Battery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11830989-B2
Application number	US-202217863696-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2022
Priority date	Jan 18, 2019
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

In a battery system including an assembled battery having a plurality of battery cells connected in series, each of a plurality of monitoring units includes a voltage classification unit configured to classify a terminal voltage between each pair of input terminals in the monitoring unit as a cell voltage or as a zero voltage that is a terminal voltage of substantially zero. The input terminals in each of all or all but one of the monitoring units include at least one specific terminal pair for acquiring the zero voltage at a different position and/or include a different number of specific terminal pairs for acquiring the zero voltage. Each of the plurality of monitoring units further includes an identifier generation unit configured to generate an identifier based on at least one of the position of the at least one specific terminal pair and the number of specific terminal pairs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery system comprising:
an assembled battery having a plurality of battery cells connected in series;
a plurality of monitoring units connected to the assembled battery and configured to receive a cell voltage across each of the plurality of battery cells, each of the plurality of monitoring units including a same number of input terminals connected to the plurality of battery cells; and
an identifier generation unit configured to generate, for the each of the plurality of monitoring units, an identifier of the each of the plurality of monitoring units based on a terminal voltage between a pair of the input terminals of the each of the plurality of monitoring units.

2. The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein
the assembled battery includes a plurality of battery modules connected in series, each of the plurality of battery modules including two or more of the plurality of battery cells, and
the input terminals in the each of the plurality of monitoring units includes a set of two or more of the input terminals that are commonly connected to an inter-cell connection point or an inter-module connection point.

3. The battery system according to claim 2 , wherein
the set of two or more of the input terminals differ from one of the plurality of monitoring units to another of the plurality of monitoring units.

4. The battery system according to claim 2 , wherein
the same number of input terminals in the each of the plurality of monitoring units is greater than a sum of a number of inter-cell connection points and a number of inter-module connection points for one of the plurality of battery modules connected to the each of the plurality of monitoring units.

5. The battery system according to claim 1 , further comprising a voltage classification unit configured to determine whether a terminal voltage at a pair of the input terminals is higher than a predetermined threshold voltage.

6. The battery system according to claim 5 , wherein
the identifier generation unit is configured to generate, for the each of the plurality of monitoring units, the identifier of the each of the plurality of monitoring units based on a result of determination made by the voltage classification unit.

7. The battery system according to claim 5 , wherein
a position of the pair of input terminals, having the terminal voltage lower than the predetermined threshold voltage, differs from one of the plurality of monitoring units to another of the plurality of monitoring units.

8. The battery system according to claim 5 , wherein
the identifier generation unit is configured to assign an identification symbol to the terminal voltage at the pair of input terminals based a result of determination made by the voltage classification unit.

9. The battery system according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to recognize each of the plurality of monitoring units based on a difference in voltage across each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells caused by a difference in state of charge.

10. The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein the identifier generation unit is configured to generate, for the each of the plurality of monitoring units, the identifier of the each of the plurality of monitoring units based on an order of the input terminals in the each of the plurality of monitoring units.

11. The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein
the assembled battery includes a plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules including two or more of the plurality of battery cells and connected in series via a connection member,
the input terminals in the each of the plurality of monitoring units include one specific terminal pair for acquiring a zero voltage,
the one specific terminal pair in the each of the plurality of monitoring units is connected to both ends of the connection member such that the each of the plurality of monitoring units acquires a terminal voltage across the connection member as the zero voltage.

12. The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein
the input terminals in the each of the plurality of monitoring units include one specific terminal pair for acquiring a zero voltage, and
for the each of the plurality of monitoring units, ones of the plurality of battery cells from which a cell voltage is acquired include a different number of the plurality of battery cells provided between a battery cell of the plurality of battery cells at a highest voltage end or at a lowest voltage end, and a connection point between a pair of the plurality of battery cells to which the input terminals of the one specific terminal pair are commonly connected, such that the each of the plurality of monitoring units has the specific terminal pair at a different position.

13. The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein
the each of the plurality of monitoring units acquires an identical number of terminal voltages and is associated with a different number of the plurality of battery cells from which terminal voltages are acquired, and in the each of the plurality of monitoring units, a zero voltage is input at every terminal pair configured to acquire no terminal voltage from the plurality of battery cells, such that the each of the plurality of monitoring units has a different number of specific terminal pairs.

14. The battery system according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to communicate with the each of the plurality of monitoring units, the controller comprising:
a storage unit configured to store a map associating the plurality of monitoring units with identifiers;
an identifier acquiring unit configured to acquire the identifier from the identifier generation unit; and
an identification unit configured to search the map for the identifier acquired by the identifier acquiring unit to identify the each of the plurality of monitoring units.

15. A controller incorporated in a battery system, the battery system comprising:
an assembled battery having a plurality of battery cells connected in series; and
a plurality of monitoring units each including a plurality of input terminals to receive a cell voltage from both ends of each of the plurality of battery cells,
wherein each of the plurality of monitoring units comprises a voltage classification unit configured to classify a terminal voltage between each pair of the plurality of input terminals as the cell voltage or as a zero voltage, the zero voltage being a terminal voltage of substantially zero,
the plurality of input terminals in each of all or all but one of the plurality of monitoring units include at least one specific terminal pair for acquiring the zero voltage at a different position and/or include a different number of specific terminal pairs for acquiring the zero voltage,
the each of the plurality of monitoring units further comprises an identifier generation unit configured to generate an identifier based on either the position of the at least one specific terminal pair or the number of specific terminal pairs, wherein
the controller is configured to communicate with the each of the plurality of monitoring units, the controller comprising:
a storage unit configured to store a map associating the plurality of monitoring units with identifiers;
an identifier acquiring unit configured to acquire the identifier from the each of the plurality of monitoring units; and
an identification unit configured to search the map for the identifier acquired by the identifier acquiring unit to identify a monitoring unit from which the identifier is acquir

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Yamashita Naoto
• Kouda Masakazu
• Hori Fumihiko
• Kubo Shunichi

Classifications

• H02J7/63

  against overdischarge · CPC title

• H02J7/61

  against overcharge · CPC title

• H02J2105/37

  exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV] · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title