Voltage measuring device, voltage detection circuit and voltage detection method

Abstract

A voltage measuring device (100) is a voltage measuring device having a plurality of voltage detection circuits for measuring cell voltages of a plurality of cells connected in series, wherein the voltage detection circuit (1) comprises a communication terminal information holding circuit (51, 71) for holding communication terminal information for designating a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits (1) as a communication terminal position, and a communication control circuit (52, 72) for controlling the transmission of a communication command received from a preceding voltage detection circuit to a subsequent voltage detection circuit based on the communication terminal information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a voltage measuring device, a voltage detection circuit and a voltage detection method. Background Art

[0002] Fig.13 This is a voltage measuring device of the prior art, in which a master node (masternode) connected to a controller (MCU) and a slave node (slave node) as a voltage detection circuit are connected in a daisy chain to form a ring.

[0003] also, Fig.14 This is a communication action of a conventional network, in which a command from a master device is transmitted from an initial node of a slave device to a final node, and a response from a designated slave device is transmitted to the master device via a final node.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0346308 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0008] Conventionally, there is a problem that, when a fault occurs in the middle of a ring-shaped network, commands and responses reach the faulty portion, causing electrical abnormalities such as excess current to occur.

[0009] Conventionally, there is a problem that, when a fault occurs in the middle of a ring-shaped network, commands and responses reach the faulty portion, causing electrical abnormalities such as excess current to occur.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a voltage measuring device, a voltage detection circuit, and a voltage detection method that can suppress electrical abnormalities such as excess current caused by commands and responses even if a fault occurs in the middle of a network.

[0011] Means for solving problems

[0012] A voltage measuring device in one form of the present invention comprises a plurality of voltage detection circuits for measuring cell voltages of a plurality of cells connected in series, the voltage detection circuits comprising: a communication terminal information holding circuit for holding communication terminal information for designating a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position; and a communication control circuit for controlling the transmission of a communication command received from a preceding voltage detection circuit to a succeeding voltage detection circuit based on the communication terminal information.

[0013] A voltage detection circuit in one form of the present invention is a voltage detection circuit included in a plurality of voltage detection circuits of a voltage measuring device that measures cell voltages of a plurality of cells connected in series, and comprises: a communication terminal information holding circuit that holds communication terminal information that designates a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position; and a communication control circuit that controls the transmission of a communication command received from a preceding voltage detection circuit to a succeeding voltage detection circuit based on the communication terminal information.

[0014] One form of a voltage detection method of the present invention is a voltage detection method in a plurality of voltage detection circuits of a voltage measuring device that measures the cell voltage of a plurality of cells connected in series, wherein the voltage detection circuit controls the transmission of a communication command received from a preceding voltage detection circuit to a subsequent voltage detection circuit based on communication terminal information that designates a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position.

[0015] A voltage measuring device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of voltage detection circuits for measuring cell voltages of a battery pack formed by connecting a plurality of cells in series, a controller, a first communication circuit and a second communication circuit, wherein the plurality of voltage detection circuits are connected in a daisy chain, and the voltage detection circuit comprises a response output circuit for outputting a response when an upper response request signal or a lower response request signal is provided, a lower communication transmission circuit for transmitting a communication command from the lower side, an upper communication control circuit for decoding the communication command from the upper side and outputting the upper response request signal, a lower communication terminal information holding circuit for holding lower communication terminal information, a circuit for selecting the response according to the upper response request signal and selecting the lower communication according to the lower communication terminal information. An upper side selection circuit that receives a communication command transmitted by the communication transmission circuit and outputs it to the upper side, an upper side communication transmission circuit that transmits a communication command from the upper side, a lower side communication control circuit that decodes the communication command from the lower side and outputs the above-mentioned lower side response request signal, an upper side communication terminal information holding circuit that holds the upper side communication terminal information, a lower side selection circuit that selects the above-mentioned response according to the above-mentioned lower side response request signal and selects the communication command transmitted by the above-mentioned upper side communication transmission circuit according to the above-mentioned upper side communication terminal information and outputs it to the lower side, the above-mentioned controller is connected to the lower side of the above-mentioned voltage detection circuit at the lowest level via the above-mentioned first communication circuit, and is connected to the upper side of the above-mentioned voltage detection circuit at the highest level via the above-mentioned second communication circuit, and performs sending of the above-mentioned communication command and reception of the above-mentioned response.

[0016] One aspect of the present invention is a voltage detection circuit used in the above-mentioned voltage measuring device.

[0017] One aspect of the present invention is a battery pack system including the voltage measuring device described above and a battery pack including a plurality of cells connected in series.

[0018] One form of the present invention is a voltage measuring method in a voltage measuring device, the voltage measuring device comprising a plurality of voltage detection circuits for measuring cell voltages of a battery pack formed by connecting a plurality of cells in series, a controller, a first communication circuit, and a second communication circuit, the plurality of voltage detection circuits being connected in a daisy chain, the controller being connected to the voltage detection circuit at the lowest level via the first communication circuit, and being connected to the voltage detection circuit at the highest level via the second communication circuit, to send a communication command, the voltage detection circuit comprising an upper communication terminal information holding circuit for holding upper communication terminal information, and a lower communication terminal information holding circuit for holding lower communication terminal information, the voltage measuring method comprising the following steps: the controller sending a communication command to the voltage detection circuit at the lowest level via the first communication circuit; the controller sending a communication command to the voltage detection circuit at the lowest level via the second communication circuit; A step of transmitting the communication command received by the voltage detection circuit to the voltage detection circuit specified by the lower communication terminal information; a step of sending the response of the voltage detection circuit as the object of the communication command received by the lowermost voltage detection circuit to the lower side; a step of receiving the response sent to the lower side by the controller via the first communication circuit; a step of sending the communication command to the uppermost voltage detection circuit by the controller via the second communication circuit; a step of transmitting the communication command received by the uppermost voltage detection circuit to the voltage detection circuit specified by the upper communication terminal information; a step of sending the response of the voltage detection circuit as the object of the communication command received by the uppermost voltage detection circuit to the upper side; a step of receiving the response sent to the upper side by the controller via the second communication circuit.

[0019] Effects of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, even if a fault occurs in the middle of a network, electrical abnormalities such as excess current caused by commands and responses can be suppressed.

