Battery management system with energy balance among multiple battery cells

• US 8,344,694 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zhang, Chutao, Chen, Songtao
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMADAN, RAMY O
• Application Number:
  US13/445,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20120196159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 264 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 320/118
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery circuit including a first battery cell with a first parameter having a first value and a second battery cell with a second parameter having a second value. The second battery cell is coupled to the first battery cell in series. The battery circuit further includes a magnetic device operable for storing energy transferred from the first battery cell via a first winding coupled to the first battery cell and for releasing the stored energy to the second battery cell via a second winding coupled to the second battery cell if the first value of the first parameter is greater than the second value of the second parameter.

Claims

1. A battery management circuit, comprising:

a plurality of battery cells coupled in series, each battery cell having a parameter; and

a magnetic device comprising a plurality of windings and operable for performing the steps of;

selecting, from the plurality of battery cells, a first battery cell whose parameter has a value larger than values of the parameters of multiple battery cells in the plurality of battery cells, the first battery cell having a first terminal coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a first winding of the plurality of windings;

selecting, from the plurality of battery cells, a second battery cell that has a second terminal coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a second winding of the plurality of windings, the second terminal having a polarity different from the first terminal of the first battery cell;

storing energy transferred from the first battery cell via the first winding; and

releasing the stored energy to the second battery cell via the second winding,

wherein

the first winding is coupled in parallel with each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells via a plurality of switches,

the second winding is coupled in parallel with each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells via the plurality of switches,

the parameter of the first battery cell has a maximal value in values of the parameters of the plurality of battery cells, and

the parameter of the second battery cell has a minimal value in the values of the parameters of the plurality of battery cells.

2. The battery management circuit of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises a voltage.

3. The battery management circuit of claim 1, wherein the first winding and the second winding wire around a magnetic core, which is operable for storing the energy from the first battery cell.

4. The battery management circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a first switch coupled between the first battery cell and the first winding; and

a second switch coupled between the second battery cell and the second winding.

5. The battery management circuit of claim 4, further comprising:

a controlling unit for detecting the parameter of each battery cell, and further for turning on the first switch and the second switch alternately according to a detecting result.

6. The battery management circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a controlling unit for conducting a first current flowing from the first battery cell to the first winding and conducting a second current flowing from the second winding to the second battery cell alternately to transfer energy from the first battery cell to the second battery cell via the magnetic device if a difference between a first value of the parameter of the first battery cell and a second value of the parameter of the second battery cell is greater than a first threshold.

7. The battery management circuit of claim 6, wherein abnormal condition presents in the first and second battery cells if the difference is greater than a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

8. A battery management system for managing a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, comprising:

a magnetic device comprising a plurality of windings wiring around a magnetic core;

a plurality of switches, each switch coupled between a battery cell and a winding; and

a controlling unit coupled to the switches and operable for performing the steps of;

detecting a parameter of each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells;

selecting, from the plurality of battery cells, a first battery cell and a second battery cell, wherein the parameter of the first battery cell has a value larger than values of the parameters of multiple battery cells in the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the parameter of the second battery cell has a value smaller than the values of the parameters of the multiple battery cells in the plurality of battery cells;

selecting, from the plurality of battery cells, a charged battery cell whose terminal, which is coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a winding corresponding to the charged battery cell, has a polarity different from a first terminal, which is coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a winding corresponding to the first battery cell, of the first battery cell;

turning on respective switches coupled to the charged battery cell and the first battery cell alternately to balance the charged battery cell and the first battery cell;

selecting, from the plurality of battery cells, a discharged battery cell whose terminal, which is coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a winding corresponding to the discharged battery cell, has a polarity different from a second terminal, which is coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a winding corresponding to the second battery cell, of the second battery cell; and

turning on respective switches coupled to the discharged battery cell and the second battery cell alternately to balance the discharged battery cell and the second battery cell,

wherein the plurality of windings comprises a first winding and a second winding, wherein the first winding is coupled in parallel with each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells via the plurality of switches, and wherein the second winding is coupled in parallel with each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells via the plurality of switches.

9. The battery management system of claim 8, wherein the controlling unit turns on a group of switches of the plurality of switches such that the first terminal of the first battery cell is connected to a polarity-marked terminal of the first winding, and such that the second terminal of the second battery cell, having different polarity from the first terminal, is connected to a polarity-marked terminal of the second winding, and wherein the discharged battery cell is the first battery cell and the charged cell is the second battery cell.

10. The battery management system of claim 8, wherein the first battery cell is coupled to the first winding via a first switch and the second battery cell is coupled to the second winding via a second switch, and wherein the controlling unit turns on the first switch and turns off the second switch to conduct a first current flowing from the first battery cell to the first winding for storing energy from the first battery cell into the magnetic core, and then turns off the first switch and turns on the second switch to conduct a second current flowing from the second winding to the second battery cell for releasing the energy stored in the magnetic core to the second battery cell.

11. The battery management system of claim 8, wherein the first battery cell is coupled to the first winding via a first switch and the second battery cell is coupled to the second winding via a second switch, and wherein the controlling unit calculates a difference between the parameter of the first battery cell and the parameter of the second battery cell, and turns on the first switch and the second switch alternately to balance the first battery cell and the second battery cell if the difference is greater than a threshold.

12. A battery management system for managing a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, comprising:

a magnetic device comprising a plurality of windings wiring around a magnetic core;

a plurality of switches, each switch coupled between a battery cell and a winding; and

a controlling unit coupled to the switches and operable for performing the steps of;

detecting a parameter of each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells;

selecting, from the plurality of battery cells, a first battery cell and a second battery cell, wherein the parameter of the first battery cell has a value larger than values of the parameters of multiple battery cells in the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the parameter of the second battery cell has a value smaller than the values of the parameters of the multiple battery cells in the plurality of battery cells;

selecting, from the plurality of battery cells, a charged battery cell whose terminal, which is coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a winding corresponding to the charged battery cell, has a polarity different from a first terminal, which is coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a winding corresponding to the first battery cell, of the first battery cell;

turning on respective switches coupled to the charged battery cell and the first battery cell alternately to balance the charged battery cell and the first battery cell;

selecting, from the plurality of battery cells, a discharged battery cell whose terminal, which is coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a winding corresponding to the discharged battery cell, has a polarity different from a second terminal, which is coupled to a polarity-marked terminal of a winding corresponding to the second battery cell, of the second battery cell; and

turning on respective switches coupled to the discharged battery cell and the second battery cell alternately to balance the discharged battery cell and the second battery cell,

wherein the controlling unit further performs the steps of;

determining whether the first terminal of the first battery cell has different polarity from the second terminal of the second battery cell;

turning on respective switches coupled to the first and second battery cells alternately to balance the first and second battery cells if the first terminal of the first battery cell has different polarity from the second terminal of the second battery cell, wherein the discharged battery cell is the first battery cell and the charged cell is the second battery cell; and

performing the following steps if the first terminal of the first battery cell has the same polarity as the second terminal of the second battery cell;

selecting a third battery cell whose parameter has a maximal value and a fourth battery cell whose parameter has a minimal value from a set of the battery cells whose terminals, which are coupled to polarity-marked terminals of corresponding windings, have different polarity from the first and second terminals;

turning on respective switches coupled to the first battery cell and the fourth battery cell alternately to balance the first battery cell and the fourth battery cell; and

turning on respective switches coupled to the third battery cell and the second battery cell alternately to balance the third battery cell and the second battery cell,

wherein the discharged battery cell is the third battery cell and the charged cell is the fourth battery cell.