DESCRIPTION
SECONDARY BATTERY CELL, BATTERY PACK, AND POWER
CONSUMPTION DEVICE
5 Technical Field
The present invention relates to a secondary
battery cell, a battery pack, and a power consumption
device.
Background Art
Battery packs have been already used in various
portable devices such as mobile phones, digital still
cameras, portable game machines, laptop personal
computers, and electric tools. And now, besides them,
battery packs are being used in the fields requiring a
15 higher output and a higher capacity, such as electric
power-assisted bicycles, electric cars, and, further,
household electric storage apparatuses.
One of secondary battery cells that are most
dominantly used now as a secondary battery cell
20 incorporated in a battery pack is a lithium-ion
secondary battery cell. The lithium-ion secondary
battery cell is very widely used due to a number of
features such as being repeatedly usable by charging,
having a high voltage output, having a high energy
25 density, having a small amount of self-discharge, and
having a long lifetime. Further, in order to meet a
demand for a device with a higher output and a higher
capacity, there are increasing cases where many
secondary battery cells (unit cells) are connected in
series or parallel to be used in the mode of an
5 assembled battery. Such a method for use has a great
advantage. However, an amount of energy to be treated
becomes very huge, and therefore it is necessary to be
further more careful in the handling than in the past.
In order to determine whether or not a battery
10 pack mounted to a power consumption device is one that
can be used safely for the power consumption device,
many battery authentication systems for authenticating
a secondary battery cell provided to a battery pack
have been introduced. The technology of reading out
15 individual identification information such as an ID
number from a secondary battery cell including a
wireless IC tag (integrated circuit) is well-known from
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-236806,
for example.
20 Prior Art Document
Patent Document
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application
Laid-open No. 2006-236806
Summary of Invention
25 Problem to be solved by the Invention
Incidentally, in the wireless IC tag (integrated
circuit) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application aidopen
No. 2006-236806, when the wireless IC tag is
peeled off, a groove portion between a memory unit and
a wireless transmission/reception unit of the wireless
5 IC tag is disconnected, that is, a circuit
configuration of the wireless IC tag is divided and
broken by the peeling. However, it is not impossible to
peel off the wireless IC tag in such a way that the
groove portion between the memory unit and the wireless
10 transmission/reception unit of the wireless IC tag is
not disconnected. In the case where such a situation
occurs, there arises a problem that it is difficult to
prevent the wireless IC tag from being removed from the
secondary battery cell and attached to another
15 secondary battery cell. Further, in the case where the
groove portion between the memory unit and the wireless
transmission/reception unit of the wireless IC tag is
designed to be easily disconnected, there is a fear
that an accident in which the groove portion between
20 the memory unit and the wireless transmission/reception
unit is disconnected occurs frequently in the
manufacturing of the wireless IC tag.
Therefore, it is an object of the present
invention to provide a secondary battery cell capable
25 of reliably preventing an integrated circuit provided
to the secondary battery cell from being removed from
the secondary battery cell to be used for another
secondary battery cell, a battery pack including the
secondary battery cell, and a power consumption device
including the battery pack.
5 Means for solving the Problem
A secondary battery cell according to a first
embodiment of the present invention for achieving the
above-mentioned object includes an integrated circuit
(IC chip) that stores identification information. The
10 integrated circuit includes a wiring abnormality
detection circuit, and when the integrated circuit is
removed from the secondary battery cell, the wiring
abnormality detection circuit detects a wiring
abnormality. Here, in the secondary battery cell
15 according to the first embodiment of the present
invention, the wiring abnormality detection circuit can
be formed of a signal generation circuit and a
comparison circuit, though not limited thereto.
A secondary battery cell according to a second
20 embodiment of the present invention for achieving the
above-mentioned object includes an integrated circuit
(IC chip) that stores identification information. The
integrated circuit includes a photodetection means, and
when the integrated circuit is removed from the
25 secondary battery cell, the photodetection means
detects light.
A secondary battery cell according to a third
embodiment of the present invention for achieving the
above-mentioned object includes an integrated circuit
(IC chip) that stores identification information. The
5 integrated circuit includes a pressure detection means,
and when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the pressure detection means
detects a change in pressure.
