Power supply system

• US 9,768,612 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2010
• 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: Iwasaki, Toshiya, Okuda, Yasuo, Sakai, Souichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stables, David M
• Application Number:
  US13/820,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20130193768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 307 85
• 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: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/50 Energy storage in industry with an added climate change mitigation effect

Abstract

To provide a power supply system equipped with a storage battery assembly including a plurality of storage battery control units, the power supply system being configured such that a group of the storage battery control units, which are selected from the storage battery control units, and which have output voltages within a predetermined voltage range, are first connected to the parallel connection line, and such that the voltage range is set so as to maximize the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the voltage range.

Claims

1. A power supply system comprising:

a storage battery assembly comprising a plurality of storage battery control units;

wherein each storage battery control unit comprises at least one storage battery cell and is connected to a common parallel connection line via a selection switch circuit, wherein

a reference voltage range is set, which is defined by a reference voltage value and a span of voltage from the reference voltage value;

a group of the storage battery control units, which are selected from the storage battery control units and have output voltages within the reference voltage range, are first connected to the parallel connection line, and

the reference voltage range is set by changing the reference voltage value so as to maximize the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the reference voltage range.

2. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

when the amount of required discharging power from the storage battery assembly is not less than a reference value, the group of the storage battery control units, which have output voltages within a voltage range that is set to maximize the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the voltage range, are first connected to the parallel connection line, and

when the amount of required discharging power from the storage battery assembly is less than the reference value, the group of the storage battery control units, which have output voltages within a voltage range that is set to allow the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the voltage range to be equal to or more than a required number, are first connected to the parallel connection line.

3. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

when the amount of required charging power from the storage battery assembly is not less than a reference value, the group of the storage battery control units, which have output voltages within a voltage range that is set to maximize the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the voltage range, are first connected to the parallel connection line, and

when the amount of required charging power from the storage battery assembly is less than the reference value, the group of the storage battery control units, which have output voltages within a voltage range that is set to allow the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the voltage range to be equal to or more than a required number, are first connected to the parallel connection line.

4. The power supply system according to claim 2, wherein

when the discharging of the storage battery assembly is performed, the voltage range allowing the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the voltage range to be equal to or more than a predetermined number is set to include a highest output voltage of the storage battery control unit.

5. The power supply system according to claim 3, wherein

when the charging of the storage battery assembly is performed, the voltage range allowing the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the voltage range to be equal to or more than a predetermined number is set to include a lowest output voltage of the storage battery control unit.

6. A power supply system comprising:

a storage battery assembly comprising a plurality of storage battery control units;

wherein each storage battery control unit comprises at least one storage battery cell and is connected to a common parallel connection line via a selection switch circuit, wherein

a reference voltage range is set, which is defined by a reference voltage value and a span of voltage from the reference voltage value;

a group of the storage battery control units, which are selected from the storage battery control units and have output voltages within the reference voltage range, are first connected to the parallel connection line, and

the reference voltage range is set by changing the reference voltage value so that the number of the storage battery control units having output voltages within the reference voltage range is not less than a predetermined minimum number.

7. A method for controlling a power supply system comprising a storage battery assembly comprising a plurality of storage battery control units, wherein each storage battery control unit comprises at least one storage battery cell and is connected to a common parallel connection line via a selection switch circuit, the method comprising:

setting a reference voltage range, the reference voltage range being defined by a reference voltage value and a span of voltage from the reference voltage value;

measuring output voltages of the plurality of storage battery units;

setting the reference voltage value such that a number of battery units having output voltages within reference voltage range is maximized or not less than a predetermined minimum number; and

first connecting the storage battery units having output voltages within the predetermined range to the parallel connection line.