Battery system, and battery pack

Abstract

To enable detecting abnormality of all in a pack case of a battery pack.SOLUTION: A battery system 100 comprises: a plurality of battery packs 10; and a main controller 80. The battery pack 10 comprises: a pack case 30; a cell module 40 that has a plurality of battery cells 41 arranged in the pack case 30; a sub controller 50 that is arranged in the pack case 30, and is electrically connected to the cell module 40 with the cell module 40 as a power source; and an abnormality detection element 60 that detects abnormality of all in the pack case 30. The main controller 80 is communicatably connected to the sub controller 50 of the plurality of battery packs 10. The abnormality detection element 60 of one battery pack 10 of the plurality of battery packs 10 is communicatably connected to the sub controller 50 of other battery pack 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery system and a battery pack. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-80135 discloses a battery system including multiple battery blocks connected in series, a battery state detection circuit, and a main control circuit. In each battery block, multiple battery cells are connected in series. The battery state detection circuit is connected to each battery cell and includes circuits for detecting the voltage and temperature of the battery cell.

[0003] The battery state detection circuit outputs the voltage and temperature of each battery cell to the main control circuit, which manages the state of each battery cell based on the voltage and temperature of each battery cell. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-80135 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the battery system disclosed in JP 2010-80135 A, the battery state detection circuit is electrically connected to the battery block to be detected and uses the battery block as its power source. If an abnormality occurs in the battery block and power is not supplied to the battery state detection circuit, the battery state detection circuit may lose power. In this case, the battery state detection circuit may not start up normally, and the state of the battery block may not be detected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The battery system disclosed herein includes a plurality of battery packs and a main controller. The battery pack includes a pack case, a cell module having a plurality of battery cells arranged in the pack case, a sub-controller arranged in the pack case and electrically connected to the cell module using the cell module as a power source, and an abnormality detection element that detects an overall abnormality within the pack case. The main controller is communicatively connected to the sub-controllers of the plurality of battery packs. The abnormality detection element of one of the plurality of battery packs is communicatively connected to the sub-controllers of the other battery packs.

[0007] According to the battery system disclosed here, even if an abnormality occurs throughout the pack case of one battery pack and the sub-controller of the one battery pack loses power, the abnormality throughout the pack case of the one battery pack can be detected by the sub-controller of another battery pack through the abnormality detection element of the one battery pack.

[0008] The battery pack disclosed herein comprises a pack case, a cell module having a plurality of battery cells arranged within the pack case, a sub-controller arranged within the pack case and electrically connected to the cell module using the cell module as a power source, an abnormality detection element that detects overall abnormalities within the pack case, a first connection port connected to the sub-controller, and a second connection port connected to the abnormality detection element. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a battery system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an anomaly detection method. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a main controller. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a battery system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiment described here is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Each drawing is a schematic diagram and does not necessarily faithfully reflect an actual product. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are appropriately used for components and parts that perform the same function, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate.

[0011] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a battery system 100 according to a first embodiment. The battery system 100 according to this embodiment is connected to a load (not shown). The type of load connected to the battery system 100 is not particularly limited. The load may be, for example, a vehicle load, such as a drive device such as an electric motor of the vehicle, or an inverter. The battery system 100 is mounted on a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, and is used as a power source that supplies power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle. However, the battery system 100 is not limited to use in a vehicle.

[0012] 1, the battery system 100 includes a plurality of battery packs 10, a main controller 80, and an auxiliary power supply 90. The number of battery packs 10 is not particularly limited, but is four here. The number of battery packs 10 may be two, three, five or more.

[0013] In this embodiment, the multiple battery packs 10 are arranged side by side in a predetermined arrangement direction D1. The arrangement direction D1 is a direction that extends linearly. However, the arrangement direction D1 may be a direction that extends in a curved line, or a direction that extends partially in a curved line. Here, the direction from one side of the arrangement direction D1 (the lower side in FIG. 1) to the other side (the upper side in FIG. 1) is referred to as a first direction D11. The direction from the other side of the arrangement direction D1 to one side is referred to as a second direction D12. The first direction D11 is the direction opposite to the second direction D12.

