Battery inspection device and battery inspection method

Abstract

To provide a compact battery inspection device capable of continuing charge / discharge testing of a plurality of batteries even when an abnormal battery is included among a plurality of batteries connected in series, and a battery inspection method using the battery inspection device.SOLUTION: A battery inspection device 1 comprises a power source 11 connected in series to a plurality of batteries 2, and a plurality of individual circuits 12 provided individually for each of the plurality of batteries 2. Each of the individual circuits 12 includes a first switch element 22, an adjustment resistor 23, and a second switch element 24. The first switch element 22 is connected to between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2. The adjustment resistor 23 and the second switch element 24 are connected in series, and the series circuit is connected in parallel to and between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery inspection device for performing charging and discharging inspections on a battery under test, and a battery inspection method using the battery inspection device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the charge / discharge test device described in Patent Document 1, a charge test is performed by connecting a battery (secondary cell) to a DC power supply and having a charge / discharge test controller charge the battery from the DC power supply, and a discharge test is performed by connecting the battery to an electronic load device and having the charge / discharge test controller discharge the battery to the electronic load device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-223896 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When performing charge / discharge tests on a plurality of batteries using the charge / discharge test device described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to provide a charge / discharge test controller, a DC power supply device, and an electronic load device for each of the plurality of batteries. However, in this case, a charge / discharge test controller, a DC power supply device, and an electronic load device are required for each battery. In addition, since each battery is individually connected to a corresponding charge / discharge test controller, the total length of the wiring for connecting the plurality of batteries to the corresponding charge / discharge test controllers (total wiring length) becomes long. As a result, the charge / discharge test device becomes large-scale.

[0005] Another method for charge / discharge testing is to connect multiple batteries in series and provide a common charge / discharge test controller, DC power supply, and electronic load for the multiple batteries connected in series. Specifically, the multiple batteries connected in series are connected to one DC power supply to perform a charge test, and the multiple batteries connected in series are connected to one electronic load to perform a discharge test. However, in this case, since the multiple batteries are connected to DC, there is a problem that if one of the multiple batteries has an abnormality, the test cannot be continued.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a compact battery testing device and a battery inspection method that can continue a charge / discharge test even if an abnormal battery is included among a plurality of batteries. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A battery inspection device of a first invention is a battery inspection device for performing charging and discharging inspections on each of a plurality of batteries connected in series, and includes a power source connected in series with the plurality of batteries, a plurality of individual circuits provided individually for each of the plurality of batteries, and a control unit for controlling the power source and the plurality of individual circuits, each of which has a first switch element that switches between short-circuiting and interrupting the short-circuiting of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery, an adjustment resistor for adjusting the voltage of the battery, and a second switch element connected in series with the adjustment resistor and that switches between connecting and interrupting the connection between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery via the adjustment resistor.

[0008] According to the present invention, by using a first switch element to switch between shorting and disconnecting the positive and negative electrodes of the battery, and by using a second switch element to switch between connecting and disconnecting the positive and negative electrodes of the battery via an adjustment resistor, it is possible to continue charging and discharging inspections of multiple batteries even if there is an abnormal battery among the multiple batteries connected in series.

[0009] In addition, in the present invention, a power source is connected to a plurality of batteries connected in series. Therefore, the power source can be common to the plurality of batteries. In other words, it is not necessary to provide a power source for each of the plurality of batteries. In addition, in order to connect the plurality of batteries to the power source in series, wiring for connecting the batteries to each other in order to connect the plurality of batteries in series, and wiring for connecting the power source to the positive electrode of the battery located at one end of the plurality of batteries connected in series and the negative electrode of the battery located at the other end are required. The total length of these wirings can be made shorter than the total length of wirings connecting each battery to the power source when the plurality of batteries are individually connected to the power source. As a result, in the present invention, the battery inspection device can be made compact.

[0010] The battery inspection device of the second invention is the battery inspection device of the first invention, wherein each individual circuit further includes a discharge resistor having a resistance value smaller than that of the adjustment resistor, and a third switch element connected in series with the discharge resistor and switching between connection and disconnection of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery via the discharge resistor.

[0011] According to the present invention, by further switching between connection and disconnection of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery via the discharge resistor by the third switch element, as will be described later, even if one of the multiple batteries has an abnormality in which capacity is insufficient and the voltage of the battery cannot be adjusted by the adjustment resistor, the battery voltage can be adjusted and the charging test can be continued.

[0012] A battery inspection device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the battery inspection device according to the second aspect of the present invention, further comprising a storage unit that stores the state of each of the plurality of batteries.

[0013] According to the present invention, when there is an abnormal battery among a plurality of batteries, the fact that the battery has an abnormality can be stored.

[0014] A battery inspection method of a fourth invention is a battery inspection method using the battery inspection device described in the third invention, in which the control unit executes a charging inspection mode for inspecting whether each of the multiple batteries can be charged normally, and in the charging inspection mode, causes the power source to apply a predetermined voltage to the multiple batteries, and executes a first determination process for determining whether any battery among the multiple batteries has an amount of voltage increase per unit time that is equal to or greater than a threshold, and if the result of the first determination process indicates that there is a battery whose amount of voltage increase per unit time is equal to or greater than a threshold, executes a first short-circuit process for short-circuiting the positive and negative electrodes of the battery with the first switch element of the individual circuit corresponding to the battery, and a process for storing in the memory unit that the battery is not yet installed.

[0015] According to the present invention, when a battery having an unmounted abnormality is included among the multiple batteries connected in series, the first short-circuit process is executed, and even if a current is subsequently supplied to the multiple batteries from the power source, no current is supplied to the unmounted battery, and the charging inspection of the multiple batteries can be continued. Also, when a battery that is unmounted is included among the multiple batteries, the fact that the battery is unmounted can be stored.

[0016] A battery inspection method of a fifth invention is the battery inspection method of the fourth invention, wherein, in the charging inspection mode, when the result of the first judgment process shows that there is no battery whose voltage increase per unit time is equal to or greater than a threshold, the control unit cancels the application of a predetermined voltage to the multiple batteries and starts supplying current to the multiple batteries, executes a second judgment process to determine whether or not there is a battery whose voltage reaches a predetermined first threshold voltage, and when the result of the second judgment process shows that there is a battery whose voltage reaches the first threshold voltage, executes a first voltage adjustment process to adjust the voltage of the battery to near a target voltage by controlling on / off the second switch element of the individual circuit corresponding to that battery.

