Storage battery system

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery system. The control device of the storage battery system can determine the degradation degree of the first storage battery module and the second storage battery module. Furthermore, the control device is capable of notifying at least one of the exchange between the predetermined first battery module and the predetermined second battery module and the change of the storage position of the predetermined first battery module and the predetermined second battery module, on the basis of the degree of degradation of the first battery module and the second battery module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery system. Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-164915 discloses an invention related to a battery device, which includes a plurality of battery modules arranged in a housing thereof, and a control unit including an expansion connector to which an expansion battery module can be connected. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, when adding a battery module, the additional battery module is placed in the case and the cover of the case is replaced. This makes the work of adding the battery module complicated.

[0004] Furthermore, the battery module deteriorates depending on the number of times of charge and discharge, etc. However, the above-mentioned prior art documents do not mention measures to counteract the degradation of the battery module.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a storage battery system that can suppress the complication of adding battery modules and reduce the influence of degradation of the battery modules.

[0006] A battery system according to a first aspect includes a main power storage device and an additional power storage device. The main power storage device includes: a first case portion; a plurality of first battery modules housed in the first case portion; a cooling unit housed in the first case portion and capable of cooling the interior of the first case portion; and a control unit housed in the first case portion and capable of controlling the charge and discharge of the first battery modules. The additional power storage device includes: a second case portion; and a plurality of second battery modules housed in the second case portion, electrically connectable to and interchangeable with the first battery modules, and capable of being controlled for charge and discharge by the control unit. The control unit determines a degree of degradation of the first and second battery modules and, based on the degree of degradation, notifies a user of at least one of a scheduled exchange of the first and second battery modules and a change in the storage positions of the first and second battery modules.

[0007] According to a first embodiment, a battery system includes a main power storage device comprising a first housing, a plurality of first battery modules housed in the first housing, and a control unit. The control unit is capable of controlling the charging and discharging of the first battery modules. In this embodiment, the control unit is capable of charging the first battery modules via an external power supply and / or supplying power from the first battery modules to a load.

[0008] Furthermore, the first case portion houses a cooling unit capable of cooling the interior of the first case portion. The cooling unit cools the first battery module, thereby suppressing degradation of the first battery module.

[0009] If the main power storage device alone is insufficient to supply sufficient power to the load, additional battery modules must be prepared. In this case, if a configuration is employed in which the additional battery modules are disposed within the first housing, this would require modifying a portion of the first housing, complicating the installation of the additional battery modules.

[0010] In this embodiment, an additional power storage device is provided, which includes a second case and a plurality of second battery modules housed in the second case. The second battery modules are electrically connectable to the first battery modules, and charging and discharging thereof are controlled by a control unit.

[0011] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the main power storage device alone is insufficient to supply sufficient power to the load, power can be supplied from the additional power storage device to the main power storage device. In other words, in this embodiment, an additional battery module can be added to the main power storage device without placing the additional battery module within the first case portion.

[0012] The first and second battery modules degrade based on the number of charge and discharge cycles, but the degree of degradation varies between each of the first and second battery modules. Furthermore, deterioration can be further delayed when the first and second battery modules are used while cooled. Therefore, by cooling the first and second battery modules, which are most degraded, while using them, the life of the entire battery system can be ensured.

[0013] In this embodiment, the control unit can determine the degree of degradation of the first battery module and the second battery module. Furthermore, based on the degree of degradation of the first battery module and the second battery module, the control unit can notify at least one of a planned exchange of the first battery module and the second battery module, or a change in the storage position of the first battery module and the second battery module.

[0014] Therefore, the control unit can notify, for example, that the second battery module housed in the second case portion and having a relatively large degree of degradation is to be replaced with the first battery module housed in the first case portion and having a relatively small degree of degradation.

[0015] As a result, the operator who receives the notification replaces the second battery module with the less degraded first battery module, thereby placing the second battery module in a coolable state and suppressing degradation of the second battery module.

[0016] Furthermore, the control unit can notify, for example, the change in position of the first battery module housed in the first case portion and having a relatively large degree of degradation.

[0017] As a result, the degradation degrees of the first battery modules in the first shell portion can be averaged by the operator who receives the above notification arranging the first battery module with a relatively large degree of degradation at a position that can be easily cooled by the cooling unit and arranging the first battery module with a relatively small degree of degradation at a position that is difficult to be cooled by the cooling unit in the first shell portion.

