Abstract:
Provided is a low-cost battery pack capable of predicting a remaining battery life of a rechargeable battery with more accuracy while being capable of dealing with a variation in battery characteristics. In a remaining battery life prediction device, a constant current source configured to cause a constant current to flow through a battery as a load current is provided, battery voltages before and after the constant current as the load current is caused to flow through the battery are measured at a plurality of time points, and a battery internal resistance is calculated based on a change over time of the battery voltage.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Applications No. 2015-051309 filed on Mar. 13, 2015, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a battery management system, and more particularly, to a remaining battery life prediction device for, for example, a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    It is required for rechargeable batteries that have been used in various devices represented by mobile devices to be provided with a battery management system configured to manage charge and discharge of the battery. An operating time of a device needs to be grasped more accurately particularly when the device is being operated, and a remaining battery life prediction device has been used for accurate detection. 
         [0006]    A battery pack including a related-art remaining battery life prediction device is illustrated in  FIG. 5 . A remaining battery life prediction device  20  includes a CPU  21  configured to perform signal processing calculation, a RAM  22  to be used in the signal processing calculation, an ADC  23  configured to detect a battery voltage obtained by converting, with a level translator  26 , a battery voltage of a rechargeable battery  6  per one cell, an ADC  24  configured to detect a voltage generated at a current sensing resistor  10  for detecting a current of the rechargeable battery  6 , and a non-volatile memory  25  configured to hold data on, for example, characteristics of a battery in advance. The remaining battery life prediction device  20  is configured to obtain a remaining battery life based on a voltage of the rechargeable battery  6 , a transferred charge amount obtained through coulomb counting with a current value of the rechargeable battery  6  measured with the use of the current sensing resistor  10 , and the like. In order to predict a remaining life with high accuracy, it is required to measure the voltage and current of the rechargeable battery  6  with high accuracy. 
         [0007]    In the related-art remaining battery life prediction device, a battery internal resistance is prepared in advance as a battery internal resistance model, and hence there is a problem in that the related-art remaining battery life prediction device cannot immediately deal with a variation in battery characteristics. 
         [0008]    Moreover, in order to determine a voltage corresponding to a voltage drop based on the battery internal resistance, it is necessary to measure a current consumed by the battery, and there has been required a highly-precise current sensing resistor with a large allowable current amount in order to measure the current. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention provides a low-cost battery pack capable of predicting a remaining battery life of a rechargeable battery with high accuracy. 
         [0010]    In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a remaining battery life prediction device according to one embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. 
         [0011]    The remaining battery life prediction device includes: a first voltage detection unit configured to measure a battery voltage; a current sensing resistor for sensing a load current flowing through a load; a second voltage detection unit configured to measure a voltage of the current sensing resistor; a calculation control unit configured to perform predictive calculation of a remaining battery life based on the battery voltage and the voltage of the current sensing resistor; and a constant current source configured to selectively cause a constant current to flow through the battery as a load. In the remaining battery life prediction device, the calculation control unit is configured to measure the battery voltages before and after the constant current is caused to flow through the battery at at least three time points, and calculate a battery internal resistance based on the measured battery voltages, to thereby predict the remaining life of the battery. 
         [0012]    With the above-mentioned configuration, the battery internal resistance can be directly measured, and hence it is possible to provide a low-cost battery pack capable of predicting a remaining battery life of a rechargeable battery with more accuracy while being capable of dealing with a variation in battery characteristics. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a battery pack including a remaining battery life prediction device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram for illustrating an example of an equivalent circuit of a battery. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a graph for showing an example of dependence between an open-circuit voltage of a rechargeable battery and a state of charge. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is another example of a block diagram of the battery pack including the remaining battery life prediction device according to this embodiment. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of a battery pack including a related-art remaining battery life prediction device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a battery pack including a remaining battery life prediction device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The battery pack including the remaining battery life prediction device of this embodiment includes a remaining battery life prediction device  1 , a rechargeable battery  6 , a MOSFET  9  for charge and discharge control, a current sensing resister  10 , and a charge and discharge control circuit  16 . The remaining battery life prediction device  1  includes a voltage detection unit  11 , a calculation control unit  17 , a voltage detection unit  12 , a constant current source  4 , and a current source control switch  5 . 
         [0019]    The battery pack of this embodiment has the following connections. 
         [0020]    The remaining battery life prediction device  1  is connected to both ends of the rechargeable battery  6 . The current sensing resister  10  is connected between a negative terminal of the rechargeable battery  6  and the MOSFET  9 . The charge and discharge control circuit  16  is connected to both the ends of the rechargeable battery  6 , and has an output terminal connected to the MOSFET  9 . An application system serving as a load  8  is connected to external terminals of the device. The voltage detection unit  11  has an input terminal connected to the rechargeable battery  6  and an output terminal connected to the control unit  17 . The voltage detection unit  12  has an input terminal connected to both ends of the current sensing resistor  10  and an output terminal connected to the calculation control unit  17 . The constant current source  4  and the current source control switch  5  are proided to a positive terminal of the rechargeable battery  6 . 
         [0021]    The voltage detection unit  11  is configured to measure a battery voltage Vbat of the rechargeable battery  6 . The voltage detection unit  12  is configured to detect a voltage across both the ends of the current sensing resistor  10  for measuring a current consumed by the load  8 . The calculation control unit  17  is configured to predict a remaining battery life based on the battery voltage Vbat and the consumed current. The constant current source  4  is configured to cause a known constant current for measurement of a battery internal resistance to flow. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram for illustrating an example of an equivalent circuit of the rechargeable battery  6 . The rechargeable battery  6  is assumed to be formed of a voltage source  18  and an internal resistance equivalent circuit model  7 . An internal resistance equivalent circuit model of a general rechargeable battery has the following configuration: a circuit including a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series and a capacitor connected in parallel to the second resistor is set as a unit circuit, and a plurality of unit circuits are connected in series. When an attempt is made to approximate a battery internal resistance more accurately through use of an equivalent circuit, the number of stages of unit circuits increases, resulting in complicated calculation. Although the internal resistance equivalent circuit model  7  of the rechargeable battery  6  illustrated in  FIG. 2  has a simplified circuit configuration, this configuration is sufficiently suitable for practical use as an internal resistance equivalent circuit model to be used for prediction of a battery remaining life. In this embodiment, a description is given based on the internal resistance equivalent circuit model  7  of the rechargeable battery  6  illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0023]    When the current consumed by the load  8  is represented by Isys and the current of the constant current source  4  is represented by Idi, changes over time of a battery voltage Vbat(t) and a battery open-circuit voltage Vocv(t) of the rechargeable battery  6  at the time when the current Idi is connected to the rechargeable battery  6  are represented by Expression 1. 
         [0000]        Vbat ( t )= Vocv ( t )−( Ra+Rb )· Isys−Ra·Idi−Rb·Idi (1 −e   −(t-t     0     )/τ)    (1)
 