[0021] For example, according to the present invention, in a battery pack system composed of a plurality of cells connected in series, a daisy-chain connected voltage detection circuit does not further transmit a communication command from a pre-specified voltage detection circuit, thereby enabling parallel communication from both ends of the daisy chain. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1A This is a diagram showing a configuration example of a battery pack system including the voltage measuring device and the voltage detection circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 1BThis is a diagram showing a modified example of a battery pack system including the voltage detection circuit and the voltage measurement device of the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 2A This is a diagram showing a configuration example of a voltage detection circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0025] Figure 2B This is a diagram showing a first modified example of the voltage detection circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0026] Figure 2C This is a diagram showing a second modified example of the voltage detection circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0027] Figure 2D This is a diagram showing an operation example of the second modification of the voltage detection circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0028] Figure 2E This is a diagram showing an operation example of the second modification of the voltage detection circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0029] Figure 2F This is a diagram showing another modified example of the voltage detection circuit of the first embodiment.

[0030] Figure 3A This is a diagram for explaining the voltage measuring method according to the first embodiment.

[0031] Figure 3B This is a diagram for explaining the voltage measuring method according to the first embodiment.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a configuration diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to the first embodiment.

[0033] Figure 5 This is a configuration diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to the first embodiment.

[0034] Figure 6 This is a configuration diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to the first embodiment.

[0035] Figure 7 This is a configuration diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to a second embodiment.

[0036] Figure 8 This is a configuration diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to a second embodiment.

[0037] Fig. 9 This is a configuration diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to a third embodiment.

[0038] Fig.10This is a configuration diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to a third embodiment.

[0039] Fig.11 It is a structural diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to a fourth embodiment.

[0040] Fig.12 It is a structural diagram of a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device, and a battery pack system according to a fourth embodiment.

[0041] Fig.13 It is a figure explaining the prior art.

[0042] Fig.14 It is a figure explaining the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] (Implementation Method 1)

[0044] like Figure 1A to Figure 6 As shown, regarding the voltage detection circuit, voltage measuring device 100, battery pack system 10 and voltage measuring method of embodiment 1, it is a voltage measuring device 100 having multiple voltage detection circuits and a controller 13, a first communication circuit 11 and a second communication circuit 12 for measuring the cell voltage of a battery pack 200 composed of multiple cells 20 connected in series, the multiple voltage detection circuits are daisy chained, and the voltage detection circuit comprises: a response output circuit 22, which outputs a response when an upper side response request signal or a lower side response request signal is provided; a lower side communication transmission circuit 74, which transmits a communication command from the lower side; an upper side communication control circuit 52, which decodes the communication command from the upper side and outputs the above-mentioned upper side response request signal; and a lower side communication control circuit 52, which decodes the communication command from the upper side and outputs the above-mentioned upper side response request signal. The upper communication terminal information holding circuit 71 holds the lower communication terminal information; the upper selection circuit 53 selects the response according to the upper response request signal, selects the communication command transmitted by the lower communication transmission circuit 74 according to the lower communication terminal information, and outputs it to the upper side; the upper communication transmission circuit 54 transmits the communication command from the upper side; the lower communication control circuit 72 decodes the communication command from the lower side and outputs the lower response request signal; the upper communication terminal information holding circuit 51 holds the upper communication terminal information; the lower selection circuit 73 selects the response according to the lower response request signal, selects the communication command transmitted by the upper communication transmission circuit 54 according to the upper communication terminal information, and outputs it to the lower side. The controller 13 is connected to the lower side of the voltage detection circuit at the lowest level via the first communication circuit 11, and is connected to the upper side of the voltage detection circuit at the highest level via the second communication circuit 12, and transmits the communication command and receives the response.

[0045] In addition, the upper side selection circuit 53 selects the communication command transmitted by the lower side communication transmission circuit 74 according to the upper side communication terminal information instead of the lower side communication terminal information, and outputs it to the upper side. The lower side selection circuit 73 selects the communication command transmitted by the upper side communication transmission circuit 54 according to the lower side communication terminal information instead of the upper side communication terminal information, and outputs it to the lower side.

[0046] In addition, the response is battery information of the unit 20 connected to the voltage detection circuit.

[0047] Furthermore, the details will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0048] Figure 1A The voltage measuring device 100 of the first embodiment shows, in particular, a communication command and a response when there is a communication failure between the voltage detection circuit 2 and the voltage detection circuit 3, as a case where there is a failure in the communication path. In addition, in the device address holding circuit 21 of the voltage detection circuits 1 to 5, 1 to 5 are set as device addresses, respectively.

[0049] Figure 2A This is a detailed diagram of the voltage detection circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0050] pass Figure 2A , 3 is set for the lower communication terminal information indicating the final applicable target of the communication command from the lower side, and 2 is set for the upper communication terminal information indicating the final applicable target of the communication command from the upper side.

[0051] Furthermore, if the MCU sends a communication command to read the battery information from the voltage detection circuit 4 to the lower side of the voltage detection circuit 5 via the first communication circuit 11, the voltage detection circuit 5 and the voltage detection circuit 4 that are not specified by the lower communication terminal information transmit the communication command to the upper side via the lower communication transmission circuit 74 and the upper selection circuit 53. Since the voltage detection circuit 3 is specified by the lower communication terminal information, the communication command is not transmitted.

[0052] In addition, the lower communication control circuit 72 of the voltage detection circuit 4 decodes the communication command, and if it detects that it is the object of the communication command, it outputs the lower response request signal, the response output circuit 22 outputs the battery information as a response, and the lower selection circuit 73 selects the response and outputs it to the lower side. The output response is transmitted to the lower side by the upper communication transmission circuit 54 of the voltage detection circuit 5 and the lower selection circuit 73, and is received by the MCU via the first communication circuit 11.

[0053] Similarly, if the MCU sends a communication command to read the battery information from the voltage detection circuit 1 to the upper side of the voltage detection circuit 1 via the second communication circuit 12, the communication command is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 2 specified by the upper communication terminal information, and the voltage detection circuit 1, which is the object of the communication command, outputs the battery information to the upper side as a response, and the MCU receives the response via the second communication circuit 12.

[0054] Furthermore, the voltage measuring device 100 of the first embodiment targets the voltage detection circuit 1 and the voltage detection circuit 4 as communication command targets. However, since the communication command is transmitted to all the voltage detection circuits through communication from both the upper and lower sides, any voltage detection circuit can be targeted.

[0055] In addition, the voltage measuring device 100 of embodiment 1 can stop the transmission of communication commands through the upper communication terminal information and the lower communication terminal information. When a fault occurs in the middle of the voltage detection circuit connected in a daisy chain, communication can be carried out from the MCU to all voltage detection circuits through communication from the upper side and the lower side. As a result, the communication command can be prevented from reaching the fault site and the occurrence of electrical abnormalities such as increased current can be prevented.

[0056] Furthermore, since it is possible to prevent a conflict between communication from the upper side and communication from the lower side, it is possible to execute the communication from the upper side and the communication from the lower side in parallel, thereby achieving a reduction in processing time.

