Abstract:
A battery pack having a plurality of electrically connected unit cells and configured so that the cells degrade at similar rates is provided. The battery pack may comprise a first unit cell and a second unit cell, wherein a temperature of the second unit cell is lower than the first unit cell. A condition of the first cell, such as states of charge or an open circuit voltage is set so that the condition of the first unit cell is less than a corresponding condition of the second unit cell. The unit cells may be thin battery cells stacked in a thickness direction of the thin battery cells, and the first unit cell may be located on an inner side of the second unit cell as viewed in a stacked direction. A temperature detecting unit may detect a temperature of each of the first and second unit cells and a charge control unit may be configured to control charging of the plurality of unit cells according to the temperatures of the first and second unit cells. With this configuration, even when the temperatures of the unit cells are not uniform, the rates of deterioration of the unit cells are equalized as much as possible.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-062690 filed on Mar. 8, 2006. The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-062690 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a battery pack having a plurality of unit cells electrically interconnected, a method of manufacturing the battery pack, and a method of controlling the battery pack.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     A battery pack having a structure in which a plurality of thin battery cells (unit cells) are stacked together and interconnected has been known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-346748 (Patent Document 1).  
         [0006]     The battery pack described in the Patent Document 1 is structured such that a plurality of thin battery cells stacked together is contained in a box. The thin battery cells in the box are controlled so as to have uniform values of voltage.  
         [0007]     When a specific thin battery cell among the plurality deteriorates to a greater degree than the other thin battery cells, the deteriorated thin battery cell must be replaced with a new one. To replace such a specific deteriorated thin battery cell, substantial effort is required to take the battery pack from the box and to disassemble it. Also, it is not economical to replace the whole battery pack when only one of the plurality of thin battery cells has deteriorated. For this reason, it is desirable to use thin battery cells that deteriorate at similar rates.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention has been proposed in light of the above-described circumstances. An object of the invention is to provide a battery pack having a plurality of battery cells that deteriorate at similar rates, a method of manufacturing the battery pack, and a method of controlling the battery pack.  
         [0009]     According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery pack having a plurality of electrically connected unit cells is provided. The battery pack may comprise a first unit cell and a second unit cell, wherein a temperature of the second unit cell is lower than the first unit cell. A condition of the first cell, such as states of charge or an open circuit voltage is set so that the condition of the first unit cell is less than a corresponding condition of the second unit cell. The unit cells may be thin battery cells stacked in a thickness direction of the thin battery cells, and the first unit cell may be located on an inner side of the second unit cell as viewed in a stacked direction. A temperature detecting unit may detect a temperature of each of the first and second unit cells and a charge control unit may be configured to control charging of the plurality of unit cells according to the temperatures of the first and second unit cells detected by the temperature detecting unit such that a condition such as states of charge or open circuit voltage of the first unit cell is less than a corresponding condition of the second unit cell having temperatures lower than those of the first unit cell.  
         [0010]     According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a battery pack containing a plurality of flat battery cells stacked together and electrically connected is provided, comprising: charging first flat battery cell to a condition such as a state of charge or an open-circuit voltage; charging a second flat battery cell located on the outer side of the first flat battery cell to a corresponding condition which is higher than the first condition, and; laminating and electrically connecting in series the first and second flat battery cells.  
         [0011]     According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling a battery pack containing a plurality of electrically connected unit cells is provided, comprising: detecting a temperature of each of the unit cells; and controlling a condition such as states of charge of the unit cells or open circuit voltages of the unit cells according to the detected temperatures of the unit cells. States of charge (SOC) or open-circuit voltages of first unit cells are set to be lower than states of charge (SOC) or open-circuit voltages of second unit cells. The second unit cells have temperatures lower than those of the first unit cells.  