[0017] According to the present invention, when the capacities of a plurality of batteries vary within a normal range, the first voltage adjustment process is executed, making it possible to continue the charging check.

[0018] A battery inspection method of a sixth aspect of the invention is the battery inspection method of the fifth aspect of the invention, wherein the control unit, in the charging inspection mode, executes a third determination process to determine whether or not there is a battery that reaches a second threshold voltage higher than the first threshold voltage after execution of the first voltage adjustment process, and if a battery that reaches the second threshold voltage is present as a result of the third determination process, executes a second voltage adjustment process for that battery by controlling on / off the third switch element of the individual circuit corresponding to that battery, and adjusting the voltage of that battery to near the target voltage.

[0019] According to the present invention, when there is a battery whose voltage rise cannot be suppressed by the first voltage adjustment process, the second voltage adjustment process is executed to suppress the voltage rise of the battery and continue the charging inspection.

[0020] A battery inspection method of a seventh aspect of the present invention is the battery inspection method of the sixth aspect of the present invention, wherein, in the charging inspection mode, for a battery whose voltage continues to rise even after the second voltage adjustment process is executed, the control unit stops the second voltage adjustment process and executes a second short-circuit process in which the first switch element of the individual circuit corresponding to the battery shorts the positive and negative electrodes of the battery, and a process in which the memory unit stores information that the battery has a first capacity deficiency anomaly in which the capacity is smaller than a predetermined capacity.

[0021] According to the present invention, when the voltage of a battery continues to rise even after the second voltage adjustment process is performed among the multiple batteries, the second short-circuit process is performed, so that the charging inspection can be continued without supplying current to the battery. Also, when the voltage of a battery continues to rise even after the second voltage adjustment process is performed among the multiple batteries, it is possible to store the fact that the battery has a first capacity shortage anomaly.

[0022] A battery inspection method of an eighth aspect of the present invention is the battery inspection method of the seventh aspect of the present invention, wherein, in the charging inspection mode, when a first time has elapsed since the start of current supply by the power source and the voltages of all the batteries whose positive and negative electrodes are not short-circuited via the first switch element have not reached the target voltage, the control unit executes a process of stopping the current supply from the power source and a process of storing in the memory unit that the batteries that have not reached the target voltage have an excess capacity anomaly in which the capacity is greater than the normal range.

[0023] According to the present invention, when a battery among a plurality of batteries has an excessive capacity abnormality, the supply of current can be stopped without waiting for the voltage of the battery to reach a target voltage. Also, when a battery among a plurality of batteries has an excessive capacity abnormality, the fact that the battery has an excessive capacity abnormality can be stored.

[0024] A battery inspection method of a 9th invention is the battery inspection method of the 8th invention, wherein, in the charging inspection mode, when the voltages of all the batteries whose positive and negative electrodes are not short-circuited via the first switch element reach the target voltage, the control unit executes a process of stopping the current supply from the power source, and a process of storing in the memory unit that the battery whose voltage is adjusted by the second voltage adjustment process has a second capacity deficiency anomaly in which the capacity is smaller than the normal range and is equal to or greater than the specified capacity.

[0025] According to the present invention, when a battery having a second insufficient capacity anomaly is found among a plurality of batteries, the fact that the battery has the second insufficient capacity anomaly can be stored. In this case, the degree of the insufficient capacity of the battery can be identified in two stages.

[0026] A battery inspection method of the tenth invention is a battery inspection method using the battery inspection device described in the third invention, in which the control unit executes a charge inspection mode for inspecting whether each of the multiple batteries can be charged normally, and in the charge inspection mode, causes the memory unit to store in the memory unit that an abnormality exists for an abnormal battery, and after executing the charge inspection mode, executes a discharge inspection mode for inspecting whether a normally charged battery among the multiple batteries, for which an abnormality is not stored in the memory unit, can be discharged normally, and in the discharge inspection mode, causes the power source to supply a current in the opposite direction to the charging current, thereby discharging the normally charged battery, and causes the memory unit to store in the memory unit whether each normally charged battery is normal based on the results of discharging from the normally charged battery.

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to store whether a normally charged battery is normal or not based on the result of discharging the normally charged battery. Effect of the Invention

[0028] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a compact battery inspection device that can continue charging and discharging inspections of multiple batteries even if one of the multiple batteries connected in series has an abnormality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 5 is a flowchart for explaining a control flow for performing charging inspection of a plurality of batteries using a battery inspection circuit. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart for explaining a control flow for performing a discharge inspection of a plurality of batteries using a battery inspection circuit. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for discharging a battery that has been stored as having an abnormality during charging. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart for explaining another control flow for performing a discharge test on a plurality of batteries using a battery testing circuit. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart for explaining yet another control flow for performing a discharge test on a plurality of batteries using the battery testing circuit. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a control flow for performing charging inspection of a plurality of batteries using a battery inspection circuit that does not have a discharge resistor and a third switch element. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing a process flow for discharging a battery that has been stored as having an abnormality during charging, in a battery inspection circuit that does not have a discharge resistor and a third switch element. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described.

[0031] <Battery inspection device configuration> The battery inspection device 1 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is for performing charge inspection and discharge inspection on each of a plurality of batteries 2 connected in series. As shown in Fig. 1, the battery inspection device 1 includes a DC power supply 11 (hereinafter simply referred to as the power supply 11), a plurality of individual circuits 12, a control unit 3, and a storage unit 4.

[0032] The multiple batteries 2 and the power source 11 are connected in series. Specifically, the power source 11 is connected to the positive electrode 2a of the battery 2 located at one end of the multiple batteries 2 connected in series, and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 located at the other end. The power source 11 is for applying a set voltage to the multiple batteries 2 or supplying a set current. The power source 11 is connected to a control unit 3, and the control unit 3 controls the voltage applied from the power source 11 to the multiple batteries 2 and the current supplied from the power source 11 to the multiple batteries 2.