[0057] Since the presence or absence of transmission of a communication command can be determined not based on the decoding result of the communication command but based on the lower communication terminal information and the upper communication terminal information set in advance, the communication command can be transmitted at a high speed.

[0058] then, Figure 3A , Figure 3B The voltage measuring method according to the first embodiment is described. Figure 3A This is the case where the controller 13 sends a communication command from the bottom side. Figure 3B This is the case where the controller 13 sends a communication command from the upper side. Figure 4 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation example of the voltage measuring device 100. In the figure, the upper communication terminal information and the lower communication terminal information are abbreviated as UCTI and LCTI, respectively.

[0059] The voltage measuring device of the present embodiment 1 comprises a plurality of voltage detection circuits for measuring cell voltages of a battery pack 200 formed by connecting a plurality of cells 20 in series, a controller 13, a first communication circuit 11 and a second communication circuit 12. The plurality of voltage detection circuits are connected in a daisy chain. The controller 13 is connected to the lowest voltage detection circuit via the first communication circuit 11 and is connected to the highest voltage detection circuit via the second communication circuit 12 to send communication commands. The voltage detection circuit comprises an upper communication terminal information holding circuit 51 for holding upper communication terminal information and a lower communication terminal information holding circuit 71 for holding lower communication terminal information.

[0060] according to Figure 3A , Figure 3B The voltage detection method comprises: a step (S71) in which the controller 13 sends a communication command to the voltage detection circuit at the lowest level via the first communication circuit 11, a step (S72) in which the voltage detection circuit at the lowest level transmits the received communication command to the voltage detection circuit specified by the lower communication terminal information, a step (S73) in which the voltage detection circuit that is the object of the communication command received by the voltage detection circuit at the lowest level sends a response to the lower side, and a step (S74) in which the controller 13 receives the response sent to the lower side via the first communication circuit 11. In addition, the voltage detection method comprises: a step (S51) in which the controller 13 sends a communication command to the voltage detection circuit at the top level via the second communication circuit 12, a step (S52) in which the voltage detection circuit at the top level transmits the received communication command to the voltage detection circuit specified by the upper communication terminal information, a step (S53) in which the voltage detection circuit as the object of the communication command received by the voltage detection circuit at the top level sends a response to the upper side, and a step (S54) in which the controller 13 receives the response sent to the upper side via the second communication circuit 12.

[0061] The battery pack system 10 of the first embodiment is constituted by the voltage measuring device 100 described above and a battery pack 200 in which a plurality of cells 20 are connected in series.

[0062] (Variation of Implementation Example 1)

[0063] Figure 5 A block diagram showing a voltage detection circuit according to this modification example.

[0064] and Figure 2A The voltage detection circuit shown is different in that upper communication terminal information is input to upper selection circuit 53 instead of lower communication terminal information, and lower communication terminal information is input to lower selection circuit 73 instead of upper communication terminal information.

[0065] In this variation, the communication command from the lower side voltage detection circuit is transmitted from the lower side communication transmission circuit 74 to the upper side selection circuit 53. If the voltage detection circuit is not specified by the upper side communication terminal information, it is selected by the upper side selection circuit 53 and output to the upper side voltage detection circuit.

[0066] In addition, the communication command from the upper voltage detection circuit is transmitted from the upper communication transmission circuit 54 to the lower selection circuit 73, and if it is not the voltage detection circuit specified by the lower communication terminal information, it is selected by the lower selection circuit 73 and output to the lower voltage detection circuit.

[0067] Other actions and Figure 2A The voltage detection circuit is the same.

[0068] then, Figure 6 This is an example of an operation when there is no obstacle on the communication path. Figure 5 The voltage detection circuit communicates commands and responses in case of an accident.

[0069] according to Figure 6 , 3 is set for the lower communication terminal information indicating the final applicable target of the communication command from the lower side, and 2 is set for the upper communication terminal information indicating the final applicable target of the communication command from the upper side.

[0070] Furthermore, if the MCU sends a communication command to read the battery information from the voltage detection circuit 4 to the lower side of the voltage detection circuit 5 via the first communication circuit 11, the voltage detection circuit 5, the voltage detection circuit 4, and the voltage detection circuit 3 that are not specified by the upper communication terminal information transmit the communication command to the upper side via the lower communication transmission circuit 74 and the upper selection circuit 53. Since the voltage detection circuit 2 is specified by the upper communication terminal information, the communication command is not transmitted.

[0071] In addition, the lower communication control circuit 72 of the voltage detection circuit 4 decodes the communication command, and if it detects that it is the object of the communication command, it outputs the lower response request signal, the response output circuit 22 outputs the battery information as a response, and the lower selection circuit 73 selects the response and outputs it to the lower side. The output response is transmitted to the lower side by the upper communication transmission circuit 54 of the voltage detection circuit 5 and the lower selection circuit 73, and is received by the MCU via the first communication circuit 11.

[0072] Similarly, if the MCU sends a communication command to read the battery information from the voltage detection circuit 1 to the upper side of the voltage detection circuit 1 via the second communication circuit 12, the communication command is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 3 specified by the lower side communication terminal information, and the voltage detection circuit 1, which is the object of the communication command, outputs the battery information to the upper side as a response, and the MCU receives the response via the second communication circuit 12.

[0073] In this modification, when there is no abnormality in the communication path, the current consumption of each voltage detection circuit can be made uniform by further transmitting the communication command sent from the upper side and the lower side of the daisy chain connection.

[0074] (First Modification)

[0075] Next, a first modification example of the first embodiment will be described.

[0076] Figure 1B 1 is a diagram showing a modified example of a battery pack system including the voltage detection circuit and the voltage measurement device of the first embodiment. Figure 1A The difference is that, instead of the upper communication terminal information and the lower communication terminal information, the communication terminal information (abbreviated as CTI in the figure) that makes these common is retained.

[0077] also, Figure 2B 1 is a diagram showing a first variation of the voltage detection circuit of the first embodiment. Figure 2A The difference is that a communication terminal information holding circuit 31 is provided instead of the upper communication terminal information holding circuit 51 and the lower communication terminal information holding circuit 71. The following description will focus on the difference.

[0078] The communication terminal information holding circuit 31 holds communication terminal information in which upper communication terminal information and lower communication terminal information are shared as one piece.

[0079] First, in Figure 1B , Figure 2B The following describes an example of receiving a communication command from the lower side.

