# US 11,027,614 B2 · Management device, electric storage device, electric storage system and electric apparatus for managing charging and discharging of a plurality of electric storage cells connected in series > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,027,614 B2 - Document ID: US11027614B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/836,928 - Filed: 2017-12-11 - Published: 2019-02-07 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-02 - Assignees: NExT-e Solutions Inc. - Applicants: NExT-e Solutions Inc. - Inventors: Fumiaki Nakao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027614B2 ## CPC - B60L 58/22: Balancing the charge of battery modules - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 58/19: Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules - B60L 58/21: having the same nominal voltage - G01R 31/382: Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC - G01R 31/396: Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery - H01M 10/441: {for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially} - H02J 7/56: Active balancing, e.g. using capacitor-based, inductor-based or DC-DC converters - B60L 2240/547: Voltage - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract Charging and discharging of a plurality of electric storage cells connected in series are: managed by equalizing voltages of a plurality of electric storage cells; and, without disconnecting or shifting an electrical connection between (a) the plurality of electric storage cells and (b-1) a load which uses electric power of the plurality of electric storage cells or (b-2) a charging device which charges the plurality of electric storage cells, (i) sending electric power of the plurality of electric storage cells to an external apparatus which is different from the load and the charging device, or (ii) receiving receives electric power supplied to the plurality of electric storage cells from the external apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric storage system comprising: a plurality of electric storage cells connected in series to each other; a plurality of electric storage devices, each of the plurality of electric storage devices being connected in series to each other, each of the plurality of electric storage devices includes: a corresponding plurality of electric storage cells from among the plurality of electric storage cells; and a management device configured to manage charging and discharging of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells; an electric power line electrically connectable to each of a plurality of management devices; and a controller; wherein the electric power line includes a low potential bus and a high potential bus, a first electric storage device among the plurality of electric storage devices further includes: a first terminal equipotentially connected to the low potential bus and a negative pole end of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells; and a second terminal equipotentially connected to the high potential bus and a positive pole end of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells; each of one or more other electric storage devices except for the first electric storage device, among the plurality of electric storage devices further include: an insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter, wherein two terminals of a primary side of the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter are connected to a positive pole end and a negative pole end of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells, and two terminals of a secondary side of the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter are connected to the low potential bus and the high potential bus; and the controller is configured to control an operation of the DC-DC converter. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter provided at each of the one or more other electric storage devices is configured to (i) send electric power of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells to an external apparatus which is different from the load and the charging device, or (ii) receive electric power supplied to the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells from the external apparatus without disconnecting or shifting an electrical connection between (a) the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells and (b-1) a load which uses electric power of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells or (b-2) a charging device which charges the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells, and the external apparatus comprises one or more electric storage cells which are arranged between (a) the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells and (b-1) the load or (b-2) the charging device, and are connected in series to the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter provided at each of the one or more other electric storage devices adjusts a voltage to be sent or received. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter provided at each of the one or more other electric storage devices starts sending or receiving electricity in response to receiving a signal for starting sending or receiving electricity, or stops sending or receiving electricity in response to receiving a signal for stopping sending or receiving electricity. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein a rated voltage of the first electric storage device and a rated voltage of at least one of the one or more other electric storage devices are different from each other. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein a number of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells managed by the first electric storage device and a number of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells managed by at least one of the one or more other electric storage devices are different from each other. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An electric apparatus comprising: the electric storage system according to claim 1; and a load which uses electric power of the electric storage system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first electric storage device further includes an equalization unit which equalizes voltages of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells, and the one or more other electric storage devices further include an equalization unit which equalizes voltages of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein: the first electric storage device is arranged on a most negative pole side. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electric storage system according to claim 9, wherein the positive pole end and the negative pole end of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells in the first electric storage device are physically connected to the electric power line and always electrically connected to the electric power line. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter includes: a transformer including a first coil and a second coil, a first end of the first coil being connected to the positive pole end of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells, and a first end of the second coil being connected to the terminal connected to the high potential bus; a first switching element, a first end of which is connected to a second end of the first coil, and a second end of which is connected to the negative pole end of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells; a first diode, a first end of which is connected to the second end of the first coil, and a second end of which is connected to the negative pole end of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells, the first diode being configured to pass current in a direction from the negative pole end to the positive pole end; a second switching element, a first end of which is connected to a second end of the second coil, and a second end of which is connected to the terminal connected to the low potential bus; and a second diode, a first end of which is connected to the second end of the second coil, and a second end of which is connected to the terminal connected to the low potential bus, the second diode being configured to pass current in a direction from the terminal connected to the low potential bus to the terminal connected to the high potential bus. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electric storage system according to claim 11, wherein the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter is a flyback DC-DC converter. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The electric storage system according to claim 1, wherein the electric storage system further comprises a control unit which controls transmission of electric power among the plurality of electric storage devices. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electric storage system according to claim 13, wherein the control unit determines, based on a voltage or State of Charge (SOC) of each of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells included in each of the plurality of electric storage devices, (i) an electric storage device that sends electricity to the electric power line and (ii) an electric storage device that receives electricity from the electric power line, selecting from the plurality of electric storage devices; and generates at least one of (i) an instruction to cause the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter in the electric storage device that sends electricity to the electric power line to start an electricity sending operation, and (ii) an instruction to cause the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter in the electric storage device that receives electricity from the electric power line to start an electricity receiving operation. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The electric storage system according to claim 14, wherein: the control unit determines, based on a voltage or State of Charge (SOC) of each of the corresponding plurality of electric storage cells included in each of the plurality of electric storage devices, at least one of (i) an electric storage device that stops the electricity sending operation and (ii) an electric storage device that stops the electricity receiving operation; and the control unit generates at least one of (i) an instruction to cause the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter in the electric storage device that stops the electricity sending operation to stop an electricity sending operation, and (ii) an instruction to cause the insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter in the electric storage device that stops the electricity receiving operation to stop an electricity receiving operation. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The electric storage system according to claim 13, wherein first identification information is provided to each of the plurality of electric storage cells among all of the plurality of electric storage devices, the first identification information being different from each other, second identification information is provided to each of the plurality of electric storage cells, the second identification information being different from each other within the respective electric storage device, and when first identification information corresponding to at least one electric storage cell is received from the controller, a corresponding one of the plurality of management devices identifies second identification information corresponding to the at least one electric storage cell based on the received first identification information. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The electric storage system according to claim 16, wherein the first identification information provided to each of the plurality of electric storage cells is (i) different from the second identification information or (ii) identical to the second identification information. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The electric storage system according to claim 16, wherein when second identification information corresponding to at least one electric storage cell is received from the controller, the controller identifies first identification information corresponding to the at least one electric storage cell based on the received second identification information. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The electric storage system according to claim 18, wherein one of the plurality of management devices includes a storage unit which stores at least one of the first identification information and the second identification information.