A secondary battery cell according to a fourth
10 embodiment of the present invention for achieving the
above-mentioned object includes an integrated circuit
(IC chip) that stores identification information. The
integrated circuit includes a voltage measurement means
for measuring a terminal voltage of the secondary
15 battery cell, and when the integrated circuit is
removed from the secondary battery cell, the voltage
measurement means detects a change in voltage. Here, in
the secondary battery cell according to the fourth
embodiment of the present invention, the voltage
20 measurement means can be formed of a reference voltage
generation circuit and a comparison circuit, though not
limited thereto.
A secondary battery cell according to a fifth
embodiment of the present invention for achieving the
25 above-mentioned object includes an integrated circuit
(IC chip) that stores identification information. The
integrated circuit includes a resistance value
measurement means for measuring a resistance value in
the secondary battery cell, and when the integrated
circuit is removed from the secondary battery cell, the
5 resistance value measurement means detects a change in
resistance value. Here, in the secondary battery cell
according to the fifth embodiment of the present
invention, the resistance value measurement means can
be formed to measure a resistance value of an
10 electrolytic solution in the secondary battery cell,
though not limited thereto.
A secondary battery cell according to a sixth
embodiment of the present invention for achieving the
above-mentioned object includes an integrated circuit
15 (IC chip) that stores identification information. The
integrated circuit includes a monitor circuit that
monitors a clock frequency supplied from the outside,
and when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the monitor circuit detects a
20 change in clock frequency.
A secondary battery cell according to a seventh
embodiment of the present invention for achieving the
above-mentioned object includes: an integrated circuit
(IC chip) that stores identification information; and a
25 detection means for detecting that the integrated
circuit is removed from the secondary battery cell.
A battery pack of the present invention for
achieving the above-mentioned object includes a
plurality of secondary battery cells according to the
first embodiment to the seventh embodiment of the
present invention including a preferred mode.
CL16 A power consumption device of the present
invention for achieving the above-mentioned object
includes a battery pack including a plurality of
secondary battery cells according to the first
embodiment to the seventh embodiment of the present
invention including a preferred mode.
Effect of the Invention
In the secondary battery cell according to the
first embodiment of the present invention, the
secondary battery cell according to the first
embodiment of the present invention in the battery pack
of the present invention, or the secondary battery cell
according to the first embodiment of the present
invention in the power consumption device of the
present invention (hereinafter, those secondary battery
cells are collectively referred to as "a secondary
battery cell and the like according to the first
embodiment of the present inventionH in some cases),
the wiring abnormality detection circuit that detects a
wiring abnormality is provided.
Further, in the secondary battery cell according
to the second embodiment of the present invention, the
secondary battery cell according to the second
embodiment of the present invention in the battery pack
of the present invention, or the secondary battery cell
5 according to the second embodiment of the present
invention in the power consumption device of the
present invention (hereinafter, those secondary battery
cells are collectively referred to as "a secondary
battery cell and the like according to the second
10 embodiment of the present invention" in some cases),
the photodetection means that detects light is
provided.
Further, in the secondary battery cell according
to the third embodiment of the present invention, the
15 secondary battery cell according to the third
embodiment of the present invention in the battery pack
of the present invention, or the secondary battery cell
according to the third embodiment of the present
invention in the power consumption device of the
present invention (hereinafter, those secondary battery
cells are collectively referred to as "a secondary
battery cell and the like according to the third
embodiment of the present inventionI1 in some cases),
the pressure detection means for detecting a change in
25 pressure is provided.
Further, in the secondary battery cell according
to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the
secondary battery cell according to the fourth
embodiment of the present invention in the battery pack
of the present invention, or the secondary battery cell
5 according to the fourth embodiment of the present
invention in the power consumption device of the
present invention (hereinafter, those secondary battery
cells are collectively referred to as "a secondary
battery cell and the like according to the fourth
embodiment of the present invention" in some cases),
the voltage measurement means for detecting a change in
voltage is provided.
Further, in the secondary battery cell according
to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the
secondary battery cell according to the fifth
embodiment of the present invention in the battery pack
of the present invention, or the secondary battery cell
according to the fifth embodiment of the present
invention in the power consumption device of the
20 present invention (hereinafter, those secondary battery
cells are collectively referred to as "a secondary
battery cell and the like according to the fifth
embodiment of the present inventionv in some cases),
the resistance value measurement means for detecting a
change in resistance value is provided.