[0014] In the following description, the multiple battery packs 10 are also referred to as battery packs 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D in the order along the direction from one battery pack to the other (here, the second direction D12). That is, the battery pack 10A is arranged closest to the first direction D11. The battery pack 10D is arranged closest to the second direction D12. The battery pack 10B is arranged between the battery packs 10A and 10C. The battery pack 10C is arranged between the battery packs 10B and 10D. Here, the battery packs 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D have the same configuration. In the following description, the term battery pack 10 will be used in common to the battery packs 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D.

[0015] 1, one battery pack 10 includes a pack case 30, a cell module 40, a sub-controller 50, and an abnormality detection element 60. The pack case 30 is a case having a space inside. The pack case 30 is made of, for example, metal, but the material from which the pack case 30 is made is not particularly limited.

[0016] The cell module 40 has a plurality of battery cells 41. The cell module 40 is arranged in the pack case 30. In other words, the plurality of battery cells 41 are arranged in the pack case 30. The battery cells 41 are chargeable and dischargeable. For example, a secondary battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged by the movement of charge carriers between a pair of electrodes (e.g., a positive electrode and a negative electrode) via an electrolyte may be used as the battery cell 41. For example, a lithium-ion secondary battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery may be used as the battery cell 41. In this embodiment, the plurality of battery cells 41 are connected in series. Here, the plurality of battery cells 41 are connected in series via a bus bar (not shown). However, the plurality of battery cells 41 may also be connected in parallel. The number of battery cells 41 in one cell module 40 is not particularly limited and is a predetermined number. The number of battery cells 41 in the cell modules 40 in each battery pack 10 may be the same or different.

[0017] A subcontroller 50 is provided for each battery pack 10, in other words, for each pack case 30, and outputs detection information related to any abnormalities within the pack case 30 to the main controller 80. The subcontroller 50 is configured, for example, by an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). However, the subcontroller 50 may also be configured, for example, by a microcomputer. The subcontroller 50 may include a communication interface, a central processing unit (CPU) that executes instructions from a control program, a read only memory (ROM) that stores the program executed by the CPU, a random access memory (RAM) used as a working area for expanding the program, and a storage device such as a memory that stores the program and various data. The subcontroller 50 may be configured by a single device (for example, a single CPU), or may be configured to be controlled jointly by multiple devices.

[0018] The sub-controller 50 is housed in the pack case 30. In this embodiment, the sub-controller 50 uses the cell module 40 (in other words, a plurality of battery cells 41) as a power source. The sub-controller 50 is electrically connected to the cell module 40. In this embodiment, the sub-controller 50 is electrically connected to the cell module 40 via a power supply wiring 54. The power supply wiring 54 has a first power supply wiring 54a electrically connected to the positive electrode side of the cell module 40 and a second power supply wiring 54b electrically connected to the negative electrode side of the cell module 40.

[0019] The abnormality detection element 60 detects an overall abnormality within the pack case 30. Here, an overall abnormality within the pack case 30 refers to an abnormality in components such as the battery cells 41 of the cell modules 40 housed in the pack case 30. An abnormality in a cell module 40 (e.g., a battery cell 41) is, for example, a high temperature abnormality that occurs when the battery cell 41 becomes too hot. In the following description, "an overall abnormality within the pack case 30" is also referred to as an abnormality within the pack case 30.

[0020] The abnormality detection element 60 is disposed (in other words, housed) within the pack case 30. However, if the abnormality detection element 60 can detect an abnormality throughout the entire pack case 30, it may be disposed outside the pack case 30. In this embodiment, the abnormality detection element 60 detects an abnormality within the pack case 30 in which it is housed. The type of abnormality detection element 60 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the abnormality detection element 60 is configured by a temperature sensor. The abnormality detection element 60 detects the temperature within the pack case 30. In this embodiment, for example, when an abnormality occurs throughout the entire pack case 30, the temperature within the pack case 30 may rise. Therefore, when the temperature within the pack case 30 rises, the abnormality detection element 60 detects that an abnormality has occurred throughout the entire pack case 30. Although not shown in the drawings, the abnormality detection element 60 may be electrically connected to, for example, the auxiliary power supply 90, using the auxiliary power supply 90 as its power source.

[0021] 1, in this embodiment, a plurality of battery packs 10 (here, battery packs 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D) included in a battery system 100 are arranged side by side in an arrangement direction D1 and connected in series. That is, the cell modules 40 included in the plurality of battery packs 10 are connected in series. However, the plurality of cell modules 40 may also be connected in parallel.