         [0012]     In one example, a battery pack according to the invention comprises a plurality of unit cells electrically interconnected. The states of charge (SOC) or open-circuit voltages of a first unit cell is set to be lower than states of charge (SOC) or open-circuit voltages of a second unit cell. The second unit cell have temperatures lower than those of the first unit cell. With this configuration, the rates of deterioration of a plurality of thin battery cells can be equalized as much as possible. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]      FIGS. 1A  to  1 C are respectively a top view, a side view and a circuit diagram, each showing a configuration of a battery pack to be controlled according to embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a graph showing a relationship of an increasing rate of internal-resistance of a thin battery cell with respect to temperature;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a graph showing relationships between a state of charge (SOC) of a thin battery cell and an increasing rate of internal-resistance of the same;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a graph showing variations of the increasing rate of internal-resistance of a battery pack and a comparison with respect to time of use;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing a configuration for controlling voltages of thin battery cells according to detected temperatures of the cells; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart showing procedural steps of a process for controlling states of charge of thin battery cells. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0020]     In one example, a battery pack may be used as a power source for energizing auxiliary devices of automobiles, such as a starter motor and headlamps. The battery pack is located in, for example, an engine compartment or a luggage compartment (trunk) of a vehicle, and used in a temperature range from normal temperature (atmospheric temperature) to about 60° C.  
         [0021]     The battery pack has four thin battery cells (unit cells) connected in series as shown in  FIG. 1 . The thin battery  1  is a lithium ion battery producing a voltage of about 4.2 V in the full state-of-charge. Accordingly, the battery pack produces a voltage of about 16.8 V in the full state-of-charge.  
         [0022]      FIG. 1A  is a top view showing the thin battery  1  (unit cell) comprising a battery pack. A lamination of a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate is placed in an enclosing body, which is formed by shaping the covering film (such a lamination film)  1   a  like a bag. Battery terminals  1   b  and  1   c , which are connected to the cell component, extend outside the enclosing body. It is assumed that those thin battery cells, which form the battery pack, have the same construction as thin battery  1 .  
         [0023]     As shown in the side view of  FIG. 1B , the battery pack is constructed such that four sheets of thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D (to be collectively referred to as a “thin battery  1 ”) are stacked, and the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (second unit cells) are located in the outermost position as viewed from the side (cross-section view in the figure) while the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (first unit cells) are located in the innermost position as viewed in the same direction.  
         [0024]     The battery terminals  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 , and  8  of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D are connected so as to form an electrical series connection of those thin battery cells as shown in  FIG. 1C . The battery terminals of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D are connected to an electrical apparatus (not shown) and supply electric power to the apparatus.  
         [0025]     When the battery pack thus constructed supplies electric power to the electric apparatus, the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D of the battery pack discharge and supply the electric power. If equivalent currents flow through the stacked thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D, the amount of heat generated by those battery cells are substantially equal to one another. In this case, temperature of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C, which are located on the inner side, among the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D forming the battery pack, is higher than that of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D on the outer sides.  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  represents a variation of an increasing rate of internal-resistance with respect to the temperature at which the thin battery cell is stored when the thin battery cells were stored for about six months with a state of charge (SOC) of 50%. As seen from  FIG. 2 , as the temperature rises, the increasing rate of internal-resistance (%) (i.e., battery deterioration rate) increases.  
         [0027]      FIG. 3  represents a variation of the increasing rate of internal-resistance with respect to a state of charge of the thin battery  1  when it is stored. The thin battery  1  was stored for about six months at different temperatures (25° C., 45° C. and 55° C.). As seen from  FIG. 3 , as the SOC (%) of the thin battery  1  increases, the increasing rate of internal-resistance (%) (i.e., battery deterioration rate) increases.  
         [0028]     The term “state of charge (SOC)” generally means a rate of remaining electric energy (remaining capacity) to a storage electric energy (capacitance) when the battery is fully charged, and in the specification, it will be referred to as a state of charge or SOC. The term “increasing rate of internal-resistance” means a rate of change of the internal resistance of the current battery to that of a new battery, and it is expressed in terms of %.  
         [0029]     Thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D are located on the outer sides of the thin battery  1  and therefore the heat generated at the time of charging and discharging easily dissipates. The SOC of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D is selected to be higher than that of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C. Thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C are located on the inner sides of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D and therefore heat generated at the time of the charging/discharging hardly dissipates. Thereby, a variation of the rates of deterioration (increasing rate of internal-resistance) of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D forming the battery pack can be minimized. It is known that a correlation is present between the SOC of the thin battery and an open-circuit voltage. Namely, as the SOC increases, the open-circuit circuit voltage increases. Therefore, as shown in  FIG. 1C , the open-circuit voltages of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (of which temperature rises highest at the time of charging/discharging) may be set to be lower than those of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (of which temperature does not rise as high above the temperature of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C at the time of charging/discharging).  