Further, in the secondary battery cell according
to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the
secondary battery cell according to the sixth
embodiment of the present invention in the battery pack
of the present invention, or the secondary battery cell
5 according to the sixth embodiment of the present
invention in the power consumption device of the
present invention (hereinafter, those secondary battery
cells are collectively referred to as "a secondary
battery cell and the like according to the sixth
10 embodiment of the present inventionu in some cases),
the monitor circuit that detects a change in clock
frequency is provided.
Further, in the secondary battery cell according
to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the
15 secondary battery cell according to the seventh
embodiment of the present invention in the battery pack
of the present invention, or the secondary battery cell
according to the seventh embodiment of the present
invention in the power consumption device of the
20 present invention (hereinafter, those secondary battery
cells are collectively referred to as "a secondary
battery cell and the like according to the seventh
embodiment of the present inventionu in some cases),
the detection means is provided.
25 Thus, it is possible to reliably detect that the
integrated circuit provided to the secondary battery
cell is removed from the secondary battery cell.
Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the
integrated circuit from being attached to another
secondary battery cell. In addition, since the
5 integrated circuit stores identification information
(for example, identification number (ID number) given
to the integrated circuit itself), it is possible to
easily and reliably authenticate a secondary battery
cell provided to a battery pack mounted to a power
10 consumption device.
Brief Description of Drawings
(A), (B), and (C) of Fig. 1 are a schematic
perspective view of a secondary battery cell of Example
1, a schematic partial end view of an integrated
15 circuit and the like, and a schematic partial plan view
of shielding wiring.
Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a wiring abnormality
detection circuit in Example 1.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 3 are block diagrams of
20 integrated circuits in Example 1 and Example 2.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a connection state of
secondary battery cells in a battery pack of Example 1.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 5 are a schematic perspective
view of the battery pack and a schematic view of a
25 state in which a lid of the battery pack is removed.
Fig. 6 is a schematic end view of the secondary
battery cell of Example 1.
(A) , (B) , and (C) of Fig. 7 are schematic partial
cross-sectional views and a schematic partial plan view
of a secondary battery cell and the like in a modified
5 example of the secondary battery cell of Example 1.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 8 are block diagrams of
integrated circuits in Example 3 and its modified
example.
Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a
10 secondary battery cell of Example 4.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 10 are a schematic perspective
view of a modified example of the secondary battery
cell of Example 4 and a schematic view of an aggregate
of an integrated circuit and an antenna.
Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a connection state of
secondary battery cells in a battery pack of Example 4.
Fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a
secondary battery cell of Example 5.
Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a connection state of
20 secondary battery cells in a battery pack of Example 5.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 14 are each a schematic
perspective view of a secondary battery cell of Example
6.
Fig. 15 is a schematic perspective view of a
25 modified example of the secondary battery cell of
Example 6.
Fig. 16 is a diagram schematically showing
electrical signals in communication processing between
an integrated circuit and a control circuit in Example
7.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 17 are a schematic perspective
view of a secondary battery cell of Example 8 and a
schematic partial end view of an integrated circuit and
the like.
Fig. 18 is a schematic end view of a modified
10 example of the secondary battery cell of Example 8.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 19 are each a schematic
perspective view of another modified example of the
secondary battery cell of Example 8.
Fig. 20 is a schematic exploded perspective view
15 of still another modified example of the secondary
battery of Example 8.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 21 are a schematic perspective
view of a secondary battery cell of Example 9 and a
schematic partial end view of an integrated circuit and
20 the like.
(A), (B), and (C) of Fig. 22 are a schematic plan
view and a schematic end view of a pressure detection
means in the secondary battery cell of Example 9 and a
circuit diagram for pressure detection.
Fig. 23 is a schematic partial plan view of a
secondary battery cell and the like for describing a
modified example of the secondary battery cell of
Example 9.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 24 are each a block diagram of
an integrated circuit in Example 12.
(A) and (B) of Fig. 25 are each a schematic
partial cross-sectional view of a modified example of a
main body unit, a closure member, and the like of a
battery pack.
Fig. 26 is a diagram showing a connection state of
secondary battery cells in a mode of a conventional
battery pack.
