TWI811295B - Battery device and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery device and a controlling method are provided. The battery device includes a battery set, a switch set, a first controller, a second controller, a fuse and a self-discharging switch. The switch set is configured to provide a charge and discharge path. The first controller generates and transports a control signal to the switch set. The second controller generates an over-voltage protection signal according to a voltage of the voltage set. The fuse is blown out according to the over-voltage protection signal. The self-discharging switch is turned on to discharge the battery set according to the over-voltage protection signal.

Description

Battery device and control method thereof

The present invention relates to a battery device and a control method thereof, and in particular, to a battery device and a control method thereof that can improve safety.

With the advancement of electronic technology, electronic products have become essential tools in people's lives. In order to improve the working hours of electronic products, providing high-efficiency battery devices has become an important issue.

However, in addition to improving the power supply efficiency of the battery device, the safety of the battery device is an important factor that needs to be considered. Therefore, the expansion of battery cells caused by overcharging is an important issue that designers of battery devices must consider.

The present invention provides a battery device and a control method thereof, which can ensure that the battery pack is not damaged due to excessive storage voltage.

The battery device of the present invention includes a battery pack, a switch pack, a first controller, a second controller, a fuse and a self-discharge switch. The switch group is coupled to the battery group to provide a charging and discharging path. The first controller is coupled to the battery pack and the switch group, and generates and transmits control signals to the switch group. The second controller is coupled to the battery pack and generates an overvoltage protection signal according to the voltage of the battery pack. The fuse is coupled to the second controller and coupled between the switch group and the battery group, and is blown according to the overvoltage protection signal. The self-discharge switch is coupled to the second controller and the battery pack, and is turned on according to the overvoltage protection signal, so that the battery pack performs a discharge operation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the voltage of the battery pack is greater than a preset threshold, the above-mentioned second controller generates an overvoltage protection signal to blow the fuse and turn on the self-discharge switch.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned action of blowing the fuse occurs simultaneously with the action of turning on the self-discharge switch.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned second controller causes the voltage of the battery pack to be discharged to a discharge voltage value through the self-discharge switch.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned release voltage value is determined based on the expansion state of the battery pack at storage temperature.

The control method of the battery device of the present invention includes: providing a first controller to generate and transmit a control signal to the switch group, and causing the switch group to provide a charging and discharging path; and providing a second controller to generate overvoltage protection according to the voltage of the battery group. signal; provide a fuse to couple between the switch group and the battery group; and enable the fuse to be blown based on the overvoltage protection signal, and provide a self-discharge switch so that the self-discharge switch can be turned on based on the overvoltage protection signal and enable The battery pack performs a discharge action.

Based on the above, the present invention uses the second controller in the battery device to turn on the self-discharge switch when the voltage of the battery pack is too high and the fuse in the battery device needs to be blown. Through the conduction action of the self-discharge switch, the battery pack can perform a discharge action through the self-discharge switch after the fuse of the battery device is blown. In this way, the stored charge in the battery pack can be released and the voltage of the battery pack can be reduced. Under such conditions, the expansion of the battery pack will be greatly reduced, which will reduce the chance of damage to the battery pack and ensure the safety of the battery device.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a battery device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The battery device 100 includes a battery pack 110, a switch pack 120, a first controller 130, a second controller 140, a fuse 150, a self-discharge switch 160, a connector 170, and a current sensor 180. The battery pack 110 includes battery cells BC1 ~ BC3 and is coupled to the fuse 150 , the self-discharge switch 160 , the first controller 130 , the second controller 140 and the current sensor 180 . The battery cells BC1 ~ BC3 included in the battery pack 110 may be coupled to each other in series, or in other embodiments, the battery cells BC1 ~ BC3 may be coupled in parallel or a combination of series and parallel connections, without fixed limitations.

The switch group 120 is coupled between the fuse 150 and the connector 170 . In this embodiment, the switch group 120 includes a charging switch 121 and a discharging switch 122 . The charging switch 121 and the discharging switch 122 are connected in series between the fuse 150 and the connector 170 and are respectively controlled by control signals (including the charging control signal CT1 and the discharging control signal CT2). The switch group 120 is used to provide a charge and discharge path between the connector 170 and the battery pack 110 according to the charge control signal CT1 and the discharge control signal CT2.