[0022] In this embodiment, each battery pack 10 has a first connection port 31 and a second connection port 32. The first connection port 31 and the second connection port 32 are provided on the pack case 30. The first connection port 31 is connected to a sub-controller 50 inside the pack case 30. The sub-controller 50 is connected to a component (here, an abnormality detection element 60) outside the pack case 30 in which the sub-controller 50 is housed via the first connection port 31 so as to be able to communicate with the component. The second connection port 32 is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 inside the pack case 30. The abnormality detection element 60 is connected to a component (here, the sub-controller 50) outside the pack case 30 in which the abnormality detection element 60 is housed via the second connection port 32 so as to be able to communicate with the component.

[0023] In this embodiment, the abnormality detection element 60 of one battery pack 10 among the multiple battery packs 10 is communicatively connected to the sub-controller 50 of the other battery packs 10. Here, for example, the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10A is communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of any one of the other battery packs 10B, 10C, and 10D. For example, the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10B is communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of any one of the other battery packs 10A, 10C, and 10D. Here, the sub-controller 50 and the abnormality detection element 60 communicatively connected to the sub-controller 50 are not housed in the same pack case 30, but are housed in different pack cases 30.

[0024] 1 , the sub-controller 50 of each battery pack 10 is communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of any of the battery packs 10 adjacent to it in the arrangement direction D1. Specifically, among the multiple battery packs 10, the sub-controllers 50 of battery packs 10B, 10C, and 10D other than battery pack 10A, which is arranged closest to the first direction D11, are communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of any of the battery packs 10 adjacent to it in the arrangement direction D1. For example, the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10B is communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of any of the battery packs 10A and 10C adjacent to it in the arrangement direction D1. For example, the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10C is communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of any of the battery packs 10B and 10D adjacent to it in the arrangement direction D1.

[0025] Specifically, the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10B is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10A adjacent to it in the first direction D11. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10C is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10B adjacent to it in the first direction D11. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10D is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10C adjacent to it in the first direction D11. In this embodiment, the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A, which is arranged closest to the first direction D11 among the multiple battery packs 10, is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10D, which is arranged closest to the second direction D12.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first connection port 31 of the battery pack 10A and the second connection port 32 of the battery pack 10D are connected by a connection wiring 35a. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10D via the connection wiring 35a. The first connection port 31 of the battery pack 10B and the second connection port 32 of the battery pack 10A are connected by a connection wiring 35b. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10B is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10A via the connection wiring 35b. The first connection port 31 of the battery pack 10C and the second connection port 32 of the battery pack 10B are connected by a connection wiring 35c. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10C is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10B via the connection wiring 35c. Furthermore, the first connection port 31 of the battery pack 10D and the second connection port 32 of the battery pack 10C are connected by a connection wiring 35d. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10D is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10C via a connection wire 35d.

[0027] Like the sub-controller 50, the main controller 80 is configured, for example, by an ASIC, but may also be configured by a microcomputer. Like the sub-controller 50, the main controller 80 may include a communication interface, an intermediate processing unit, a ROM, a RAM, a storage device, etc. Furthermore, the main controller 80 may be configured by a single device (for example, a single CPU), or may be configured to be controlled jointly by multiple devices. The main controller 80 is provided outside the pack case 30.

[0028] In this embodiment, the main controller 80 is not powered by the cell modules 40 of the battery pack 10, but is powered by the auxiliary power supply 90. The main controller 80 is electrically connected to the auxiliary power supply 90. The type of the auxiliary power supply 90 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a storage battery (here, a lead-acid battery).

[0029] In this embodiment, the main controller 80 is communicatively connected to each of the sub-controllers 50 provided in the multiple battery packs 10. In this embodiment, the main controller 80 acquires detection information related to the overall abnormality in the pack case 30 from the sub-controllers 50 while executing an abnormality detection method for detecting whether an abnormality has occurred in the entire pack case 30. Based on the detection information, the main controller 80 can detect that an abnormality has occurred in the pack case 30 of any of the multiple battery packs 10.

[0030] 1, in this embodiment, the plurality of sub-controllers 50 and the main controller 80 are communicatively connected in a ring configuration. The connection form (topology) between the plurality of sub-controllers 50 and the main controller 80 is a ring configuration. In other words, the plurality of sub-controllers 50 and the main controller 80 are communicatively connected in a loop configuration.