[0033] The multiple individual circuits 12 are provided individually for the multiple batteries 2. Each individual circuit 12 includes a first switch element 22, an adjustment resistor 23, a second switch element 24, a discharge resistor 25, a third switch element 26, and an isolation amplifier 27.

[0034] The first switch element 22 is connected between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2. When the first switch element 22 is in an on state, the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 are short-circuited via the first switch element 22. When the first switch element 22 is in an off state, the short-circuit between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 via the first switch element 22 is released. In addition, a control terminal of the first switch element 22 is connected to the control unit 3, and the first switch element 22 is switched on and off by a signal from the control unit 3.

[0035] The adjusting resistor 23 and the second switch element 24 are connected in series to form a series circuit, and the series circuit is connected in parallel with the battery 2 between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the corresponding battery 2. Note that, although the adjusting resistor 23 is connected to the positive electrode 2a and the second switch element 24 is connected to the negative electrode 2b in Fig. 1, the adjusting resistor 23 may be connected to the positive electrode 2a and the second switch element 24 may be connected to the negative electrode 2b, on the other hand, the second switch element 24 may be connected to the positive electrode 2a and the adjusting resistor 23 may be connected to the negative electrode 2b.

[0036] When the second switch element 24 is in the on state, the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 are connected via the adjustment resistor 23. When the second switch element 24 is in the off state, the connection between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 via the adjustment resistor 23 is released. In addition, a control terminal of the second switch element 24 is connected to the control unit 3, and the second switch element 24 is switched on and off by a signal from the control unit 3.

[0037] The resistance value of the adjustment resistor 23 is a resistance value that can maintain the voltage of the battery 2 (the voltage between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b) at a voltage close to the target voltage by performing a first voltage adjustment control described later when the capacity of the battery 2 is within the normal range. The target voltage is the voltage of the battery 2 in a state where charging is completed (fully charged state), and is set appropriately depending on the type of the battery 2, etc. The capacity of the battery 2 being within the normal range means that the capacity of the battery 2 is equal to or greater than a lower limit capacity that is a predetermined amount smaller than a preset reference capacity, and equal to or less than an upper limit capacity that is a predetermined amount larger than the reference capacity. The lower limit capacity is, for example, a capacity that is approximately 0.1% smaller than the reference capacity. The upper limit capacity is, for example, a capacity that is approximately 0.1% larger than the reference capacity.

[0038] The discharge resistor 25 and the third switch element 26 are connected in series to form a series circuit, and the series circuit is connected in parallel with the battery 2 between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the corresponding battery 2. Note that, although the discharge resistor 25 is connected to the positive electrode 2a and the third switch element 26 is connected to the negative electrode 2b in Fig. 1, the third switch element 26 may be connected to the positive electrode 2a and the discharge resistor 25 may be connected to the negative electrode 2b.

[0039] When the third switch element 26 is in an on state, the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 are connected via the discharge resistor 25. When the third switch element 26 is in an off state, the connection between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 via the discharge resistor 25 is released. In addition, a control terminal of the third switch element 26 is connected to the control unit 3, and the third switch element 26 is switched between on and off by a signal from the control unit 3.

[0040] The resistance value of the discharge resistor 25 is smaller than the resistance value of the adjustment resistor 23. More specifically, the resistance value of the discharge resistor 25 is a resistance value that allows the voltage of the battery 2 to be maintained near the target voltage by performing a second voltage adjustment control, which will be described later, when the capacity of the battery 2 is smaller than the lower limit capacity and equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity that is even smaller than the lower limit capacity. The predetermined capacity is, for example, about 1% smaller than the reference capacity.

[0041] In FIG. 1, the first switch element 22, the second switch element 24, and the third switch element 26 are MOS-FETs. However, the first to third switch elements may be transistors other than MOS-FETs, or may be switch elements other than transistors.

[0042] The isolation amplifier 27 is connected in parallel with the first switch element 22, the series circuit of the adjustment resistor 23 and the second switch element 24, and the series circuit of the discharge resistor 25 and the third switch element 26 between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2. The isolation amplifier 27 detects the voltage of the battery 2 and outputs a signal according to the detected voltage to the control unit 3. The isolation amplifier 27 also has other functions, but these are not relevant to the characteristic parts of the present invention and therefore will not be described further. Instead of the isolation amplifier 27, another device capable of detecting the voltage between the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 may be provided.

[0043] As described above, the control unit 3 controls the supply of voltage and current from the power source 11, and the switching on / off of the switch elements 22, 24, 26 in the multiple individual circuits 12. The storage unit 4 is a memory or the like provided in the control unit 3. Although the storage unit 4 is provided in the control unit 3 in FIG.

[0044] <Battery inspection method> Next, a procedure for performing a charge inspection and a discharge inspection on each of the multiple batteries 2 using the battery inspection device 1 will be described.

[0045] <Charging inspection> The battery inspection device 1 can perform charging inspection on multiple batteries 2 by the control unit 3 performing processing according to the flowchart of Fig. 2. In this embodiment, the processing performed by the control unit 3 according to the flowchart of Fig. 2 corresponds to the "charging inspection mode" of the present invention.

[0046] 2 in detail, the control unit 3 first controls the power source 11 to apply a predetermined voltage to the plurality of batteries 2 (S101). Here, the predetermined voltage is a voltage that causes a smaller current to flow through the plurality of batteries 2 than when a current is supplied to the plurality of batteries 2 in S104 described later. The predetermined voltage is, for example, about 10V.

[0047] Next, the control unit 3 judges whether or not there is a battery 2 whose voltage has suddenly increased among the batteries 2 based on signals from the insulating amplifiers 27 of the individual circuits 12 (S102, first judgment process). Here, a battery 2 whose voltage has suddenly increased is a battery 2 whose voltage increase per unit time is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0048] If there is no battery 2 whose voltage has suddenly increased (S102: NO), the process proceeds to S104. If there is a battery 2 whose voltage has suddenly increased (S102: YES), the control unit 3 executes a first short-circuit process for the corresponding battery 2, stores in the memory unit 4 that there is an unmounted abnormality (S103), and the process returns to S102. The first short-circuit process is a process in which the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 are short-circuited via the first switch element 22 by switching on the first switch element 22 in the individual circuit 12 corresponding to the battery 2. The unmounted abnormality is an abnormality in which the battery 2 does not have a function of storing electric charge. In addition, in S102 after returning from S103, it is determined whether there is a battery 2 whose voltage has suddenly increased again among the multiple batteries 2.

