JP2011233244A - Battery pack, and integrating method for use period of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an integrating method for integrating a use period of a battery pack in which the use period including a period when a control portion is shut down is integrated without acquiring a date, and the battery pack whose use period is integrated by the integrating method.SOLUTION: The integrating method includes: previously storing in a RAM 53 of voltage data of a battery 1 which decreases with an elapse of a period based upon when an MOSFET 61 is turned OFF and a leakage current; integration of an ON period for which the MOSFET 61 is ON at intervals of every 250 ms ; storing in the RAM 53 of a voltage of the battery 1 which is detected before the MOSFET 61 is turned OFF; reception and conversion of data on the voltage of the battery 1 which is detected by a control and power supply portion 21 before the MOSFET 61 is turned ON into a voltage of the battery 1; determination of a difference in period specified by applying the converted voltage and stored voltage to the voltage data as an OFF period for which the MOSFET 61 is turned OFF; and obtaining of an integrated use period by adding the ON period and OFF period.

Description

  The present invention relates to a secondary battery, a pack battery usage time integration method including a switching element connected in series to the secondary battery, and a pack battery that integrates the usage period by the integration method.

  In recent years, there have been cases where electrical devices are used for a longer period than the product life expected at the time of manufacture, leading to serious accidents such as smoke and fire. In secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, in addition to deterioration due to charging and discharging, there is also deterioration due to the passage of the service period including the self-discharge period, and thermal stability decreases when used for a long time. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure safety. For this reason, it is recommended by the Battery Manufacturers Association and the like that a notice and a use prohibition message be notified when the dischargeable real capacity is significantly reduced.

  By the way, in a battery pack including a secondary battery and a control unit that controls charging / discharging of the secondary battery, integration of remaining capacity, and the like, the control unit performs a cycle even when the secondary battery is not charged / discharged. In other words, the remaining capacity is calculated to correct the decrease in remaining capacity due to self-discharge. In such a battery pack, it is possible to integrate the usage period including the period when the secondary battery is not charged / discharged.

  On the other hand, when the control unit accumulates the total usage period of the battery pack during the period when the secondary battery is not charged / discharged, the current consumption of the control unit slightly discharges the secondary battery. After the battery voltage drops to the discharge end voltage, it is preferable to shut down the battery pack to prevent overdischarge of the secondary battery. However, during the shutdown, the accumulation of the usage period of the battery pack is interrupted.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, the date and time is acquired before shutting down the battery pack, stored together with the accumulated usage time, and the period calculated from the date and time acquired when returning from the shutdown and the stored date and time. A technique for resuming the accumulation of the usage period after adding to the stored usage period is disclosed.

JP 2009-112180 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to acquire the date and time before and after the shutdown. For example, the battery pack is equipped with a radio clock so that the date and time can be acquired or the pack battery is accommodated. There was a restriction that it was necessary to be able to receive the date and time before and after shutdown from the electrical equipment side.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack capable of accumulating the usage period including the shutdown period without acquiring the date and time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a usage period integration method and a battery pack that integrates the usage period by the integration method.

  The battery pack usage period accumulating method according to the present invention is a battery pack comprising a secondary battery and a control unit that manages information related to charging and discharging of the secondary battery. In the method of integrating the usage period including the off-period, the secondary battery is accumulated before the controller is turned off and after the on-period when the controller is turned off. Are detected separately, an off period in which the control unit is off is specified based on each detected voltage, and the integrated on period and the specified off period are added.

In the present invention, the on-period during which the control unit is on is timed and integrated, and the voltage of the secondary battery detected before the control unit is turned off and before being turned on after being turned off. Based on the above, an off period in which the control unit is off is specified, and an on period and an off period are added.
Thus, the ON period during which the control unit is not shut down is integrated by the control unit, and for the OFF period during which the control unit is shut down, the voltage of the secondary battery detected by the control unit immediately before the start of the OFF period The period of use obtained by adding a period determined by identifying the period based on the voltage of the secondary battery detected from the outside immediately before the end of the off period and adding the accumulated on period and the identified off period. And

  In the battery pack usage period accumulating method according to the present invention, the control unit is supplied with electric power from the secondary battery via a switching element that controls on / off of the control unit, and the control unit is turned on. If the control unit turns on the switching element and turns off the control unit, the control unit turns off the switching element.