[0031] For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the main controller 80 and the multiple sub-controllers 50 are communicatively connected via communication wiring 95. Two communication wirings 95 are connected to each of the multiple sub-controllers 50 and the main controller 80. The multiple sub-controllers 50 can output to the main controller 80 in two directions. In this embodiment, the main controller 80 is communicatively connected to the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A via communication wiring 95a. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A and the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10B are communicatively connected via communication wiring 95b. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10B and the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10C are communicatively connected via communication wiring 95c. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10C and the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10D are communicatively connected via communication wiring 95d. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10D is communicatively connected to the main controller 80 via communication wiring 95e.

[0032] The configuration of the battery system 100 according to this embodiment has been described above. Next, an abnormality detection method for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the entire pack case 30 of any of the battery packs 10 included in the battery system 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0033] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main controller 80. In this embodiment, in order to sequentially execute the flowchart shown in Fig. 2, the main controller 80 includes a storage unit 81, an acquisition unit 82, and a determination unit 83. The storage unit 81, the acquisition unit 82, and the determination unit 83 may be realized by one or more processors, or may be realized by circuits.

[0034] In this embodiment, first, in step S101 of FIG. 2, the battery system 100 is started up. Here, a predetermined start-up process is executed by the main controller 80. This start-up process starts up the sub-controller 50 and the abnormality detection element 60 of each battery pack 10. Here, the start-up process by the main controller 80 starts up the sub-controller 50 of each battery pack 10 by supplying power from the electrically connected cell module 40 (here, a plurality of battery cells 41). The abnormality detection element 60 of each battery pack 10 starts up by supplying power from the electrically connected auxiliary power supply 90. Here, the start-up of the abnormality detection element 60 refers to a state in which it can detect the temperature inside the pack case 30. The start-up of the sub-controller 50 refers to a state in which it can acquire the temperature detected by the abnormality detection element 60 and output it to the main controller 80.

[0035] Next, in step S103 of FIG. 2, the acquisition unit 82 of the main controller 80 of FIG. 3 acquires the adjacent pack temperature T1. Here, the acquisition unit 82 acquires the adjacent pack temperature T1 from each sub-controller 50. Here, the adjacent pack temperature T1 refers to the temperature inside the pack case 30 that houses the abnormality detection element 60 that is communicatively connected to the sub-controller 50. For example, the adjacent pack temperature T1 acquired from the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10B refers to the temperature inside the pack case 30 of battery pack 10A, detected by the abnormality detection element 60 of battery pack 10A. For example, the adjacent pack temperature T1 acquired from the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10A refers to the temperature inside the pack case 30 of battery pack 10D, detected by the abnormality detection element 60 of battery pack 10D.

[0036] In this embodiment, upon receiving a command from the main controller 80, each sub-controller 50 acquires the adjacent pack temperature T1 and outputs it to the main controller 80. For example, when the acquisition unit 82 of the main controller 80 acquires the adjacent pack temperature T1 from each sub-controller 50, the main controller 80 first sends an acquisition signal to each sub-controller 50. Upon receiving the acquisition signal from the main controller 80, the sub-controller 50 acquires the temperature inside the pack case 30 in which the abnormality detection element 60 is housed from the connected abnormality detection element 60. Here, the sub-controller 50 transmits a temperature acquisition signal to the connected abnormality detection element 60. Upon receiving the temperature acquisition signal from the connected sub-controller 50, the abnormality detection element 60 detects (here, measures) the temperature inside the pack case 30 in which the abnormality detection element 60 is housed.

[0037] The abnormality detection element 60 then transmits the detected temperature inside the pack case 30 to the connected sub-controller 50. The sub-controller 50 acquires the temperature inside the pack case 30 detected and transmitted by the connected abnormality detection element 60 as the adjacent pack temperature T1. The sub-controller 50 then transmits the acquired adjacent pack temperature T1 to the main controller 80. The acquisition unit 82 of the main controller 80 acquires the adjacent pack temperature T1 transmitted from the sub-controller 50. In this way, the acquisition unit 82 can acquire the adjacent pack temperature T1 from each sub-controller 50.

