Patent ID: 8513918

Claim:
A vehicle battery control system, comprising: a battery module that is constituted with a plurality of cells that are electrically connected in series and is connected to an inverter equipment via a contactor; a cell controller that detects each voltage at the plurality of cells; and a voltage sensor that measures a voltage between a positive pole and a negative pole between the contactor and the inverter equipment; a battery control unit that calculates a battery state and/or an inputtable/outputtable electric power of the battery module and outputs the calculated the battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power to a higher-order controller, wherein: the contactor includes a main contactor and a sub contactor; a first, a second and a third modes are defined as modes where the battery control unit calculates the battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power; and outputs the calculated battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power to the higher-order controller; the battery control unit switches a mode among the first through the third modes and calculates the battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power and outputs the calculated the battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power to the higher-order controller according to a switched mode; when the first mode, where the battery control unit is started up and the main contactor is in an open state, is set, the battery control unit determines a total voltage of the battery module with a total value of voltages at the plurality of cells detected by the cell controller, calculates the battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power based upon the total voltage, and outputs the calculated battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power to the higher-order controller; when the second mode, where the main contactor is in a closed state, is set, the battery control unit determines the total voltage of the battery module with the voltage measured by the voltage sensor, calculates the battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power based upon the total voltage, and outputs the calculated battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power to the higher-order controller; and when the third mode, where the main contactor changes from a closed state to an open state and the battery control unit is stopped, is set, the battery control unit determines the total voltage of the battery module with the total value of voltages at the plurality of cells detected by the cell controller, calculates the battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power based upon the total voltage, and outputs the calculated battery state and/or the inputtable/outputtable electric power to the higher-order controller.