The connector 170 is used to connect external devices. For example, the connector 170 can be connected to an external electronic device as a load, so that the battery pack 110 performs a discharge operation through the switch set 120 to discharge the external electronic device. The connector 170 can also be connected to an external power source, so that the external power source can charge the battery pack 110 through the switch set 120 . Of course, the above-mentioned external electronic device and external power supply can belong to the same external device without certain restrictions.

In this embodiment, the first controller 130 is coupled to the battery pack 110 , the switch pack 120 , the second controller 140 , the fuse 150 , the connector 170 and the current sensor 180 . The first controller 130 can generate the charging control signal CT1 and the discharging control signal CT2, and transmit the charging control signal CT1 and the discharging control signal CT2 to the charging switch 121 and the discharging switch 122 respectively to control the conduction of the charging switch 121 and the discharging switch 122 respectively. or disconnected state. The first controller 130 also detects the working status of the battery pack 110 and receives the voltage CV and temperature CT of each battery cell BC1 - BC3 in the battery pack 110 . The first controller 130 also receives the detection charging current CC and the detection discharge current DC generated by the current sensor 180 . The first controller 130 can generate the charging control signal CT1 and the discharging control signal CT2 according to the obtained voltage CV, temperature CT, detected charging current CC and detected discharge current DC of each battery cell BC1 to BC3 to control the battery device 100 charging and/or discharging actions. In addition, when necessary, the first controller 130 can generate a fuse blow signal BF to blow the fuse and thereby cut off the charging and discharging path between the battery pack 110 and the connector 170 . Incidentally, the first controller 130 can also transmit status information about the battery device 100 to an external device through the connector 170 .

On the other hand, the second controller 140 is coupled to the battery pack 110 , the first controller 130 , the fuse 150 and the self-discharge switch 160 . The second controller 140 can receive the voltage CV and temperature CT of each battery cell BC1 ~ BC3, and generate the overvoltage protection signal OVP according to the voltage CV. In this embodiment, the overvoltage protection signal OVP may be transmitted to the self-discharge switch 160 and the fuse 150 . The overvoltage protection signal OVP is used to cause the fuse 150 to be blown and the self-discharge switch 160 to be turned on. Please note here that when the second controller 140 generates the overvoltage protection signal OVP, the blowing action of the fuse 150 and the conducting action of the self-discharge switch 160 can be performed simultaneously.

Please note here that after the fuse 150 is blown due to an overvoltage phenomenon in the battery pack 110, the battery cells BC1~BC3 in the battery pack 110 can perform a discharge action through the self-discharge switch 160 that is turned on, and the battery cell BC1 The amount of charge stored in ~BC3 can be reduced. In this way, the expansion of the battery cells BC1 ~ BC3 due to excessive stored power can be reduced. In addition to avoiding damage to the battery cells BC1 ~ BC3, the risk of explosion can also be avoided.

Please note here that the second controller 140 can generate an over-voltage protection signal OVP when the voltage of the battery pack 110 exceeds a preset threshold, and use the over-voltage protection signal OVP to blow the fuse 150 to cut off charging. discharge path. In addition, the self-discharge switch 160 is turned on by the overvoltage protection signal OVP, so that the battery pack 110 performs a discharge operation. In this embodiment, the battery pack 110 can be discharged through the self-discharge switch 160, and the discharging operation is stopped until the voltage of the battery pack 110 drops to a discharge voltage value. That is to say, when the voltage of the battery pack 110 drops to equal to the release voltage value, the second controller 140 turns off the self-discharge switch 160 and stops the discharging action of the battery pack 110 .

In this embodiment, the release voltage value can be determined based on the expansion state of the battery pack 110 at a storage temperature, where the expansion state is that the volume change of the battery pack 110 at the storage temperature is no more than 10%.

