Battery pack, apparatus including battery pack, and method of managing battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9627720-B2
Application number	US-201414228669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Nov 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A battery pack includes a battery module, a plurality of temperature sensors, a temperature data generating unit, and a control unit. The battery module has a plurality of battery cells. The temperature data generating unit detects battery temperatures from the temperature sensors and generates battery temperature data including temperature values corresponding to the battery temperatures. The control unit determines whether or not the temperature sensors are defective based on the battery temperature data, and controls the battery module based on temperature values corresponding to temperature sensors determined not to be defective.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a battery module including a plurality of battery cells;
a plurality of temperature sensors adjacent to the battery cells;
a temperature data generator to detect battery temperatures from the temperature sensors and to generate battery temperature data including temperature values corresponding to the battery temperatures; and
a controller programmed to determine whether each of the temperature sensors is defective or not based on the battery temperature data, and to control the battery module based on temperature values corresponding to temperature sensors determined not to be defective.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to determine a temperature sensor corresponding to a lowest temperature value to be defective, when a difference between a highest temperature value and the lowest temperature value of the temperature values is greater than a predetermined first threshold value.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to determine a defective temperature sensor to correspond to a temperature value lower than a median value of the temperature values by more than a predetermined second threshold value.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to determine a temperature sensor to be defective when the temperature sensor has a temperature change rate is greater than a predetermined threshold change rate.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to block charge and discharge of the battery module, when a highest temperature value of the temperature values is greater than a predetermined high temperature threshold value.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to ignore temperature values corresponding to temperature sensors determined to be defective and to block charge and discharge of the battery module, when a lowest temperature value of the temperature values corresponding to the temperature sensors determined not to be defective is less than a predetermined low temperature threshold value.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to output a warning indicating that at least one of the temperature sensors is defective.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to substitute a temperature value corresponding to defective temperature sensor with an average of temperature values from temperature sensors determined not to be defective.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to substitute a temperature value corresponding to defective temperature sensor with a temperature value corresponding to an adjacent temperature sensor, or with an average of temperature values of adjacent temperature sensors.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the temperature sensors includes: a thermistor having a negative temperature coefficient having a resistance value which decreases as ambient temperature increases, wherein the temperature data generating unit is configured to generate the temperature values based on changes of the resistance values of the temperature sensors.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the temperature data generator is to output a temperature value corresponding to at least one temperature sensor having a lowest temperature value within a measurement range of the temperature sensors, when a defect occurs in the at least temperature sensor.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the defect is a contact defect which reduces electrical conductivity between the at least one temperature sensor and the temperature data generator.

13. A system, comprising:
a battery pack which includes:
a battery module including a plurality of battery cells;
a plurality of temperature sensors adjacent to the battery cells;
a temperature data generator to detect battery temperatures from the temperature sensors and to generate battery temperature data including temperature values corresponding to the battery temperatures; and
a controller programmed to determine whether each of the temperature sensors is defective or not based on the battery temperature data, and to control the battery module based on temperature values corresponding to temperature sensors determined not to be defective.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein:
the apparatus is an energy storage apparatus which includes a power conversion apparatus connected between at least one of a power generation system, a load, or a grid and the battery pack, the power conversion apparatus to convert electric energy between the at least one of the power generation system, the load, or the grid and the battery pack, and
the controller is to open an electrical connection between the battery module and the power conversion apparatus, when a highest temperature value of the temperature values is greater than a predetermined high temperature threshold value, or when a lowest temperature value of the temperature values determined not to be defective is less than a predetermined low temperature threshold value.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein:
the apparatus is an electric vehicle which includes a motor driven using electric energy stored in the battery pack, and
the controller is to open an electrical connection between the battery module and the motor, when a highest temperature value of the temperature values is greater than the
predetermined high temperature threshold value, or when the lowest temperature value of the temperature values corresponding to the temperature sensors determined not to be defective is less than the predetermined low temperature threshold value.

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yun Han-Seok

Classifications

• H01M10/486 Primary

  for measuring temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/443

  in response to temperature · CPC title

• G01K13/00

  Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title

• G01K15/007

  Testing · CPC title

• G01K7/22 Primary

  the element being a non-linear resistance, e.g. thermistor (G01K7/26 takes precedence) · CPC title