[0049] In S104, the control unit 3 controls the power source 11 to release the application of the predetermined voltage and start supplying current to the multiple batteries 2. The current supplied to the multiple batteries 2 is, for example, about 5 to 100 A.

[0050] In S105, the control unit 3 judges whether or not there is a battery 2 that has reached the first threshold voltage among the multiple batteries 2 (second judgment process). The first threshold voltage is, for example, a target voltage that is a fully charged voltage of the battery 2 (set to 4.2 V in the case of a lithium ion battery). Alternatively, the first threshold voltage may be another voltage that is close to the target voltage. If there is no battery 2 that has reached the first threshold voltage (S105: NO), the process proceeds to S112.

[0051] If there is a battery 2 that has reached the first threshold voltage (S105: YES), the control unit 3 starts a first voltage adjustment process for the corresponding battery 2 (S106). In the first voltage adjustment process, the control unit 3 controls the second switch element 24 to be on / off (repeatedly switches the second switch element 24 on and off), and adjusts the ratio of the time that the second switch element 24 is on at this time, thereby maintaining the voltage of the battery 2 near the target voltage. In more detail, when the second switch element 24 is turned on, current flows from the positive electrode 2a to the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 through the adjustment resistor 23, thereby discharging the battery 2 and lowering the voltage of the battery 2. When the second switch element 24 is turned off again, charging of the battery 2 is resumed, thereby increasing the voltage of the battery 2. In the first voltage adjustment process, the second switch element 24 is repeatedly switched on and off, thereby alternately discharging the battery 2 and charging the battery 2, thereby maintaining the voltage of the battery 2 near the target voltage. This makes it possible to suppress an excessive voltage rise in the low-capacity battery 2 and continue charging the low-voltage battery 2. Also, the control unit 3 can calculate the current flowing through the adjustment resistor 23 based on the duty ratio, which is the ratio of the time when the second switch element 24 is on when it switches between on and off.

[0052] Next, the control unit 3 judges whether or not any of the batteries 2 has reached the second threshold voltage (S107, third judgment process). The second threshold voltage is a voltage higher than the first threshold voltage (for example, when the first threshold voltage is 4.2 V, the second threshold voltage is set to 4.21 V). In the first voltage adjustment process, even if the second switch element 24 is maintained in the on state, the voltage of the battery 2 rises and the voltage of the battery 2 cannot be maintained at a voltage close to the target voltage, in which case the voltage of the battery 2 reaches the second threshold voltage.

[0053] If there is no battery 2 that has reached the second threshold voltage (the voltage of the battery 2 is maintained at a voltage close to the target voltage by executing the first voltage adjustment process) (S107: NO), the process proceeds to S112. If there is a battery 2 that has reached the second threshold voltage (even when the first voltage adjustment process is executed, the voltage of the corresponding battery 2 rises above the target voltage) (S107: YES), the control unit 3 stops the first voltage adjustment process for the corresponding battery 2 and starts the second voltage adjustment process (S108).

[0054] In the second voltage adjustment process, the control unit 3 controls the third switch element 26 to be turned on / off (repeatedly switches the third switch element 26 on and off), and adjusts the ratio of the time that the third switch element 26 is turned on, thereby maintaining the voltage of the battery 2 near the target voltage. In more detail, when the third switch element 26 is turned on, a current flows from the positive electrode 2a to the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 through the discharge resistor 25, thereby discharging the battery 2 and lowering the voltage of the battery 2. When the third switch element 26 is turned off again, charging of the battery 2 is resumed, and the voltage of the battery 2 rises. In the second voltage adjustment process, the third switch element 26 is repeatedly switched on and off, thereby discharging the battery 2 and charging the battery 2 alternately, thereby maintaining the voltage of the battery 2 near the target voltage. At this time, the second switch element 24 is on or off, but can be arbitrarily selected by the control unit 3.

[0055] As described above, since the resistance value of the discharge resistor 25 is smaller than the resistance value of the adjustment resistor 23, the current flowing through the discharge resistor 25 when the third switch element 26 is turned on in the second voltage adjustment process is larger than the current flowing through the discharge resistor 25 when the second switch element 24 is turned on in the first voltage adjustment process. Therefore, the amount of discharge from the battery 2 when the third switch element 26 is turned on in the second voltage adjustment process is larger than the amount of discharge from the battery 2 when the second switch element 24 is turned on in the first voltage adjustment process. As a result, even if the voltage of the battery 2 rises even when the first voltage adjustment process is performed, it may be possible to maintain the voltage of the battery 2 at a voltage close to the target voltage by performing the second voltage adjustment process.

[0056] Next, the control unit 3 determines whether or not the voltage of the battery 2 increases even if the second voltage adjustment process is executed (S109). The voltage of the battery 2 increases even if the second voltage adjustment process is executed when the voltage of the battery 2 increases even if the third switch element 26 is maintained in the on state, and the voltage of the battery 2 cannot be maintained near the target voltage.

[0057] When the voltage of the corresponding battery 2 is maintained around the target voltage by executing the second voltage adjustment process (S109: NO), the process proceeds to S112. When the voltage of the corresponding battery 2 rises even after the second voltage adjustment process is executed (S109: YES), the control unit 3 stops the second voltage adjustment process for the corresponding battery 2 and executes the second short-circuit process (S110). The second short-circuit process is a process in which the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2 are short-circuited via the first switch element 22 by switching on the first switch element 22 in the individual circuit 12 corresponding to the battery 2, as in the first short-circuit process. Next, the control unit 3 stores in the memory unit 4 that the battery 2 on which the second short-circuit process has been executed has a first capacity insufficiency abnormality (S111), and the process proceeds to S112. The first capacity insufficiency abnormality is an abnormality in which the capacity of the battery 2 is smaller than the above-mentioned predetermined capacity.