[0080] The communication command from the lower voltage detection circuit is transmitted from the lower communication transmission circuit to the upper selection circuit. If it is not the voltage detection circuit specified by the communication terminal information, it is selected by the upper selection circuit and output to the upper voltage detection circuit. For example, if the communication terminal information is 3, the third voltage detection circuit from the top does not transmit the communication command, and the voltage detection circuit below it transmits the communication command to the upper side.

[0081] The lower communication control circuit decodes the communication command from the lower voltage detection circuit, and outputs a lower response request signal when the voltage detection circuit is the target of the communication command (the device address indicated by the communication command is consistent with the value of the device address holding circuit). The response output circuit outputs the response corresponding to the communication command, such as the battery information obtained by the battery information acquisition circuit, through the lower response request signal, and the lower selection circuit selects the response through the lower response request signal and outputs it to the lower voltage detection circuit.

[0082] Then, in Figure 1B , Figure 2B The following describes an example of receiving a communication command from the upper side.

[0083] The communication command from the upper voltage detection circuit is transmitted from the upper communication transmission circuit to the lower selection circuit, and if it is not the voltage detection circuit designated by the communication terminal information, it is selected by the lower selection circuit and output to the lower voltage detection circuit.

[0084] In response to a communication command from the upper side, the voltage detection circuit is specified by a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the communication terminal information.

[0085] For example, when the communication terminal information is 3, the second voltage detection circuit from the uppermost level does not transmit a communication command, and the voltage detection circuit above it transmits a communication command downward.

[0086] The upper communication control circuit decodes the communication command from the upper voltage detection circuit, and outputs an upper response request signal when the voltage detection circuit is the target of the communication command. The response output circuit outputs the response corresponding to the communication command, such as the battery information obtained by the battery information acquisition circuit, through the upper response request signal, and the upper selection circuit selects the response through the upper response request signal and outputs it to the upper voltage detection circuit.

[0087] According to the operation when there is only one communication terminal information, for example, when the communication path between the voltage detection circuit 2 and the voltage detection circuit 3 fails, the communication terminal information holding circuit stores 3 as the communication terminal information.

[0088] When the communication terminal information is 3, the voltage detection circuit 3 is designated for the communication command from the lower side, and the communication control circuit of the voltage detection circuit 3 prohibits the transmission of the communication command to the voltage detection circuit 2.

[0089] In response to the communication command from the upper side, the voltage detection circuit 2 is specified by a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the communication terminal information 3 , and the communication control circuit of the voltage detection circuit 2 prohibits transmission of the communication command to the voltage detection circuit 3 .

[0090] In this way, by prohibiting the transmission of communication commands to the failed communication path through the communication terminal information, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormal current, damage, malfunction, etc.

[0091] This effect can be obtained regardless of whether communication is performed from only one side, the lower side or the upper side, or when communication is performed from both sides.

[0092] (Second Modification)

[0093] Next, a second modification example of the first embodiment will be described.

[0094] FIG. 2C to FIG. 2E This is a diagram showing a second modified example of the voltage detection circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0095] Figure 2C , a configuration example is shown in which the communication terminal information holding circuit 31 includes an upper communication terminal information holding circuit 51 and a lower communication terminal information holding circuit 71, and the upper communication terminal information holding circuit 51 and the lower communication terminal information holding circuit 71 can be interchanged.

[0096] Specifically, the communication control circuit selectively switches between the first operation mode and the second operation mode.

[0097] Here, if Figure 2D As shown, in the first action mode, whether the transmission of communication commands flowing in the first direction (for example, from the upper side to the lower side) is allowed or prohibited is controlled based on the upper side communication terminal information, and whether the transmission of communication commands flowing in the second direction is allowed or prohibited is controlled based on the lower side communication terminal information.

[0098] like Figure 2E As shown, in the second action mode, the transmission of communication commands flowing in the first direction is controlled to be allowed or prohibited based on the lower communication terminal information, and the transmission of communication commands flowing in the second direction is controlled to be allowed or prohibited based on the upper communication terminal information.

[0099] (Other Variations)

[0100] Figure 2F This is a diagram showing another modified example of the voltage detection circuit of the first embodiment.

[0101] The battery information acquisition circuit 23 acquires the voltage of at least one cell as battery information. Figure 1A As shown in FIG. 1 , the battery information acquisition circuit 23 can acquire the voltages of the respective cells 20. Alternatively, Figure 2F In this way, the battery information acquisition circuit 23 can acquire the voltage of one cell 20 .

[0102] As described above, the voltage measuring device 100 of embodiment 1 includes multiple voltage detection circuits for measuring cell voltages of multiple cells connected in series, the above-mentioned voltage detection circuits include a communication terminal information holding circuit and a communication control circuit, the above-mentioned communication terminal information holding circuit holds communication terminal information that specifies a certain voltage detection circuit among the above-mentioned multiple voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position, and the above-mentioned communication control circuit controls the transmission of a communication command received from a previous voltage detection circuit to a secondary voltage detection circuit based on the above-mentioned communication terminal information.

[0103] Here, the communication control circuit may allow the transmission when the communication terminal information does not specify its own voltage detection circuit, and prohibit the transmission when the communication terminal information specifies its own voltage detection circuit.

[0104] Here, the plurality of voltage detection circuits may be connected in a daisy chain in a manner capable of communicating in two directions including a first direction and a second direction that are opposite to each other, and the communication control circuit controls whether to allow or prohibit the transmission in the first direction and the transmission in the second direction, respectively, according to the communication terminal information.

[0105] Here, when receiving a communication command from a voltage detection circuit at a preceding stage, the communication control circuit may control transmission of a response to the voltage detection device at the preceding stage.

[0106] Here, the voltage measuring device may include a controller connected to the lowest voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits and connected to the highest voltage detection circuit to send the communication command and receive the response.

[0107] Here, the communication terminal information may include upper communication terminal information designating the first communication terminal position as the communication terminal position, and lower communication terminal information designating the second communication terminal position as the communication terminal position, and the communication control circuit controls whether to allow or prohibit the transmission of the communication command flowing in the first direction based on the upper communication terminal information, and controls whether to allow or prohibit the transmission of the communication command flowing in the second direction based on the lower communication terminal information.

[0108] Here, when the voltage detection circuit corresponding to the terminal unit on the negative side among the multiple units is set to the lowest level, and the voltage detection circuit corresponding to the terminal unit on the positive side among the multiple units is set to the highest level, the first direction may be the direction of the communication command flowing from the highest level toward the lowest level.

[0109] Here, when the voltage detection circuit corresponding to the terminal unit on the negative side among the multiple units is set to the lowest level, and the voltage detection circuit corresponding to the terminal unit on the positive side among the multiple units is set to the highest level, the first direction may be the direction of the communication command flowing from the lowest level toward the highest level.

