Battery pack, electrical hardware, and communication control method

• US 9,660,464 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuroda, Go, Toya, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossoshek, Helen
• Application Number:
  US14/360,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20150214758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 320106, 320107, 320108, 320118, 320128
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• 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 50/202 Casings or frames around the primary casing of a single cell or a single battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/22 The load being a portable electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack has a communicator storing various communication protocols. When new hardware is connected thereto, the battery pack sequentially transmits a respective communication request signal to request communication with the hardware using a stored communication protocol, and establishes communication. The battery pack transmits the communication request signal using a standard such as a compatibility priority among communication protocols, a frequency priority for communication protocols used according to a history record, a communication speed priority for communication protocols, and so on, thereby achieving quick establishment of communication.

Claims

1. A battery pack used by removably connecting to a plurality of external hardware types each having a different communication protocol, the battery pack comprising:

a secondary cell;

a connector removably connecting the battery pack to external hardware;

a memory storing a plurality of communication protocols;

a power discharge circuit performing discharge from the secondary cell to the external hardware;

an establisher connected via a line to the connector and communicating with the external hardware via the line and the connector, and establishing communication by specifying a usable communication protocol, among the communication protocols, that communicates with the external hardware; and

a controller causing the power discharge circuit to discharge electric power for driving the external hardware when the establisher has established communication with the external hardware,

wherein the establisher transmits, via the line and the connector, a communication request signal to the external hardware requesting a response signal using one of the communication protocols, judges whether the response signal has been received from the external hardware via the line and the connector, and when judging that the response signal has been received, specifies the communication protocol used for transmitting the communication request signal as the usable communication protocol, and when judging that the response signal has not been received, sequentially transmitting, via the line and the connector, the communication request signal using different communication protocols until it is judged that the response signal has been received and specifying a communication protocol used for transmitting the communication request signal for the received response signal as the usable communication protocol.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein

the establisher establishes communication via the connector.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein

the establisher specifies the usable communication protocol by selecting and transmitting the communication request signal for the one of the communication protocols, and transmitting the communication request signal of another communication protocol when the response to the communication request signal is not received.

4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein

the memory stores the communication protocols as a plurality of groups into which similar communication protocols sharing at least a level of compatibility are divided, and

the establisher selects a particular communication protocol from each of the groups and specifies the usable communication protocol through sequential transmission, starting with the communication request signal for the particular communication protocol selected from each of the groups.

5. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein

the establisher determines usability according to whether or not a plurality of conditions are satisfied by the response signal to the communication request signal, and

when one of the particular communication protocols satisfies only a subset of the conditions, the establisher specifies the usable communication protocol by prioritizing transmission of the communication request signal for a member communication protocol from the same one of the groups.

6. The battery pack of claim 3, further comprising

a history information memory storing communication history information for any of the communication protocols used for communication, when the battery pack has been connected to the external hardware by the connector and has performed communication, wherein

the establisher specifies the usable communication protocol by applying the communication history information stored by the history information memory to prioritize transmission of a high usage frequency communication protocol.

7. The battery pack of claim 3, further comprising

a communication protocol memory storing a most recent communication protocol having been used to communicate with the external hardware connected via the connector, wherein

when the connector connects to new external hardware, the establisher initially transmits the communication request signal of the most recent communication protocol stored in the communication protocol memory.

8. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein

the establisher specifies the usable communication protocol by prioritizing transmission of the communication request signal for a high-speed communication protocol that establishes communication.

9. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein

the controller does not allow discharge to new external hardware when the connector connects to the new external hardware and the establisher is unable to establish communication using any of the communication protocols.

10. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein

the controller does not allow discharge to new external hardware when the connector connects to the new external hardware and a discharge forbidden signal is received that forbids discharge by the battery pack to the new external hardware.

11. The battery pack of claim 9, further comprising

a display displaying information indicating whether or not the controller allows discharge.

12. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication protocol acquirer acquiring the communication protocols from an external network, by communicating with the external network; and

a storage instructor causing the memory to store the communication protocols acquired by the communication protocol acquirer.

13. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication protocol acquirer acquiring the communication protocols from the external hardware, by communicating with the external hardware; and

a storage instructor causing the memory to store the communication protocols acquired by the communication protocol acquirer.

14. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising

a power charge circuit receiving electric power and charging the secondary cell when the external hardware is able to supply the electric power, wherein

when the establisher has established communication with the external hardware that is able to supply the electric power, the controller causes the power charge circuit to charge the secondary cell rather than causing the power discharge circuit to discharge.

15. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein

the establisher judges whether the response signal has been received within a predetermined period of time, and specifies the communication protocol only when judging that the response signal has been received within the predetermined period of time.

16. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein

the establisher, when judging that the response signal has not been received, transmits a communication request signal for another communication protocol.

17. An electric hardware provided with a first connection terminal to which a battery pack is removably connectable, the battery pack being used by removably connecting to a plurality of external hardware types each having a different communication protocol, the battery pack comprising:

a secondary cell;

a second connection terminal connecting to the first connection terminal;

a memory storing a plurality of communication protocols;

a power discharge circuit performing discharge from the secondary cell to external hardware;

an establisher connected via a line to the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal and communicating with the external hardware via the line, the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, and establishing communication by specifying a usable communication protocol, among the communication protocols, that communicates with the electric hardware; and

a controller causing the power discharge circuit to discharge,

wherein when the establisher establishes communication with the battery pack, the electric hardware is driven by electric power discharged from the power discharge circuit, via the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal,

the establisher transmits, via the line, the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, a communication request signal to the external hardware requesting a response signal using one of the communication protocols, judges whether the response signal has been received from the external hardware, via the line, the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, and when judging that the response signal has been received, specifies the communication protocol used for transmitting the communication request signal as the usable communication protocol, and when judging that the response signal has not been received, sequentially transmitting, via the line, the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, the communication request signal using different communication protocols until it is judged that the response signal has been received and specifying a communication protocol used for transmitting the communication request signal for the received response signal as the usable communication protocol.

18. The electric hardware of claim 17, further comprising

a discharge forbidden signal transmitter transmitting a discharge forbidden signal to the battery pack that is connected, forbidding discharge of the electric power from the battery back, wherein

the controller does not allow discharge from the secondary cell when the discharge forbidden signal is received.

19. A communication control method for a battery pack to communicate with a destination, the battery pack including a secondary cell and a power discharge circuit discharging electric power from the secondary cell and being removably connectable to a plurality of hardware types each having a different communication protocol, the destination being external hardware, the communication control method comprising:

detecting a connection to the external hardware;

specifying, when the connection to the external hardware is detected, a usable communication protocol that communicates with the external hardware, from among a plurality of communication protocols;

establishing, using a line and a connector, communication with the external hardware using the given communication protocol when the usable communication protocol has been specified; and

permitting discharge of electric power driving the external hardware by the power discharge circuit when communication has been established,

wherein the establishing of the communication with the external hardware includes transmitting, via the line and the connector, a communication request signal to the external hardware requesting a response signal using one of the communication protocols, judging whether the response signal has been received from the external hardware, via the line and the connector, and when judging that the response signal has been received, specifying the communication protocol used for transmitting the communication request signal as the usable communication protocol, and when judging that the response signal has not been received, sequentially transmitting, via the line and the connector, the communication request signal using different communication protocols until it is judged that the response signal has been received and specifying a communication protocol used for transmitting the communication request signal for the received response signal as the usable communication protocol.