[0058] In S112, the control unit 3 determines whether the voltages of all the batteries 2 have reached the target voltage. Here, "all the batteries 2" in S112 refers to all the batteries 2 excluding the battery 2 whose positive electrode 2a and negative electrode 2b are short-circuited via the first switch element 22 by either the first short-circuit process or the second short-circuit process.

[0059] If the voltages of all the batteries 2 have reached the target voltage (S112: YES), the process proceeds to S115. If the voltages of all the batteries 2 have not reached the target voltage (S112: NO), the control unit 3 judges whether or not a first time has elapsed since the start of the current supply in S104 (S113). The first time is a time equal to or longer than the time required to charge the battery 2 whose capacity is the upper limit capacity. If the first time has not elapsed since the start of the current supply in S104 (S113: NO), the process returns to S105. In S105 after returning from S113, the control unit 3 judges whether or not there is a battery 2 that has newly reached the first threshold voltage among the multiple batteries 2. If there is a battery 2 that has newly reached the first threshold voltage (S105: YES), the process proceeds to S106, and if there is no battery 2 that has newly reached the first threshold voltage (S105: NO), the process proceeds to S112. Here, "there is a battery 2 whose voltage has newly reached the first threshold voltage" means that there is a battery 2 whose voltage was less than the first threshold voltage at the previous determination in S105 and whose voltage has reached the first threshold voltage at the current determination in S105. If the first time has elapsed since the start of current supply in S104 (S113: YES), the control unit 3 stores in the memory unit 4 that the battery 2 that has not reached the target voltage and is taking time to charge has an excessive capacity abnormality (S114), and the process proceeds to S115. The excessive capacity abnormality is an abnormality in which the capacity of the battery 2 is greater than the upper limit capacity.

[0060] In S115, the control unit 3 stops the supply of current to the power source 11. Next, the control unit 3 causes the memory unit 4 to store information that the battery 2, which was undergoing the second voltage adjustment process when the supply of current to the power source 11 was stopped, has a second capacity shortage abnormality (the capacity of the battery 2 is smaller than the lower limit of the variation range) (S116).

[0061] Next, the control unit 3 causes the memory unit 4 to store that the remaining batteries 2 among the multiple batteries 2 other than the battery 2 that is stored as having any of an unmounted abnormality, a first insufficient capacity abnormality, a second insufficient capacity abnormality, and an excessive capacity abnormality can be charged normally (are normally charging batteries) (S117), and ends the processing.

[0062] <Discharge inspection> In the battery inspection device 1, after the above-mentioned charge inspection mode (processing according to the flowchart in Fig. 3) is completed, the control unit 3 performs a discharge inspection on the battery 2 that has been stored as being capable of being normally charged (the "normally charged battery" of the present invention) by performing processing according to the flowchart in Fig. 3, and inspects whether the battery 2 is normal or not based on the time required for discharging. Note that in this embodiment, the processing performed by the control unit 3 according to the flowchart in Fig. 3 corresponds to the "discharge inspection mode" of the present invention.

[0063] To explain the flowchart of FIG. 3 in detail, the control unit 3 starts supplying the power source 11 with a current of the same magnitude as that during charging, but in the opposite direction to that during charging (S201). This starts discharging from the battery 2. The control unit 3 continues supplying the reverse current to the power source 11 until the voltages of all the batteries 2 become equal to or lower than the end voltage, which is lower than the target voltage (S202: NO). Here, "all batteries" in S202 refers to all the batteries 2 other than the batteries 2 stored as having an unmounted abnormality, a first capacity shortage abnormality, or a second capacity shortage abnormality during charging, that is, all the batteries 2 stored as being normally charged batteries, and all the batteries 2 stored as having an excess capacity abnormality during charging. Then, when the voltages of all the batteries 2 become equal to or lower than the end voltage (S202: YES), the control unit 3 stops supplying the reverse current to the power source 11 (S203). Next, for each normally charged battery, the control unit 3 causes the memory unit 4 to store that the battery 2 is normal if the time from the start of the supply of the reverse current to the reaching of the end voltage is a second time or longer, and causes the memory unit 4 to store that the battery 2 is below the specified capacity if the time is less than the second time (S204).

[0064] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned discharge inspection is performed, the control unit 3 performs the process according to the flowchart of Fig. 4 to discharge the battery 2 that is stored as having an abnormality. In detail, if there is a battery 2 that is stored as having an unmounted abnormality when charging (S301: YES), the corresponding first switch element 22 is turned on to short-circuit the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b via the first switch element 22 (S302), and the process proceeds to S303. This allows the battery 2 that is stored as having an unmounted abnormality to be discharged when it is being charged. If there is no battery 2 that is stored as having an unmounted abnormality when charging (S301: NO), the process proceeds directly to S303.

[0065] If a short circuit abnormality is stored during charging and there is a battery 2 whose negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a (S303: YES), the control unit 3 turns on the corresponding first switch element 22 to short-circuit the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b via the first switch element 22 (S304), and the process proceeds to S305. This allows discharging from the battery 2 whose short circuit abnormality is stored. If a short circuit abnormality is stored during charging and there is no battery 2 whose negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a (S303: NO), the process proceeds directly to S305.

[0066] If a first capacity insufficiency anomaly is stored during charging and there is a battery 2 whose negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a (S305: YES), the control unit 3 turns on the corresponding first switch element 22 to short-circuit the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b via the first switch element 22 (S306), and the process proceeds to S307. This allows discharging from the battery 2 whose first capacity insufficiency anomaly is stored. If a first capacity insufficiency anomaly is stored during charging and there is no battery 2 whose negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a (S305: NO), the process proceeds directly to S307.

[0067] If the second capacity insufficiency anomaly is stored during charging and there is a battery 2 whose negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a (S307: YES), the control unit 3 turns on the corresponding first switch element 22 to short-circuit the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b via the first switch element 22 (S308), and the process proceeds to S309. This allows discharging from the battery 2 whose second capacity insufficiency anomaly is stored. If the second capacity insufficiency anomaly is stored during charging and there is no battery 2 whose negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a (S307: NO), the process proceeds directly to S309.

