SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AN OPEN WIRE SCAN

• US 20160003914A1
• Filed: 11/25/2014
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Allen, Anthony John, Laber, Edgardo A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,101,403 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• 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: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/54 Testing for continuity

Abstract

Systems and methods for an open wire scan are provided. In certain embodiments, An apparatus comprising a circuit includes a plurality of inputs for connecting with a plurality of outputs of a multi-cell battery pack; and an open connection detection circuit, formed within the circuit, for detecting an open connection on at least one of the plurality of inputs connected to the multi-cell battery pack and generating a fault condition responsive thereto. The open connection detection circuit comprises at least one current source device; and at least one device for turning on and off the at least one current source device. The open connection detection circuit also comprises at least one amplifier; an analog to digital converter; and a control logic circuit.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a circuit including a plurality of inputs for connecting with a plurality of outputs of a multi-cell battery pack; and

an open connection detection circuit, formed within the circuit, for detecting an open connection on at least one of the plurality of inputs connected to the multi-cell battery pack and generating a fault condition responsive thereto, the open connection detection circuit comprising;

at least one current source device coupled between the plurality of inputs connected to the multi-cell battery and a reference voltage;

at least one device for turning on and off the at least one current source device, wherein the at least one device causes a current to flow through an input in the plurality of inputs to which the at least one device is connected;

at least one amplifier for amplifying voltages at adjacent inputs of the plurality of inputs and generating a voltage responsive thereto;

an analog to digital converter for measuring the voltage produced by the at least one amplifier, wherein the analog to digital converter measures voltages produced by the at least one amplifier at the beginning and end of a time period; and

a control logic circuit for generating a fault detection indication responsive to the voltage indicating an open connection on at least one of the plurality of inputs based on the measured voltages by the analog to digital converter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one comparator comparing voltages at adjacent inputs of the plurality of inputs and generating a control signal responsive thereto;

a second control logic circuit coupled to the at least one comparator, the second control logic circuit generating a fault detection indication responsive to the control signal indicating an open connection on at least one of the plurality of inputs.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second control logic circuit functions simultaneously with the control logic circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control logic circuit performs a logic decode, wherein, in performing the logic decode, the control logic circuit:

steps through the voltages produced by the at least one amplifier;

identifies a first cell in the multi-cell battery pack as being open when the first cell is associated with a negative peak in the voltages produced by the at least one amplifier; and

identifies a second cell after the first cell in the multi-cell battery pack as being closed when the second cell is associated with a positive peak in the voltages produced by the at least one amplifier.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, when the cells after the first cell are open identifying a non-existent cell as being closed wherein the non-existent cell is identified as being after a last cell in the multi-cell battery pack.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an output of the at least one amplifier generates the voltage that changes responsive to a voltage at a higher voltage node being lower than a second voltage at a lower voltage node or responsive to an abnormal voltage change.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a plurality of RC circuits, each RC circuit connected to one of the plurality of pins of the multi-cell battery pack.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further including the multi-cell battery pack having a plurality of outputs from a plurality of series connected battery cells, the multi-cell battery pack providing an output to each of the plurality of inputs of the integrated circuit.

9. An open connection detection circuit for detecting an open connection on at least one of a plurality of inputs from a multi-cell battery pack, the open connection detection circuit comprising:

at least one current source connected between one of the plurality of inputs and a reference voltage, wherein the plurality of inputs are configured to couple to the multi-cell battery pack;

at least one device for turning on and off the at least one current source;

at least one comparing device for comparing voltages at adjacent inputs of the plurality of inputs and generating a control signal responsive thereto;

at least one amplifier for amplifying voltages at adjacent inputs of the plurality of inputs and generating a voltage responsive thereto;

an analog to digital converter for measuring voltages produced by the at least one amplifier, wherein the analog to digital converter measures the voltages produced by the at least one amplifier at the beginning and end of a time period;

a control logic circuit for generating a fault detection indication responsive to the voltages indicating an open connection on at least one of the plurality of inputs based on the measured voltages by the analog to digital converter; and

a second control logic circuit coupled to the at least one comparing device, the second control logic circuit generating a fault detection indication responsive to the control signal indicating an open connection on at least one of the plurality of inputs.

