Secondary battery system and secondary battery control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11515561-B2
Application number	US-201916351941-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2019
Priority date	Mar 16, 2018
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A secondary battery system and a secondary battery control method, wherein the system and the method include a plurality of unit cells connected in series, and a recovery charging controller that performs recovery charging of charging the plurality of unit cells while generating a micro short-circuit in at least one of the plurality of unit cells by charging the plurality of unit cells at a predetermined recovery charging current value which is higher than a upper limit current value during normal charging, wherein the unit cells are all-solid-state lithium secondary battery unit cells.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A secondary battery system comprising:
a plurality of unit cells connected in series, the plurality of unit cells are all-solid-state lithium secondary battery unit cells,
a voltage value acquisition part for acquiring a total voltage value of the plurality of unit cells and
a recovery charging controller that performs recovery charging of charging the plurality of unit cells, while generating a micro short-circuit in at least one of the plurality of unit cells by charging the plurality of unit cells, at a predetermined recovery charging current value which is higher than a upper limit current value during normal charging, and during the recovery charging, when the total voltage value becomes higher than a predetermined first voltage value, the recovery charging controller decreases the recovery charging current value, and when the total voltage value becomes lower than a predetermined second voltage value, the recovery charging controller increases the recovery charging current value, whereby the recovery charging is maintained.

2. The secondary battery system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the system further comprises a short-circuit determination part for determining whether if a short-circuit has been generated in the plurality of unit cells,
wherein after the recovery charging controller has increased the recovery charging current value, the voltage value acquisition part acquires a total voltage value of the plurality of unit cells after the increase in recovery current value, and
wherein when the total voltage value after the increase in recovery current value is equal to or lower than the predetermined second voltage value, the short-circuit determination part determines that a short-circuit has been generated in at least one of the plurality of unit cells.

3. The secondary battery system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the system further comprises:
a voltage value acquisition part, a current value acquisition part, and a temperature acquisition part for acquiring a total voltage value, a current value, and a temperature of the plurality of unit cells, respectively, and
an operation part for calculating a total actual discharge capacity of the plurality of unit cells from the voltage value, the current value, and the temperature, and
wherein when the total actual discharge capacity becomes lower than a predetermined value, the recovery charging controller performs the recovery charging.

4. The secondary battery system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the system further comprises a degradation determination part for determining degradation of the plurality of unit cells,
wherein after recovery charging has been performed, the operation part calculates a total actual discharge capacity of the plurality of unit cells after recovery charging, and
wherein when the difference between the total actual discharge capacity after the recovery charging and the total actual discharge capacity before the recovery charging is lower than a predetermined value, the degradation determination part determines that at least one of the plurality of unit cells has degraded.

5. The secondary battery system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of unit cells connected in series form a bipolar-type laminated battery.

6. A secondary battery control method comprising:
performing recovery charging of charging a plurality of unit cells connected in series, while generating a micro short-circuit in at least one of the plurality of unit cells by charging the plurality of unit cells, at a predetermined recovery charging current value which is higher than a upper limit current value during normal charging,
acquiring a total voltage value of the plurality of unit cells, and
maintaining the recovery charging by, during the recovery charging, decreasing the recovery charging current value when the total voltage value becomes higher than a predetermined first voltage value, and increasing the recovery charging current value when the total voltage value becomes lower than a predetermined second voltage value,
wherein the unit cells are all-solid-state lithium secondary battery unit cells.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
acquiring, after the recovery charging current has been increased, a total voltage value of the plurality of unit cells after the increase in recovery current value, and
determining that a short-circuit has been generated in at least one of the plurality of unit cells, when the total voltage value after the increase in recovery current value is equal to or lower than the predetermined second voltage value.

8. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
acquiring a total voltage value, a current value, and a temperature of the plurality of unit cells, respectively,
calculating a total actual discharge capacity of the plurality of unit cells from the voltage value, the current value, and the temperature, and
performing the recovery charging when the total actual discharge capacity becomes lower than a predetermined value.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
calculating, after the recovery charging has been performed, a total actual discharge capacity for the plurality of unit cells after recovery charging, and
determining that at least one of the plurality of unit cells has degraded, when the difference between the total actual discharge capacity after the recovery charging and the total actual discharge capacity before the recovery charging is lower than a predetermined value.

10. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of unit cells connected in series form a bipolar-type laminated battery.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Koyamada Kohei
• Nose Masafumi

Classifications

• H02J7/84

  Control of state of health [SOH] · CPC title

• H02J7/60

  including safety or protection arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/52

  for charge balancing, e.g. equalisation of charge between batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/875

  Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation · CPC title

• H02J7/90

  Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage · CPC title