Battery module

Abstract

To supply power to the outside only in a case where a battery module is connected to a vehicle-side electric circuit.SOLUTION: A battery module 1 comprises: a switch circuit 3 which switches supply of power from a power storage section 2 to the outside between a supply enabled state and a supply prohibited state; and a connection confirmation terminal P3 which is connected to a GND of a vehicle-side electric circuit C. In a case where the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND, the switch circuit 3 brings the supply of power to the outside into the supply enabled state. In a case where the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND, the switch circuit 3 brings the supply of power to the outside into the supply prohibited state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Vehicles are equipped with various battery modules, such as a battery module that supplies power to an electric motor serving as a drive source of a battery electric vehicle (BEV). For example, Patent Document 1 describes a battery module mounted on a vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Such a battery module mounted on a vehicle does not need to supply power externally during transportation or the like. On the other hand, when the battery module is mounted on a vehicle and connected to a vehicle-side electric circuit, it needs to be in a state where it can supply power externally.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure describes a battery module that can supply power externally only when connected to a vehicle-side electric circuit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a battery module mounted on a vehicle, comprising a power storage unit, a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal connected to the power storage unit, a switching circuit configured to switch the supply of power from the power storage unit to the outside between a supply-enabled state and a supply-prohibited state, and a connection confirmation terminal configured to be connected to a predetermined terminal connection position of the vehicle-side electrical circuit when the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit provided in the vehicle. The switching circuit sets the supply of power to the outside to the supply-enabled state when the connection confirmation terminal is connected to the terminal connection position, and sets the supply of power to the outside to the supply-prohibited state when the connection confirmation terminal is not connected to the terminal connection position.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, power can be supplied to the outside only when connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the battery module 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle. The battery module 1 is electrically connected to a vehicle-side electrical circuit C provided in the vehicle. The vehicle-side electrical circuit C is provided with various electrical devices such as an electric motor serving as a drive source of the vehicle. By being connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit C, the battery module 1 supplies power to various electrical devices mounted on the vehicle. Further, the battery module 1 may store power generated by a generator provided in the vehicle-side electrical circuit C.

[0011] The battery module 1 includes a power storage unit 2, a switching circuit 3, a positive electrode terminal P1, and a negative electrode terminal P2. The power storage unit 2 is a storage battery such as a Li battery, for example. The positive electrode terminal P1 is electrically connected to the power storage unit 2 via a wiring L1. The negative electrode terminal P2 is electrically connected to the power storage unit 2 via a wiring L2. The positive electrode terminal P1 and the negative electrode terminal P2 are provided in a module-side connector P provided in the battery module 1.

[0012] The module-side connector P is connected to a vehicle-side connector R of a wire harness provided in the vehicle-side electric circuit C. The module-side connector P is connected to the vehicle-side connector R when the battery module 1 is mounted on the vehicle. Thereby, the positive electrode terminal P1 is electrically connected to a first terminal R1 provided in the vehicle-side connector R. The first terminal R1 is electrically connected to various electrical devices in the vehicle-side electric circuit C. Also, the negative electrode terminal P2 is electrically connected to a second terminal R2 provided in the vehicle-side connector R. The second terminal R2 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electric circuit C as an example.

[0013] The connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to a predetermined terminal connection position of the vehicle-side electric circuit C when the positive electrode terminal P1 and the negative electrode terminal P2 are connected to the vehicle-side electric circuit C. As described above, when the module-side connector P including the positive electrode terminal P1 and the negative electrode terminal P2 is connected to the vehicle-side connector R of the vehicle-side electric circuit C, the positive electrode terminal P1 and the negative electrode terminal P2 are connected to the vehicle-side electric circuit C. That is, the case where the positive electrode terminal P1 and the negative electrode terminal P2 are connected to the vehicle-side electric circuit C means the case where the battery module 1 is mounted on the vehicle and the module-side connector P is connected to the vehicle-side connector R.

[0014] Here, the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to a predetermined terminal connection position of the vehicle-side electric circuit C. In the present embodiment, the predetermined terminal connection position of the vehicle-side electric circuit C is the GND of the vehicle-side electric circuit C.

[0015] More specifically, the connection confirmation terminal P3 is provided within the module-side connector P, just like the positive terminal P1 and the like. When the module-side connector P is connected to the vehicle-side connector R, the connection confirmation terminal P3 is electrically connected to a third terminal R3 provided within the vehicle-side connector R. The third terminal R3 is connected to the GND (terminal connection position) of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C. Thereby, when the module-side connector P is connected to the vehicle-side connector R, the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C.

[0016] When the positive terminal P1 and the negative terminal P2 are connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit C, the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C together with them. The connection confirmation terminal P3 is electrically connected to the switching circuit 3 via the wiring L3.

[0017] The switching circuit 3 switches the supply of power from the power storage unit 2 to the outside (outside the battery module 1) between a supply-enabled state and a supply-prohibited state. The supply-enabled state is a state in which it is possible to supply power from the power storage unit 2 to the outside. The supply-prohibited state is a state in which it is not possible to supply power from the power storage unit 2 to the outside, in other words, a state in which power supply is prohibited.

[0018] When the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C, the switching circuit 3 sets the supply of power to the outside to the supply-enabled state. On the other hand, when the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C, the switching circuit 3 sets the supply of power to the outside to the supply-prohibited state.

[0019] In this embodiment, the switching circuit 3 includes a relay 30 and an ECU [Electronic Control Unit] 31. The relay 30 is provided on the wiring L1. The relay 30 is controlled to be ON / OFF by the ECU 31. Note that the state where the relay 30 is ON means that the wiring L1 is energizable. That is, when the ECU 31 is ON, the switching circuit 3 is in a supplyable state. Also, the state where the ECU 31 is OFF means that the energization of the wiring L1 is cut off (prohibited). That is, when the ECU 31 is OFF, the switching circuit 3 is in a supply-prohibited state.

