Battery set structure and charge/ discharge control apparatus for lithium-ion battery

• US 5,825,155 A
• Filed: 05/09/1997
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchida, Akihiko, Tashiro, Naoki, Ito, Hironori, Hino, Yuichiro, Hagiwara, Masahiko, Mitsui, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIN, KYUNG E
• Application Number:
  US08/853,415
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 320/15, 320/16, 320/17, 320/39, 320/40, 320/48, 320/13-14, 320/21, 324/434, 324/433, 324/426, 324/429, 429/149, 429/150, 429/160
• US Class Current: 320/118
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• 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 10/48 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 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• 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 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In a battery-driven portable computer, a battery pack is constituted by m battery sets connected in series each including n lithium-ion secondary battery cells connected in parallel. A voltage monitor for monitoring the voltage of the terminal electrode of each battery set and a charger for independently appropriately charging each battery set in accordance with a monitor result are arranged, thereby realizing battery driving by a lithium-ion secondary battery pack having a large capacity.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a battery pack having;

m (m is an integer of two or more) battery sets connected in series each having n (n is an integer of two or more) rechargeable battery cells connected in parallel and charge/discharge terminals connected to nodes of the m battery sets;

charge/discharge current limiting resistors, each said charge/discharge current limiting resistor having at least a first and a second terminal, the first terminal connected to the nodes of the m battery sets and the second terminal connected to the charge/discharge terminals; and

power supply terminals;

voltage measuring circuits connected between the power-supply terminals and said charge/discharge terminals for measuring a voltage value of the m battery sets;

a power-supply microprocessor for outputting a voltage check signal of said battery pack;

amplifiers, connected to said charge/discharge terminals, for amplifying the voltage value of an integer multiple of 1/m of a total voltage value of the m battery sets;

switches connected between said amplifiers and terminals; and

a switch control circuit connected to said power-supply microprocessor and said switches and responding to the voltage check signal from said power-supply microprocessor, for turning off said switches when said voltage measuring circuits measure the voltage value of the m battery sets.