         [0024]    Note that, Expression 1 assumes a case where the constant current source  4  is connected when time t=t 0 . In other words, Expression 1 assumes a case where Idi=0 when t&lt;t 0 , Idi&gt;0 when t≧t 0 , and τ≡Cp·Rb. 
         [0025]    When the time t&lt;t o , the current consumed from the rechargeable battery  6  is the current Isys of the load  8 . The battery voltage Vbat in this case is a voltage obtained by subtracting a voltage corresponding to a voltage drop due to the battery internal resistance  7  and the current Isys from the battery open-circuit voltage Vocv. The voltage corresponding to the voltage drop is represented by −(Ra+Rb)Isys, and when the battery open-circuit voltage at this time is represented by Vocv(t), the battery voltage Vbat(t) is represented by Expression 2. 
         [0000]        Vbat ( t )= Vocv ( t )−( Ra+Rb )· Isys    (2)
 
         [0026]    When the time t≧t 0 , a voltage drop due to the current Idi of the constant current source  4  is added, and a drop voltage is represented by Expression 3. 
         [0000]      − Ra·Idi−Rb·Idi (1 −e   −(t-t     0     )/τ )   (3)
 
         [0027]    When battery voltages immediately before and after the addition of the constant current source  4  are represented by Vbat(t 0 −δ) and Vbat(t 0 +δ), respectively, Vbat(t 0 −δ) and Vbat(t 0 +δ) are represented as follows. 
         [0000]        Vbat ( t   0 −δ)= Vocv ( t   0 −δ)−( Ra+Rb )· Isys    (4)
 
         [0000]        Vbat ( t   0 +δ)= Vocv ( t   0 +δ)−( Ra+Rb )· Isys−Ra·Idi    (5)
 