[0038] Next, in step S105 of FIG. 2, the determination unit 83 of the main controller 80 of FIG. 3 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the pack case 30. Here, the determination unit 83 determines whether the adjacent pack temperature T1 is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference temperature T2. For example, if an abnormality occurs in any of the multiple cell modules 40 housed in the pack case 30, the temperature inside the pack case 30 increases. For example, if an abnormality occurs in the pack case 30, the adjacent pack temperature T1 obtained from the sub-controller 50 connected to the abnormality detection element 60 that detected the temperature of the pack case 30 where the abnormality occurred increases. Therefore, in step S105, the determination unit 83 determines whether the adjacent pack temperature T1 is equal to or higher than a reference temperature T2. The reference temperature T2 is pre-stored in the memory unit 81 of the main controller 80 (see FIG. 3). The reference temperature T2 is set based on the temperature inside the pack case 30 that is expected when an abnormality occurs inside the pack case 30.

[0039] In this embodiment, if the determination unit 83 determines in step S105 that the adjacent pack temperature T1 is less than the reference temperature T2, the process proceeds to step S107 in FIG. 2 . In step S107, the main controller 80 determines that the interior of the pack case 30 in which the adjacent pack temperature T1 was detected is normal. On the other hand, if the determination unit 83 determines in step S105 that the adjacent pack temperature T1 is equal to or greater than the reference temperature T2, the process proceeds to step S109 in FIG. 2 . In step S109, the main controller 80 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pack case 30 in which the adjacent pack temperature T1 was detected. For example, if the adjacent pack temperature T1 acquired from the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A is equal to or greater than the reference temperature T2, the main controller 80 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pack case 30 of the battery pack 10D. For example, if the adjacent pack temperature T1 acquired from the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10C is equal to or greater than the reference temperature T2, the main controller 80 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pack case 30 of the battery pack 10B.

[0040] As described above, the abnormality detection method is performed in the order shown in the flowchart of Fig. 2. In this embodiment, the main controller 80 transmits an acquisition signal to each sub-controller 50 every time a predetermined detection time elapses. The main controller 80 sequentially executes steps S103 to S109 in Fig. 2 at the timing when the main controller 80 transmits the acquisition signal to each sub-controller 50.

[0041] The main controller 80 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the pack case 30 for each battery pack 10. If the main controller 80 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pack case 30 of any of the battery packs 10, the main controller 80 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the battery system 100. When the main controller 80 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the battery system 100, the main controller 80 executes a predetermined abnormality process. The content of this abnormality process is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a process to stop the battery system 100 or a process to notify a higher-level control device (for example, an overall control device of a vehicle equipped with the battery system 100). If all battery packs 10 are normal, the battery system 100 is normal, and the main controller 80 does not execute any special control.

[0042] 1, in the present embodiment, among the plurality of battery packs 10, the abnormality detection element 60 of one battery pack 10 is communicatively connected to one of the sub-controllers 50 of the other battery packs 10. When an abnormality occurs throughout the pack case 30, it may be caused by, for example, an abnormality in one of the plurality of cell modules 40 housed in the pack case 30 (for example, a high temperature abnormality caused by a cell module 40 (at least one of the plurality of battery cells 41) becoming too hot).

[0043] 1, it is assumed that an abnormality occurs in the cell module 40 of the battery pack 10B. In this case, the temperature inside the pack case 30 of the battery pack 10B becomes high, and the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10B detects the abnormality inside the pack case 30.

[0044] For example, if an abnormality occurs in a cell module 40 of the battery pack 10B, power may not be supplied to the subcontroller 50, which receives power from the abnormal cell module 40. If power is not supplied, the subcontroller 50 will not start up normally. However, in this embodiment, the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10B is communicatively connected to the subcontroller 50 of another battery pack 10C. Here, no abnormality has occurred in the pack case 30 of the battery pack 10C, and the subcontroller 50 of the battery pack 10C is supplied with power and starts up normally. Therefore, the subcontroller 50 of the battery pack 10C can detect an abnormality in the pack case 30 of the battery pack 10B through the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10B.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the connection between the multiple sub-controllers 50 and the main controller 80 is a ring configuration. Information about adjacent pack temperature T1 output from the sub-controllers 50 to the main controller 80 is output via communication wiring 95. As described above, if an abnormality occurs in the cell module 40 of battery pack 10B and the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10B is unusable, the communication wirings 95b and 95c connected to the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10B are unusable. Therefore, in this case, for example, the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10C outputs information about adjacent pack temperature T1 to the main controller 80 via communication wiring 95d and 95e. For example, the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10A outputs information about adjacent pack temperature T1 to the main controller 80 via communication wiring 95a.