[0018] In the battery system according to the second aspect, in the battery system according to the first aspect, the first battery module and the second battery module can be mounted on a vehicle and can supply electric power to the vehicle.

[0019] According to the battery system according to the second aspect, the first battery module and the second battery module can be mounted on a vehicle and can supply electric power to the vehicle.

[0020] Therefore, for example, when replacing the first battery module and / or the second battery module already installed in the vehicle, if their degree of deterioration is less than that of the first battery module housed in the first housing portion and / or the second battery module housed in the second housing portion, the first battery module and / or the second battery module already installed in the vehicle can be reused as part of the main power storage device and / or part of the additional power storage device.

[0021] In the storage battery system according to the third aspect, in the storage battery system according to the first aspect or the second aspect, the main power storage device and the additional power storage device are installed at predetermined locations.

[0022] According to the storage battery system according to the third aspect, the main power storage device and the additional power storage device are installed at predetermined locations, thereby enabling electric power to be supplied to loads within a building, for example.

[0023] A battery system according to a fourth aspect is the battery system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the cooling unit is an air-cooling type, and the first case portion and the second case portion are in communication with each other.

[0024] According to the battery system according to the fourth aspect, the cooling unit housed in the first case is of air-cooling type, and the first battery modules in the first case are cooled by cold air generated by the cooling unit, thereby suppressing degradation of the first battery modules.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first case portion and the second case portion are in communication, and the second battery module in the second case portion is cooled by the cold air generated by the cooling unit, thereby suppressing deterioration of the second battery module.

[0026] As described above, the storage battery system according to the present invention has the excellent effect of being able to suppress the complexity of the work of adding battery modules and reduce the influence of deterioration of the battery modules. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0028] Figure 1A It is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration and operation of the storage battery system according to the present embodiment, and shows a first state.

[0029] Figure 1B It is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration and operation of the storage battery system according to the present embodiment, and shows the second state.

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram schematically showing the configuration of the battery system according to the present embodiment.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device constituting a part of the battery system according to the present embodiment.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing a control flow related to management of the degree of degradation of battery modules in the battery system according to the present embodiment.

[0033] Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing a control flow related to supply power management in the storage battery system according to the present embodiment.

[0034] Figure 6A It is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration and operation of a storage battery system according to a modification of the present embodiment, and shows a first state.

[0035] Figure 6B It is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration and operation of a storage battery system according to a modification of the present embodiment, and shows the second state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Below, use Figure 1A 、 Figures 1B to 6A 、 Figure 6B , an example of an embodiment of the power management system according to the present invention is described. Figure 1A 、 Figure 1B as well as Figure 2 As shown, the “battery system 10 ” according to this embodiment includes a “main power storage device 14 ” disposed at a predetermined location within a building 12 , and an “additional power storage device 16 ” electrically connectable to the main power storage device 14 .

[0037] like Figure 1A As shown, the main power storage device 14 includes a "case 22" as a first shell portion, a "battery module 24" as a plurality of first battery modules housed in the case 22, a "cooling device 26" as a cooling portion, and a "control device 28" as a control portion.

[0038] Specifically, the housing 22 includes an openable and closable door (not shown), and the battery module 24 can be taken in and out when the door is open.

[0039] Meanwhile, the battery modules 24 are composed of a plurality of lithium-ion battery cells (not shown) and are arranged in a continuous pattern in the height direction of the housing 22. These battery modules 24 are electrically connected to a connection portion (not shown) provided in the housing 22, and can supply power to various loads connected to the main power storage device 14 via this connection portion.

[0040] Furthermore, the battery module 24 can be mounted on a vehicle and used as an on-vehicle battery, and can supply electric power to various loads provided in the vehicle.

[0041] The cooling device 26 is water-cooled and can cool the battery modules 24. Specifically, the cooling device 26 includes pipes (not shown) arranged along the locations where the battery modules 24 are located in the housing 22, through which a coolant (water) flows, a pump (not shown) for pressurizing the coolant, and a cooler (not shown) for cooling the coolant. Furthermore, the cooling device 26 operates under the control of the control device 28, as described below.