Fig. 27 is a schematic end view of a secondary
battery cell in a mode of a conventional battery pack.
Modes for Carrying Out the Invention
Hereinafter, the present invention will be
described based on Examples with reference to the
drawings. However, the present invention is not limited
to Examples, and various numerical values and materials
in Examples are exemplifications. It should be noted
that the description is given in the following order.
1. Overall description on secondary battery cell
according to first embodiment to seventh embodiment of
the present invention, battery pack, and power
consumption device
2. Example 1 (secondary battery cell according to first
embodiment and seventh embodiment of the present
invention, battery pack, and power consumption device)
3. Example 2 (modification of Example 1)
4. Example 3 (another modification of Example 1)
5. Example 4 (another modification of Example 1)
6. Example 5 (another modification of Example 1)
7. Example 6 (another modification of Example 1)
8. Example 7 (another modification of Example 1)
9. Example 8 (secondary battery cell according to
second embodiment and seventh embodiment of the present
10 invention, battery pack, and power consumption device)
10. Example 9 (secondary battery cell according to
third embodiment and seventh embodiment of the present
invention, battery pack, and power consumption device)
11. Example 10 (secondary battery cell according to
15 fourth embodiment and seventh embodiment of the present
invention, battery pack, and power consumption device)
12. Example 11 (secondary battery cell according to
fifth embodiment and seventh embodiment of the present
invention, battery pack, and power consumption device)
13. Example 12 (secondary battery cell according to
sixth embodiment and seventh embodiment of the present
invention, battery pack, and power consumption device),
and others
[Overall description on secondary battery cell
according to first embodiment to seventh embodiment of
the present invention, battery pack, and power
consumption device1
In a secondary battery cell and the like according
to a first embodiment of the present invention, a
wiring abnormality detection circuit can be formed to
be connected to abnormality detection wiring or
shielding wiring provided to the secondary battery cell,
or in the case where an integrated circuit is provided
with an antenna, the wiring abnormality detection
circuit can be formed to be connected to the
abnormality detection wiring or the shielding wiring
provided to the secondary battery cell. It should be
noted that the abnormality detection wiring, the
shielding wiring, and the antenna are collectively
called "shielding wiring and the likeu in some cases.
Here, specifically, the shielding wiring can be formed
of an active shield, for example. More specifically,
the shielding wiring can be formed such that a socalled
guard voltage is applied thereto. Then, in such
a mode, for example, the shielding wiring and the like
can be formed to be disconnected to enter a nonconductive
state or a short circuit state when the
integrated circuit is removed from the secondary
battery cell. Alternatively, the shielding wiring and
the like can be formed to enter the non-conductive
state or the short circuit state when the secondary
battery cell is removed from a secondary battery cell
fixing unit. Specifically, for example, a configuration
in which the secondary battery cell is attached to the
secondary battery cell fixing unit with use of a bolt
and the shielding wiring and the like are connected to
the bolt and a contact unit can be conceived. Then, in
the state in which the bolt is attached to the
secondary battery cell fixing unit, the bolt and the
contact unit are in a contact state, and the shielding
wiring and the like are in a conductive state. However,
when the bolt is removed from the secondary battery
cell fixing unit, the bolt and the contact unit enter a
non-contact state, with the result that the shielding
wiring and the like enter a non-conductive state.
Alternatively, in the state in which the bolt is
attached to the secondary battery cell fixing unit, the
bolt and the contact unit are in the non-contact state,
and the shielding wiring and the like are in the nonconductive
state. However, when the bolt is removed
from the secondary battery cell fixing unit, the bolt
and the contact unit enter a contact state, with the
result that the shielding wiring and the like enter the
conductive state (short circuit state). There can be
conceived various modes such as a mode in which the
shielding wiring and the like are formed continuously
over an outer surface of the secondary battery cell
from above the integrated circuit, a mode in which the
shielding wiring and the like are formed on the outer
surface of the secondary battery cell, and a mode in
which the shielding wiring and the like are formed on
the outer surface of the secondary battery cell and
connected to the integrated circuit via wiring or
connected via wiring from a substrate onto which the
integrated circuit is mounted. Then, in those modes,
the forming can be performed based on the following
methods, for example.
