Battery management system for electric vehicle

• US 5,869,951 A
• Filed: 05/11/1998
• Issued: 02/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert E. Stewart
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US09/075,172
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/104, 320/124, 320/125, 320/128, 320/132, 320/133, 320/134, 320/136, 320/157, 320/158, 320/108, 320/110, 320/111, 320/120, 320/129, 320/130, 320/131, 320/138 , 320/147, 320/DIG. 21, 324/426-428, 324/432-436, 340/438
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3828 using current integration
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A battery monitoring routine is executed at a short period such as one minute as an initial value when a key switch is turned on to drive an electric vehicle (so that the battery is discharged). On the other hand, when the key switch is turned off to stop or park the electric vehicle so that the battery is released open from discharge, the battery monitoring routine is executed at a short period such as one minute to measure the battery data finely within a specified time such as 30 minutes, but at a long period such as one hour to measure the battery data coarsely after the specified time such as 30 minutes to save monitoring power. The battery deterioration can be monitored by measuring the restoration status of the battery after released open from discharge, for recharging or replacement of the battery.

Claims

1. A battery management system for an electric vehicle having an electric charger for charging an electricity to a high voltage battery and an auxiliary battery, a motor for driving said vehicle, a key switch electrically connected to said high voltage battery for starting said motor, and control means connected to control said motor at an optimum condition for each driving condition of said vehicle, comprising:

detecting means attached to said high voltage battery for sensing a battery condition when said key switch is ON and for generating a battery condition signal indicative thereof;

calculating means responsive to said battery condition signal as an analog signal for changing the analog signal into digital signals and for producing a digital battery condition signal indicative thereof;

memory means for storing said digital battery condition signal;

activating means responsive to said digital battery condition signal for activating both of said detecting means and said calculating means for a predetermined time period by real time clock (RTC) generating means when said key switch is OFF and for generating an activating signal; and

outputting means responsive to said activating signal for transferring said digital battery condition signal to said control means so as to reduce power consumption of said high voltage battery and said auxiliary battery and to effectively avoid entirely exhausting thereof.

2. The battery management system defined in claim 1, wherein:

the high voltage battery includes a plurality of cells, and

said detecting means is attached to each cell of the plurality of cells to sense a battery condition of each cell when said key switch is on.

3. The battery management system defined by claim 2, wherein:

said calculating means provides a digital battery condition signal when finished said changing, and

said activating means activates said detecting means and said calculating means for said predetermined time period.

4. The battery management system defined by claim 2, wherein:

said detecting means generates said battery condition signal when said high voltage battery is fully charged.

5. The battery management system defined by claim 2, wherein:

said activating mean is for activating said detecting means and said calculating means by a predetermined short time cycle until a time period after said key switch is OFF reaches a predetermined time period and is for activating said detecting means and said calculating means by a predetermined long time cycle after said time period becomes larger than said predetermined time period.

6. The battery management system defined by claim 2, wherein:

said activating means is for activating said detecting means and said calculating means by a predetermined short time cycle when a changing rate of a terminal voltage of said high voltage battery is larger than a predetermined changing rate after said key switch is OFF and is for activating said detecting means and said calculating means by a predetermined long time cycle when said changing rate is smaller than said predetermined changing rate after said key switch is OFF.

7. The battery management system defined in claim 2, wherein:

said activating means is for activating said detecting means and said calculating means by a predetermined short time cycle when a time period after said key switch is OFF is within said predetermined time period and is for activating said detecting means and said calculating means by a predetermined long time cycle when said time period after said key switch is off becomes longer than said predetermined time period.

8. The battery management system defined in claim 2, further comprising:

setting means responsive to said digital battery condition signal for setting a predetermined short time reset time cycle in accordance with a discharging power and for producing a predetermined cycle signal,

wherein said activating means is for activating said detecting means and said calculating means by said predetermined short reset time cycle when a time period after said key switch is OFF is within said predetermined time and is for activating said detecting means and said calculating means by predetermined long time cycle when said time period after said key switch is OFF become longer than said predetermined time.