Charging system for battery-set

• US 7,285,936 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2001
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo R & D Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Tokyo R & D Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Masaaki, Ohnuma, Nobuhito, Okaguchi, Hikokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US10/432,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20050099154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 320/150, 320/148, 320/128, 320/125, 320/106, 320/115, 320/151, 320/139
• US Class Current: 320/150
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An object is to provide a charging system in which a battery can be charged in a fully charged state or close to the fully charged state while preventing performance deterioration of a battery due to heat generated during charge. A charging system 1 for a battery-set of the invention includes a temperature detecting device 15, a charging device 12 and a control device 13 for controlling the charging device 12 based on a battery temperature. The control device 13 carries out a temperature feedback charge with “a quantity function of a temperature” (ΔT/Δt) as a target value (Y). With the system, it is possible to charge the battery in the fully charged state or close to the fully charged state while preventing the performance deterioration of the battery due to the heat generated during the charge.

Claims

1. A charging system for an assembled battery, comprising:

temperature measuring means for detecting a temperature of a battery;

charging means having charging current as a variable output, said charging means charging the battery;

operation means for obtaining time variation relative to battery temperature; and

control means for controlling charging current of the charging means along first, second and third periods in charging the battery,

wherein in the first period, the charging means applies a predetermined charging current, said first period ending when said operation means detects a predetermined time variation;

in the second period, said control means performs a feedback control so that said time variation is kept same as in an end of the first period, said second period ending when the control means receives a signal from at least one of the charging means and the operation means; and

in the third period, a charging current equal to or smaller than the charging current is applied at an end of the second period.

2. A charging system according to claim 1, wherein said second period ends when the charging current given by said feedback control reaches a predetermined value.

3. A charging system according to claim 1, wherein the second period ends when a predetermined time elapses after the charging current given by said feedback control reaches a predetermined value.

4. A charging system according to claim 1, wherein the second period ends when the battery temperature reaches a predetermined value while performing said feedback control.

5. A charging system according to claim 1, wherein the second period ends when the battery temperature increases by a predetermined incremental value after the battery temperature reaches a predetermined value while performing said feedback control.

6. A charging system according to claims 1, wherein said charging current for the third period is zero.

7. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means detecting temperature of one of the battery cells and regards as the temperature of the assembled battery.

8. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means detecting temperatures of at least two battery cells and regarding an average of the temperatures of the temperature sensed cells as the temperature of the assembled battery.

9. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means detecting temperatures of at least two battery cells, said temperature measurement means regarding a maximum temperature of the temperature sensed cells as the temperature of the assembled battery.

10. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery modules, each consisting of a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means detecting temperature of one of the modules and regarding as the temperature of the assembled battery.

11. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery modules, each consisting of a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means detecting temperature of at least two modules and regarding an average of the temperatures of the temperature sensed modules as the temperature of the assembled battery.

12. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery modules, each consisting of a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means regarding a maximum temperature of the temperature sensed modules as the temperature of the assembled battery.

13. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery modules, each consisting of a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means detecting temperature of one of the cells and regarding as the temperature of the assembled battery.

14. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery modules, each consisting of a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means detecting temperature of at least two of the cells and regarding an average of the temperatures of the temperature sensed cells as the temperature of the assembled battery.

15. A charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an assembled battery, said assembled battery comprising a plurality of battery modules, each consisting of a plurality of battery cells, said temperature measurement means regarding a maximum temperature of the temperature-sensed cells as the temperature of the assembled battery.

16. An electric vehicle comprising a battery and the charging system according to claim 1.