In the present invention, during the ON period when the control unit is on, the control unit turns on the switching element and keeps supplying power to the control unit itself. When the control unit is turned off, the control unit itself turns on the switching element. To turn off the power supply.
Accordingly, a period during which the switching element is on (or a period during which the switching element is off) corresponds to an on period during which the control unit is not shut down (or an off period during which the control unit is shut down).

  In the battery pack usage period integrating method according to the present invention, information indicating a voltage drop of the secondary battery after the control unit is turned off at a predetermined reference time is prepared in advance, and before and after the control unit is turned off. Based on the voltage of the secondary battery detected before turning on and the information, the period from the reference time until the voltage drops to each voltage is specified, and the control unit turns off the difference between the specified periods. It is characterized by the off period.

In the present invention, information on the voltage of the secondary battery that decreases with the passage of a period based on when the control unit is turned off is prepared in advance, and before the control unit is turned off, The difference between the voltages of the secondary batteries detected before and after being turned on and the period specified based on the information is used as the off period in which the control unit is off.
Thus, the off period is specified regardless of the voltage level of the secondary battery at the start and end of the off period.
In addition, when information corresponding to the dark current flowing out from the secondary battery is prepared when the control unit is turned off, it is possible to specify a more accurate period.

  The battery pack usage period accumulating method according to the present invention is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the accumulated usage period exceeds a predetermined period, and when it is determined that it exceeds, a predetermined notification is performed.

  In the present invention, since the predetermined notification is performed when the accumulated use period exceeds the predetermined period, a warning can be notified for a longer-term use than expected.

  The battery pack according to the present invention includes a secondary battery and a control unit that manages information related to charging and discharging of the secondary battery, and includes a period of use including a period in which the control unit is on and a period in which the control unit is off. In the battery pack, the control unit is configured to integrate an on period during which the control unit is on, and a unit that detects the voltage of the secondary battery before the control unit is turned off. Storage means for storing the voltage detected by the means, means for receiving voltage data from the outside, the voltage corresponding to the voltage data received by the means and the voltage stored by the storage means based on the voltage stored in the storage means Characterized in that it comprises means for identifying an off period during which the means is off, and means for adding the off period identified by the means to the on period accumulated by the accumulating means.

In the present invention, the ON period during which the control unit is ON is counted and accumulated, the voltage of the secondary battery detected before the control unit is turned OFF is stored, and the voltage data received from the outside is stored. Based on the stored voltage and the stored voltage, an off period in which the control unit is off is specified, and the on period and the off period are added.
Thereby, the on-period when the control unit is not shut down is integrated by the control unit, and the off-period when the control unit is shut down is detected and stored by the control unit immediately before the start of the off-period. And a period obtained by adding the accumulated on period and the identified off period based on the voltage and the voltage according to the voltage data received at the end of the off period, The accumulated usage period.

According to the present invention, the ON period during which the control unit is ON is counted and integrated, and the switching element is turned off based on the voltage of the secondary battery detected separately before the ON / OFF of the control unit is switched. The off period is specified, and the on period and the off period are added.
Thus, the ON period during which the control unit is not shut down is integrated by the control unit, and for the OFF period during which the control unit is shut down, the voltage of the secondary battery detected by the control unit immediately before the start of the OFF period The period of use obtained by adding a period determined by identifying the period based on the voltage of the secondary battery detected from the outside immediately before the end of the off period and adding the accumulated on period and the identified off period. And
Therefore, it is possible to integrate the usage period including the shutdown period without acquiring the date and time.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the battery pack which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the voltage drop of the battery after the time of turning off MOSFET. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of CPU which accumulate | stores an ON period. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of CPU which specifies an OFF period, and adds it to an ON period, and the process sequence of a control and a power supply part.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a battery pack. The battery pack 10 is detachably attached to a load device 20 such as a personal computer (PC) or a portable terminal. The battery pack 10 includes battery blocks B1, B2,... In which three battery cells 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23,. -The battery 1 formed by connecting B14 in series in this order is provided. In the battery 1, the positive electrode of the battery block B14 and the negative electrode of the battery block B1 are a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal, respectively.

  The voltages of the battery blocks B1, B2,... B14 are independently applied to the analog input terminal of the A / D converter 4 and converted into digital voltage values from the digital output terminal of the A / D converter 4. To the control unit 5 composed of a microcomputer. The analog input terminal of the A / D converter 4 is also arranged in close contact with the battery 1, and the detection output of the temperature detector 3 that detects the temperature of the battery 1 by a circuit including a thermistor, A detection output of a current detector 2, which is interposed in a charge / discharge path on the negative electrode terminal side and includes a resistor for detecting a charging current and a discharging current of the battery 1, is given. These detection outputs are converted into digital detection values and given to the control unit 5 from the digital output terminal of the A / D conversion unit 4.

