BATTERY PACK CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20100286938A1
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kaneko, Kazumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• 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 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• 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 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• 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 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A battery pack control apparatus is provided with first, second and third monitoring devices, a battery pack control device, first and second communication devices, and a first electric power consuming device. The monitoring devices are connected to the single battery cells of a battery pack to monitor a state of the single battery cells. The battery pack control device communicates data related with the third monitoring device through the first communication device having an electric insulating quality and with the first monitoring device through a second communication device having an electric insulating quality. The second monitoring device communicates data with the first and third monitoring devices. The first electric power consuming device consumes an amount of electric power at a single battery cell connected to the second monitoring device. The amount of electric power corresponds to a communication occurring at the second communication device.

Claims

1. A battery pack control apparatus comprising:

a first monitoring device connected to a first single battery cell of a battery pack to monitor a state of the first single battery cell;

a second monitoring device connected to a second single battery cell of the battery pack to monitor a state of the second single battery cell;

a third monitoring device connected to a third single battery cell of the battery pack to monitor a state of the third single battery cell;

a battery pack control device that controls a battery capacity of the battery pack by producing a command signal;

a first communication device having an electric insulating quality provided between the third monitoring device and the battery pack control device such that the third monitoring device receives the command signal from the battery pack control device through the first communication device;

a second communication device having an electric insulating quality provided between the first monitoring device and the battery pack control device such that the second monitoring device receives the command signal from the battery pack control device through the third monitoring device, and the first monitoring device receives the command signal from the second monitoring device and the first monitoring device sends a detection signal to the battery pack control device through the second communication device; and

a first electric power consuming device that consume an amount of electric power at a single battery cell connected to the second monitoring device, the amount of electric power corresponding to a communication occurring at the second communication device.

2. The battery pack control apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

the first electric power consuming device includes a resistor provided in a signal line through which the second monitoring device communicates the command signal with respect to the third monitoring device.

3. The battery pack control apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

the first communication device includes a photocoupler that includes a first photodiode (PD1) for outputting an optical signal corresponding to the command signal received from the battery pack control device and a first phototransistor for converting the optical signal received from the first photodiode into an electric signal and for outputting the electric signal.

4. The battery pack control apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

the second communication device includes a photocoupler that includes a second photodiode for outputting an optical signal corresponding to the command signal received from the first monitoring device and a second phototransistor for converting the optical signal received from the second photodiode into an electric signal and for outputting the electric signal.

5. The battery pack control apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a second electric power consuming device provided in a signal line through which the third monitoring device communicates the command signal with respect to the battery pack control device, with the second electric power consuming device being arranged to consume an amount of electric power corresponding to an amount of electric power obtained by subtracting an amount of electric power consumed by the third monitoring device from an amount of electric power consumed by the second communication device.

6. The battery pack control apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

the battery pack control device outputs the command signal to the third monitoring device with the command signal including a dummy data region and a voltage data region corresponding to each of the first, second and third monitoring devices;

and

the third monitoring device includes a third monitoring device data writing section that writes voltage data of the third single battery cell monitored by the third monitoring device in the voltage data region corresponding to the third monitoring device; and

the second monitoring device includes a second monitoring device data writing section that writes voltage data of the second single battery cell monitored by the second monitoring device into the voltage data region corresponding to the second monitoring device and that writes dummy data corresponding to an amount of voltage data written by the third monitoring device into the dummy data region corresponding to the second monitoring device.

7. The battery pack control apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein

the second communication device includes a photocoupler that includes a second photodiode for outputting an optical signal corresponding to the command signal received from the first monitoring device and a second phototransistor for converting the optical signal received from the second photodiode into an electric signal and for outputting the electric signal.

8. The battery pack control apparatus as recited in claim 7, further comprising

a second electric power consuming device provided in a signal line through which the third monitoring device communicates the command signal with respect to the battery pack control device, with the second electric power consuming device being arranged to consume an amount of electric power corresponding to an amount of electric power obtained by subtracting an amount of electric power consumed by the third monitoring device from an amount of electric power consumed by the second communication device.