         [0030]     The term “open-circuit voltage” generally means a voltage between the terminals of the battery (electromotive voltage of the battery itself) at no load, and is called “open voltage” or “no-load voltage”.  
         [0031]     In other words, the states of charge of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (of which temperature rises highest at the time of charging/discharging) are set to be lower than those of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (of which temperature does not rise as high above the temperature of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C at the time of charting/discharging). Alternatively, the open-circuit voltage of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (of which the temperature does not rise as high at the time of charging/discharging) is set to be higher than that of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (of which temperature rises highest above the temperature of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D at the time of charging/discharging).  
         [0032]     The internal-resistance rate, as stated above, is a rate (%) of change of the internal resistance of a battery after it has deteriorated from the internal resistance of a new battery when the internal resistance of the new battery is set at 1. The increasing rate of internal-resistance is mathematically expressed by: 
 
((R 1 −R o )/R o )×100 
 
 where R o  denotes the internal resistance of a new battery; and R 1  denotes the internal resistance of the battery after it is deteriorated. 
 
         [0033]     In the example shown in  FIG. 1C , an average open-circuit voltage of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D is set at 4 V. The open-circuit voltages of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C is set at 3.95 V. The temperature of these cells rises highest at the time of charging/discharging (higher than the temperature of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D at the time of charging/discharging). The open-circuit voltage of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D is set at 4.05 V. The temperature of these cells does not rise as high at the time of charging/discharging (lower than the temperature of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C at the time of charging/discharging).  
         [0034]     The following option is also possible. The average states of charge of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D are set at 80%; the states of charge of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (of which temperature rises highest at the time of charging/discharging) are each set at 75%; and the states of charge of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (of which temperature does not rise as high at the time of charging/discharging) are each set at 85%. It is known that a correlation is generally present between the open-circuit voltage and the SOC. As the state of charge of the thin battery  1  is increased, the open-circuit voltage becomes high. Conversely, as the open-circuit voltage is increased, the state of charge of the thin battery  1  becomes high. In the example mentioned above, the open-circuit voltage is 4.05 V when the state of charge of the thin battery  1  is 85%, and the open-circuit voltage is 3.95 V when the state of charge is 75%.  
         [0035]     A relationship between the increasing rate of internal-resistance (%) of the battery pack and the time-of-use (day) is shown in  FIG. 4 . This relationship occurs in two cases. The first case is when the open-circuit voltages or the states of charge of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (of which temperature rises highest at the time of charging/discharging) are lower than the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (of which temperature does not rise high are change) (one embodiment of the present invention). The other case is when the open-circuit voltages or the states of charge of a plurality of thin batteries  1  are equal to one another (comparison). Current in battery  1  was kept constant while measuring the variation of increasing rate of internal-resistance shown in  FIG. 4 . The currents of the thin batteries  1  were kept constant at the time of charging/discharging by repeating a sequence of four steps of (1) charging, (2) charging/discharging rest, (3) discharging, and (4) charging/discharging rest.  
         [0036]     For the discharge conditions, the current value is 10CA (able to completely discharge the fully charged battery at a fixed current for six minutes), and the discharge end voltage (voltage at the end of discharge) is 2.5 V. For the charge conditions, the current value is 10CA (equal to the current value at the time of discharging), and the charge end voltage (voltage at the end of charging) is 4.2 V. The charging/discharging rest is one minute. The internal resistance was measured in a manner that voltage dropped when the thin battery  1  was discharged at a fixed current, and a DC resistance value was calculated by applying the current value and the voltage value to Ohm&#39;s law.  
         [0037]     As seen from  FIG. 4 , the increasing rate of internal-resistance (%) of the battery pack of the one embodiment of the present invention more gently varies than that of a battery pack (comparison) in which the states of charge (open-circuit voltages) of all the thin batteries are equal to one another.  
         [0038]     The reason why a difference occurs among the increasing rate of internal-resistance of the battery packs will be described. The temperature of the thin battery  1  rises when the battery pack is charged and discharged. The heat dissipation from the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D which are located on the outer side as viewed in the stacking direction (hereinafter referred to as the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D) is higher than that of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C which are located on the inner sides as viewed in the stacking direction (hereinafter referred to as the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C). Accordingly, the temperature of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C is higher than that of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D. Particularly, when the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the battery  1  are equal as in the case of the comparison, the internal resistance of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C is higher than that of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D. Accordingly, in the case of the battery pack of the comparison, the service life of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C determines that of the battery pack per se.  
