Control apparatus to control discharge from battery units

• US 9,929,570 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Yoshihito, Sawada, Junichi, Kamada, Rui
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trischler, John
• Application Number:
  US13/665,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20130113437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,973 Days
• Field of Search: 320136
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/67 to the maximum power available from a generator, e.g. from solar cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/108 using diodes blocking reverse current flow H02J1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy wind motors F03D
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a control apparatus, including: a discrimination section configured to discriminate a plurality of battery units which are to share and output electric power required by a load; and a control section configured to carry out discharge control for the battery units in response to a situation of each of batteries which the battery units individually have.

Claims

1. A control apparatus, comprising:

a discrimination section configured to discriminate a plurality of battery units,

wherein the plurality of battery units output a discharge amount of electric power required by a load for a total discharge period; and

a control section configured to;

transmit a request signal, to a battery unit of the plurality of battery units, to request a situation of the battery unit;

receive a response signal, from the battery unit of the plurality of battery units, based on the transmitted request signal;

determine a discharge distribution ratio for the battery unit of the plurality of battery units based on the response signal that indicates the situation of the battery unit,

wherein the discharge distribution ratio for the battery unit is a ratio of a discharge period of the battery unit to the total discharge period of the plurality of battery units to discharge the discharge amount of electric power to the load; and

control a discharge amount of the battery unit of the plurality of battery units based on the determined discharge distribution ratio of the battery unit.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section is further configured to determine the discharge period based on the discharge amount of the battery unit.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first discharge period, for a first battery unit of the plurality of battery units, overlaps with a second discharge period for a second battery unit of the plurality of battery units.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the situation of the battery unit comprises at least one of a use history of the battery unit, a temperature of the battery unit, or a dischargeable electric power amount of the battery unit.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discrimination section is further configured to:

connect the battery unit of the plurality of battery units to the load; and

monitor a voltage, supplied from the connected battery unit of the plurality of battery units, to discriminate the plurality of battery units for discharge.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section is further configured to correct a rank of consecutively ranked battery units based on a use history of the battery units.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section is further configured to determine the discharge distribution ratio of the battery unit of the plurality of battery units based on the situation of the battery unit.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the situation of the battery unit comprises at least one of a use history of the battery unit, a temperature of the battery unit, or a dischargeable electric power amount of the battery unit.

9. A control system, comprising:

a plurality of battery units; and

a control apparatus connected to the plurality of battery units, wherein the control apparatus comprises;

a discrimination section configured to discriminate the plurality of battery units, wherein the plurality of battery units output a discharge amount of electric power required by a load for a total discharge period; and

a control section configured to;

transmit a request signal, to a battery unit of the plurality of battery units, to request a situation of the battery unit;

receive a response signal, from the battery unit of the plurality of battery units, based on the transmitted request signal;

determine a discharge distribution ratio for the battery unit of the plurality of battery units based on the response signal that indicates the situation of the battery unit,

wherein the discharge distribution ratio for the battery unit is a ratio of a discharge period of the battery unit to the total discharge period of the plurality of battery units to discharge the discharge amount of electric power to the load; and

control a discharge amount of the battery unit of the plurality of battery units based on the determined discharge distribution ratio of the battery unit.

10. The control system according to claim 9, wherein the control section of the control apparatus is further configured to transmit an instruction signal to the battery unit of the plurality of battery units, wherein the instruction signal comprises:

identification data that identifies the battery unit of the plurality of battery units, and

command data that corresponds to a first timing at which the discharge of the battery unit is started and a second timing at which the discharge of the battery unit is stopped.

11. The control system according to claim 10, wherein the battery unit of the plurality of the battery units is configured to:

analyze the identification data received from the control section of the control apparatus; and

discharge based on the command data received from the control section,

wherein the command data corresponds to the identification data of the battery unit.

12. A control method, comprising:

discriminating a plurality of battery units, wherein the plurality of battery units output a discharge amount of electric power required by a load for a total discharge period;

transmitting a request signal to a battery unit of the plurality of battery units for requesting a situation of the battery unit;

receiving a response signal, from the battery unit of the plurality of battery units, based on the transmitted request signal;

determining a discharge distribution ratio for the battery unit of the plurality of battery units based on the response signal that indicates the situation of the battery unit,

wherein the discharge distribution ratio for the battery unit is a ratio of a discharge period of the battery unit to the total discharge period of the plurality of battery units to discharge the discharge amount of electric power to the load; and

controlling a discharge amount of the battery unit of the plurality of battery units based on the determined discharge distribution ratio of the battery unit.