Apparatus and method for adjusting capacity in a battery set
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorTomonaga Sugimoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device to adjust capacity of battery cells includes a controller that adjusts the cells to reduce the rate of heat generation in capacity adjustment. When capacity adjustment of cells that form battery set is performed, the capacity adjustment target cells are divided into multiple groups; when the capacity adjustment of the capacity adjustment target cells in one group comes to an end, the cells in the next group are adjusted. As a result, it is possible to reduce the rate of heat generation as compared with the case when capacity adjustment is performed for all of the capacity adjustment target cells at the same time.
Claims24
An apparatus for adjusting the capacity of a battery set having multiple cells including target cells that require capacity adjustment, comprising:
- a capacity adjusting circuit adapted for connection to the cells and responsive to the voltage of the target cells to asynchronously commence the discharge of the target cells until the voltage of the target cells reaches a prescribed level.
A apparatus for controlling a battery set capacity adjustment circuit which adjusts capacity of cells by discharging the cells until the voltage of the cells are uniform, comprising:
- control means for controlling the start of discharge of the cells such that the discharge of cells does not start simultaneously when capacity adjustment is performed.
A vehicle, comprising:
- a battery set having multiple cells including target cells that require capacity adjustment;
- a capacity adjusting circuit coupled to the cells and adapted to discharge each cell in response to a control signal until the voltages of the cells are uniform;
- a controller having the control signal has output and adapted to asynchronously commence discharge of the target cells.
A method for controlling a battery set having multiple cells including target cells that require capacity adjustment, comprising:
- (a) detecting the voltage of the target cells;
- (b) during a first time period, discharging at least a first target cell;
- and
- (c) during a second time period that is offset from the first time period, discharging a second target cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.