[0068] In this embodiment, the battery 2 stored as having a first insufficient capacity anomaly and the battery 2 stored as having a second insufficient capacity anomaly are the batteries for which the second voltage adjustment process was performed during the charging inspection process.

[0069] In S309, the control unit 3 determines whether the discharge inspection is completed. If the discharge inspection is not completed (S309: NO), the process returns to S303. If the discharge inspection is completed (S309: YES), the process ends.

[0070] <Effects> In the battery inspection device 1 of this embodiment, even if the multiple batteries 2 connected in series include at least one of a battery 2 with an unmounted abnormality, a battery 2 with a short circuit abnormality, a battery 2 with a first insufficient capacity abnormality, a battery 2 with a second insufficient capacity abnormality, and a battery 2 with an excessive capacity abnormality, it is possible to continue inspection of the multiple batteries 2. Furthermore, it is possible to distinguish and detect for each battery 2 whether it can be charged normally, whether it has an unmounted abnormality, whether it has a short circuit abnormality, whether it has a first insufficient capacity abnormality, whether it has a second insufficient capacity abnormality, or whether it has an excessive capacity abnormality.

[0071] More specifically, when there is a battery 2 with an unmounted abnormality among multiple batteries 2 connected in series, the first short-circuit process is executed to prevent current from being supplied to the battery 2 with the unmounted abnormality, thereby making it possible to continue the charging inspection of the multiple batteries 2. Furthermore, when the capacities of the multiple batteries 2 vary within a normal range, the first voltage adjustment process is executed to make it possible to continue the charging inspection.

[0072] In addition, when the multiple batteries 2 include a battery 2 having either a first capacity deficiency anomaly or a second capacity deficiency anomaly, and the voltage rise cannot be suppressed by the first voltage adjustment process, the charging inspection can be continued by executing the second voltage adjustment process.

[0073] Furthermore, when the multiple batteries 2 include a battery 2 having a first capacity deficiency abnormality and the voltage rise cannot be suppressed by the second voltage adjustment process, the second short-circuit process is executed to prevent current from being supplied to the battery 2 having the first capacity deficiency abnormality, thereby making it possible to continue the charging inspection.

[0074] Furthermore, during charging inspection, when the supply of current from the power source 11 is stopped, the memory unit 4 stores therein that the battery 2, whose voltage is adjusted by the second voltage adjustment process, has a second capacity deficiency abnormality, thereby making it possible to distinguish between the presence of the first capacity deficiency abnormality and the presence of the second capacity deficiency abnormality and to detect the degree of capacity deficiency of the battery 2 in two stages.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a first time has elapsed since the start of the supply of current to the multiple batteries 2, the supply of the current is stopped. As a result, if there is a battery 2 with an excessive capacity abnormality among the multiple batteries 2, the supply of current can be stopped without waiting for the voltage of the battery 2 to reach the target voltage.

[0076] In addition, after the charge inspection mode is completed, the discharge inspection mode can be executed to discharge the normally charged battery 2, and based on the results of discharging the normally charged battery, it can be stored as to whether the normally charged battery is normal or not.

[0077] In addition, it is possible to determine whether each normally charged battery is normal or not based on whether the time from the start of the reverse current supply to the time when the normally charged battery reaches its end voltage is equal to or longer than a second time.

[0078] In addition, in this embodiment, by short-circuiting the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of a battery 2 that has been stored as having an unmounted abnormality during a charging inspection to the first switch element 22 corresponding to that battery 2, it is possible to discharge the battery 2 that has an unmounted abnormality when it is being charged.

[0079] In this embodiment, for a battery 2 that is stored as having any one of a short circuit, a first capacity insufficiency abnormality, and a second capacity insufficiency abnormality during a charging inspection, when the supply of a reverse current is started and the negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a, the first switch element 22 corresponding to the battery 2 short-circuits the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of the battery 2. This makes it possible to discharge the battery 2 that is stored as having any one of the first capacity insufficiency abnormality, the second capacity insufficiency abnormality, and a short circuit abnormality.

[0080] It should be noted that, as described above, a battery 2 that is stored as having an excessive capacity anomaly during a charging inspection can be discharged in the same manner as a normally charged battery.

[0081] Furthermore, in the battery inspection device 1 of this embodiment, the batteries 2 connected in series are connected to the power source 11. Therefore, the power source 11 can be common to the multiple batteries 2. In other words, there is no need to provide individual power sources 11 for the multiple batteries 2, and the battery inspection device 1 can be made compact.

[0082] <Modification> Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0083] The process performed by the control unit 3 when performing the discharge inspection is not limited to that in the above embodiment.

[0084] <Variation 1> For example, in the first modification, when performing a discharge inspection, the control unit 3 performs processing according to the flowchart of FIG. 5. To explain in more detail, the control unit 3 starts the supply of the reverse current to the power source 11, as in S201, to start discharging from the battery 2 (S401). Until the voltage of any of the batteries 2 stored as being normally chargeable reaches the end voltage (S402: NO), the control unit 3 continues the supply of the reverse current to the power source 11. When the voltage of any of the batteries 2 stored as being normally chargeable reaches the end voltage (S402: YES), the control unit 3 stops the supply of the reverse current to the power source 11 (S403). Next, the control unit 3 turns on the second switch element 24 corresponding to the battery 2 that has not yet reached the end voltage among the batteries 2 stored as being normally chargeable and the battery 2 that has been stored as having an excessive capacity abnormality during charging (S404). As a result, these batteries 2 are discharged via the adjustment resistor 23. Next, the control unit 3 waits until any of the batteries 2 newly reaches the end voltage (S405: NO), and when any of the batteries 2 newly reaches the end voltage (S405: YES), turns off the corresponding second switch element 24 (S406). Next, the control unit 3 judges whether or not all of the batteries 2 have reached the end voltage (S407). "All batteries" in S407 refers to all of the batteries 2 that are stored as being capable of being normally charged. If all of the batteries 2 have not reached the end voltage (S407: NO), the process returns to S405.

[0085] When all batteries 2 have reached the end voltage (S407: YES), the control unit 3 causes the memory unit 4 to store, for each battery 2 that has been stored as being capable of being charged normally, that the battery 2 is normal if the time from the start of the supply of the reverse current to the end voltage being reached is a third time or longer, and causes the memory unit 4 to store that the battery 2 is below the specified capacity if the time is less than the third time (S408).