  The charge / discharge path on the positive electrode terminal side of the battery 1 is provided with a circuit breaker 7 composed of P-channel type MOSFETs 71 and 72 that block the charge current and the discharge current, respectively. The MOSFETs 71 and 72 are connected in series with their drain electrodes butted together. A diode connected in parallel between the drain electrode and the source electrode of each of the MOSFETs 71 and 72 is a parasitic diode (body diode). An input terminal of a power supply (regulator IC) 6 is also connected to the charge / discharge path on the positive electrode terminal side of the battery 1, and a 3.3 V DC power supply stabilized by the power supply 6 is a P-channel MOSFET 61. Is supplied to the 3.3 V power input terminal of the control unit 5 via the source electrode and the drain electrode. A resistor 62 is connected between the source electrode and the gate electrode of the MOSFET 61.

The control unit 5 includes a CPU 51. The CPU 51 stores a ROM 52 that stores information such as programs, a RAM 53 that stores temporarily generated information, a timer 54 that measures time, and each unit in the battery pack 10. A bus is connected to the I / O port 55 for input / output. The I / O port 55 is connected to the digital output terminal of the A / D conversion unit 4, the gate electrodes of the MOSFETs 71 and 72, and the communication unit 9 that communicates with the control / power supply unit (charger) 21 included in the load device 20. ing. The ROM 52 is a nonvolatile memory composed of an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory. In addition to the program, the ROM 52 includes a battery capacity learning value, a charge / discharge cycle number, and a maximum / minimum detected temperature value. Stored data such as detected values and integrated values, and various setting data are stored.
The control unit 5, the current detector 2, the temperature detector 3, the A / D conversion unit 4, the circuit breaker 7, and the communication unit 9 constitute a battery 1 charge control device.

  The CPU 51 executes processing such as calculation and input / output according to a control program stored in advance in the ROM 52. For example, the CPU 51 takes in the voltage values of the battery blocks B1 to B14 and the detected value of the charge / discharge current of the battery 1 at a constant cycle (for example, 250 ms), and the remaining capacity of the battery 1 based on the taken-in voltage value and detected value. Are accumulated and stored in the RAM 53. The CPU 51 also generates remaining capacity data and writes the generated data to a register (not shown) of the communication unit 9 to output the remaining capacity data. Further, the CPU 51 is activated during the period when the MOSFET 61 is turned on (on period), that is, the period when the DC power is supplied from the power source 6 and the CPU 51 is operating (the control unit 5 including the CPU 51 is started without shutting down). The ON period) is integrated, and the integrated ON period is stored in the RAM 53.

  The breaker 7 is electrically connected between the drain electrode and the source electrode of each of the MOSFETs 71 and 72 when an ON signal of L (low) level is given from the I / O port 55 to the gate electrodes of the MOSFETs 71 and 72 during normal charge / discharge. It is supposed to be. When the charging current of the battery 1 is cut off, an H (high) level off signal is applied from the I / O port 55 to the gate electrode of the MOSFET 71, whereby the conduction between the drain electrode and the source electrode of the MOSFET 71 is cut off. Similarly, when the discharge current of the battery 1 is cut off, the conduction between the drain electrode and the source electrode of the MOSFET 72 is cut off by applying an H (high) level off signal from the I / O port 55 to the gate electrode of the MOSFET 72. The When the battery 1 is in a properly charged state, the MOSFETs 71 and 72 of the circuit breaker 7 are both turned on, and the battery 1 is in a state where it can be discharged and charged.

  The load device 20 includes a load 22 connected to the control / power supply unit 21. The control / power supply unit 21 is supplied with power from a commercial power source (not shown) to drive the load 22 and supplies a charging current to the charging / discharging path of the battery 1. The control / power supply unit 21 also drives the load 22 with a discharge current supplied from the charge / discharge path of the battery 1 when the supply of power from the commercial power supply is cut off. When the battery 1 to be charged by the control / power supply unit 21 is a lithium ion battery, the maximum current and the constant voltage (maximum current of about 0.5 to 1 C) and the constant voltage (MAX 4.2 to 4) are regulated. (About 4V / battery cell) is charged, and is fully charged when the battery voltage of the battery 1 is not less than a predetermined value and the charging current is not more than a predetermined value.

