# US 12,000,899 B2 · Voltage measurement circuit and energy storage apparatus

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- Number: US 12,000,899 B2
- Document ID: US12000899B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/611,818
- Filed: 2020-05-25
- Published: 2022-08-04
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-05-31
- Assignees: GS Yuasa International Ltd.
- Applicants: GS Yuasa International Ltd.
- Inventors: Yuki Matsuda; Masakatsu Fujimatsu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000899B2

## CPC

- G01R 31/3835: involving only voltage measurements
- G01R 15/04: Voltage dividers
- G01R 31/3644: {Constructional arrangements}
- G01R 31/396: Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
- H01M 10/48: Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569)
- H01M 10/482: {for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially}
- H02J 7/00: Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
- H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- 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

## Abstract

A voltage measurement circuit includes: voltage dividing circuits that divide voltages of energy storage devices, in respective stages connected in series; switches that cut off the currents of the voltage dividing circuits in the respective stages, and a measurement unit that measures the voltages of the energy storage devices in the respective stages based on outputs of the voltage dividing circuits in the respective stages. The voltage dividing circuits in the respective stages each have a first resistor connected to the ground and a second resistor connected to a positive electrode of the corresponding energy storage device. The switch in a predetermined-number stage among the switches in the respective stages is an N-channel field-effect transistor (FET) having a source connected to the first resistor and a drain connected to the second resistor, and the source of the FET is a voltage output terminal with respect to the measurement unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A voltage measurement circuit comprising:
voltage dividing circuits that divide voltages of energy storage devices in respective stages connected in series;
switches that cut off currents of the voltage dividing circuits in the respective stages; and
a measurement unit that measures a voltage of each of the energy storage devices in the respective stages based on an output of each of the voltage dividing circuits in the respective stages,
wherein
the voltage dividing circuit in each of the stages includes a first resistor connected to a ground and a second resistor connected to a positive electrode of the corresponding energy storage device,
the switch in a predetermined-number stage among the switches in the respective stages is an N-channel field-effect transistor (FET) having a source connected to the first resistor and a drain connected to the second resistor, and the source of the FET is a voltage output terminal with respect to the measurement unit, and
the switch in a stage, which is a higher stage than the predetermined-number stage where the source of the N-channel FET is connected to the first resistor, is a P-channel FET located on a high side of the voltage dividing circuit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The voltage measurement circuit according to claim 1, wherein the switch in a stage, which is a lower stage than the predetermined-number stage where the source of the N-channel FET is connected to the first resistor, is an N-channel FET having a source connected to the ground.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The voltage measurement circuit according to claim 2, further comprising:
a first drive line that drives the P-channel FET; and
a second drive line that drives the N-channel FET whose source is connected to the first resistor and the N-channel FET whose source is connected to the ground,
wherein
the first drive line is connected to the ground via a first switch, and
the second drive line is connected to a positive electrode of an energy storage device in an uppermost stage via a second switch.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

An energy storage apparatus comprising:
one energy storage device or a plurality of energy storage devices connected in series; and
the voltage measurement circuit according to claim 1.

### Claim 5

A voltage measurement circuit comprising:
voltage dividing circuits that divide voltages of energy storage devices in respective stages connected in series;
switches that cut off currents of the voltage dividing circuits in the respective stages; and
a measurement unit that measures a voltage of each of the energy storage devices in the respective stages based on an output of each of the voltage dividing circuits in the respective stages,
wherein
the voltage dividing circuit in each of the stages includes a first resistor connected to a ground and a second resistor connected to a positive electrode of the corresponding energy storage device,
the switch in a predetermined-number stage among the switches in the respective stages is an N-channel field-effect transistor (FET) having a source connected to the first resistor and a drain connected to the second resistor, and the source of the FET is a voltage output terminal with respect to the measurement unit, and
in the energy storage device in the predetermined-number stage, a highest voltage of the positive electrode is higher than an allowable value of the measurement unit, and a lowest voltage of the positive electrode is lower than a threshold voltage of the FET.

### Claim 6

A voltage measurement circuit comprising:
a voltage dividing circuit that divides a voltage of an energy storage device;
a switch that cuts off a current of the voltage dividing circuit; and
a measurement unit that measures the voltage of the energy storage device based on an output of the voltage dividing circuit,
wherein
the voltage dividing circuit includes a first resistor connected to a ground and a second resistor connected to a positive electrode of the energy storage device,
the switch is an N-channel field-effect transistor (FET) having a source connected to the first resistor and a drain connected to the second resistor, and the source of the FET is a voltage output terminal with respect to the measurement unit, and
a highest voltage of the positive electrode is higher than an allowable value of the measurement unit, and a lowest voltage of the positive electrode is lower than a threshold voltage of the FET.