[0110] Here, it may be that the communication control circuit selectively switches between (1) the first action mode and (2) the second action mode, wherein in the first action mode, whether the transmission of the communication command flowing in the first direction is allowed or prohibited is controlled according to the upper communication terminal information, and whether the transmission of the communication command flowing in the second direction is allowed or prohibited is controlled according to the lower communication terminal information, and in the second action mode, whether the transmission of the communication command flowing in the first direction is allowed or prohibited is controlled according to the lower communication terminal information, and whether the transmission of the communication command flowing in the second direction is allowed or prohibited is controlled according to the upper communication terminal information.

[0111] Here, the voltage measuring device may include a battery pack having the plurality of cells connected in series.

[0112] In addition, the voltage detection circuit of embodiment 1 is a voltage detection circuit included in a plurality of voltage detection circuits of a voltage measuring device for measuring cell voltages of a plurality of cells connected in series, and includes a communication terminal information holding circuit and a communication control circuit. The communication terminal information holding circuit holds communication terminal information that designates a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position, and the communication control circuit controls the transmission of a communication command received from a preceding voltage detection circuit to a succeeding voltage detection circuit based on the communication terminal information.

[0113] In addition, the voltage detection method of embodiment 1 is a voltage detection method of a plurality of voltage detection circuits possessed by a voltage measuring device for measuring cell voltages of a plurality of cells connected in series, wherein the voltage detection circuit controls the transmission of a communication command received from a preceding voltage detection circuit to a subsequent voltage detection circuit based on communication terminal information that designates a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position.

[0114] (Implementation Method 2)

[0115] Regarding the voltage detection circuit, voltage measurement device 100, battery system 10, and voltage measurement method of the second embodiment, Figure 7-8 , the description will focus on the differences from the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0116] In the voltage measuring device 100 of embodiment 2, if the upper communication control circuit 52 detects that the communication command from the upper side is a multi-address communication command, it outputs an upper multi-address response request signal according to the upper communication terminal information, the response output circuit 22 outputs the response according to the upper multi-address response request signal, and the upper selection circuit 53 outputs the response to the upper side through the upper multi-address response request signal. If the lower communication control circuit 72 detects that the communication command from the lower side is a multi-address communication command, it outputs a lower multi-address response request signal according to the lower communication terminal information, the response output circuit 22 outputs the response according to the lower multi-address response request signal, and the lower selection circuit 73 outputs the response to the lower side through the lower multi-address response request signal.

[0117] In addition, if Figure 7 As shown, according to the voltage detection circuit of implementation mode 2, the lower side communication control circuit 72 decodes the communication command from the lower side voltage detection circuit. If a multi-address transmission communication command targeting multiple voltage detection circuits is detected, the lower side multi-address transmission response request signal is output according to the lower side communication terminal information.

[0118] In addition, the response output circuit 22 outputs a response corresponding to the lower multi-address response request signal. The lower selection circuit 73 selects a response based on the lower multi-address response request signal and outputs it to the lower side.

[0119] Furthermore, the upper communication control circuit 52 decodes the communication command from the upper voltage detection circuit, and if it is detected that it is a multicast communication command, it outputs an upper multicast response request signal according to the upper communication terminal information.

[0120] In addition, the response output circuit 22 outputs a response corresponding to the upper multi-address response request signal. The upper selection circuit 53 selects a response based on the upper multi-address response request signal and outputs it to the upper side.

[0121] then, Figure 8 This is an example of operation corresponding to a multicast communication command, and shows a multicast communication command and a response when there is a problem in the communication path between the voltage detection circuit 2 and the voltage detection circuit 3 .

[0122] according to Figure 8 , 3 is set for the lower communication terminal information indicating the final applicable target of the communication command from the lower side, and 2 is set for the upper communication terminal information indicating the final applicable target of the communication command from the upper side.

[0123] In addition, if the MCU sends a multi-address communication command to the lower side of the voltage detection circuit 5 via the first communication circuit 11, the multi-address communication command is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 3 according to the lower communication terminal information. If the lower communication control circuit 72 of the voltage detection circuit 3 decodes the multi-address communication command, it outputs a lower multi-address response request signal because it is the voltage detection circuit specified by the lower communication terminal information. The response output circuit 22 outputs a response corresponding to the multi-address communication command according to the lower multi-address response request signal. The lower selection circuit 73 selects a response through the lower multi-address response request signal and sends it to the lower voltage detection circuit. The response outputted from the voltage detection circuit 3 to the lower side is sequentially transmitted to the lower side through the voltage detection circuit 4, the upper communication transmission circuit 54 of the voltage detection circuit 5, and the lower selection circuit 73, and is received by the MCU via the first communication circuit 11.

[0124] Similarly, if the MCU sends a multi-address communication command to the upper side of the voltage detection circuit 1 via the second communication circuit 12, the multi-address communication command is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 2 according to the upper communication terminal information. If the upper communication control circuit 52 of the voltage detection circuit 2 decodes the multi-address communication command, it outputs the upper multi-address response request signal because it is the voltage detection circuit specified by the upper communication terminal information. The response output circuit 22 outputs the response corresponding to the multi-address communication command according to the upper multi-address response request signal. The upper selection circuit 53 selects the response through the upper multi-address response request signal and sends it to the upper voltage detection circuit. The response output by the voltage detection circuit 2 to the upper side is transmitted to the upper side through the lower communication transmission circuit 74 of the voltage detection circuit 1 and the upper selection circuit 53, and is received by the MCU via the second communication circuit 12.

[0125] In addition, if Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, the voltage detection circuit of implementation mode 2 can solve the following problem, namely: when the multi-address communication command sent from the MCU is transmitted from the lowest-level voltage detection circuit to the highest-level voltage detection circuit, each voltage detection circuit performs processing corresponding to the multi-address communication command, the highest-level voltage detection circuit sends a response and the MCU receives it via each voltage detection circuit, if there is an obstacle in the middle of the communication path, the multi-address communication command does not reach the voltage detection circuit after the obstacle.

[0126] In addition, by sending the multi-address communication command from the upper side and the lower side, the multi-address communication command is sent to all the voltage detection circuits, which can prevent the situation where the voltage detection circuit to which the response should be sent is unclear and the response cannot be returned to the MCU, resulting in a communication error. That is, for the multi-address communication command, the voltage detection circuit to send the response is specified using the lower side communication terminal information and the upper side communication terminal information, and the response is sent to the MCU before the communication failure site, thereby preventing the communication error caused by the lack of response.

[0127] Furthermore, the battery pack system 10 of the second embodiment includes the voltage measuring device 100 described above and a battery pack 200 formed by connecting a plurality of cells 20 in series.

