Secondary battery abnormality notification system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9768477-B2
Application number	US-201614995610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2016
Priority date	Jul 19, 2013
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A secondary battery abnormality notification system includes a module string formed by stacking two or more modules in a vertical direction, the modules each being formed by containing a large number of secondary battery cells, a conduit pipe extending from an upper position to a lower position of the module string, a detection unit provided at a lower position of the module string and configured to draw in a measurement target gas from the conduit pipe to detect concentration of active material contained in the measurement target gas, and a notification section configured to detect occurrence of an abnormality at least based on an output of the detection unit and notify that the abnormality has occurred.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A secondary battery abnormality notification system comprising:
a module string formed by stacking two or more modules in a vertical direction, the modules each being formed by containing a large number of secondary battery cells;
a conduit pipe extending from an upper position of the module string to a detection unit provided at a lower position of the module string;
the detection unit configured to draw in a measurement target gas from the conduit pipe to detect concentration of active material contained in the measurement target gas; and
a notification section configured to detect occurrence of an abnormality at least based on an output of the detection unit and notify that the abnormality has occurred.

2. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 1 , wherein the module string is placed in a box shaped casing;
the casing includes an air intake opening formed in a front surface of the casing and an air exhaust opening formed at an upper position of the casing; and
the conduit pipe extends from the air exhaust opening to a lower position of the casing.

3. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit comprises:
a chamber room;
a pump configured to draw a gas from the conduit pipe into the chamber room and discharge the gas;
a gas sensor configured to detect concentration of active material contained in the measurement target gas in the chamber room; and
a first comparator configured to compare concentration detected by the gas sensor with a predetermined upper limit concentration value,
wherein a comparison result obtained in the first comparator is outputted to the notification section.

4. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 3 , wherein the secondary battery abnormality notification system is wired using a detection power source and a first detection circuit line;
the detection unit has a first contact point configured to selectively open or short-circuit a connector portion with the first detection circuit line in accordance with an output of the first comparator; and
the notification section notifies that an abnormality of gas concentration has occurred, based on a voltage change of the first detection circuit line depending on whether the connector portion of the detection unit is opened or short-circuited.

5. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 4 , comprising a first terminal resistor connected in parallel to a terminal end of the first detection circuit line,
wherein the notification section notifies that line disconnection of the first detection circuit line has occurred, based on a voltage change resulting from line disconnection of the first detection circuit line.

6. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 4 , further comprising a second detection circuit line connected to the detection unit,
wherein the detection unit further comprises a second comparator configured to compare an output of the gas sensor with a predetermined lower limit output value, and a second contact point configured to selectively open or short-circuit a connector portion with the second detection circuit line in accordance with a comparison result of the second comparator; and
the notification section notifies that a sensor abnormality has occurred, based on a voltage change of the second detection circuit line depending on whether the connector portion of the detection unit is opened or short-circuited.

7. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 6 , further comprising a second terminal resistor connected in parallel to a terminal end of the second detection circuit line,
wherein the notification section notifies that line disconnection of the second detection circuit line has occurred, based on a voltage change resulting from line disconnection of the second detection circuit line.

8. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 4 , further comprising a second detection circuit line connected to the detection unit,
wherein the detection unit further comprises a third comparator configured to compare an exhaust air flow rate of the pump with a predetermined lower limit flow rate value, and a second contact point configured to selectively open or short-circuit a connector portion with the second detection circuit line in accordance with a comparison result of the third comparator; and
the notification section notifies that a pump abnormality has occurred, based on a voltage change of the second detection circuit line depending on whether the connector portion of the detection unit is opened or short-circuited.

9. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 8 , further comprising a second terminal resistor connected in parallel to a terminal end of the second detection circuit line,
wherein the notification section notifies that line disconnection of the second detection circuit line has occurred, based on a voltage change resulting from line disconnection of the second detection circuit line.

10. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 4 , further comprising a second detection circuit line connected to the detection unit,
wherein the detection unit further comprises a second comparator configured to compare an output of the gas sensor with a predetermined lower limit output value, a third comparator configured to compare an exhaust air flow rate of the pump with a predetermined lower limit flow rate value, and a second contact point configured to selectively open or short-circuit a connector portion with the second detection circuit line in accordance with comparison results of the second comparator and the third comparator; and
the notification section notifies that an abnormality has occurred, based on a voltage change of the second detection circuit line depending on whether the connector portion of the detection unit is opened or short-circuited.

11. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 10 , further comprising a second terminal resistor connected in parallel to a terminal end of the second detection circuit line,
wherein the notification section notifies that line disconnection of the second detection circuit line has occurred, based on a voltage change resulting from line disconnection of the second detection circuit line.

12. The secondary battery abnormality notification system according to claim 1 , further comprising a battery control device configured to control operation of the secondary battery cells, wherein the notification section outputs an operation stop signal to the battery control device at time of notifying that the abnormality has occurred; and
the battery control device stops operation of the secondary battery cells based on an input of the operation stop signal from the notification section.

Assignees

• Ngk Insulators Ltd

Inventors

• Fukuhara Motohiro

Classifications

• H01M10/425 Primary

  Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00) · CPC title

• H01M2200/00

  Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/4207

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M10/482 Primary

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M50/204

  Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells · CPC title