[0042] The control device 28 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 28A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 28B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 28C, a memory 28D, a communication interface 28E, and an input / output interface 28F. The CPU 28A, ROM 28B, RAM 28C, memory 28D, communication interface 28E, and input / output interface 28F are interconnected via a bus 28G so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0043] CPU 28A serves as a central processing unit and controls various devices by executing various programs, performing control related to main power storage device 14 and additional power storage device 16. Specifically, CPU 28A reads programs from ROM 28B and executes them using RAM 28C as a work area. Furthermore, by having CPU 28A read and execute programs stored in ROM 28B, control device 28 is able to perform various functions, as described below.

[0044] The storage 28D includes an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various programs including an operating system and various data. Furthermore, as will be described later, the storage 28D stores measurement results from various measuring devices.

[0045] The communication I / F 28E is an interface for connecting the control device 28 to the network N. It can communicate with the monitor 18 installed in the building 12 and the mobile terminal 20 used by the residents of the building 12. This interface uses, for example, a communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication I / F 28E may also include a wireless device.

[0046] The input / output I / F 28F is an interface for the control device 28 to communicate with the cooling device 26 , the thermometer 30 provided in the housing 22 , and the resistance meter 32 provided in the battery module 24 .

[0047] On the other hand, the additional power storage device 16 includes a “case 34 ” as a second case portion and “battery modules 36 ” as a plurality of second battery modules housed in the case 34 .

[0048] Specifically, case 34 has the same configuration as case 22 and allows for the insertion and removal of battery module 36. Battery module 36, while referred to simply as battery module 36 for convenience, has the same configuration as battery module 24 and is therefore interchangeable. Similarly to battery module 24, battery module 36 is also equipped with resistance meter 32.

[0049] The additional power storage device 16 is electrically connectable to the main power storage device 14 via a wire harness 38 . When the main power storage device 14 and the additional power storage device 16 are connected by the wire harness 38 , the battery modules 24 and 36 are connected in parallel.

[0050] Next, use Figure 3, the functional configuration of the control device 28 will be described. The control device 28 functions as a collection of a communication unit 40, a charge and discharge control unit 42, a cooling control unit 44, a battery information acquisition unit 43, a degradation degree determination unit 46, and a battery management unit 48 by having CPU 28A read and execute an execution program stored in ROM 28B.

[0051] The communication unit 40 can communicate with various devices via the network N, such as Figure 2 As shown, various information can be transmitted and received with the monitor 18 and the portable terminal 20.

[0052] Upon receiving a power supply signal from a switch provided in control device 28 or a predetermined terminal, charge and discharge control unit 42 supplies the power stored in battery modules 24 and 36 to a load connected to main power storage device 14 .

[0053] When a charge start signal is input to the charge and discharge control unit 42 from the switches and terminals, the charge and discharge control unit 42 charges the battery modules 24 and 36 with electric power supplied from an external power supply connected to the main power storage device 14 .

[0054] Battery information acquisition unit 43 stores temperature information in case 22 obtained from thermometer 30 and internal resistance value information of battery modules 24 and 36 obtained from resistance meter 32 , and can transmit this information to cooling control unit 44 , degradation degree determination unit 46 , and battery management unit 48 .

[0055] Cooling control unit 44 can control cooling device 26 based on the temperature information in housing 22. Specifically, cooling control unit 44 operates cooling device 26 when the temperature in housing 22 is equal to or higher than a threshold value, and stops operating cooling device 26 when the temperature in housing 22 is lower than the threshold value.

[0056] Degradation degree determination unit 46 can determine the degree of degradation of battery modules 24 and 36 based on the information acquired from battery information acquisition unit 43. Specifically, degradation degree determination unit 46 compares the internal resistance value at the start of use with the current internal resistance value of each battery module 24 and 36, and determines that a battery module 24 or 36 whose rate of increase in internal resistance exceeds a threshold value has degraded. In other words, in this embodiment, the rate of increase in internal resistance, relative to the initial internal resistance value of battery modules 24 and 36, is used as the evaluation factor for the degree of degradation of battery modules 24 and 36.

[0057] Furthermore, the degradation degree determination unit 46 notifies the monitor 18 and the portable terminal 20 of management information of the degraded battery modules 24 and 36 , such as the serial numbers of the degraded battery modules 24 and 36 .

[0058] Furthermore, the degradation degree determination unit 46 sets the optimal storage positions relative to the shells 22 and 34 based on the degradation degrees of the battery modules 24 and 36, and notifies the monitor 18 and the portable terminal 20 of the storage positions of the battery modules 24 and 36 based on the storage positions as management information.

[0059] The battery management unit 48 determines which of the main power storage device 14 and the additional power storage device 16 is to be used with priority, based on the temperature information within the housing 22 .