         [0028]    Considering that a change of the battery open-circuit voltage Vocv is small when a time period immediately after the addition of the constant current source  4  is assumed to be short, a resistance value Ra of the first resistor of the battery internal resistance  7  is represented by Expression 7, and the resistance value Ra can be determined based on a change amount of the battery voltage Vbat and the current Idi of the constant current source  4 . 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     
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         [0029]    Further, the battery voltages Vbat at two time points of t=T+to and t=nT+to can be represented by Expression 8 and Expression 9, respectively. 
         [0000]        Vbat ( T +to)= Vocv ( T +to)−( Ra+Rb ) Isys−Ra·Idi−Rb·Idi (1 −e   −T/τ )   (8)
 
         [0000]        Vbat ( nT +to)= Vocv ( nT +to)−( Ra+Rb ) Isys−Ra·Idi−Rb·Idi (1 −e   −nT/τ )   (9)
 
         [0030]    Two variables of the battery internal resistance  7 , namely, Rb and Cp, can be determined by analytically solving Expression 8 and Expression 9. In other words, the resistance values Ra and Rb and a capacitance value Cp in the internal resistance equivalent circuit model  7  can be determined by measuring the change over time of the battery voltage Vbat. 
         [0031]    Incidentally, in order to determine the battery internal resistance  7  based on the expressions given above, it is necessary to obtain the battery open-circuit voltage Vocv. The battery open-circuit voltage Vocv is strongly correlated with a state of charge SOC of the rechargeable battery  6 .  FIG. 3  is a graph for showing an example of dependence between the battery open-circuit voltage Vocv and the state of charge SOC. In this case, Vmax represents a maximum voltage at the time of charging of the rechargeable battery  6  and Vmin represents an expected minimum voltage of the rechargeable battery  6 , which is defined in advance. Qmx represents an amount of charged electric charges required to fully charge the rechargeable battery  6  from the battery voltage Vmin to the battery voltage Vmax. When an amount of charged electric charges of the rechargeable battery  6  at a given time point is represented by Qc, the state of charge SOC at the given time point is defined by Expression 10. 
         [0000]        SOC=Qc/Qmx    (10)
 
         [0032]    When the state of charge immediately before the constant current Idi is added to the rechargeable battery  6  is represented by Soco, an amount of electric charges Qco charged to the rechargeable battery  6  at this time is represented by Expression 11. 
         [0000]        Qco=Soco·Qmx    (11)
 
         [0033]    When a time period that has passed after the addition of the constant current Idi is represented by n·T (where n is an integer), a change Qcms of the amount of electric charges Qco charged to the rechargeable battery  6  is represented by Expression 12. 
         [0000]        Qcms =( Isys+Idi ) nT    (12)
 
         [0034]    The state of charge Soc(n·T) at this time is represented by Expression 13. 
         [0000]        Soc ( nT )=( Qco−Qcms )/ Qmx=Soco−nT ( Isys+Idi )/ Qmx    (13)
 
         [0035]    An open-circuit voltage Vocv(n·T) of the rechargeable battery  6  at this time can be determined from the dependence between the battery open-circuit voltage Vocv and the state of charge shown in  FIG. 3  based on a value of the state of charge determined from the expressions given above. 
         [0036]    Note that, although an example in which the current sensing resistor  10  is provided on the negative terminal side of the rechargeable battery  6  is described in this embodiment, the same effects can be obtained even when the current sensing resistor  10  is provided on the positive terminal side of the rechargeable battery  6  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0037]    As described above, with the remaining battery life prediction device according to the present invention, it is possible to directly measure the battery internal resistance  7 , and it is possible to immediately reflect the actual battery internal resistance  7  in the prediction of a remaining battery life. It is therefore possible to predict a remaining battery life with more accuracy. 
         [0038]    Note that, although the voltage detection units are provided individually as the voltage detection units  11  and  12  in the above description, the voltages can be measured with only one voltage detection unit by temporally sharing voltage measurement timing. 
         [0039]    Further, although the on/off control of the constant current source  4  is performed by the current source control switch  5  in the above description, it is known that such on/off control can be realized easily by, for example, adding a sleep function to the constant current source  4  itself. 
         [0040]    Further, it is to be understood that the current Isys of the load  8  may be Isys=0 instead.