Storage battery system with state of charge estimator capable of outputting status signal to power supply control circuit, method, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11336103-B2
Application number	US-201716646791-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2017
Priority date	Nov 10, 2017
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

A storage battery system includes a cell module including storage battery cells, a battery management unit configured to maintain a contactor having a normally open contact in a closed state, while being supplied with power, and a power supply control circuit that DC to DC converts the power of the cell module for supply to the battery management unit. The power supply control circuit includes an SOC estimator that determines from a voltage of the cell module whether or not the cell module is in an overdischarge state, and after determining that the cell module is not in the overdischarge state, outputs a status signal to the power supply control circuit. In response to no receipt of the status signal from the SOC estimator, the power supply control circuit interrupts the power supply to the battery management unit from the cell module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A storage battery system, comprising:
a cell module including storage battery cells;
a battery management unit that:
is able to maintain a contactor having a normally open contact in a closed state, while being supplied with power, the normally open contact inserted in a current supply path through which stored power is supplied from the cell module to an outside; and
a power supply control circuit that DC to DC converts the power of the cell module for supply to the battery management unit, wherein
the battery management unit comprises a state of charge estimator that:
determines from a voltage of the cell module whether or not the cell module is in an overdischarge state; and
outputs a status signal to the power supply control circuit, the status signal serving as an alternating signal having a given in which a potential level transitions between an H-level and an L-level, and being to be fixedly output at the H-level or the L-level when the cell module is in an overdischarge state; and
the power supply control circuit determines that the status signal is not output, when a non-transition period of the status signal exceeds a given period, and interrupts the power supply to the battery management unit from the cell module.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the alternating signal represents an SOC value of the cell module that is estimated by the battery management unit based on a length of a duration of the H-level or the L-level.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein in response to receipt of a maintenance signal for performing maintenance of the battery management unit from a high-order device, the power supply control circuit continues the power supply to the battery management unit in spite of having determined that the status signal is not output.

4. A method to be executed by a storage battery system, the system comprising a cell module including storage battery cells; a battery management device that receives power supply from the cell module to operate; a contactor that is controlled by the battery management device and has a normally open contact inserted in a current supply path through which stored power is suppled from the cell module to an outside; and an interrupter that interrupts the power supply to the battery management device from the cell module, the method comprising:
outputting a status signal serving as an alternating signal having a given cycle in which a potential level transitions between an H-level and an L-level, and being to be fixedly output at the H-level or the L-level when the cell module is in an overdischarge state;
determining that the status signal is not output, when a non-transition period of the status signal exceeds a given period; and
interrupting the power supply to the battery management unit from the cell module after determining that the status signal is not output.

5. A computer program including programmed instructions embodied in and stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the instructions are to be executed by a computer to control a battery management system, the system comprising a cell module including storage battery cells; a battery management device that receives power supply from the cell module to operate; a contactor that is controlled by the battery management device and has a normally open contact inserted in a current supply path through which stored power is supplied from the cell module to an outside; and an interrupter that interrupts the power supply to the battery management device from the cell module, the instructions, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to perform:
receiving input of a status signal serving as an alternating signal having a given cycle in which a potential level transitions between an H-level and an L-level, and being to be fixedly input at the H-level or the L-level when the cell module is in an overdischarge state;
determining no input of the status signal when a non-transition period of the status signal exceeds a given period; and
interrupting the power supply to the battery management unit from the cell module after determining no input of the status signal.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Kikuchi Yusuke
• Asami Kota
• Itou Motohiro
• Gyoda Minoru
• Sato Shinya
• Kuroda Kazuto

Classifications

• H02J7/63 Primary

  against overdischarge · CPC title

• H02J7/82 Primary

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/663

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

• H01M2010/4271

  Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing · CPC title

• H01M10/4257

  Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries · CPC title