[0128] As described above, in the voltage measuring device 100 of embodiment 2, when the communication command received from the voltage detection circuit of the previous stage is a multi-address communication command, the communication control circuit controls whether to allow or prohibit the response to the multi-address communication command to be sent to the voltage detection circuit of the previous stage according to the communication terminal information.

[0129] Here, it may be that the communication control circuit prohibits sending the response to the multi-address communication command when the communication terminal information does not specify its own voltage detection circuit, and allows sending the response to the multi-address communication command when the communication terminal information specifies its own voltage detection circuit.

[0130] (Implementation 3)

[0131] Regarding the voltage detection circuit, voltage measurement device 100, battery pack system 10, and voltage measurement method of the third embodiment, Figure 9-10 , the description will focus on the differences from the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0132] In Embodiment 3, the voltage measuring device 100 further includes a pseudo response output circuit 24, the lower communication control circuit 72 outputs a lower pseudo response request signal when the voltage detection circuit is the target of a communication command from the lower side, the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response according to the lower pseudo response request signal, the upper selection circuit 53 selects the pseudo response according to the lower pseudo response request signal and outputs it to the upper side, the upper communication control circuit 52 outputs an upper pseudo response request signal when the voltage detection circuit is the target of a communication command from the upper side, the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response according to the upper pseudo response request signal The upper side pseudo response request signal outputs a pseudo response, the lower side selection circuit 73 selects the pseudo response according to the upper side pseudo response request signal and outputs it to the lower side, the upper side communication transmission circuit 54 transmits the communication command and pseudo response from the upper side, the lower side selection circuit 73 transmits the communication command and pseudo response transmitted by the upper side communication transmission circuit 54 to the lower side according to the upper side communication terminal information, the lower side communication transmission circuit 74 transmits the communication command and pseudo response from the lower side, the upper side selection circuit 53 transmits the communication command and pseudo response transmitted by the lower side communication transmission circuit 74 to the upper side according to the lower side communication terminal information.

[0133] In addition, the voltage detection circuit further includes a pseudo response output circuit 24. When the voltage detection circuit is the object of a communication command from the lower side, the lower communication control circuit 72 outputs a lower pseudo response request signal. The pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response according to the lower pseudo response request signal. The upper selection circuit 53 selects the pseudo response according to the lower pseudo response request signal and outputs it to the upper side. When the voltage detection circuit is the object of a communication command from the upper side, the upper communication control circuit 52 outputs an upper pseudo response request signal. The pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response according to the upper pseudo response request signal. The pseudo response is output in response to the request signal, the lower side selection circuit 73 selects the pseudo response according to the upper side pseudo response request signal and outputs it to the lower side, the upper side communication transmission circuit 54 transmits the communication command and pseudo response from the upper side, the lower side selection circuit 73 transmits the communication command and pseudo response transmitted by the upper side communication transmission circuit 54 to the lower side according to the lower side communication terminal information, the lower side communication transmission circuit 74 transmits the communication command and pseudo response from the lower side, the upper side selection circuit 53 transmits the communication command and pseudo response transmitted by the lower side communication transmission circuit 74 to the upper side according to the upper side communication terminal information.

[0134] The following describes in detail.

[0135] Fig. 9 This is a block diagram of a voltage detection circuit according to a third embodiment.

[0136] according to Fig. 9 , the dummy response output circuit 24 outputs a dummy response. The dummy response is a signal transmitted to consume a current equivalent to the current consumed when a response is transmitted, and is a signal that the MCU does not receive.

[0137] In addition, the lower communication control circuit 72 decodes the communication command from the lower side, and outputs the lower response request signal and the lower pseudo response request signal when the communication command is the object. If the lower pseudo response request signal is output, the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response, and the upper selection circuit 53 selects the pseudo response and outputs it to the upper side.

[0138] Similarly, the upper communication control circuit 52 decodes the communication command from the upper side, and outputs the upper response request signal and the upper pseudo response request signal when the upper pseudo response request signal is the target of the communication command. If the upper pseudo response request signal is output, the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response, and the lower selection circuit 73 selects the pseudo response and outputs it to the lower side.

[0139] In addition, the voltage detection circuit after the secondary transmits the pseudo response sent from the lower side to the upper side through the lower side communication transmission circuit 74 and the upper side selection circuit 53 according to the lower side communication terminal information in the same way as the communication command transmission, and transmits the pseudo response sent from the upper side to the lower side through the upper side communication transmission circuit 54 and the lower side selection circuit 73 according to the upper side communication terminal information.

[0140] In addition, the pseudo response may be transmitted in such a way that a pseudo response from the lower side is transmitted based on the upper side communication terminal information, and a pseudo response from the upper side is transmitted based on the lower side communication terminal information.

[0141] then, Fig.10 This is an operation example of sending a dummy response, and shows a communication command and a dummy response when there is a problem in the communication path between the voltage detection circuit 2 and the voltage detection circuit 3 .

[0142] according to Fig.10 The communication command from the lower side is directed to the voltage detection circuit 5, and the communication command from the upper side is directed to the voltage detection circuit 1. The lower communication terminal information specifies the voltage detection circuit 3, and the upper communication terminal information specifies the voltage detection circuit 2.

[0143] Furthermore, the communication command sent by the MCU via the first communication circuit 11 is sequentially transmitted to the upper side through the voltage detection circuit 5 , the lower communication transmission circuit 74 of the voltage detection circuit 4 , and the upper selection circuit 53 , and is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 3 .

[0144] Furthermore, when the lower communication control circuit 72 of the voltage detection circuit 5 decodes the communication command, since it is the object of the communication command, the lower pseudo response request signal is output, the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs the pseudo response, and the upper selection circuit 53 selects the pseudo response and outputs it to the upper side. The pseudo response is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 3 indicated by the lower communication terminal information in the same manner as the communication command.

[0145] Furthermore, the communication command transmitted by the MCU via the second communication circuit 12 is transmitted to the lower side through the upper communication transmission circuit 54 and the lower selection circuit 73 of the voltage detection circuit 1 , and is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 2 .

[0146] Furthermore, when the upper communication control circuit 52 of the voltage detection circuit 1 decodes the communication command, since it is the object of the communication command, the upper pseudo response request signal is output, the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs the pseudo response, and the lower selection circuit 73 selects the pseudo response and outputs it to the lower side. The pseudo response is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 2 indicated by the upper communication terminal information in the same manner as the communication command.

[0147] In addition, regarding the transmission of the pseudo response, similar to the transmission of the communication command in the technical solution 2, the pseudo response from the lower side may be transmitted based on the upper side communication terminal information, and the pseudo response from the upper side may be transmitted based on the lower side communication terminal information.

