Method and apparatus of controlling for charge/discharge power of battery

• US 7,683,579 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Do Yang, Kim, Do Youn
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US11/452,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/112, 320/114, 320/132, 320/134, 320/135, 320/136, 320/DIG.19, 320/DIG.21, 324/149, 324/426, 324/427, 324/428, 324/429, 324/430, 703/63, 340/636.1, 340/636.12, 340/636.15, 340/636.16, 340/636.17, 340/636.18, 340/636.19
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for controlling the discharge or charge power of a battery, capable of preventing over-charge and over-discharge of battery cells according to states of the battery cells, and solving a problem that the lifetime of a conventional battery pack is rapidly reduced due to the over-charge or over-discharge of some cells of the battery pack. The method includes the steps of estimating the maximum power of the battery, measuring voltage of a battery cell or pack, checking whether or not the voltage of the battery cell or pack deviates from a preset limited range so as to correspond to the maximum power, and when the voltage of the battery cell or pack deviates from a preset limited range, controlling the discharge or charge power of the battery.

Claims

1. A method for controlling discharge or charge power of a battery, the method comprising:

estimating maximum power of the battery using temperature and SOC of the battery;

measuring voltage of a battery cell or pack;

checking whether or not the measured voltage of the battery cell or pack deviates from a preset voltage limit corresponding to the estimated maximum power of the battery; and

when the measured voltage of the battery cell or pack deviates from the preset voltage limit, controlling the discharge or charge power of the battery so that the voltage of the battery cell or pack is adjusted into the preset voltage limit.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum power of the battery is calculated by a function obtained from a correlation between a state of charge (SOC) of the battery, a temperature and the maximum power, and a function defining a degradation rate of the battery, which is obtained from a correlation between accumulated discharge Ah and the maximum power of the battery according to the following equation:

Power_max=F(SOC,temp)×

F(accumulated discharge Ah).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling of the discharge or charge power of the battery comprises:

when the measured voltage is higher than the voltage of the preset voltage limit range, decreasing available charge and discharge power of the battery pack; and

when the measured voltage is lower than the voltage of the preset voltage limit range, increasing the available charge and discharge power of the battery pack.

4. A battery control apparatus comprising:

a temperature sensor which measures temperature of a battery;

a state of charge (SOC) estimator which estimates the SOC of a battery;

a voltmeter which measures voltage of a battery cell or pack; and

a controller which;

estimates maximum power of the battery using the temperature and the SOC;

measures the voltage of the battery cell or pack by means of the voltmeter;

checks whether or not the measured voltage of the battery cell or pack deviates from a preset voltage limit corresponding to the estimated maximum power of the battery; and

when the voltage of the battery cell or pack deviates from the preset voltage limit, controls discharge or charge power of the battery so that the voltage of the battery cell or pack is adjusted into the preset voltage limit.

5. The battery control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the maximum power of the battery is calculated by a function obtained from a correlation between the SOC of the battery, the temperature and the maximum power of the battery, and a function defining a degradation rate of the battery, which is obtained from a correlation between accumulated discharge Ah and the maximum power of the battery according to the following equation:

Power_max=F(SOC,temp)×

F(accumulated discharge Ah).

6. The battery control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controlling of the discharge or charge power of the battery is performed by:

when the measured voltage is higher than the voltage of the preset voltage limit range, decreasing available charge and discharge power of the battery pack; and

when the measured voltage is lower than the voltage of the preset voltage limit range, increasing the available charge and discharge power of the battery pack.