BATTERY CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20120268068A1
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: JUNG, Chang-Gi, AHN, Hyung-Ju
• Granted Patent: US 8,552,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A battery control apparatus includes an emergency charging unit including an external charging terminal for applying power to a main battery pack, a first voltage measurement unit for measuring the voltage of the external charging terminal, and an emergency charging switch for switching the connection between the external charging terminal and the main battery pack; an auxiliary battery connection unit including an auxiliary battery connection terminal for applying power to the vehicle through a contactor, a second voltage measurement unit for measuring the voltage of the auxiliary battery connection terminal, and an auxiliary battery switch for switching the connection between the auxiliary battery connection terminal and the contactor; and an emergency control unit for switching to an emergency charging mode or an auxiliary connection mode by turning on the emergency charging switch or the auxiliary battery switch during the voltage measurement of the first or second voltage measurement unit.

Claims

1. A battery control apparatus provided in a vehicle battery pack, for controlling the battery pack, which can be charged in an emergency and equipped with an auxiliary battery, the battery control apparatus comprising:

an emergency charging unit including an external charging terminal for applying power to a main battery pack, a first voltage measurement unit for measuring the voltage of the external charging terminal, and an emergency charging switch for switching the connection between the external charging terminal and the main battery pack;

an auxiliary battery connection unit including an auxiliary battery connection terminal for applying power to the vehicle through a contactor, a second voltage measurement unit for measuring the voltage of the auxiliary battery connection terminal, and an auxiliary battery switch for switching the connection between the auxiliary battery connection terminal and the contactor; and

an emergency control unit for switching to an emergency charging mode by turning on the emergency charging switch during the voltage measurement of the first voltage measurement unit and switching to an auxiliary connection mode by turning on the auxiliary battery switch during the voltage measurement of the second voltage measurement unit.

2. The battery control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency control unit turns off a charge/discharge control switch connected to the main battery pack when switching to the emergency charging mode or the auxiliary battery connection mode.

3. The battery control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency control unit detects the voltage of the main battery pack when switching to the emergency charging mode and turns off the emergency charging switch, if the charging voltage reaches a predetermined reference value.

4. The battery control apparatus of claim 3, wherein when the emergency charging switch is turned off upon completion of emergency charging, the emergency control unit transmits a notification signal indicating the completion of the emergency charging to a vehicle computing system.

5. The battery control apparatus of claim 1, wherein when switching to the auxiliary battery connection mode, the emergency control unit measures the voltage of the connected auxiliary battery through the second voltage measurement unit, calculates state-of-charge information of the auxiliary battery, and transmits the information to a vehicle computing system.

6. The battery control apparatus of claim 1, wherein when switching to the auxiliary battery connection mode, the auxiliary control unit receives state-of-charge information from the connected auxiliary battery and transmits the information to a vehicle computing system.

7. The battery control apparatus of claim 1, wherein when switching to the emergency charging mode or the auxiliary battery connection mode, the emergency control unit transmits mode switching information to a vehicle computing system.

8. A battery management system comprising the battery control apparatus of claim 1.

9. A vehicle comprising the battery control apparatus of claim 1.

10. A vehicle battery pack with a control function, which can be charged in an emergency and equipped with an auxiliary battery, the battery pack comprising:

a main battery pack including at least one battery cell;

a battery management system for measuring a cell voltage of the main battery pack and controlling the main battery pack;

a charge/discharge control switch for switching charge/discharge power of the main battery pack under the control of the battery management system;

an emergency charging module provided with an external charging terminal connected to the main battery pack and applying charging power directly to the main battery pack;

an auxiliary battery connection module provided with an auxiliary battery connection terminal connected to a contactor of a main power line and applying power directly to the vehicle; and

an emergency control module for switching to an emergency charging mode when a voltage is detected from the external charging terminal of the emergency charging module and switching to an auxiliary connection mode when a voltage is detected from the auxiliary battery connection terminal of the auxiliary battery connection module.

11. The battery pack of claim 10, wherein when switching to the emergency charging mode or the auxiliary battery connection mode, the emergency control module turns off the charge/discharge control switch.

12. The battery pack of claim 11, wherein the charge/discharge control switch is located on the main power line connected between the main battery pack and a vehicle power input terminal.

13. The battery pack of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary battery connection terminal of the auxiliary battery connection module is connected to the contactor located on the main power line between the charge/discharge control switch and the vehicle power input terminal.

14. The battery pack of claim 10, further comprising:

a main charging terminal for applying charging power to the main battery pack under the control of the battery management system; and

a pack housing for accommodating an assembly of the main battery pack, the battery management system, the charge/discharge control switch, the emergency charging module, the auxiliary battery connection module, the emergency control module, and the main charging terminal.

15. A battery control method controlling a battery in an emergency and implemented in a battery control apparatus provided in a vehicle battery pack, which can be charged in an emergency and equipped with an auxiliary battery, the battery control method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining whether a voltage is applied to an external charging terminal connected to a main battery pack and applying charging power to the main battery pack and an auxiliary battery connection terminal connected to a contactor and applying power to the vehicle;

(b) switching to an emergency charging mode, when the voltage is applied to the external charging terminal, and charging the main battery pack with the power supplied through the external charging terminal; and

(c) switching to an auxiliary battery connection mode, when the voltage is applied to the auxiliary battery connection terminal, and supplying power from the connected auxiliary battery to the vehicle through the main power line.

16. The battery control method of claim 15, wherein in step (b) or step (c), mode switching information is transmitted to a vehicle computing system when switching to the emergency charging mode or the auxiliary battery connection mode.

17. The battery control method of claim 15, wherein step (b) comprises the steps of:

(a) switching to the emergency charging mode, when the voltage is applied to the external charging terminal, and turning off a charge/discharge control switch of the main battery pack;

(2) turning on an emergency charging switch connected to the external charging terminal and supplying charging power to the main battery pack;

(3) measuring the charging voltage of the main battery pack and maintaining the charging operation until the charging voltage reaches a predetermined reference value; and

(4) turning off the emergency charging switch, if the charging voltage of the main battery pack reaches the predetermined reference value, and completing the emergency charging.

18. The battery control method of claim 17, wherein after step (4), emergency charging completion information is transmitted to a vehicle computing system.

19. The battery control method of claim 15, wherein step (c) comprises the steps of:

(5) switching to the auxiliary battery connection mode, when the voltage is applied to the auxiliary battery connection terminal, and turning off the charge/discharge control switch of the main battery pack; and

(6) turning on the auxiliary battery switch connected to the auxiliary battery connection terminal and supplying the power from the connected auxiliary battery to the vehicle through the main power line.

20. The battery control method of claim 19, further comprising, after step (6), the steps of:

(7) measuring the voltage of the auxiliary battery and calculating a state-of-charge of the auxiliary battery; and

(8) transmitting the calculated state-of-charge of the auxiliary battery to a vehicle computing system.

21. The battery control method of claim 19, further comprising, after step (6), the steps of:

(9) receiving state-of-charge information from the auxiliary battery; and

(10) transmitting the received state-of-charge information of the auxiliary battery to the vehicle computing system.