[0046] As described above, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the battery system 100 includes a plurality of battery packs 10 and a main controller 80. Each battery pack 10 includes a pack case 30, a cell module 40 having a plurality of battery cells 41 arranged in the pack case 30, a sub-controller 50 arranged in the pack case 30 and electrically connected to the cell module 40 using the cell module 40 as a power source, and an abnormality detection element 60 that detects an overall abnormality within the pack case 30. The main controller 80 is communicatively connected to the sub-controllers 50 of the plurality of battery packs 10. Among the plurality of battery packs 10, the abnormality detection element 60 of one battery pack 10 is communicatively connected to the sub-controller 50 of another battery pack 10. For example, the abnormality detection element 60 of one battery pack 10A is communicatively connected to the sub-controller 50 of another battery pack 10B. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs throughout the pack case 30 of one battery pack 10A and the sub-controller 50 of the one battery pack 10A loses power, the abnormality throughout the pack case 30 of the one battery pack 10A can be detected by the sub-controller 50 of the other battery pack 10B through the abnormality detection element 60 of the one battery pack 10A.

[0047] In this embodiment, the battery pack 10 includes a first connection port 31 connected to the sub-controller 50 and a second connection port 32 connected to the abnormality detection element 60. For example, the second connection port 32 of one battery pack 10A and the first connection port 31 of another battery pack 10B are connected by a connection wiring 35b. Therefore, the abnormality detection element 60 of the one battery pack 10A and the sub-controller 50 of the other battery pack 10B can be communicatively connected via the connection wiring 35b.

[0048] In this embodiment, multiple battery packs 10 are arranged side by side in a predetermined arrangement direction D1. The sub-controller 50 of a battery pack 10 is communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of any battery pack 10 adjacent to it in the arrangement direction D1. For example, the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10B is communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of battery pack 10A adjacent to it in the arrangement direction D1. This makes it possible to shorten the distance between the sub-controllers 50 and the abnormality detection elements 60 that are connected to each other. Therefore, for example, the length of the connection wiring 35b that connects the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10B and the abnormality detection element 60 of battery pack 10A can be shortened.

[0049] In this embodiment, the direction from one side (downward in FIG. 1) to the other side (upward in FIG. 1) in the arrangement direction D1 is referred to as a first direction D11, and the direction from the other side to the one side is referred to as a second direction D12. The sub-controller 50 of a battery pack 10 is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10 adjacent to it in the first direction D11 of the arrangement direction D1. For example, the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10B is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10A adjacent to it in the first direction D11. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A, which is arranged closest to the first direction D11 among the multiple battery packs 10, is connected to the abnormality detection element 60 of the battery pack 10D, which is arranged closest to the second direction D12. This makes it possible to prevent the connection wiring 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d connecting the sub-controller 50 and the abnormality detection element 60 from becoming complicatedly entangled.

[0050] In this embodiment, the abnormality detection element 60 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the pack case 30. Here, if an abnormality occurs inside the pack case 30, the temperature inside the pack case 30 may rise. Therefore, by the abnormality detection element 60 detecting the temperature inside the pack case 30, the main controller 80 can detect that an abnormality has occurred throughout the entire pack case 30 of the battery pack 10 corresponding to the abnormality detection element 60.

[0051] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the main controller 80 includes an acquisition unit 82 and a determination unit 83. The acquisition unit 82 acquires, from the sub-controller 50, the adjacent pack temperature T1 detected by the abnormality detection element 60 communicatively connected to the sub-controller 50. The determination unit 83 determines whether the adjacent pack temperature T1 acquired by the acquisition unit 82 is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference temperature T2. When the determination unit 83 determines that the adjacent pack temperature T1 is equal to or higher than the reference temperature T2, the main controller 80 detects that an abnormality has occurred throughout the pack case 30 corresponding to the abnormality detection element 60 that detected the adjacent pack temperature T1. Here, the reference temperature T2 may be the minimum temperature inside the pack case 30 that is expected when an abnormality has occurred inside the pack case 30. Therefore, an abnormality inside the pack case 30 can be detected by the simple control of determining whether the adjacent pack temperature T1 is equal to or higher than the reference temperature T2.