         [0039]     In a case where the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C are lower than the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D, as in the case of the present application, a difference between the increasing rate of internal-resistance of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D and that of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C is reduced. This results in the service life of the battery pack of the invention being longer than that of the comparison.  
         [0040]     In the embodiment, the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C are lower than the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D. Accordingly, the service life of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C is close to that of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D. In the example mentioned above, when the difference between the states of charge of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C and the states of charge of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D is limited to be within 10% of the maximum capacity of each thin battery  1 , the service life of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D is substantially equal to that of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C. Also when the difference between the open-circuit voltages of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C and the open-circuit voltages of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D is limited to be within 0.1 V, the service life of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D is substantially equal to that of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C.  
         [0041]     The difference between the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C and the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D is much larger than the difference between the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages as mentioned above. In this case, the increasing rate of internal-resistance (caused by the difference between the states of charge of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C and the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D) or the open-circuit voltage difference, is larger than the increasing rate of internal-resistance caused by the temperature difference between the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C and the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D. Further, the increasing rate of internal-resistance of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D exceeds that of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C. For this reason, it is preferable that the difference between the states of charge of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (i.e., the lowest states of charge of the thin batteries) and the states of charge of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (i.e., the lowest states of charge of the thin batteries) is limited to be within 10% of the maximum capacity of each thin battery  1 . Alternatively, it is preferable that the difference between the open-circuit voltages of the thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (i.e., the lowest open-circuit voltages of the thin batteries) and the open-circuit voltages of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (i.e., the highest open-circuit voltages of the thin batteries) is limited to be within 0.1 V.  
         [0042]     In another embodiment of the present invention, a control unit is used to regulate discharge of the cells. In the battery pack with the thin battery  1  electrically connected in series, the currents flowing through the battery  1  at the time of charging/discharging are substantially equal to one another. Before those thin battery cells are connected in series to form a battery pack, those batteries may be programmed so as to have different states of charge (open-circuit voltage difference). The batteries thus programmed, when connected in series, are charged and discharged while keeping the state-of-charge difference (open-circuit voltage difference). Specifically, assume a case where the battery pack, which includes a plurality of electrically series-connected thin batteries stacked together, is installed in a luggage compartment (trunk) and is free from influence by outside temperature. In this case, the battery is charged such that the states of charge (SOC) or the open-circuit voltages of the inner side thin battery cells  1 B and  1 C (first battery cells) are higher than those of the outer side thin battery cells  1 A and  1 D (second battery cells). Following this, those thin battery cells are stacked and electrically connected in series to form a battery pack, whereby the service lives of the thin battery cells are uniformized as much as possible.  
         [0043]     In a case where the battery pack is installed in an engine compartment of a vehicle, for example, the battery pack is thermally affected by the engine. As a result, temperatures of the inner side thin battery cells do not always increase the most at the time of charging/discharging of the battery pack. To avoid this, it is preferable that the temperatures of the batteries are detected. The states of charge (SOC) or the open-circuit voltages of the batteries are then controlled according to the detected temperatures. The embodiment is arranged as shown in  FIG. 5 . Temperatures of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D are detected by temperature detecting units (temperature control means)  3 A,  3 B,  3 C, and  3 D, and the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D are controlled by a state-of-charge (SOC) control unit  6 . The state-of-charge (SOC) control unit  6  consists of a controller  5 , and discharging circuits  4 A,  4 B,  4 C, and  4 D.  
         [0044]     The temperature detecting units  3 A,  3 B,  3 C, and  3 D are thermal sensors for detecting and outputting temperatures of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D. The outputs from the temperature detecting units  3 A,  3 B,  3 C, and  3 D are output to a controller  5  of the SOC control unit  6 .  
         [0045]     The SOC control unit  6  contains the controller  5  and discharging circuits  4 A,  4 B,  4 C, and  4 D.  
         [0046]     The discharging circuits  4 A,  4 B,  4 C, and  4 D are each a series circuit of a switch and a resistor, and those series circuits are connected across the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D, respectively. In the discharging circuits  4 A,  4 B,  4 C, and  4 D, the switches are turned on according to commands from the controller  5  to consume the electric power from the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D to control the SOCs of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D, respectively.  
