DIAGNOSIS APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC STORAGE APPARATUS, AND ELECTRIC STORAGE APPARATUS

• US 20130200902A1
• Filed: 10/13/2011
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kurimoto, Yasuhide
• Granted Patent: US 10,012,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/430
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/54 related to batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/14 Preventing excessive discharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/389 Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables
• 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 10/48 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: H01M 2220/20 : Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 : Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 : for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 : acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 : Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A diagnosis apparatus performing a diagnosis for reuse of an electric storage apparatus including a plurality of electric storage elements connected electrically in series includes a voltage sensor detecting a voltage of each of a plurality of blocks, the plurality of electric storage elements being divided into the blocks; a current sensor detecting a current in the electric storage apparatus; and a controller calculating an internal resistance of each of the blocks based on outputs from the voltage sensor and the current sensor. The controller specifies the highest of the internal resistances of the plurality of blocks as a criterion to perform the diagnosis for the reuse of the electric storage apparatus.

Claims

1. A diagnosis apparatus performing a diagnosis for reuse of an electric storage apparatus including a plurality of electric storage elements connected electrically in series, comprising:

a voltage sensor detecting a voltage of each of a plurality of blocks, the plurality of electric storage elements being divided into the blocks;

a current sensor detecting a current in the electric storage apparatus; and

a controller calculating an internal resistance of each of the blocks based on outputs from the voltage sensor and the current sensor,

wherein the controller specifies the highest of the internal resistances of the plurality of blocks as a criterion to perform the diagnosis for the reuse of the electric storage apparatus.

2. The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the blocks has more than one of the electric storage elements.

3. The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the blocks corresponds to each of the electric storage elements.

4. The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric storage apparatus is mounted on a vehicle and outputs an energy for use in running of the vehicle.

5. A diagnosis method of performing a diagnosis for reuse of an electric storage apparatus including a plurality of electric storage elements connected electrically in series, comprising the steps of:

calculating an internal resistance of each of a plurality of blocks based on a voltage of each of the blocks and a current in the electric storage apparatus, the plurality of electric storage elements being divided into the blocks; and

specifying the highest of the internal resistances of the plurality of blocks as a criterion to perform the diagnosis for the reuse of the electric storage apparatus.

6. The diagnosis method according to claim 5, further comprising, determining whether or not the electric storage apparatus can be reused by comparing the highest internal resistance with a threshold value indicating a boundary of whether or not the electric storage apparatus can be reused.

7. The diagnosis method according to claim 5, wherein

each of the blocks has more than one of the electric storage elements.

8. The diagnosis method according to claim 5, wherein each of the blocks corresponds to each of the electric storage elements.

9. The diagnosis method according to claim 5, wherein the electric storage apparatus is mounted on a vehicle and outputs an energy for use in running of the vehicle.

10. An electric storage apparatus comprising a plurality of electric storage elements connected electrically in series,

wherein, when the plurality of electric storage elements are divided into a plurality of blocks, a first block is replaced by using the electric storage element to be reused for a second block, and

the first block has a resistance increase rate lower than a resistance increase rate of the second block in replacing the first block.

11. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the number of the first blocks is smaller than the number of the second blocks.

12. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second block comprises a plurality of second blocks, and

the first block has the resistance increase rate lower than the lowest of resistance increase rates of the plurality of second blocks.

13. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first block has the resistance increase rate associated with a use history of the electric storage apparatus before the first block is replaced.

14. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the use history is a history of a parameter contributing to deterioration of the electric storage element.

15. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the use history is a frequency of occurrence of each SOC of the electric storage apparatus, a frequency of occurrence of each temperature of the electric storage apparatus, or a totalized time of each SOC when the SOC of the electric storage apparatus is maintained.

16. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of the blocks has more than one of the electric storage elements.

17. The electric storage apparatus according to any claim 10, wherein each of the blocks corresponds to each of the electric storage elements.

18. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of electric storage elements are mounted on a vehicle and output an energy for use in running of the vehicle.