Battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10298030-B2
Application number	US-201615212319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2016
Priority date	Jul 20, 2015
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A battery pack includes a battery, a terminal unit, a first current path, a second current path, and a first voltage sensing path. The battery has first and second battery terminals. The terminal unit includes a first pack terminal, a second pack terminal, and a first sensing terminal. The first current path includes charging and discharging switches and is located between the first battery terminal and the first pack terminal. A charging current and discharging current of the battery flows on the first current path. The second current path is between the second battery terminal and the second pack terminal. The first voltage sensing path includes the first sensing terminal, and voltage between the first sensing terminal and another terminal corresponds to a voltage between the first battery terminal and the first sensing terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack, comprising:
a battery including at least one battery cell, a first battery terminal and a second battery terminal;
a terminal unit including a first pack terminal, a second pack terminal, and a first sensing terminal;
a first current path between the first battery terminal and the first pack terminal, the first current path including charging and discharging switches to control charging and discharging of the battery;
a second current path between the second battery terminal and the second pack terminal; and
a first voltage sensing path between the first battery terminal and the first sensing terminal, wherein the first sensing terminal and the second pack terminal output a battery terminal voltage between the first and second battery terminals to an external device even though the charging and discharging switches are turned off, and wherein
the external device is external to the battery pack and directly connected to the first pack terminal, the second pack terminal, and the first sensing terminal.

2. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a first resistor on the first voltage sensing path between the first battery terminal and the first sensing terminal.

3. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the terminal unit includes a second sensing terminal, and
the battery pack includes a second voltage sensing path between the second battery terminal and the second sensing terminal.

4. The battery pack as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first and second sensing terminals output the battery terminal voltage to the external device even though the charging and discharging switches are turned off.

5. The battery pack as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising:
a second resistor on the second voltage sensing path between the second battery terminal and the second sensing terminal.

6. The battery pack as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising:
a printed circuit board including a first wiring pattern, a second wire pattern, a third wire pattern, and a fourth wire pattern, wherein:
the first wiring pattern includes at least a portion of the first current path,
the second wiring pattern includes at least a portion of the second current path,
the third wiring pattern includes at least a portion of the first voltage sensing path, and
the fourth wiring pattern includes at least a portion of the second voltage sensing path.

7. The battery pack as claimed in claim 6 , wherein:
the first wiring pattern is on a first surface of the printed circuit board,
the second wiring pattern is on a second surface of the printed circuit board and overlaps the first wiring pattern,
the third wiring pattern is on the first surface of the printed circuit board adjacent to the first wiring pattern, and
the fourth wiring pattern is on the second surface of the printed circuit board adjacent to the second wiring pattern.

8. The battery pack as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the third wiring pattern has a width less than a width of the first wiring pattern, and the fourth wiring pattern has a width less than a width of the second wiring pattern.

9. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a protective circuit to sense a pack terminal voltage between the first and second pack terminals and to control the charging and discharging switches based on the pack terminal voltage between the first and second pack terminals.

10. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a fuse on the first current path and connected between the first battery terminal and the charging and discharging switches, wherein the first sensing terminal is electrically connected to the first battery terminal through the fuse.

11. An apparatus, comprising:
a battery including a first battery terminal and a second battery terminal;
a first pack terminal connected to the first battery terminal through a first circuit path;
a second pack terminal connected to the second battery terminal through a second circuit path; and
a first sensing terminal connected to the first battery terminal through a third circuit path, wherein
the first circuit path includes at least one switch to control a charging or discharging operation, wherein
the first sensing terminal and the second pack terminal output a battery terminal voltage between the first and second battery terminals to an external device even though the at least one switch is turned off, and wherein
the external device is external to the apparatus and electrically connected to the apparatus through the first pack terminal, the second pack terminal, and the first sensing terminal.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
a second sensing terminal connected to the second battery terminal through a fourth circuit path, wherein the fourth circuit path is connected to the second circuit path and wherein the first and second sensing terminals output the battery terminal voltage to the external device even though the at least one switch is turned off.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein a voltage between the first and second pack terminals is different from voltage between the first sensing terminal and the second pack terminal due to the at least one switch.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
a protection circuit connected to the at least one switch.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:
a fuse between the first battery terminal and the at least one switch, wherein the first sensing terminal is electrically connected to the first battery terminal through the fuse.

16. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the first current path includes a first wiring pattern having a curved side, and
the first voltage sensing path includes a second wire pattern being adjacent to the first wiring pattern and being curved along the curved side of the first wiring pattern.

17. A battery pack, comprising:
a battery including a first battery terminal and a second battery terminal;
charging and discharging switches to control charging and discharging of the battery;
a first pack terminal electrically connected to the first battery terminal through the charging and discharging switches;
a second pack terminal electrically connected to the second battery terminal; and
a first sensing terminal electrically connected to the first battery terminal without passing through the charging and discharging switches, wherein
the first sensing terminal and the second pack terminal output a battery terminal voltage between the first and second battery terminals to an external device even though the charging and discharging switches are turned off, and wherein
the external device is external to the battery pack and directly connected to the first pack terminal, the second pack terminal, and the first sensing terminal.

18. The battery pack as claimed in claim 17 , further comprising:
a first resistor between the first battery terminal and the first sensing terminal.

19. The battery pack as claimed in claim 17 , further comprising:
a second sensing terminal electrically connected to the second battery terminal, wherein the first and second sensing terminals output the battery terminal voltage to the external device even though the charging and discharging switches are turned off.

20. The battery pack as claimed in claim 19 , further comprising:
a second resistor between the second battery terminal and the second sen

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Jiyeon
• Han Jongchan
• Kim Giyoung

Classifications

• H02J7/663 Primary

  using battery or load disconnect circuits (H02J9/002 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/60

  including safety or protection arrangements · CPC title

• H01M10/48

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• H01M10/44

  Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) · CPC title

• H02J7/0026 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic