difference between the second external terminal and the third external terminal in the current monitoring operation.

16. The vehicle system according to claim 15,

wherein the battery state monitoring device further includes a monitor circuit for outputting at least a battery voltage value that varies according to the voltage of the battery and a battery environmental temperature value corresponding to a temperature of the battery, and

wherein the arithmetic circuit determines the state of the battery based on the current monitor voltage value, the battery voltage value, and the battery environmental temperature value.

17. The vehicle system according to claim 15,

wherein when the result of the diagnosis processing indicates that an ability of the battery is insufficient for engine restart, the central control unit maintains the engine in an operating state regardless of a state of the vehicle during a period until an external ignition signal inputted from the outside indicates that the vehicle moves to the stop state.