Battery pack including a status detection unit to detect an abnormal status and a notification unit to notify a user of an availability to restart a discharging operation

• US 8,643,339 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwamura, Norihiro, Muto, Motoharu, Ikeda, Masaki, Shimizu, Naoki, Kubota, Atsumasa, Okada, Masaaki, Miwa, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, MANUEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/382,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 320/136, 320/134, 320/150, 320/DIG.18, 320/DIG.21
• US Class Current: 320/136
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/574 Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack includes a status detection unit for detecting a status of a battery; a switch unit for interrupting a discharging path of the battery; a notification unit for notifying a user of the status of the battery; an operation unit operable by the user; and control unit for opening and closing the switch unit. The control unit is configured to have the switch unit interrupt the discharging path of the battery when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is abnormal. Further, the control unit is configured to have the notification unit notify the user of the availability to restart a discharging operation and close the switch unit in response to an operation signal inputted from the operation unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is recovered from the abnormal status.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a status detection unit for detecting a status of a battery;

a switch unit for interrupting a discharging path of the battery;

a notification unit for notifying a user of the status of the battery;

an operation unit operable by the user; and

a control unit for opening and closing the switch unit, the control unit being configured to have the switch unit perform interruption of the discharging path of the battery when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is an abnormal status

wherein the status detection unit includes a voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage of the battery,

wherein the control unit interrupts the discharging path without a notification of the notification unit when the voltage of the battery continues to be equal to or smaller than a first predetermined voltage for a first specified time period,

wherein the control unit has the notification unit notify the user of an availability to restart a discharging operation and close the switch unit in response to an operation signal inputted from the operation unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the voltage of the battery is increased to a second predetermined voltage within a second specified time period after the interruption of the discharging path,

wherein the status detection unit includes a temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the battery,

wherein the control unit interrupts the discharging path and has the notification unit notify the user of a temperature rise when the temperature of the battery detected is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature,

wherein the control unit has the notification unit notify the user of the availability to restart the discharging operation and close the switch unit in response to the operation signal inputted from the operation unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the temperature of the battery detected is decreased to a second predetermined temperature or less, and

wherein the discharging operation is restarted in response to the operation signal input by the user from the operation unit.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the control unit includes an input unit for monitoring the connection of the battery pack to a recharger, and wherein the control unit receives a signal indicative of the connection of the battery pack to the recharger from the input unit and closes the switch unit to make the battery pack rechargeable when the discharging operation is determined to be restartable.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the notification unit comprises a light-emitting diode.

4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the control unit turns on the light-emitting diode when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is recovered from the abnormal status and the control unit turns off the light-emitting diode when the switch unit is closed.

5. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the availability to restart the discharging operation is no longer notified after the discharging operation is restarted.