[A] A method of forming the shielding wiring and the
like continuously over the outer surface of the
secondary battery cell from above the integrated
circuit based on a screen printing method.
[B] A method of laminating a film continuously over the
15 outer surface of the secondary battery cell from above
the integrated circuit and forming on the film the
shielding wiring and the like connected to the
integrated circuit, based on a screen printing method.
[C] A method of forming the shielding wiring and the
like on a film by a screen printing method in advance,
bonding the film onto the outer surface of the
secondary battery cell from above the integrated
circuit by using an appropriate means, and connecting
the shielding wiring and the like and the integrated
circuit.
[Dl A method of forming the shielding wiring and the
like onto the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell based on a screen printing method and connecting
the shielding wiring and the like and the integrated
circuit.
[El A method of forming the shielding wiring and the
like on a film by a screen printing method in advance,
bonding the film onto the outer surface of the
secondary battery cell by using an appropriate means,
and connecting the shielding wiring and the like and
the integrated circuit.
[F] In the various modes described above, a method of
forming the shielding wiring and the like not on the
outer surface of the secondary battery cell but on the
inside of the secondary battery cell as appropriate. It
should be noted that in order to connect the shielding
wiring and the like to the bolt or the contact unit,
the shielding wiring and the like may be connected to
the bolt or the contact unit via wiring. Depending on
circumstances, the integrated circuit may be directly
connected to the bolt or the contact unit via wiring.
Further, the secondary battery cell is housed inside a
main body unit constituting a battery pack, the main
body unit is covered with a closure member, and the
closure member is fixed to the main body unit with use
of the bolt so that a battery pack is assembled. The
bolt and the integrated circuit may be connected via
wiring.
In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the first embodiment to the seventh
embodiment of the present invention including the
preferred modes and configurations described above, the
integrated circuit includes a storage area, and the
following configurations can be adopted.
[I] In a secondary battery cell and the like according
to a first embodiment of the present invention, when
10 the wiring abnormality detection circuit detects a
wiring abnormality, the storage area stores information
indicating that a wiring abnormality has been detected
(in other words, information indicating that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
15 battery cell) .
[2] In a secondary battery cell and the like according
to a second embodiment of the present invention, when a
photodetection means (for example, photo diode, photo
transistor, or photo thyristor) detects light, the
20 storage area stores information indicating that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
battery cell.
[3] In a secondary battery cell and the like according
to a third embodiment of the present invention, when a
pressure detection means (for example, semiconductor
pressure sensor) detects a change in pressure, the
storage area stores information indicating that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
battery cell.
[41 In a secondary battery cell and the like according
to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, when a
voltage measurement means detects a change in voltage,
the storage area stores information indicating that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
battery cell.
[51 In a secondary battery cell and the like according
to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, when a
resistance value measurement means detects a change in
resistance value, the storage area stores information
indicating that the integrated circuit has been removed
from the secondary battery cell.
[ 6 ] In a secondary battery cell and the like according
to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, when a
monitor circuit detects a change in clock frequency,
the storage area stores information indicating that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
battery cell.
[71 In a secondary battery cell and the like according
to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, when
a detection means detects that the integrated circuit
has been removed from the secondary battery cell, the
storage area stores information indicating that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
battery cell.
Here, the storage area can be formed of, for
example, a RAM, a resistor, or an EEPROM. Further, it
is preferable for the storage area to be formed of a
plurality of bits and formed of a flag area in which
whether the integrated circuit has been removed from
the secondary battery cell or not is stored and an
error detection bit area for the flag area. It is
preferable to provide a mode in which when the
integrated circuit is removed from the secondary
battery cell, data stored in the storage area
(specifically, in the flag area and the error detection
bit area) is deleted or rewritten. Thus, for example, a
control circuit to be described later investigates
information (data) stored in the storage area, which
makes it possible to reliably determine that the
integrated circuit is removed from the secondary
battery cell.
Alternatively, a fuse (or circuit disconnection
means) is further included, and the following
configurations can be adopted.
[I] In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the first embodiment of the present
invention, when the wiring abnormality detection
circuit detects a wiring abnormality, the integrated
circuit disconnects a fuse (circuit disconnection
means) .
[2] In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the second embodiment of the present
invention, when the photodetection means detects light,
the integrated circuit disconnects a fuse (circuit
disconnection means).
