BATTERY PACK

• US 20160172888A1
• Filed: 08/13/2015
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: DO, Hyun-Jun, KIM, Hwa-Su, SON, Cheol-Gi, YOO, Kwang-Min, KIM, Dong-Rak, SONG, In-Seob, PARK, Jeong-Kurn, PARK, Su-Jun, CHOI, Jong-Rock, KIM, Jun-Young
• Granted Patent: US 10,361,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/00 Structural combinations of different types of electrochemical generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack includes a first battery with a first capacity, a second battery with a second capacity less than the first capacity, and a variable resistor. The second battery has a larger maximum discharge current than the first battery. The variable resistor circuit limits the discharge current of the first battery to a predetermined limit current value.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

a first battery with a first capacity;

a second battery with a second capacity less than the first capacity, the second battery having a larger maximum discharge current than the first battery; and

a variable resistor circuit connected between the first and second batteries and a load, the variable resistor circuit to limit a discharge current of the first battery to a predetermined limit current value.

2. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first battery and the second battery are connected in parallel.

3. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

when a total current supplied to the load by the first and second batteries is increased, a discharge current of the second battery is increased and the discharge current of the first battery is maintained based on the predetermined limit current value.

4. The battery pack as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined limit current value corresponds to a maximum discharge current of the first battery.

5. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the variable resistor circuit is serially connected between the first battery and the load.

6. A battery pack, comprising:

a high capacity battery with a first capacity;

a high output battery having a second capacity less than the first capacity, the high output battery having a higher output than the high capacity battery; and

a variable resistor circuit connected between the high capacity and high output batteries and a load, the variable resistor circuit to limit an output of the high capacity battery.

7. The battery pack as claimed in claim 6, wherein the variable resistor circuit includes a plurality of sub controllers which have substantially similar structures.

8. The battery pack as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the sub controllers include switches, and

the switches are to be turned on or turned off based on respective sub currents.

9. The battery pack as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the sub currents are to be output by corresponding switching controllers, and

the switching controllers are to operated based on battery average currents of the sub controllers, respectively.

10. The battery pack as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the switching controllers includes:

a controller to output a comparison voltage based on the battery average current; and

a transmitter to output a corresponding one of the sub currents based on the comparison voltage.

11. The battery pack as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller is to:

compare a power supply voltage and a corresponding battery average current, and

output the comparison voltage.

12. The battery pack as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transmitter is to compare alternating current power and the comparison voltage and to output a corresponding one of the sub currents.

13. The battery pack as claimed in claim 7, wherein each sub controller includes a filter to remove a high frequency pulse from the sub current flowing in the sub controller.

14. A battery pack, comprising:

a first battery with a first capacity and a first discharge current;

a second battery with a second capacity less than the first capacity and a second discharge current greater than the first discharge current; and

a controller to control a discharge current of the first battery, wherein the first battery is connected in parallel to the second battery and wherein the controller is to control the discharge current of the first battery to within a predetermined range, a maximum value of the predetermined range less than a maximum discharge current value of the first battery.

15. The battery pack as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

when a total current to be supplied to a load by the first and second batteries is increased, a discharge current of the second battery is increased and the discharge current of the first battery is maintained within the predetermined range.

16. The battery pack as claimed in claim 14, wherein the controller includes a resistor circuit.

17. The battery pack as claimed in claim 16, wherein the resistor circuit is a variable resistor circuit having a resistance which is to change to maintain the discharge current of the first battery within the predetermined range.

18. The battery pack as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

the first battery includes a plurality of batteries, and

the variable resistor circuit includes a plurality of variable resistors to control discharge current of respective ones of the batteries.

19. The battery pack as claimed in 14, further comprising:

a filter to remove a pulse of a predetermined frequency from the first discharge current of the first battery.