Communication between the control / power supply unit 21 and the communication unit 9 is performed by the SMBus (System Management Bus) system using the control / power supply unit 21 as a master and the communication unit 9 as a slave. In this case, the serial clock (SCL) is supplied from the control / power supply unit 21, and the serial data (SDA) is transferred bi-directionally between the control / power supply unit 21 and the communication unit 9. In the present embodiment, the control / power supply unit 21 polls the communication unit 9 at a cycle of 2 seconds and reads the contents of the register of the communication unit 9. By this polling, for example, the remaining capacity data of the battery 1 is transferred from the communication unit 9 to the control / power supply unit 21 in a cycle of 2 seconds, and the remaining capacity value (%) is displayed on a display (not shown) of the load device 20. Is displayed.
The above-described polling cycle of 2 seconds is a value determined by the control / power supply unit 21.

  The remaining capacity of the battery 1 is calculated by subtracting the discharge capacity from the learning capacity (value represented by Ah or Wh) of the battery 1 and calculating the accumulated amount of current or the accumulated amount of power. The remaining capacity is expressed as a percentage where the learning capacity is 100%. The learning capacity of the battery 1 may be an integrated amount of discharge current or discharge power while the battery 1 is discharged from the fully charged state to the discharge end voltage, or the battery 1 is discharged from the discharged state to the fully discharged state. The accumulated amount of the discharge current or the discharge power may be used. Since the control unit 5 continues to consume a current of several hundred μA only by accumulating the remaining capacity, when the battery voltage of the battery 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the battery voltage) falls below the discharge end voltage, the control unit 5 In order to prevent overdischarge, the control unit 5 is shut down. Thereby, the leakage current flowing out from the battery 1 becomes about 30 μA. The controller 5 is shut down when the battery pack 10 is shipped.

  When the control unit 5 is shut down, the gate electrode and the source electrode of the MOSFET 61 connected to the output terminal of the power supply 6 have the same potential via the resistor 62, so that the MOSFET 61 is held in the off state. When charging of the battery 1 from the control / power supply unit 21 is started, an L level on signal is forcibly given to the gate electrode of the MOSFET 61 from a circuit (not shown), the MOSFET 61 is turned on, and the shutdown of the control unit 5 is released. It has become so. An L level ON signal is continuously supplied to the gate electrode of the MOSFET 61 from the I / O port 55 immediately after the CPU 51 of the control unit 5 starts to operate. When the CPU 51 gives an H level off signal to the gate electrode of the MOSFET 61, the controller 5 is shut down.

Hereinafter, a method for accumulating the usage period of the battery pack 10 by specifying a period during which the MOSFET 61 is turned off (off period), that is, a period during which the control unit 5 is shut down will be described.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing a voltage drop of the battery 1 after the MOSFET 61 is turned off (predetermined reference time). In the figure, the horizontal axis represents the battery standing period (days), and the vertical axis represents the battery voltage (V). In FIG. 2, the difference in the battery voltage according to the consumption current (circuit consumption = leakage current) of each circuit viewed from the battery 1 is shown by different curves. A broken line, a solid line, a one-dot chain line, and a two-dot chain line are battery voltages when the circuit consumption is 0 μA, 30 μA, 60 μA, and 90 μA, respectively. The battery voltage decreases over time due to circuit consumption and self-discharge of the battery 1. In the present embodiment, since circuit consumption is about 30 μA, the solid line in FIG. 2 is applied, and data corresponding to each point on the solid line is stored in the RAM 53.

  The battery voltage before the control unit 5 is shut down is detected by the CPU 51 adding the voltage values of the battery blocks B1 to B14 taken into the CPU 51. The detected battery voltage is stored in the RAM 53. On the other hand, the battery voltage before the shutdown of the control unit 5 is released is detected by the control / power supply unit 21 measuring the voltage of the charging / discharging path (between the + terminal and the − terminal in FIG. Is transmitted to the CPU 51 from the control / power supply unit 21 via the communication unit 9 after the shutdown of the control unit 5 is released.

  The battery voltage is detected from the control / power supply unit 21 because the battery voltage at that time may be so low that the control unit 5 cannot be operated, and charging of the battery 1 is started. This is because the battery voltage rises before the voltage is detected when it is necessary to cancel the shutdown of the control unit 5. However, when power is supplied from the control / power supply unit 21 to the control unit 5 separately from the charging of the battery 1, the CPU 51 is connected to the battery after the shutdown of the control unit 5 is released and before charging is started. The voltage may be detected.