10. The open connection detection circuit of claim 9, wherein the second control logic circuit functions as a backup control logic circuit to the control logic circuit.

11. The open connection detection circuit of claim 9, wherein the control logic circuit performs a logic decode, wherein, in performing the logic decode, the control logic circuit:

steps through the voltages produced by the at least one amplifier;

identifies a first cell in the multi-cell battery pack as being open when the first cell is associated with a negative peak in the voltages produced by the at least one amplifier; and

identifies a second cell after the first cell in the multi-cell battery pack as being closed when the second cell is associated with a positive peak in the voltages produced by the at least one amplifier.

12. The open connection detection circuit of claim 11, when the cells after the first cell are open identifying a non-existent cell as being closed wherein the non-existent cell is identified as being after a last cell in the multi-cell battery pack.

13. The open connection detection circuit of claim 9, wherein an output of the at least one amplifier generates the control signal that changes responsive to a voltage at a higher voltage node being lower than a second voltage at a lower voltage node or responsive to an abnormal voltage change.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, further including a plurality of RC circuits, each RC circuit connected to one of the plurality of pins of the multi-cell battery pack.

15. A method for detecting an open connection between a circuit device and a multi-cell battery, comprising the steps of:

measuring a voltage at each input connection on the circuit device from the multi-cell battery pack at the beginning and end of a time period;

calculating a difference between beginning measurements made at the beginning of the time period and end measurements made the end of the time period; and

detecting the open connection of at least one of the plurality of inputs by observing the positive and negative peak patterns produced by the difference calculations.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

selectively activating at least one device for turning on and off at least one current source device, the at least one current source device respectively connected with one of the plurality of inputs from the multi-cell battery; and

applying a current through each of the plurality of inputs from the at least one current source device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein observing the positive and negative peak patterns produced by the difference calculations comprises:

stepping through the voltage differences measured at the different inputs in the plurality of inputs;

identifying a first cell in the multi-cell battery pack as being open when the first cell is associated with a negative voltage peak; and

identifying a second cell after the first cell in the multi-cell battery pack as being closed when the second cell is associated with a positive voltage peak.

18. The method of claim 17, when the cells after the first cell are open identifying a non-existent cell as being closed wherein the non-existent cell is identified as being after the last cell.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of detecting further comprises the steps of:

comparing voltages at adjacent inputs of the plurality of inputs; and

generating a control signal responsive to the comparison.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of generating the control signal further comprises the step of generating the control signal that changes responsive to a voltage at a higher voltage node becoming lower than a second voltage at a previously lower voltage node or responsive to an abnormal voltage change.

21. A system comprising:

a multi-cell battery pack having a plurality of inputs; and

a circuit device comprising;

at least one current source connected between one of the plurality of inputs and a reference voltage, wherein the plurality of inputs are configured to couple to the multi-cell battery pack;

at least one device for turning on and off the at least one current source; and

an open circuit detector comprising;

at least one amplifier for amplifying voltages at adjacent inputs of the plurality of inputs and generating a voltage responsive thereto;

an analog to digital converter for measuring voltages produced by the at least one amplifier, wherein the analog to digital converter measures the voltages produced by the at least one amplifier at the beginning and end of a time period; and

a control logic circuit for generating a fault detection indication responsive to the voltages indicating an open connection on at least one of the plurality of inputs based on the measured voltages by the analog to digital converter.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the open circuit detector further comprises:

at least one comparator comparing voltages at adjacent inputs of the plurality of inputs and generating a control signal responsive thereto;

a second control logic circuit coupled to the at least one comparator, the second control logic circuit generating a fault detection indication responsive to the control signal indicating an open connection on at least one of the plurality of inputs.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second control logic circuit functions simultaneously with the control logic circuit.