         [0047]     The controller  5  reads the temperatures of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D output from the temperature detecting units  3 A,  3 B,  3 C, and  3 D. Controller  5  then prepares commands on the basis of the temperatures of the thin battery cells and sends them to the discharging circuits  4 A,  4 B,  4 C, and  4 D to thereby control the switches of the discharging circuits.  
         [0048]     Operations of the controller  5  will be described by using a flow chart of  FIG. 6 . The process flow chart starts at the same time as the controller  5  is supplied with electric power from a power source (not shown) to power-up the controller  5 .  
         [0049]     In the embodiment description to follow, it is assumed that the thin battery cells have been charged to uniform states of charge (for example, 85%) when the controller  5  is started.  
         [0050]     In step S 1 , the controller reads temperatures of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D output from the temperature detecting units  3 A,  3 B,  3 C, and  3 D.  
         [0051]     In the next step S 2 , the controller computes the maximum and the minimum temperatures of those detected from all the thin battery cells. In step S 3 , the controller calculates a difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures to check whether or not a variation is present among those temperatures. If the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures is a predetermined value or higher, the controller determines that a variation is present. If it is lower than the predetermined value, the controller determines that no variation is present. If no variation is present, the controller ends the process. If a variation is present, the controller advances to step S 4 .  
         [0052]     In the next step S 4 , the controller calculates the temperature difference between each thin battery cell and the minimum temperature. The controller sends timing signals based on the calculated temperature differences to the discharging circuits  4 A,  4 B,  4 C, and  4 D, and turns on the switches to discharge the electric power of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D. For example, the timing signals of the switches are adjusted to lower the state of charge by 1%, or to decrease the temperature by 1° C. relative to the minimum temperature. This is equivalent to an open-circuit voltage reduction of 10 mV with respect to 1° C. of the temperature difference relative to the minimum temperature. For example, in a case where the thin battery cell has a temperature that is 10° C. higher than the minimum temperature, the state of charge of the thin battery cell is reduced to 10% (0.1 V of the open-circuit voltage) below the state of charge of the thin battery cells having the minimum temperature.  
         [0053]     In this case, as described above, it is preferable that the difference between the state of charge of the thin battery cells with the highest state of charge and that of the thin battery cells with the lowest state of charge is limited to be within 10%. Alternatively, it is preferable that the difference between the open-circuit voltage of the thin battery cell having the lowest open-circuit voltage and that of the thin battery cells having the highest open-circuit voltage is limited to be within 0.1 V.  
         [0054]     For the thin battery cell with high temperature and a large increasing rate of internal-resistance, the SOC of the thin battery cell is reduced. Therefore, the increasing rate of internal-resistance owing to the SOC is made small, whereby the rates of deterioration of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D are close to equal value. Accordingly, in the battery pack, the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D are adjusted to deteriorate at similar rates as much as possible. The service lives of the thin battery cells  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D forming the battery pack are substantially equalized. Therefore, there is no need to disassemble the battery and replace only the thin battery cell that has deteriorated more than the others with a new one. This leads to a reduction of battery management cost.  
         [0055]     It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments mentioned above, but may be variously modified, altered and changed within true spirits of the invention.  
         [0056]     A stack of thin battery cells (unit cells) is used for the battery pack in the embodiments mentioned above. In a case where the battery pack of the invention is used as a high-power battery pack, such as a power source for a motor, or as a driving power source of a vehicle, unit battery packs composed of a plurality of thin battery cells are formed, and those unit batteries are layered together to form a battery pack. Also in this case, temperatures of some unit battery packs rise high and temperatures of some unit battery packs do not rise high. Accordingly, the service lives of those unit battery packs may be equalized by controlling the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages in the manner as described above. Specifically, the states of charge or the open-circuit voltages of the high-temperature unit batteries are set to be lower than those of the low-temperature unit battery packs, whereby the state of charge or the open-circuit voltage is controlled for each unit battery pack to equalize the service lives of the unit battery packs.  
         [0057]     The battery pack containing a stack of four thin battery cells has been described in the embodiments. However, the number of thin battery cells is not limited to four, but may be six or eight since the invention involves the technical idea that as the temperature increases, the SOC or the open-circuit voltage decreases. Also, various embodiments described herein refer to “thin” battery cells, however the invention is not necessarily limited to cells that are thin.