  Next, a specific method for specifying the usage period will be described. For example, when the battery voltage detected immediately before the MOSFET 61 is turned off is 42 V (here, a voltage in which 14 3 V / cell lithium ion batteries are connected in series), the voltage has a period of 200 seconds from the reference time. It is specified from FIG. 2 that it corresponds to the battery voltage in the case of days. Furthermore, when the battery voltage detected immediately before the MOSFET 61 is turned on is 35 V, it is specified that the voltage corresponds to the battery voltage when the leaving period from the reference time is 300 days. Therefore, 100 days, which is the difference between 300 days and 200 days, is specified as the off period in which the MOSFET 61 is off. The use period of the battery pack 10 is integrated by adding the off period specified in this way to the on period stored in the RAM 53.

A processing procedure of the control unit 5 based on the above-described configuration and usage period integration method will be described in detail with reference to a flowchart. The following processing is executed by the CPU 51 in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 52 in advance. The remaining capacity integration process is executed in a known procedure in a task different from the task for executing the process shown below.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the CPU 51 for accumulating the ON periods. The process of FIG. 3 is activated at a cycle of 250 ms, but the cycle of activation is not limited to 250 ms.

  When the processing of FIG. 3 is started, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the remaining capacity being integrated in another task has become 0% (S11), and if not 0% (S11: NO), the RAM 53 250 ms is added to the ON period stored in (S12), and the ON period is integrated. Thereafter, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the accumulated on-period exceeds 10 years (S13), and when it does not exceed 10 years (S13: NO), the process is terminated. The determination of the period is not limited to 10 years. When the ON period exceeds 10 years (S13: YES), the CPU 51 transmits the notification data to the register of the communication unit 9 by writing the notification data to that effect (S14), and ends the process.

  When the remaining capacity becomes 0% in step S11 (or when the discharge end voltage that is the lower limit voltage is reached) (S11: YES), the CPU 51 adds the voltage values of the captured battery blocks B1 to B14. The battery voltage is detected (S15), and the detected battery voltage is stored in the RAM 53 (S16). Thereafter, the CPU 51 gives an H level off signal to the gate electrode of the MOSFET 61 to turn off the MOSFET 61 (S17), and the process is terminated. Immediately thereafter, the control unit 5 is shut down because the supply of DC power is cut off.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the CPU 51 and the processing procedure of the control / power supply unit 21 that specify the off period and add it to the on period. In the control unit 5, after the MOSFET 61 is turned on and the supply of DC power is started and the initialization process by the CPU 51 is completed, the processes of steps S21 to S28 in FIG. 4 are started. In the control / power supply unit 21, the processing of steps S31 to S34 in FIG. 4 is started when charging the battery 1 is started, and is executed by a CPU (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as a power supply CPU).

  When the processing of FIG. 4 is activated, the power supply CPU of the control / power supply unit 21 detects the voltage of the charging / discharging path of the battery 1 as the battery voltage (S31), and starts charging the battery 1 (S32). Thereafter, the power supply CPU transmits the detected battery voltage data to the communication unit 9 (S33), and determines whether or not there is a reception response from the communication unit 9 (S34). If there is a reception response (S34: YES), the power supply CPU ends the process. When there is no reception response (S34: NO), the power supply CPU determines whether or not 2 seconds, which is one cycle of communication, has elapsed (S35), and waits until it elapses (S35: NO). When 2 seconds have elapsed (S35: YES), the power supply CPU returns the process to step S33 in order to transmit the battery voltage data again.

  One CPU 51 determines whether or not voltage data has been received via the communication unit 9 (S21) and waits until it is received (S21: NO). If received (S21: YES), communication is performed. A reception response is returned via the unit 9 (S22). The reception response here may be an acknowledgment bit (ACK) returned by the SMBus slave. Thereafter, the CPU 51 converts the received voltage data into a battery voltage (S23), applies the converted battery voltage to FIG. 2, and specifies the period 1 that has elapsed since the reference time (S24).

