BATTERY APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING PLURAL BATTERIES AND CONTROL METHOD OF PLURAL BATTERIES

• US 20090302802A1
• Filed: 08/06/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Akihiko Emori, Akihiko Kudo, Hideki Miyazaki, Tauyoshi Kai
• Inventors: Kai, Tauyoshi, Emori, Akihiko, Kudo, Akihiko, Miyazaki, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 8,098,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/116
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/19 Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• 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: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• 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: 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 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Lower order control devices control plural battery cells configuring plural battery modules. An input terminal of the low order control device in the highest potential, an output terminal of the low order control device in the lowest potential, and a high order control device are connected by isolating units, photocouplers. Diodes which prevent a discharge current of the battery cells in the battery modules are disposed between the output terminal of the low order control device and the battery cells in the battery module on the low potential side. Terminals related to input/output of a signal are electrically connected without isolating among the plural low order control devices.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method of initializing a battery control system comprising a plurality of battery control integrated circuits connected in series in a manner that a signal input circuit and a signal output circuit between every adjacent two of the plurality of battery control integrated circuits coupled in series are coupled by a signal transmission path in an electrically non-isolated manner, comprising:

receiving an activation signal, at an input circuit of a first integrated circuit of the plurality of battery control integrated circuits, from a control device;

activating an internal power supply circuit of the first integrated circuit based on the received signal; and

when the internal power supply circuit is activated, sending an activation signal from the signal output circuit of a first integrated circuit of the plurality of battery control integrated circuits to the signal input circuit of a next integrated circuit of the plurality of battery control integrated circuits.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

charging an external capacitor associated with the first integrated circuit; and

determining whether the external capacitor has reached a predetermined level, wherein

once the capacitor has reached a predetermined level, the activation signal is sent to the next integrated circuit of the plurality of battery control integrated circuits.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising repeating the steps of receiving, activating, charging, determining and sending for each of the plurality of integrated circuits.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the signal received by the first integrated circuit from the control device is received through an isolator.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the battery control system is initialized after being in sleep mode.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the last integrated circuit sends the signal to the control device.

17. A method of activating a battery control system comprising a plurality of battery control integrated circuits connected in series in a manner that a signal input circuit and a signal output circuit between every adjacent two of the plurality of battery control integrated circuits coupled in series are coupled by a signal transmission path in an electrically non-isolated manner, comprising:

receiving an activation signal by a first integrated circuit of the plurality of battery control integrated circuits; and

sending a signal to a next integrated circuit of the serially connected plurality of battery control integrated circuits,

wherein the receiving and sending steps are repeated until all of the plurality of integrated circuits have been initialized.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the activation signal is sent from a control device which detects a total voltage of a plurality of battery cells coupled in series.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the signal received by the first integrated circuit from the control device is received through an isolator.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the battery control system is activated after being in sleep mode.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

converting the activation signal to an input signal; and

transmitting the input signal to an internal power supply circuit.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

charging an external capacitor associated with the first integrated circuit; and

determining whether the capacitor has reached a predetermined voltage prior to sending the signal to the next integrated circuit.

23. The method according to claim 18, wherein the last integrated circuit sends the signal to the control device.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the signal is sent through at least one isolator before it is received by the control device.

25. A battery apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of battery modules coupled in series and each including a plurality of battery cells; and

a first control device group having a plurality of first control devices corresponding to the plurality of battery modules, respectively, each of the plurality of first control devices receiving a command signal transmitted from a second control device via an insulator and detecting states of the plurality of battery cells contained in a corresponding one of the plurality of battery modules, wherein

each of the first control devices is configured by an integrated circuit and the first control devices are coupled in series, wherein

a plurality of the integrated circuits are coupled in series in a manner that a signal output circuit of one integrated circuit and a signal input circuit of other integrated circuit between every adjacent two of the plurality of integrated circuits coupled in series are coupled by a signal transmission path in an electrically non-isolated manner, and wherein

a first integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits coupled in series receives an activation signal sent from the second control device at the signal input circuit thereof via an insulator, and sends the activation signal from the signal output circuit of the first integrated circuit to the signal input circuit of a next integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits via the signal transmission path when an internal power supply circuit of the first integrated circuit is activated from a sleeping state.

26. The battery apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a last integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits sends the activation signal received at the signal input circuit thereof from the signal output circuit thereof to the second control device when the last integrated circuit is activated from the sleeping state.

27. The battery apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the activation signal sent from the signal output circuit of the last integrated circuit is transmitted to the second control device via an isolator.

28. A battery apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of battery modules coupled in series and each including a plurality of battery cells; and

a first control device group having a plurality of first control devices corresponding to the plurality of battery modules, respectively, each of the plurality of first control devices receiving a command signal transmitted from a second control device via an insulator and detecting states of the plurality of battery cells contained in a corresponding one of the plurality of battery modules, wherein

each of the first control devices is configured by an integrated circuit and the first control devices are coupled in series, wherein

a plurality of the integrated circuits are coupled in series in a manner that a signal output circuit of one integrated circuit and a signal input circuit of other integrated circuit between every adjacent two of the plurality of integrated circuits coupled in series are coupled by a signal transmission path in an electrically non-isolated manner, and wherein

the plurality of the integrated circuits are activated from a sleeping state in a manner that an activation signal sent from the second control device is received via an insulator at the signal input circuit of a first integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits coupled in series, then the activation signal is sent from the signal output circuit of one integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits to the signal input circuit of a next integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits coupled in series with the one integrated circuit via the signal transmission path, and the sending of the activation signal is repeated to the last integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits in accordance with a coupling order of the plurality of the integrated circuits.

29. The battery apparatus according to claim 28, wherein a last integrated circuit of the plurality of the integrated circuits sends the activation signal received at the signal input circuit thereof from the signal output circuit thereof to the second control device when the last integrated circuit is activated from the sleeping state.

30. The battery apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the activation signal sent from the signal output circuit of the last integrated circuit is transmitted to the second control device via an isolator.