[0086] <Variation 2> In the second modification, when performing the discharge inspection, the control unit 3 performs the process according to the flowchart of FIG. 6. More specifically, the control unit 3 starts the supply of the reverse current to the power source 11, as in S201, to start discharging from the battery 2 (S501). Until the voltage of any of the batteries 2 stored as being normally chargeable reaches a first voltage that is lower than the target voltage (full charge voltage) and higher than the end voltage (S502: NO), the control unit 3 continues the supply of the reverse current to the power source 11. When the voltage of any of the batteries 2 stored as being normally chargeable reaches the first voltage (S502: YES), the control unit 3 reduces the magnitude of the current supplied to the power source 11 (S503). The magnitude of the reduced current is, for example, about 3 A. The direction of the current supplied at this time is the same as before. At this time, the control unit 3 switches on and off the second switch element 24 of the battery 2 that is stored as being able to be normally charged and the battery 2 that is stored as having an excessive capacity anomaly during charging, for the battery 2 that has a second voltage or higher that is higher than the first voltage when the voltage of the battery 2 reaches the first voltage, thereby discharging the battery 2 through the adjustment resistor 23 (S504). At this time, the ratio of the time that the second switch element 24 is turned on is adjusted according to the voltage of each battery 2, so that the voltages of the battery 2 that is stored as being able to be normally charged and the battery 2 that is stored as having an excessive capacity anomaly during charging reach the cut-off voltage almost at the same time. Until the voltages of all the batteries 2 reach the cut-off voltage (S505: NO), the control unit 3 continues to supply the current in the reverse direction with the reduced magnitude to the power source 11. Here, "all the batteries" in S505 refers to all the batteries 2 that are stored as being able to be normally charged and all the batteries 2 that are stored as having an excessive capacity anomaly during charging combined.

[0087] When the voltages of all the batteries 2 reach the end voltage (S505: YES), the control unit 3 stops the supply of the reduced reverse current (S506). Next, the control unit 3 causes the memory unit 4 to store that the battery 2 is normal if the proportion of the time that the second switch element 24 is on when switching the second switch element 24 on and off is equal to or greater than a predetermined proportion, and causes the memory unit 4 to store that the battery 2 is below the specified capacity if the proportion of the time is less than the predetermined proportion (S507).

[0088] In variant 2, discharging can be terminated when all normally charged batteries 2 have the same final voltage, so that it is then possible to connect the batteries 2 in parallel without adjusting the voltage balance during the assembly process of these batteries 2.

[0089] <Variation 3> In the above embodiment, the individual circuit 12 has the discharge resistor 25 and the third switch element 26, but is not limited to this. The individual circuit 12 may have a configuration in which the discharge resistor 25 and the third switch element 26 are removed from the configuration of the above embodiment. In this case, when performing a charging inspection, the control unit 3 performs processing according to the flowchart of FIG. 7. More specifically, the control unit 3 executes the processing of S101 to S106 as in the above embodiment. Also, when the increase in the voltage of the battery 2 is suppressed by executing the first voltage adjustment processing and the voltage is maintained at a voltage near the target voltage (S601: NO), the processing proceeds to S112 as in the above embodiment.

[0090] If the voltage of the battery 2 increases even after the first voltage adjustment process is performed (S601: YES), the control unit 3 stops the first voltage adjustment process for the corresponding battery 2 and performs a third short-circuit process (S602).

[0091] Next, the control unit 3 stores in the storage unit 4 that the battery 2 on which the third short circuit process has been executed has a capacity insufficient abnormality (S603), and proceeds to S112. A capacity insufficient abnormality is an abnormality in which the capacity of the battery 2 is smaller than the above-mentioned lower limit capacity. Therefore, in this example, the storage unit 4 stores that the battery 2 has a capacity insufficient abnormality, without distinguishing between a case in which the battery 2 has the first capacity insufficient abnormality of the above-mentioned embodiment and a case in which the battery 2 has the second capacity insufficient abnormality of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0092] In the third modification, the control unit 3 executes the processes of S112 to S115 in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. However, in this example, unlike the above-described embodiment, after S115, the control unit 3 executes the process of S117 without executing the process of S116 (see FIG. 2).

[0093] In addition, in the third modification, when the above-mentioned discharge inspection is performed, the control unit 3 performs processing according to the flowchart of Fig. 8. In the flowchart of Fig. 8, the processing of S305 to S308 in the flowchart of Fig. 4 is replaced with S701 and S702.

[0094] In S701, the control unit 3 determines whether or not there is a battery 2 for which a capacity insufficiency abnormality is stored during charging and for which the negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a. If such a battery 2 is present (S701: YES), the control unit 3 turns on the corresponding first switch element 22 to short-circuit the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b via the first switch element 22 (S702), and proceeds to S309. This causes the battery 2 for which a capacity insufficiency abnormality is stored during charging to be discharged. If such a battery 2 is not present (S701: NO), the process proceeds directly to S309.

[0095] In variant example 3, when inspecting multiple batteries 2 connected in series, even if the multiple batteries 2 include at least one of a battery 2 with an unmounted abnormality, a battery 2 with a short circuit abnormality, a battery 2 with an insufficient capacity abnormality, and a battery 2 with an excessive capacity abnormality, the inspection of the batteries 2 can be continued.

[0096] Specifically, even if the multiple batteries 2 include at least one of a battery 2 with an unmounted abnormality, a battery 2 with a short circuit abnormality, and a battery 2 with an excessive capacity abnormality, the charging inspection can be continued by performing processing similar to that described in the above embodiment.

[0097] Furthermore, when the plurality of batteries 2 includes a battery 2 with an insufficient capacity abnormality and the voltage rise cannot be suppressed by the first voltage adjustment process, the third short-circuit process is executed to prevent current from being supplied to the battery 2 with the insufficient capacity abnormality, and the charging inspection can be continued. Also, the fact that the battery 2 has an insufficient capacity can be stored in the memory unit 4.