  Next, the CPU 51 reads the battery voltage stored in the RAM 53 in step S16 of FIG. 3 (S25), and applies the read battery voltage to FIG. 2 to specify the period 2 that has elapsed from the reference time (S26). Further, the CPU 51 subtracts the period 2 from the period 1 to specify the off period (S27), and adds the specified off period to the on period during integration stored in the RAM 53 (S28). finish. With this process, the RAM 53 is integrated with the usage period of the battery pack 10 including the ON period in which the MOSFET 61 is ON and the OFF period in which the MOSFET 61 is OFF.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ON period during which the MOSFET connected between the power source and the control unit (hereinafter simply referred to as MOSFET) is ON is integrated every 250 ms and detected before the MOSFET is turned OFF. The battery voltage stored in the RAM is identified based on the battery voltage converted from the voltage data received from the control / power supply unit and the stored battery voltage. Add off period.
Thus, the ON period during which the control unit is not shut down is integrated by the control unit, and the OFF period during which the control unit is shut down is the battery voltage detected and stored by the control unit immediately before the start of the OFF period. The period is determined based on the battery voltage corresponding to the voltage data received at the end of the off period, and the period obtained by adding the accumulated on period and the identified off period is accumulated. Use period.
Therefore, it is possible to integrate the usage period including the period during which the control unit is shut down without acquiring the date and time.

Further, during the ON period in which the control unit is on, the control unit continues to turn on the MOSFET and continue to supply power to the control unit itself, and when turning off the control unit, the control unit itself turns off the MOSFET and Shut off the supply.
As a result, it is possible to associate a period during which the MOSFET is on (or a period during which the MOSFET is off) with an on period during which the control unit is not shut down (or the off period during which the control unit is shut down).

Furthermore, the data of the battery voltage that decreases according to the passage of the period when the MOSFET is turned off and the leakage current are stored in advance in the RAM, before and after the controller is turned off. The difference between the battery voltage detected before turning on and the period specified based on the data is used as the off period in which the control unit is off.
Therefore, it is possible to specify the off period with high accuracy regardless of the level of the battery voltage at the start and end of the off period.

  Furthermore, when the accumulated use period exceeds, for example, 10 years, notification data to that effect is output, so that it is possible to issue a warning for longer-term use than expected.

  In the present embodiment, a 3.3 V DC power supply stabilized by the power supply 6 is supplied to the control unit 5 via the source electrode and the drain electrode of the MOSFET 61. The source electrode may be connected to the charge / discharge path of the battery 1, and the drain electrode may be connected to the control unit 5 via the power source 6. When the control unit 5 has a shutdown function, the MOSFET 61 may be omitted and the output terminal of the power supply 6 and the 3.3V power input terminal of the control unit 5 may be directly connected.

1 Battery 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 141, 142, 143 Battery cell (secondary battery)
2 Current detector 4 A / D converter (means for detecting voltage)
5 Control unit 51 CPU
52 ROM
53 RAM (storage means)
54 Timer 6 Power supply 61 MOSFET (switching element)
7 Circuit breaker 9 Communication unit (means to receive)
10 Pack battery 20 Load device 21 Control / Power supply

Claims (5)

A method for integrating a use period including a period during which the control unit is on and a period during which the control unit is off in a battery pack including a secondary battery and a control unit that manages information related to charging and discharging of the secondary battery. In
Accumulate the on period when the control unit is on,
Before each of the control unit is turned off and after being turned off, the voltage of the secondary battery is detected separately,
Identify the off period in which the control unit is off based on each detected voltage,
A method of integrating a battery pack usage period, comprising adding an accumulated on period and a specified off period. The control unit is supplied with power from the secondary battery via a switching element that controls on / off of the control unit,
When the control unit is on, the control unit turns on the switching element,
The method for accumulating the use period of the battery pack according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit is turned off, the control unit turns off the switching element. Prepare in advance information indicating a voltage drop of the secondary battery after the control unit is turned off at a predetermined reference time,
Based on the voltage of the secondary battery and the information detected before turning on after the controller is turned off and after turning off, the period from the reference time to the respective voltage is specified,
The method of integrating the usage period of the battery pack according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the difference between the specified periods is an off period in which the control unit is off. Determine whether the accumulated usage period exceeds the specified period,
4. The method for accumulating the use period of the battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined notification is performed when it is determined that the battery life is exceeded. 5. In a battery pack that includes a secondary battery and a control unit that manages information related to charging and discharging of the secondary battery, and that integrates a use period including a period during which the control unit is on and a period during which the control unit is off,
The controller is
Integration means for integrating the ON period in which the control unit is ON;
Means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery before the control unit is turned off;
Storage means for storing the voltage detected by the means;
Means for receiving voltage data from the outside;
Means for specifying an off period in which the control unit is off based on a voltage according to voltage data received by the means and a voltage stored in the storage means;
A battery pack comprising: a means for adding the off period specified by the means to the on period accumulated by the integrating means.

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