For example, if the voltage of the battery pack 110 is greater than 4.5 volts (V), the second controller 140 generates the overvoltage protection signal OVP to turn on the self-discharge switch 160 and cause the battery pack 110 to perform a discharge action. The second controller 140 can also cut off the self-discharge switch 160 and stop the discharging action when the voltage of the battery pack 110 drops to 4.2V or 4.1V.

Incidentally, in this embodiment, the hardware architecture of the first controller 130 and the second controller 140 can be a processor with computing capabilities, or can also be configured through a hardware description language (Hardware Description Language). , HDL) or any other digital circuit design method well known to those with ordinary knowledge in the field, and through Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Complex Programmable Logic Device (Complex Programmable) Logic Device (CPLD) or application-specific integrated circuit (Application-specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)).

Please refer to FIG. 2 below. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a battery device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The battery device 200 includes a battery pack 210, a switch pack 220, a first controller 230, a second controller 240, a fuse 250, a self-discharge switch 260, and a connector 270. In this embodiment, the switch group 220 includes a charging switch 221, a switch SW1 and a discharging switch 222 which are respectively constructed by transistors M3 and M4. The first controller 230 provides a charge control signal CT1 and a discharge control signal CT2 for controlling the transistors M3 and M4 respectively. Both ends of the charging switch 221 and the discharging switch 222 are coupled to the first controller 230 through resistors R1 and R2 respectively. In addition, series-coupled capacitors C1 and C2 are provided between the two ends of the charging switch 221 and the discharging switch 222 . . The mutual coupling terminals of the charging switch 221 and the discharging switch 222 are coupled to the first controller 230 through the diode D1.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the self-discharge switch 260 is composed of a transistor M1. The transistor M1 is connected in series between the battery pack 210 and the reference ground terminal GND. The control terminal of the transistor M1 receives the overvoltage protection signal OVP and is turned on according to the overvoltage protection signal OVP, and provides the battery pack 210 with a reference ground terminal. Discharge path to GND. It is worth mentioning that this embodiment also includes a switch SW1. The switch SW1 is connected in series between the center terminal of the fuse 250 and the reference ground terminal GND. Switch SW1 is constructed from transistor M2. The control terminal of the transistor M2 receives the over-voltage protection signal OVP and is turned on according to the over-voltage protection signal OVP. When the switch SW1 is turned on, the center terminal of the fuse 250 is pulled down to be equal to the ground voltage (referenced to the voltage on the ground terminal GND), causing the fuse 250 to be blown.

After the fuse 250 is blown, the self-discharge switch 260 can continue to be turned on, causing the voltage of the battery pack 210 to drop. The conductive state of the self-discharge switch 260 can continue until the voltage of the battery pack 210 is discharged to a discharge voltage value.

Please refer to FIG. 3 below. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a control method of a battery device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Step S310 provides a first controller to generate and transmit a control signal to the switch group, and enables the switch group to provide a charge and discharge path; Step S320 provides a second controller to generate an overvoltage protection signal according to the voltage of the battery pack; Step S330 provides a fuse The wire is coupled between the switch group and the battery group; step S340 causes the fuse to be blown according to the overvoltage protection signal, and provides a self-discharge switch, so that the self-discharge switch is turned on according to the overvoltage protection signal and allows the battery group to operate. Discharge action.

The implementation details of the above steps have been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments and will not be described again here.

To sum up, the present invention sets a self-discharge switch to blow the fuse to cut off the charging and discharging path of the battery pack when the battery pack is in an over-voltage state, and allows the battery pack to perform a discharge operation through the self-discharge switch. . In this way, the risk of the battery pack swelling due to storing excessively high voltage can be reduced, the battery pack can be prevented from being damaged, and the safety of the battery device can be maintained.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above through embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make some modifications and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, The protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the appended patent application scope.