[0052] In this embodiment, the connection between each sub-controller 50 in the multiple battery packs 10 and the main controller 80 is a ring type. By connecting the multiple sub-controllers 50 and the main controller 80 in a ring type configuration, it is easy to connect additional battery packs 10, resulting in good scalability, even when the number of battery packs 10 is increased. For example, in FIG. 1, when adding one battery pack 10, it is advisable to place the additional battery pack 10 between the sub-controller 50 of battery pack 10D and the communication wiring 95e.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by using a ring-type connection, the sub-controller 50 can output to the main controller 80 in two directions. For example, the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A can output to the main controller 80 from two directions, from the communication wiring 95a side and the communication wiring 95b side. Therefore, even if the power supply of the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10B is lost, the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A can still output to the main controller 80 through the communication wiring 95a.

[0054] Second Embodiment Next, a battery system 100A according to a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the battery system 100A according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, in this embodiment, the battery system 100A includes a plurality of battery packs 10 (here, battery packs 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D), a main controller 80, and an auxiliary power supply 90. In the battery system 100A, the configuration other than the connection between each of the sub-controllers 50 in the plurality of battery packs 10 and the main controller 80 is the same as the configuration of the battery system 100 according to the first embodiment, and therefore, description of the configuration of the battery system 100A will be omitted as appropriate.

[0055] In this embodiment, the connection topology between each of the sub-controllers 50 in the plurality of battery packs 10 (here, battery packs 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D) and the main controller 80 is a star topology. That is, the plurality of sub-controllers 50 are independently connected to the main controller 80 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 4, the sub-controllers 50 are communicatively connected to the main controller 80 via a communication line 96. Here, the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10A and the main controller 80 are communicatively connected via a communication line 96a. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10B and the main controller 80 are communicatively connected via a communication line 96b. The sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10C and the main controller 80 are communicatively connected via a communication line 96c. Furthermore, the sub-controller 50 of the battery pack 10D and the main controller 80 are communicatively connected via a communication line 96d. Note that in this embodiment, the number of communication lines 96 connecting one sub-controller 50 and the main controller 80 is one, but there may be more than one.

[0057] In this way, even if the connection between each sub-controller 50 in the plurality of battery packs 10 and the main controller 80 is a star type, the sub-controller 50 can output to the main controller 80 even if the power supply of another sub-controller 50 is lost. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0058] In each of the above embodiments, the abnormality detection element 60 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the pack case 30. However, the abnormality detection element 60 is not limited to a temperature sensor. The abnormality detection element 60 may be a thermal fuse that is housed in the pack case 30 and that melts when the temperature inside the pack case 30 becomes high (for example, exceeds a predetermined reference temperature). In this case, the sub-controller 50 that is communicatively connected to the abnormality detection element 60 may detect an abnormality throughout the pack case 30 in which the abnormality detection element 60 is housed when the thermal fuse, which is an example of the abnormality detection element 60, melts.

[0059] The invention disclosed herein has been described in various ways. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments described herein do not limit the present invention. Furthermore, the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can be modified in various ways, and each component and each process described herein can be omitted or combined as appropriate, unless a particular problem arises.

[0060] As described above, this specification includes the disclosures set forth in the following sections. Section 1: A plurality of battery packs; The main controller and Equipped with The battery pack Pack case and a cell module having a plurality of battery cells arranged in the pack case; a sub-controller disposed in the pack case and electrically connected to the cell module using the cell module as a power source; an abnormality detection element that detects an abnormality in the entire pack case; Equipped with the main controller is communicably connected to the sub-controllers of the plurality of battery packs; A battery system, wherein the abnormality detection element of one of the battery packs is communicably connected to the sub-controller of another of the battery packs.

[0061] Section 2: The plurality of battery packs are arranged side by side in a predetermined arrangement direction, Item 2. The battery system according to item 1, wherein the sub-controller of the battery pack is communicably connected to the abnormality detection element of any of the battery packs adjacent to it in the arrangement direction.

