Patent ID: 9413037
Filing Date: 2016-08-09
CPC Classification: H01M,H02J,Y02E,Y02T

Claim Text:
1. A cell capacity adjusting device for reducing fluctuations in state of charge (SOC) among cells of a battery pack, which is formed by connecting a plurality of cells in series, during suspension of operation of electrically-powered equipment whose main power source is the battery pack, the cell capacity adjusting device comprising: cell capacity target value setting means for setting a cell capacity adjustment target voltage; cell selection means for detecting an open-circuit voltage of each of the cells of the battery pack, selecting a predetermined number of cells from among the cells having a voltage value equal to or higher than the cell capacity adjustment target voltage, and comparing the predetermined number of cells with a minimum number of cells necessary for operation of an intermittent operation unit which operates even during the suspension of the operation of the electrically-powered equipment; cell connection switch means for connecting the predetermined number of cells selected by the cell selection means to the intermittent operation unit, thereby supplying power from the selected predetermined number of cells to the intermittent operation unit; and intermittent operation control means for repeating turning ON and OFF the cell connection switch means every predetermined period, thereby causing the intermittent operation unit to perform an intermittent operation, wherein the intermittent operation of the intermittent operation unit is repeated until voltage values of all the cells become equal to or lower than the cell capacity adjustment target voltage during the suspension of the operation of the electrically-powered equipment, and wherein, in response to determining that the minimum number of cells necessary for operation of the intermittent operation unit is larger than the predetermined number of cells, the cell capacity target value setting means resets the cell capacity adjustment target voltage to a new target value.