[3] In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the third embodiment of the present
invention, when the pressure detection means detects a
change in pressure, the integrated circuit disconnects
a fuse (circuit disconnection means).
[4] In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the fourth embodiment of the present
invention, when the voltage measurement means detects a
change in voltage, the integrated circuit disconnects a
fuse (circuit disconnection means).
[5] In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the fifth embodiment of the present
invention, when the resistance value measurement means
detects a change in resistance value, the integrated
circuit disconnects a fuse (circuit disconnection
means) .
[61 In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the sixth embodiment of the present
invention, when the monitor circuit detects a change in
clock frequency, the integrated circuit disconnects a
fuse (circuit disconnection means) .
[7] In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the seventh embodiment of the present
invention, when the detection means detects that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
battery cell, the integrated circuit disconnects a fuse
(circuit disconnection means). It should be noted that
the disconnection of the circuit disconnection means
includes not only a mode of physically disconnecting
the circuit disconnection means but also a mode of
electrically disconnecting the circuit disconnection
means.
In the secondary battery cell and the like
according to the first embodiment to the seventh
embodiment of the present invention including the
preferred modes and configurations described above
(hereinafter, collectively referred to simply as "a
secondary battery cell and the like of the present
inventionn in some cases), the integrated circuit is
arranged on the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell or on the inside thereof. In other words, in the
secondary battery cell and the like of the present
invention including various preferred modes and
configurations, the following eight modes in total are
provided.
[ll A mode in which the integrated circuit is arranged
on the outer surface of the secondary battery cell, a
power source is an external power source, and
information is transmitted in a wireless system.
[21 A mode in which the integrated circuit is arranged
on the outer surface of the secondary battery cell, a
power source is an external power source, and
information is transmitted in a wired system.
[3] A mode in which the integrated circuit is arranged
on the outer surface of the secondary battery cell, a
power source is a secondary battery cell, and
information is transmitted in a wireless system.
[4] A mode in which the integrated circuit is arranged
on the outer surface of the secondary battery cell, a
power source is a secondary battery cell, and
information is transmitted in a wired system.
[5] A mode in which the integrated circuit is arranged
inside the secondary battery cell, a power source is an
external power source, and information is transmitted
in a wireless system.
[61 A mode in which the integrated circuit is arranged
inside the secondary battery cell, a power source is an
external power source, and information is transmitted
in a wired system.
[ 7 ] A mode in which the integrated circuit is arranged
inside the secondary battery cell, a power source is a
secondary battery cell, and information is transmitted
in a wireless system.
[ 8 ] A mode in which the integrated circuit is arranged
inside the secondary battery cell, a power source is a
secondary battery cell, and information is transmitted
in a wired system. Here, the ttinformationtrtef ers to
identification information and further includes,
depending on circumstances, individual information and
a battery state that will be described later. Further,
the wired system includes a power line communication
sys tem .
In the case where the integrated circuit is
arranged on the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell, the integrated circuit only needs to be bonded
onto the outer surface of the secondary battery cell.
Alternatively, the integrated circuit only needs to be
laminated on the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell by an appropriate means. Further, a part of an
exterior film can be used as an antenna, wiring, or the
like to connect the integrated circuit. It is
preferable that the abnormality detection wiring or the
shielding wiring be also laminated.
On the other hand, in the case where the
integrated circuit is arranged inside a cylinder-type
secondary battery cell, the integrated circuit only
needs to be arranged in a gap existing between an upper
insulating plate and a safety valve mechanism that are
provided inside the secondary battery cell or in an
appropriate space such as a gap existing immediately
below a battery lid or a cap. Further, in the case
where the integrated circuit is arranged inside a
square-type secondary battery cell including a laminate
type, the integrated circuit only needs to be arranged
in, for example, an appropriate space such as a gap
surrounded by an insulating spacer arranged immediately
below a sealing plate (cap plate) or a laminate portion.