[0060] Specifically, the battery management unit 48 prioritizes the use of power from the main power storage device 14 when the temperature inside the housing 22 is equal to or higher than a threshold value, and prioritizes the use of power from the additional power storage device 16 when the temperature inside the housing 22 is lower than the threshold value.

[0061] (Functions and Effects of the Present Embodiment)

[0062] Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0063] like Figure 1A As shown, the main power storage device 14 includes a housing 22, a plurality of battery modules 24 housed in the housing 22, and a control device 28. The control device 28 is capable of controlling the charging and discharging of the battery modules 24. In this embodiment, the control device 28 is capable of charging the battery modules 24 from an external power source and / or supplying power from the battery modules 24 to a load.

[0064] Furthermore, a cooling device 26 capable of cooling the interior of the housing 22 is housed in the housing 22 . The battery modules 24 are cooled by the cooling device 26 , thereby suppressing degradation of the battery modules 24 .

[0065] If the power supply to the load using only the main power storage device 14 is insufficient, an additional battery module must be prepared. In this case, if a configuration is employed in which the additional battery module is disposed within the housing 22, this would require work such as replacing a portion of the housing 22, complicating the installation of the additional battery module.

[0066] In this embodiment, an additional power storage device 16 is provided, which includes a case 34 and a plurality of battery modules 36 housed in the case 34. The battery modules 36 are electrically connectable to the battery modules 24, and charging and discharging thereof are controlled by the control device 28.

[0067] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the power supply to the load from the main power storage device 14 alone is insufficient, power can be supplied from the additional power storage device 16 to the main power storage device 14. That is, in this embodiment, an additional battery module can be added to the main power storage device 14 without placing the additional battery module within the housing 22.

[0068] The battery modules 24 and 36 degrade depending on the number of charge and discharge cycles, etc., but the degree of degradation varies among the battery modules 24 and 36. Furthermore, degradation can be further delayed when the battery modules 24 and 36 are used while cooled. Therefore, by cooling the battery modules 24 and 36 that are most degraded while using them, the life of the entire battery system 10 can be ensured.

[0069] In this embodiment, the control device 28 can determine the degree of degradation of the battery modules 24 and 36. Furthermore, based on the degree of degradation of the battery modules 24 and 36, the control device 28 can notify at least one of a planned exchange of the battery modules 24 and 36, or a change in the storage positions of the battery modules 24 and 36.

[0070] The following are mainly used Figure 4 The flowchart shown here will explain the control flow related to the processing for managing the degree of degradation of the battery modules by the control device 28. This control flow is started when the CPU 28A of the control device 28 receives a predetermined control signal at predetermined intervals.

[0071] When this control flow starts, in step S100 , the CPU 28A functions as the battery information acquisition unit 43 , acquires the internal resistance value information of the battery module 24 and the battery module 36 , and then proceeds to step S101 .

[0072] In step S101, CPU 28A functions as degradation degree determination unit 46 and evaluates the degradation degree of battery modules 24 and 36 based on information acquired from battery information acquisition unit 43. If it is determined that a battery module 24 or 36 with a degradation degree exceeding the threshold value exists (step S101: Yes), the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, if it is determined that a battery module 24 or 36 with a degradation degree exceeding the threshold value does not exist (step S101: No), the process returns to step S100.

[0073] In step S102, CPU 28A functions as degradation degree determination unit 46, notifying monitor 18 and portable terminal 20 of management information regarding battery modules 24 and 36, thereby terminating the aforementioned control flow. Specifically, CPU 28A transmits to monitor 18 and portable terminal 20 information such as the serial numbers of battery modules 24 and 36 that have been identified as degraded, as well as information regarding the optimal storage positions of these battery modules within housings 22 and 34 based on their respective degradation degrees.

[0074] Therefore, the control device 28 can notify, for example, that the battery module 36 housed in the case 34 and having a relatively high degree of deterioration is replaced with the battery module 24 housed in the case 22 and having a relatively low degree of deterioration.

[0075] As a result, the operators who received the above notice, such as Figure 1B As shown, by exchanging a battery module 36 with a relatively high degree of degradation with a battery module 24 with a relatively low degree of degradation, the battery module 36 can be cooled, thereby suppressing degradation of the battery module 36 .

[0076] Furthermore, the control device 28 can notify, for example, the change in position of the battery module 24 with a relatively high degree of deterioration housed in the case 22 .