[0062] Section 3: When the direction from one side to the other side of the arrangement directions is defined as a first direction and the direction from the other side to the one side is defined as a second direction, the sub-controller of the battery pack is connected to the abnormality detection element of the battery pack adjacent to the battery pack in the first direction of the arrangement direction; Item 2. A battery system according to item 2, wherein the sub-controller of the battery pack arranged furthest to the first direction side among the plurality of battery packs is connected to the abnormality detection element of the battery pack arranged furthest to the second direction side.

[0063] Section 4: 4. The battery system according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the abnormality detection element is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the pack case.

[0064] Section 5: The main controller an acquisition unit that acquires, from the sub-controller, the adjacent pack temperature detected by the abnormality detection element that is communicatively connected to the sub-controller; a determination unit that determines whether the adjacent pack temperature acquired by the acquisition unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference temperature; Equipped with Item 5. A battery system according to item 4, wherein the main controller is configured to detect, when the determination unit determines that the adjacent pack temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, that an abnormality has occurred throughout the pack case corresponding to the abnormality detection element that detected the adjacent pack temperature.

[0065] Item 6: 6. The battery system according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the connection between each of the sub-controllers in the plurality of battery packs and the main controller is a ring type.

[0066] Section 7: 6. The battery system according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the connection between the sub-controllers in each of the plurality of battery packs and the main controller is a star type.

[0067] Section 8: Pack case and a cell module having a plurality of battery cells arranged in the pack case; a sub-controller disposed in the pack case and electrically connected to the cell module using the cell module as a power source; an abnormality detection element that detects an abnormality in the entire pack case; a first connection port connected to the sub-controller; a second connection port connected to the abnormality detection element; A battery pack equipped with [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D battery pack 30 pack case 31 First connection port 32 Second connection port 40 cell module 41 Battery Cells 50 Sub-controller 60 Abnormality detection element 80 Main Controller 82 Acquisition Department 83 Judgment section 100, 100A battery system D1 Placement direction D11 1st direction D12 2nd direction T1 adjacent pack temperature T2 reference temperature

Claims

1. A plurality of battery packs; The main controller and Equipped with The battery pack Pack case and a cell module having a plurality of battery cells arranged in the pack case; a sub-controller disposed in the pack case and electrically connected to the cell module using the cell module as a power source; an abnormality detection element that detects an abnormality in the entire pack case; Equipped with the main controller is communicably connected to the sub-controllers of the plurality of battery packs; A battery system, wherein the abnormality detection element of one of the battery packs is communicably connected to the sub-controller of another of the battery packs.

2. The plurality of battery packs are arranged side by side in a predetermined arrangement direction, The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein the sub-controller of the battery pack is communicably connected to the abnormality detection element of any one of the battery packs adjacent to the battery pack in the arrangement direction.

3. When the direction from one side to the other side of the arrangement directions is defined as a first direction and the direction from the other side to the one side is defined as a second direction, the sub-controller of the battery pack is connected to the abnormality detection element of the battery pack adjacent to the battery pack in the first direction of the arrangement direction; 3. The battery system of claim 2, wherein the sub-controller of the battery pack arranged furthest in the first direction among the plurality of battery packs is connected to the abnormality detection element of the battery pack arranged furthest in the second direction.

4. 2. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality detection element is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature inside the pack case.

5. The main controller an acquisition unit that acquires, from the sub-controller, the adjacent pack temperature detected by the abnormality detection element that is communicatively connected to the sub-controller; a determination unit that determines whether the adjacent pack temperature acquired by the acquisition unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference temperature; Equipped with 5. The battery system according to claim 4, wherein the main controller is configured to, when the determination unit determines that the adjacent pack temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, detect that an abnormality has occurred throughout the pack case corresponding to the abnormality detection element that detected the adjacent pack temperature.

6. The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein the sub-controllers in the plurality of battery packs are connected to the main controller in a ring configuration.

7. The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein the connection between the sub-controllers in each of the plurality of battery packs and the main controller is a star configuration.

8. Pack case and a cell module having a plurality of battery cells arranged in the pack case; a sub-controller disposed in the pack case and electrically connected to the cell module using the cell module as a power source; an abnormality detection element that detects an abnormality in the entire pack case; a first connection port connected to the sub-controller; a second connection port connected to the abnormality detection element; A battery pack equipped with

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