[0020] The ECU 31 is an electronic control unit having a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], etc. The ECU 31 realizes various functions, for example, by loading a program recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded into the RAM with the CPU. Functionally, the ECU 31 includes a voltage acquisition unit 31a, a determination unit 31b, and a switching control unit 31c.

[0021] The voltage acquisition unit 31a acquires the voltage value of the connection confirmation terminal P3 via the wiring L3. The determination unit 31b determines whether or not the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electric circuit C based on the voltage value of the connection confirmation terminal P3 acquired by the voltage acquisition unit 31a. Here, when the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electric circuit C, the voltage level of the connection confirmation terminal P3 becomes low. When the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electric circuit C, the voltage level of the connection confirmation terminal P3 becomes higher than when the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND. The determination unit 31b can make a determination based on the high or low voltage level of the connection confirmation terminal P3.

[0022] Here, when the voltage level of the connection confirmation terminal P3 is at a low level, the determination unit 31b determines that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C. When the voltage level of the connection confirmation terminal P3 is at a high level, the determination unit 31b determines that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C. The high voltage level is a voltage value higher than the low voltage level.

[0023] The switching control unit 31c controls the ON / OFF of the relay 30 based on the determination result of the determination unit 31b. When the determination unit 31b determines that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND, the switching control unit 31c controls the relay 30 to be in the ON state. That is, when the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND, the switching control unit 31c controls the relay 30 to be in the ON state, thereby making the power supply from the power storage unit 2 to the outside available.

[0024] On the other hand, when the determination unit 31b determines that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND, the switching control unit 31c controls the relay 30 to be in the OFF state. That is, when the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND, the switching control unit 31c controls the relay 30 to be in the OFF state, thereby making the power supply from the power storage unit 2 to the outside prohibited.

[0025] In this way, until the battery module 1 is mounted on the vehicle and the module-side connector P is connected to the vehicle-side connector R and the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C, the power supply to the outside is in a prohibited state. When the battery module 1 is mounted on the vehicle and the module-side connector P is connected to the vehicle-side connector R and the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C, the power supply to the outside becomes an available state.

[0026] Next, the flow of the switching process for external power supply performed in the battery module 1 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 2. The process shown in FIG. 2, when the process reaches the end, will start from the start after a predetermined time. Note that when the battery module 1 executes the switching process, the power of the power storage unit 2 is consumed by the ECU 31 or the like. For this reason, in the battery module 1, the timing (execution interval) for starting the process again from the start is set so that the power of the power storage unit 2 does not drop too much. Also, the battery module 1 will not execute this process again after it is determined that the battery module 1 is mounted on the vehicle and connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit C.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the voltage acquisition unit 31a acquires the voltage value of the connection confirmation terminal P3 (S101). The determination unit 31b determines whether the voltage level of the acquired voltage value of the connection confirmation terminal P3 is at a low level or a high level (S102). When the voltage level is at a low level (S102: low level), the determination unit 31b determines that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C (S103). That is, the determination unit 31b determines that the battery module 1 is already connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit C of the vehicle. The switching control unit 31c controls the relay 30 to be in the ON state when it is determined by the determination unit 31b that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND (S104). After the process of S104, the battery module 1 does not execute the switching process shown in FIG. 2 again.

[0028] When the voltage level is at a high level (S102: high level), the determination unit 31b determines that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C (S105). The switching control unit 31c controls the relay 30 to be in the OFF state when it is determined by the determination unit 31b that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND (S106). After the process of S106, the battery module 1 will execute again from the start after a predetermined time.

[0029] As described above, in this battery module 1, the switching circuit 3 becomes in a supply-enabled state only when the positive electrode terminal P1 and the negative electrode terminal P2 are connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit C and the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C. On the other hand, in the battery module 1, when the connection confirmation terminal P3 is not connected to the GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C, the switching circuit 3 becomes in a supply-prohibited state. That is, the battery module 1 cannot supply power to the outside unless it is connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit C. Thus, the battery module 1 can supply power to the outside only when it is connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit C.

[0030] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the predetermined terminal connection position of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C to which the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected is not limited to GND. For example, the connection confirmation terminal P3 may be connected to a terminal connection position having a voltage level other than GND. Also, when the voltage level of the connection confirmation terminal P3 is low, the determination unit 31b determines that the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the terminal connection position (GND in the above-described embodiment) of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C. When the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to a terminal connection position other than GND of the vehicle-side electrical circuit C, the determination unit 31b may determine whether the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected to the terminal connection position based on the voltage level of the terminal connection position to which the connection confirmation terminal P3 is connected.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0031] 1... Battery module, 2... Power storage unit, 3... Switching circuit, C... Vehicle-side electrical circuit, P1... Positive electrode terminal, P2... Negative electrode terminal, P3... Connection confirmation terminal.

Claims

【Claim 1】 A battery module mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a power storage unit; a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal connected to the power storage unit; a switching circuit configured to switch between a state in which power supply from the power storage unit to the outside is enabled and a state in which the power supply is prohibited; a connection confirmation terminal connected to a predetermined terminal connection position of the vehicle-side electrical circuit when the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are connected to the vehicle-side electrical circuit provided in the vehicle; and the switching circuit is configured to enable power supply to the outside when the connection confirmation terminal is connected to the terminal connection position, and to prohibit power supply to the outside when the connection confirmation terminal is not connected to the terminal connection position.

Images