[0148] Thus, the voltage measurement device 100 according to the third embodiment can reduce the difference in current consumption between the voltage detection circuits caused by the presence or absence of response transmission by transmitting a dummy response to the voltage detection circuits indicated by the upper communication terminal information and the lower communication terminal information.

[0149] Furthermore, the assembled battery system 10 of the third embodiment includes the voltage measuring device 100 described above and an assembled battery 200 formed by connecting a plurality of cells 20 in series.

[0150] As described above, in the voltage measuring device 100 of the third embodiment, the communication control circuit performs control so that when the communication command received from the preceding voltage detection circuit is targeted at the own voltage detection circuit, a dummy response is sent to the succeeding voltage detection device.

[0151] Here, it may be that when the communication control circuit receives a false response from the voltage detection circuit of the previous stage, if the communication terminal information specifies its own voltage detection circuit, it is prohibited to send a false response to the secondary voltage detection device, and if the communication terminal information does not specify its own voltage detection circuit, it is allowed to send a false response to the secondary voltage detection device.

[0152] Here, the communication control circuit may control to send a dummy response to the preceding voltage detection circuit when its own voltage detection circuit is located behind the voltage detection circuit that is the target of the communication command received from the preceding voltage detection circuit.

[0153] (Implementation 4)

[0154] Regarding the voltage detection circuit, voltage measurement device 100, battery system 10, and voltage measurement method of the fourth embodiment, Figure 11-12 , the description will focus on the differences from the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0155] In embodiment 4, the voltage detection circuit further includes a pseudo response output circuit 24, and the lower side communication control circuit 72 outputs a lower side pseudo response request signal when the voltage detection circuit is located behind the object of the communication command from the lower side, and the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response according to the lower side pseudo response request signal, and the lower side selection circuit 73 selects the pseudo response according to the lower side pseudo response request signal and outputs it to the lower side, and the upper side communication control circuit 52 outputs an upper side pseudo response request signal when the voltage detection circuit is located behind the object of the communication command from the upper side, and the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response according to the upper side pseudo response request signal, and the upper side selection circuit 53 selects the pseudo response according to the upper side pseudo response request signal and outputs it to the upper side.

[0156] Fig.11 A block diagram showing a voltage detection circuit according to a fourth embodiment.

[0157] according to Fig.11 The lower communication control circuit 72 decodes the communication command from the lower side and determines whether it is located behind the object.

[0158] In addition, whether the device is located behind the object of the communication command can be determined by comparing the device address indicated as the object by the communication command with the device address held in the device address holding circuit 21. If the device address of the device address holding circuit 21 is smaller than the device address indicated by the communication command, it is known that it is located behind the object.

[0159] When located behind the object, the lower communication control circuit 72 outputs a lower pseudo response request signal. When the lower pseudo response request signal is output, the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response, and the lower selection circuit 73 selects a pseudo response and outputs it to the lower side.

[0160] Similarly, the upper communication control circuit 52 decodes the communication command from the upper side and determines whether it is located behind the object.

[0161] When the device address of the device address holding circuit 21 is greater than the device address indicated by the communication command, it can be known that the device is located behind the object.

[0162] When located behind the object, the upper communication control circuit 52 outputs an upper pseudo response request signal. When the upper pseudo response request signal is output, the pseudo response output circuit 24 outputs a pseudo response, and the upper selection circuit 53 selects a pseudo response and outputs it to the upper side.

[0163] In addition, the voltage measuring device 100 according to the fourth embodiment may be as follows: Figure 5 As in (Implementation 1), the upper side selection circuit 53 selects the communication command transmitted by the lower side communication transmission circuit 74 based on the upper side communication terminal information and outputs it to the upper side, and the lower side selection circuit 73 selects the communication command transmitted by the upper side communication transmission circuit 54 based on the lower side communication terminal information and outputs it to the lower side.

[0164] then, Fig.12 This is an operation example of sending a dummy response, and is a flow of a communication command and a dummy response when there is a failure in the communication path between the voltage detection circuit 2 and the voltage detection circuit 3 .

[0165] according to Fig.12 The communication command from the lower side is directed to the voltage detection circuit 5, and the communication command from the upper side is directed to the voltage detection circuit 1. The lower communication terminal information specifies the voltage detection circuit 3, and the upper communication terminal information specifies the voltage detection circuit 2.

[0166] Furthermore, the communication command sent by the MCU via the first communication circuit 11 is sequentially transmitted to the upper side through the voltage detection circuit 5 , the lower communication transmission circuit 74 of the voltage detection circuit 4 , and the upper selection circuit 53 , and is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 3 .

[0167] In addition, the device addresses held in the device address holding circuits 21 of the voltage detection circuits 4 and 3 are 4 and 3 respectively, which are smaller than the value of the device address 5 indicated by the communication command, so it can be seen that the voltage detection circuits 4 and 3 are located behind the object of the communication command. The lower communication control circuits 72 of the voltage detection circuits 4 and 3 output the lower pseudo response request signal, and the lower selection circuit 73 selects the pseudo response output by the pseudo response output circuit 24 and outputs it to the lower side.

[0168] Furthermore, the communication command transmitted by the MCU via the second communication circuit 12 is transmitted to the lower side through the upper communication transmission circuit 54 and the lower selection circuit 73 of the voltage detection circuit 1 , and is transmitted to the voltage detection circuit 2 .

[0169] In addition, the device address held in the device address holding circuit 21 of the voltage detection circuit 2 is 2, which is greater than the value 1 of the device address indicated by the communication command, so it can be known that the voltage detection circuit 2 is located behind the object of the communication command. The upper communication control circuit 52 of the voltage detection circuit 2 outputs the upper pseudo response request signal, and the upper selection circuit 53 selects the pseudo response output by the pseudo response output circuit 24 and outputs it to the upper side.

[0170] In addition, the current consumed when the pseudo response is output to the lower side is the same as that when it is output to the upper side, so it is possible that for a communication command from the lower side, the upper side selection circuit 53 outputs the pseudo response to the upper side, and for a communication command from the upper side, the lower side selection circuit 73 outputs the pseudo response to the lower side.

[0171] Therefore, the voltage measuring device 100 of embodiment 4 sends a pseudo response to each voltage detection circuit starting from the secondary of the communication object to the voltage detection circuit represented by the upper communication terminal information and the lower communication terminal information, thereby reducing the difference in current consumption between the voltage detection circuits caused by the presence or absence of response transmission.

[0172] Furthermore, the assembled battery system 10 of the fourth embodiment includes the voltage measuring device 100 described above and an assembled battery 200 formed by connecting a plurality of cells 20 in series.