[0098] In the third modification, it is also possible to distinguish and detect whether each battery 2 can be charged normally, whether there is an unmounted abnormality, whether there is a short circuit abnormality, whether there is an insufficient capacity abnormality, and whether there is an excessive capacity abnormality. However, in this example, unlike the above embodiment, it is not possible to distinguish and detect the first insufficient capacity abnormality and the second insufficient capacity abnormality.

[0099] In addition, in the third modification, for a battery 2 that has been stored as having a capacity shortage abnormality during a charging inspection, when the supply of a reverse current is started and the negative electrode 2b has a higher voltage than the positive electrode 2a, the first switch element 22 corresponding to that battery 2 short-circuits the positive electrode 2a and the negative electrode 2b of that battery 2. This allows discharging from the battery 2 that has been stored as having a capacity shortage abnormality.

[0100] In the above embodiment, the first switch element 22, the second switch element 24, and the third switch element 26 are directly connected to the control unit 3, and the first switch element 22, the second switch element 24, and the third switch element 26 are switched on and off by directly inputting a signal from the control unit 3 to the first switch element 22, the second switch element 24, and the third switch element 26, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the first switch element 22 and the control unit 3, the second switch element 24 and the control unit 3, and the third switch element 26 and the control unit 3 may be connected via a photocoupler. Then, the first switch element 22, the second switch element 24, and the third switch element 26 may be switched on and off by switching whether or not to pass a current through the photocoupler under the control of the control unit 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1: Battery inspection equipment 2: Battery 11: Power supply 12: Individual circuit 22: First switch element 23: Adjustment resistance 24: Second switch element 25: Discharge resistor 26: Third switch element

Claims

1. A battery inspection device for performing a charge inspection and a discharge inspection on each of a plurality of batteries connected in series, comprising: a power source connected in series with the plurality of batteries; A plurality of individual circuits each provided for each of the plurality of batteries; a control unit that controls the power supply and the plurality of individual circuits, Each individual circuit is a first switch element for switching between short-circuiting and interrupting the short-circuiting of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery; an adjusting resistor for adjusting the voltage of the battery; a second switch element connected in series with the adjustment resistor for switching between connection and disconnection of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery via the adjustment resistor.

2. Each individual circuit is a discharge resistor having a resistance value smaller than that of the adjustment resistor; 2. The battery inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a third switch element connected in series with the discharge resistor and configured to switch between connecting and disconnecting the positive and negative electrodes of the battery via the discharge resistor.

3. 3. The battery inspection device according to claim 2, further comprising a storage unit for storing the state of each of the plurality of batteries.

4. A battery inspection method using the battery inspection device according to claim 3, the control unit executes a charge inspection mode for inspecting whether each of the plurality of batteries can be normally charged; In the charging inspection mode, a first determination process is executed to apply a predetermined voltage from the power source to the plurality of batteries and determine whether or not there is a battery among the plurality of batteries whose voltage increase per unit time is equal to or greater than a threshold value; a first short-circuiting process for short-circuiting the positive and negative electrodes of a battery using the first switch element of the individual circuit corresponding to the battery when the result of the first determination process indicates that the battery has a voltage increase per unit time equal to or greater than a threshold value; and a process for storing in the memory unit that the battery is not yet installed.

5. The control unit is In the charging inspection mode, if there is no battery whose voltage increase per unit time is equal to or greater than a threshold as a result of the first determination process, a second determination process is executed to cancel application of a predetermined voltage to the plurality of batteries, start supplying current to the plurality of batteries, and determine whether or not there is any battery whose voltage reaches a predetermined first threshold voltage; 5. The battery inspection method according to claim 4, wherein, when a battery reaches the first threshold voltage as a result of the second determination process, a first voltage adjustment process is executed for the battery, in which the second switch element of the individual circuit corresponding to the battery is controlled to be on / off to adjust the voltage of the battery to a voltage close to a target voltage.

6. The control unit is In the charging inspection mode, executing a third determination process for determining whether or not there is a battery that reaches a second threshold voltage higher than the first threshold voltage after executing the first voltage adjustment process; 6. The battery inspection method according to claim 5, wherein, when a battery reaches the second threshold voltage as a result of the third determination process, a second voltage adjustment process is executed for the battery, in which the third switch element of the individual circuit corresponding to the battery is controlled to be on / off to adjust the voltage of the battery to a voltage close to the target voltage.

7. The control unit is In the charging inspection mode, 7. The battery inspection method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of: stopping the second voltage adjustment process for the battery whose voltage continues to rise even after the second voltage adjustment process is performed; and performing a second short-circuit process in which the first switch element of the individual circuit corresponding to the battery shorts the positive and negative electrodes of the battery; and storing in the memory unit a process in which the battery has a first capacity deficiency anomaly in which the capacity is smaller than a predetermined capacity.

8. The control unit is In the charging inspection mode, 8. The battery inspection method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of: stopping the current supply from the power source; and storing in the memory unit a fact that the batteries that have not reached the target voltage have an excess capacity anomaly, in which the capacity is greater than a normal range, when the voltages of all the batteries whose positive and negative electrodes are not short-circuited via the first switch element have not reached the target voltage even after a first time has elapsed since the start of current supply from the power source.

9. The control unit is In the charging inspection mode, 9. The battery inspection method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of: when the voltages of all the batteries whose positive and negative electrodes are not short-circuited via the first switch element reach the target voltage, stopping the current supply from the power source; and storing in the memory unit a fact that the battery whose voltage is adjusted by the second voltage adjustment process has a second capacity deficiency anomaly in which the capacity is smaller than a normal range and is equal to or greater than the predetermined capacity.

10. A battery inspection method using the battery inspection device according to claim 3, The control unit is executing a charge inspection mode for inspecting whether each of the plurality of batteries can be normally charged; In the charging inspection mode, the abnormality of the battery is stored in the storage unit; After the charge inspection mode is executed, a discharge inspection mode is executed to inspect whether or not a normally charged battery, which is not stored in the memory unit as having an abnormality, among the plurality of batteries can be normally discharged; In the discharge inspection mode, A battery inspection method comprising the steps of: causing the power source to supply a current in the opposite direction to a charging current, thereby discharging the normally charged battery; and storing in the memory unit whether each normally charged battery is normal or not based on the results of discharging the normally charged battery.

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