REGULATING DEVICE, BATTERY ASSEMBLY DEVICE AND REGULATING METHOD

• US 20150077061A1
• Filed: 02/13/2013
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nomura, Yojiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,472,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/126
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• 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

Abstract

A regulating device includes: a generating means for generating an output voltage from an input voltage; a plurality of first switches, respectively corresponding to the plural storage battery units connected in parallel, with each of said first switches interposed between the corresponding storage battery unit and the input side of the generating means; a plurality of second switches, respectively corresponding to the plural storage battery units, with each of said second switches interposed between the corresponding storage battery unit and the output side of the generating means; a detecting means for detecting the voltage of each of the plural storage battery units; and, a control means that, referring to the result of detection from the detecting means, identifies first storage battery units whose voltages are higher than the average value of voltage of the plural storage battery units and second storage battery units whose voltages are lower than the average value, from the plural storage battery units, and turns on the first control switches corresponding to the first storage battery units from among the plural first switches and the second control switches corresponding to the second storage battery units from among the second switches.

Claims

1. A regulating device for regulating voltage difference between plural storage battery units connected in parallel, comprising:

a generating unit for generating an output voltage from an input voltage;

a plurality of first switches, corresponding to the plural storage battery units, respectively, with each of said first switches interposed between the corresponding storage battery unit and the input side of the generating unit;

a plurality of second switches, corresponding to the plural storage battery units respectively, with each of said second switches interposed between the corresponding storage battery unit and the output side of the generating unit;

a detecting unit for detecting the voltage of each of the plural storage battery units; and

,

a control unit that, referring to the result of detection from the detecting unit, identifies first storage battery units whose voltages are higher than the average value of voltage of the plural storage battery units and second storage battery units whose voltages are lower than the average value of the plural storage battery units, and turns on the first control switches corresponding to the first storage battery units from among the plural first switches and the second control switches corresponding to the second storage battery units from among the second switches.

2. The regulating device according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit identifies one unit from among the storage battery units whose voltages are higher than the average value from among the plural storage battery units as the first battery unit and identifies one unit from among storage battery units whose voltages are lower than the average value among the plural storage battery units as the second battery unit.

3. The regulating device according to claim 1, wherein the generating unit is a DCDC converter.

4. The regulating device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit turns off, at least, one of the first control switch and the second control switch when the difference in voltage between the first storage battery unit and the second storage battery unit becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value.

5. A battery assembly device comprising a plurality of storage battery units connected in parallel and a regulating device according to claim 1.

6. A regulating method performed by a regulating device that includes a generating unit for generating an output voltage from an input voltage to regulate voltage difference between plural storage battery units connected in parallel, comprising the steps of:

detecting the voltage of each of the plural storage battery units;

identifying, by referring to the result of the voltage detection, first storage battery units whose voltages are higher than the average value of voltage of the plural storage battery units and second storage battery units whose voltages are lower than the average value of the plural storage battery units; and

,

turning on the first control switches corresponding to the first storage battery units from among the plural first switches that correspond to the plural storage battery units, respectively, with each of said first switches interposed between the corresponding storage battery unit and the input side of the generating unit, and turning on the second control switches corresponding to the second storage battery units from among the second switches that correspond to the plural storage battery units respectively, with each of said second switches interposed between the corresponding storage battery unit and the output side of the generating unit.