[0173] Possibility of Industrial Application

[0174] The present invention is useful as, for example, a voltage detection circuit, a voltage measurement device 100 , a battery system 10 , and a voltage measurement method for vehicle use.

[0175] Marking Description

[0176] 1~5 Voltage detection circuit

[0177] 10 Battery System

[0178] 11 1st communication circuit

[0179] 12. Second communication circuit

[0180] 13 Controller

[0181] 14 Communication circuit

[0182] 20 units

Claims

1. A voltage measuring device comprising a plurality of voltage detection circuits for measuring cell voltages of a plurality of cells connected in series, wherein: The voltage detection circuit has: a communication terminal information holding circuit for holding communication terminal information that designates a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position; as well as The communication control circuit controls the transmission of the communication command received from the voltage detection circuit at the previous stage to the voltage detection circuit at the secondary stage according to the communication terminal information. The communication terminal information indicates the final transmission destination of the communication command. The above communication control circuit, The above transmission is permitted when the above communication terminal information does not specify its own voltage detection circuit, When the communication terminal information specifies its own voltage detection circuit, the transmission is prohibited.

2. The voltage measuring device according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of voltage detection circuits are daisy-chain connected and can communicate in two directions including a first direction and a second direction that are opposite to each other. The communication control circuit controls whether to allow or prohibit the transmission in the first direction and the transmission in the second direction, respectively, based on the communication terminal information.

3. The voltage measuring device according to claim 1, wherein: When receiving a communication command from a voltage detection circuit at a preceding stage, the communication control circuit controls transmission of a response to the voltage detection device at the preceding stage.

4. The voltage measuring device according to claim 3, wherein: The voltage measuring device includes a controller connected to the voltage detection circuit at the lowest level and to the voltage detection circuit at the highest level among the plurality of voltage detection circuits, and configured to transmit the communication command and receive the response.

5. The voltage measuring device according to claim 2, wherein: The communication terminal information includes upper communication terminal information that specifies a first communication terminal position as the communication terminal position, and lower communication terminal information that specifies a second communication terminal position as the communication terminal position. The communication control circuit controls whether to allow or prohibit the transmission of the communication command flowing in the first direction according to the upper communication terminal information, and controls whether to allow or prohibit the transmission of the communication command flowing in the second direction according to the lower communication terminal information.

6. The voltage measuring device according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the voltage detection circuit corresponding to the terminal unit on the negative side among the above-mentioned multiple units is set as the lowest level and the voltage detection circuit corresponding to the terminal unit on the positive side among the above-mentioned multiple units is set as the highest level, the above-mentioned first direction is the direction in which the above-mentioned communication command flows from the highest level to the lowest level.

7. The voltage measuring device according to claim 5, wherein: When the voltage detection circuit corresponding to the terminal unit on the negative side among the above-mentioned multiple units is set as the lowest level and the voltage detection circuit corresponding to the terminal unit on the positive side among the above-mentioned multiple units is set as the highest level, the above-mentioned first direction is the direction in which the above-mentioned communication command flows from the lowest level to the highest level.

8. The voltage measuring device according to claim 5, wherein: The communication control circuit selectively switches the following operation modes: (1) A first operation mode, in which the transmission of the communication command flowing in the first direction is controlled to be permitted or prohibited based on the upper communication terminal information, and the transmission of the communication command flowing in the second direction is controlled to be permitted or prohibited based on the lower communication terminal information, (2) In the second action mode, whether the transmission of the communication command flowing in the first direction is allowed or prohibited is controlled based on the lower communication terminal information, and whether the transmission of the communication command flowing in the second direction is allowed or prohibited is controlled based on the upper communication terminal information.

9. The voltage measuring device according to claim 3, wherein: The communication control circuit controls whether to allow or prohibit sending a response to the multicast communication command to the voltage detection circuit at the previous stage according to the communication terminal information when the communication command received from the voltage detection circuit at the previous stage is a multicast communication command.

10. The voltage measuring device according to claim 9, wherein: The above communication control circuit, If the communication terminal information does not specify its own voltage detection circuit, prohibiting the transmission of the response to the multicast communication command, When the communication terminal information designates the voltage detection circuit of the own device, transmission of the response to the multicast communication command is permitted.

11. The voltage measuring device according to claim 3, wherein: The communication control circuit performs control so as to transmit a dummy response to the voltage detection device at the subsequent stage when the communication command received from the voltage detection circuit at the preceding stage targets the voltage detection circuit itself.

12. The voltage measuring device according to claim 11, wherein: When the communication control circuit receives a false response from the voltage detection circuit of the previous stage, if the communication terminal information specifies its own voltage detection circuit, the false response is prohibited from being sent to the secondary voltage detection device, and if the communication terminal information does not specify its own voltage detection circuit, the false response is allowed to be sent to the secondary voltage detection device.

13. The voltage measuring device according to claim 3, wherein: The communication control circuit controls to send a dummy response to a preceding or succeeding voltage detection circuit when its own voltage detection circuit is located behind the voltage detection circuit that is the target of the communication command received from the preceding voltage detection circuit.

14. The voltage measuring device according to claim 1, wherein: The voltage measuring device includes a battery pack having the plurality of cells connected in series.

15. A voltage detection circuit, which is one of a plurality of voltage detection circuits provided in a voltage measurement device for measuring a plurality of cells connected in series to measure cell voltages, characterized in that have: a communication terminal information holding circuit for holding communication terminal information that designates a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position; as well as The communication control circuit controls the transmission of the communication command received from the voltage detection circuit at the previous stage to the voltage detection circuit at the secondary stage according to the communication terminal information. The communication terminal information indicates the final transmission destination of the communication command. The above communication control circuit, The above transmission is permitted when the above communication terminal information does not specify its own voltage detection circuit, When the communication terminal information specifies its own voltage detection circuit, the transmission is prohibited.

16. A voltage detection method, comprising: a voltage detection method in a plurality of voltage detection circuits provided in a voltage measurement device for measuring a plurality of cells connected in series to measure cell voltages; wherein: The above voltage detection circuit, acquiring a cell voltage from at least one of the cells as battery information, Controlling the transmission of a communication command received from a preceding voltage detection circuit to a subsequent voltage detection circuit based on communication terminal information designating a certain voltage detection circuit among the plurality of voltage detection circuits as a communication terminal position, The communication terminal information indicates the final transmission destination of the communication command. The above voltage detection circuit, The above transmission is permitted when the above communication terminal information does not specify its own voltage detection circuit, When the communication terminal information specifies its own voltage detection circuit, the transmission is prohibited.

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