Battery monitoring apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9647301-B2
Application number	US-201314092441-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2013
Priority date	Nov 28, 2012
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A battery monitoring apparatus monitors a battery pack configured by a plurality of battery cells. The battery monitoring apparatus includes a main monitoring unit, a sub monitoring unit and a control unit. The main monitoring unit monitors a plurality of physical quantities indicating a battery state of the battery pack. The sub monitoring unit monitors a part of the physical quantities separately from the main monitoring unit. The control unit detects malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of at least one of a monitoring result of the main monitoring unit and a monitoring result of the sub monitoring unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery monitoring apparatus for monitoring a battery state of a battery pack configured by a plurality of battery cells, comprising:
a main monitoring unit configured to monitor a plurality of physical quantities indicating the battery state of the battery pack;
a sub monitoring unit configured to monitor a part of the physical quantities separately from the main monitoring unit; and
a control unit configured to detect malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of at least one of a monitoring result of the main monitoring unit and a monitoring result of the sub monitoring unit,
wherein:
the control unit includes:
a main control unit that detects malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of the monitoring result of the main monitoring unit, and
a sub control unit that detects malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of the monitoring result of the sub monitoring unit;

at least one of the main control unit and the sub monitoring unit includes a state controller configured to control the battery state;
the main monitoring unit is configured to monitor the part of the physical quantities for all of the plurality of battery cells; and
the sub monitoring unit is configured to monitor the part of the physical quantities for two or more battery cells.

2. The battery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sub monitoring unit is configured to be smaller in the number of the physical quantities monitored as the part of the physical quantities than the main monitoring unit.

3. The battery monitoring apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the sub monitoring unit is configured to be lower in detection performance of the part of the physical quantities than the main monitoring unit.

4. The battery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the part of the physical quantities includes a battery voltage of the battery pack;
the main monitoring unit includes a cell voltage detection circuit that individually detects a cell voltage of each of the battery cells; and
the sub monitoring unit includes a block voltage detection circuit that collectively detects, as a block voltage, a cell voltage of two or more serially connected battery cells forming a battery block.

5. The battery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sub monitoring unit is lower in detection performance of the part of the physical quantities than the main monitoring unit.

6. The battery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of physical quantities include a battery voltage of the battery pack;
the part of the physical quantities includes a battery voltage of the battery pack;
the main monitoring unit includes a cell voltage detection circuit that individually detects a cell voltage of each of the battery cells; and
the sub monitoring unit includes a block voltage detection circuit that collectively detects, as a block voltage, a cell voltage of two or more serially connected battery cells forming a battery block.

7. The battery monitoring apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the plurality of physical quantities further include a battery temperature of the battery pack; and
the main monitoring unit further includes a temperature detection circuit that separately detects a temperature of each of the battery cells.

8. The battery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the battery pack is installed in a vehicle.

9. A battery system, comprising:
a battery pack configured by a plurality of battery cells; and
a battery monitoring apparatus that monitors a battery state of the battery pack,
the battery monitoring apparatus including:
a main monitoring unit configured to monitor a plurality of physical quantities indicating the battery state of the battery pack;
a sub monitoring unit configured to monitor a part of the physical quantities separately from the main monitoring unit; and
a control unit configured to detect malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of at least one of a monitoring result of the main monitoring unit and a monitoring result of the sub monitoring unit,
wherein:
the control unit includes:
a main control unit that detects malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of the monitoring result of the main monitoring unit, and
a sub control unit that detects malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of the monitoring result of the sub monitoring unit;

at least one of the main control unit and the sub monitoring unit includes a state controller configured to control the battery state;
the main monitoring unit is configured to monitor the part of the physical quantities for all of the plurality of battery cells; and
the sub monitoring unit is configured to monitor the part of the physical quantities for two or more battery cells.

10. A battery monitoring method for monitoring a battery state of battery pack configured by a plurality of battery cells, comprising:
monitoring, by a main monitoring unit, a plurality of physical quantities indicating the battery state of the battery pack;
monitoring, by a sub monitoring unit, a part of the physical quantities separately from the main monitoring unit; and
detecting, by a control unit, malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of at least one of a monitoring result of the main monitoring unit and a monitoring result of the sub monitoring unit, wherein:
the control unit includes:
a main control unit that detects malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of the monitoring result of the main monitoring unit, and
a sub control unit that detects malfunction of the battery pack on the basis of the monitoring result of the sub monitoring unit;

at least one of the main control unit and the sub monitoring unit includes a state controller configured to control the battery state;
the monitoring step using the main monitoring unit is configured to monitor the part of the physical quantities for all of the plurality of battery cells; and
the monitoring step using the sub monitoring unit is configured to monitor the part of the physical quantities for two or more battery cells.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Mizobe Shunichi
• Maebara Tsuneo
• Itou Masaya

Classifications

• H01M10/482 Primary

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• G01R31/3658

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01R31/362

  Physics · mapped topic

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• G01R31/396

  Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery · CPC title