100, 200: battery device 110, 210: Battery pack 120, 220: switch group 130, 230: first controller 140, 240: Second controller 150, 250: Fuse 160, 260: Self-discharge switch 170, 270: Connector 180:Current sensor 121, 221: Charging switch 122, 222: Discharge switch BC1~BC3: battery cells CT1: Charging control signal CT2: Discharge control signal CV: voltage CT: temperature CC: detect charging current DC: detect discharge current PIFO: job information BF: fuse blown signal OVP: over voltage protection signal M1~M4: Transistor D1: Diode C1, C2: capacitor R1, R2: Resistor SW1: switch S110~S140: Steps of the control method

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a battery device according to another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a battery device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

100:Battery device

110:Battery pack

120:Switch group

130:First controller

140: Second controller

150: fuse

160:Self-discharge switch

170:Connector

180:Current sensor

BC1~BC3: battery cells

CT1: Charging control signal

CT2: Discharge control signal

CV: voltage

CT: temperature

CC: detect charging current

DC: detect discharge current

PIFO: job information

OVP: over voltage protection signal

121:Charging switch

122:Discharge switch

BF: fuse blown signal

Claims (15)

A battery device includes: a battery pack; a switch group coupled to the battery pack to provide a charge and discharge path; a first controller coupled to the battery pack and the switch group to generate and transmit a control signal to the switch group; a second controller, coupled to the battery group, to generate an overvoltage protection signal according to the voltage of the battery group; a fuse, coupled to the second controller, and coupled to The switch group and the battery group are fused according to the overvoltage protection signal; and a self-discharge switch, coupled to the second controller and the battery group, is turned on according to the overvoltage protection signal, so that the battery The group performs discharge action. As in the battery device described in claim 1, when the fuse is blown according to the over-voltage protection signal, the self-discharge switch is turned on according to the over-voltage protection signal. The battery device as described in item 1 of the patent application, wherein the second controller generates the overvoltage protection signal to blow the fuse when the voltage of the battery pack is greater than a preset threshold value, and causes the The self-discharge switch is turned on. For the battery device described in Item 3 of the patent application, the action of the fuse being blown occurs simultaneously with the action of the self-discharge switch being turned on. For the battery device described in item 1 of the patent application, the second controller causes the voltage of the battery pack to be discharged to a discharge voltage value through the self-discharge switch. For the battery device described in claim 5 of the patent application, the release voltage value is determined based on an expansion state of the battery pack at a storage temperature. For the battery device described in Item 6 of the patent application, the expansion state means that the volume change of the battery pack is no more than 10%. The battery device as described in item 1 of the patent application further includes: a connector coupled to the switch group and the first controller; and a current sensor coupled to the connector, the first controller controller and the battery pack. A control method for a battery device, including: providing a first controller to generate and transmit a control signal to a switch group, and causing the switch group to provide a charging and discharging path; and providing a second controller to generate a control signal based on a battery group. voltage to generate an over-voltage protection signal; provide a fuse to be coupled between the switch group and the battery group; and allow the fuse to be blown according to the over-voltage protection signal, and provide a self-discharge switch so that the The self-discharge switch is turned on according to the overvoltage protection signal and causes the battery pack to perform a discharge action. The control method described in item 9 of the patent application scope, wherein the fuse is blown according to the over-voltage protection signal, and the self-discharge switch is provided so that the self-discharge switch is turned on according to the over-voltage protection signal. The step includes: when the fuse is blown according to the over-voltage protection signal, causing the self-discharge switch to be turned on according to the over-voltage protection signal. As described in claim 10 of the patent application, the step of providing the second controller to generate the overvoltage protection signal according to the voltage of the battery pack includes: when the voltage of the battery pack is greater than a preset threshold when, causing the second controller to generate the overvoltage protection signal. For the control method described in item 10 of the patent application, the action of the fuse being blown occurs simultaneously with the action of the self-discharge switch being turned on. The control method described in item 9 of the patent application further includes: causing the voltage of the battery pack to be discharged by the self-discharge switch until it is equal to a release voltage value. The control method described in item 13 of the patent application further includes: determining the release voltage value based on an expansion state of the battery pack at a storage temperature. For the control method described in item 14 of the patent application, the expansion state means that the volume change of the battery pack is no more than 10%.

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