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US 7,609,030 B2Granted
Capacity adjustment apparatus and capacity adjustment method for battery pack
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsYukio Uesugi, Shinsuke Yoshida
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A capacity adjustment circuit provided in conjunction with each cell discharges the corresponding cell if the cell voltage is higher than a bypass operating voltage and, as a result, the extent of inconsistency among the voltages at the individual cells is minimized. A cell switching circuit switches the connections between the individual cells and the capacity adjustment circuits over predetermined time intervals.
Claims22
A capacity adjustment apparatus for a battery pack constituted by connecting a plurality of cells in series, comprising:
- a plurality of capacity adjustment devices that discharge cells with voltages higher than a predetermined voltage;
- and
- a switching device that switches connection modes in each of which the plurality of cells and the plurality of capacity adjustment devices are connected in a different, non-fixed connection manner,
- wherein the switching device is capable of changing a connection correspondence relationship between any one of the plurality of capacity adjustment devices and any one of the plurality of cells,
- wherein each capacity of the cells constituting the battery pack is adjusted by each of the capacity adjustment devices, a number of the capacity adjustment devices being equal with a number of the cells, and
- wherein each of the plurality of capacity adjustment devices discharges a different one of the plurality of cells depending upon which of the connection modes is selected by way of the switching device, so that any one of the plurality of capacity adjustment devices can be selected to discharge any one of the plurality of cells as a target cell to be discharged.
3 more elements
A capacity adjustment apparatus for a battery pack constituted by connecting a plurality of cells in series, comprising:
- a plurality of capacity adjustment means for discharging cells with voltages higher than a predetermined voltage;
- and
- a switch means for switching connection modes in each of which the plurality of cells and the plurality of capacity adjustment means are connected in a different, non-fixed connection manner,
- wherein the switch means is capable of changing a connection correspondence relationship between any one of the plurality of capacity adjustment means and any one of the plurality of cells,
- wherein each capacity of the cells constituting the battery pack is adjusted by each of the capacity adjustment devices, a number of the capacity adjustment devices being equal with a number of the cells, and
- wherein each of the plurality of capacity adjustment means discharges a different one of the plurality of cells depending upon which of the Connection modes is selected by way of the switch means, so that any one of the plurality of capacity adjustment means can be selected to discharge any one of the plurality of cells as a target cell to be discharged.
3 more elements
A battery pack capacity adjustment method comprising:
- discharging a cell with a voltage higher than a predetermined voltage among a plurality of cells constituting a battery pack via a plurality of capacity adjustment devices;
- and
- switching connection modes in each of which the plurality of cells and the plurality of capacity adjustment devices are connected in a different, non-fixed connection manner,
- wherein the switching step is capable of changing a connection correspondence relationship between any one of the plurality of capacity adjustment devices and any one of the plurality of cells,
- wherein each capacity of the cells constituting the battery pack is adjusted by each of the capacity adjustment devices, a number of the capacity adjustment devices being equal with a number of the cells, and
- wherein each of the plurality of capacity adjustment devices discharges a different one of the plurality of cells depending upon which of the connection modes is selected by way of the switching step, so that any one of the plurality of capacity adjustment devices can be selected to discharge any one of the plurality of cells as a target cell to be discharged.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.