[0077] As a result, the operator who has received the above notification arranges the battery module 24 with a relatively large degree of degradation at a position that is easy to be cooled by the cooling device 26 in the shell 22, and arranges the battery module 24 with a relatively small degree of degradation at a position that is difficult to be cooled by the cooling device 26. In this way, the degradation degree of the battery modules 24 in the shell 22 can be averaged.

[0078] In addition, in this embodiment, the control device 28 can set which of the main power storage device 14 and the additional power storage device 16 is used to supply power to the load. Figure 5The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 illustrates a control flow related to processing for managing the power supplied to the battery module by the control device 28. This control flow is initiated when the CPU 28A of the control device 28 receives a predetermined control signal at predetermined intervals.

[0079] Once the control flow begins, in step S200, CPU 28A functions as battery management unit 48 and determines whether the temperature inside housing 22 is above a threshold. If the temperature inside housing 22 is determined to be above the threshold (step S200: Yes), the process proceeds to step S201. On the other hand, if the temperature inside housing 22 is determined to be below the threshold (step S200: No), the process proceeds to step S202.

[0080] In step S201 , CPU 28A functions as battery management unit 48 , sets a circuit so that electric power is supplied from battery module 24 of main power storage device 14 to the load, and terminates the above-described control flow.

[0081] In step S202 , the CPU 28A functions as the battery management unit 48 , sets the circuit so that electric power is supplied from the battery module 36 of the additional power storage device 16 to the load, and terminates the above-described control flow.

[0082] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the battery module 24 and the battery module 36 can be mounted on a vehicle and can supply electric power to the vehicle.

[0083] Therefore, for example, when the battery module 24 and the battery module 36 originally mounted on the vehicle are replaced, if their degree of deterioration is less than that of the battery module 24 and the battery module 36 originally housed in the shell 22 and the battery module 36 originally housed in the shell 34, the battery module 24 and the battery module 36 originally mounted on the vehicle can be reused as part of the main power storage device 14 and part of the additional power storage device 16.

[0084] In the present embodiment, the main power storage device 14 and the additional power storage device 16 are installed at predetermined locations, and electric power can be supplied to loads and the like within the building 12 through these devices.

[0085] As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the complexity of the work of adding battery modules and reduce the influence of degradation of the battery modules.

[0086] <Modification of this embodiment>

[0087] Below, use Figure 6A 、 Figure 6B , a modified example of this embodiment is described.

[0088] In this modification, if Figure 6A As shown, the housing 22 of the main power storage device 14 and the housing 34 of the additional power storage device 16 are connected via a communication portion 50 , and the cooling device 26 is an air-cooling type including a blower fan and the like.

[0089] According to such a configuration, the battery modules 24 in the housing 22 are cooled by the cold air generated by the cooling device 26 , and degradation of the battery modules 24 can be suppressed.

[0090] In addition, in this embodiment, the housing 22 and the housing 34 are connected, and the battery module 36 in the housing 34 is cooled by the cold air generated by the cooling device 26, thereby suppressing the degradation of the battery module 36. Figure 6B As shown, in this modification, by exchanging a battery module 36 with a relatively high degree of degradation with a battery module 24 with a relatively low degree of degradation, the battery module 36 can be placed in a more coolable state, thereby suppressing degradation of the battery module 36 .

Claims

1. A battery system comprising a main power storage device and an additional power storage device, The main power storage device includes: a first housing portion; a plurality of first battery modules housed in the first housing portion; a cooling unit housed in the first housing portion and capable of cooling the interior of the first housing portion; and a control unit housed in the first housing portion and capable of controlling charging and discharging of the first battery module; The additional power storage device includes: a second casing portion; and A plurality of second battery modules are housed in the second housing portion, are electrically connectable to the first battery module and are interchangeable with the first battery module, and are charge and discharge controlled by the control unit. The control unit determines the degree of degradation of the first battery module and the second battery module and can notify at least one of a planned exchange of the first battery module and the second battery module and a change in the storage positions of the first battery module and the second battery module based on the degree of degradation.

2. The battery system according to claim 1, The first battery module and the second battery module can be mounted on a vehicle and can supply electric power to the vehicle.

3. The battery system according to claim 1, The main power storage device and the additional power storage device are installed at predetermined locations.

4. The battery system according to claim 1, The cooling unit is air-cooled. The first housing portion is in communication with the second housing portion.

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