Further, in the secondary battery cell and the
like of the present invention, the integrated circuit
can be formed to store individual information. Here, as
the individual information, at least one kind of
information selected from the group consisting of an
identification number (ID number) given to the
secondary battery cell, an authentication number given
to the secondary battery cell, a manufacturer name of
the secondary battery cell, a vendor name of the
secondary battery cell, a model number of the secondary
battery cell, the rating of the secondary battery cell,
specifications of the secondary battery cell, and key
information for authentication of the secondary battery
cell can be exemplified. If the identification number
or the authentication number given to the secondary
battery cell is set as the individual information,
whether the secondary battery cell is an authenticated
regular secondary battery cell or not can be determined
easily and reliably.
In the case where the power source of the
integrated circuit is the secondary battery cell, that
is, in order to drive the integrated circuit by power
from the secondary battery cell, the integrated circuit
only needs to be connected to a positive electrode or a
positive electrode extending portion (for example, a
positive electrode lead, a positive electrode pin, or a
battery lid) and a negative electrode or a negative
electrode extending portion (for example, negative
electrode lead or battery can) by using an appropriate
means, or connected to a heat sensitive resistance
element (positive temperature coefficient, PCT element)
and a negative electrode or a negative electrode
extending portion. As will be described later, also in
the case where a battery current and/or a battery
terminal voltage are/is measured by the integrated
circuit, a similar connection mode only needs to be
adopted. On the other hand, in the case where the power
source of the integrated circuit is the external power
source, the integrated circuit only needs to be formed
to operate by power based on an electrical signal from
the outside of the secondary battery cell. In other
words, the integrated circuit can be configured to
receive an electrical signal from the outside of the
secondary battery cell in a wired or wireless manner
and rectify the electrical signal to obtain power.
In the secondary battery cell and the like of the
present invention, as described above, the integrated
circuit can be configured to transmit the
identification information or the identification
information and individual information (hereinafter,
collectively referred to as I1identification information
and the likeN in some cases) to the outside of the
secondary battery cell by radio waves. Thus, the
configuration of the battery pack can be simplified. In
the case of the wireless communication, its system can
include infrared rays including ZigBee and IrDA,
Bluetooth as one of wireless LAN protocols, HomeRF, Wi-
Fi, NFC, RFID, Felica, ISO/IEC 18092, and ISO/IEC 14443,
and the like. Alternatively, the integrated circuit can
be configured to transmit the identification
information and the like to the outside of the
secondary battery cell by wires. It should be noted
that in the case where the integrated circuit is
arranged inside the secondary battery cell, it is
preferable that the integrated circuit be configured to
be connected to an information input terminal and an
information output terminal provided to the secondary
battery cell or to an information input/output terminal,
which can simplify sensing wiring in the whole battery
pack and reduce the number of connection points with
the control circuit, thus achieving the improvement of
the reliability of the battery pack.
In the case where the transmission or the like of
the identification information and the like is
performed in a wireless system, the integrated circuit
can be configured to include an antenna. Depending on
circumstances, an electrode or a battery lid of the
secondary battery cell can be used as an antenna, or an
exterior material of the secondary battery cell may be
patterned to form an antenna. For example, the antenna
can be a coiled antenna or a dipole antenna. In the
case where the identification information and the like
are transmitted in a wired system, the control circuit
and the secondary battery cell only need to be
connected to each other by wiring (sensing wiring).
In a battery pack according to the present
invention including the preferred modes and
configurations described above or a battery pack in a
power consumption device, a control circuit is further
provided. The control circuit can be configured to
determine whether or not an integrated circuit is one
that has been removed from a secondary battery cell
(authenticates the integrated circuit) based on the
identification information from the integrated circuit
provided to each secondary battery cell and configured
to authenticate each secondary battery cell based on
the individual information from the integrated circuit.
Then, in this case, it is preferable that the control
circuit be configured to store the same information as
the identification information of each secondary
battery cell or the same information as the
identification information and individual information.
Further, in those preferred configurations, the control
circuit can be formed to receive the identification
information and the like from the integrated circuit
provided to each secondary battery cell or depending on
circumstances, a battery state to be described later,
via radio waves. With this, the configuration of the
battery pack can be simplified. Alternatively, in those
preferred configurations, the control circuit can be
formed to receive the identification information and
the like from the integrated circuit provided to each
secondary battery cell or depending on circumstances, a
battery state to be described later, based on
capacitive coupling (AC coupling). With this, it is
unnecessary to require a high withstand voltage of the
control circuit. It should be noted that in this mode,
the integrated circuit transmits the identification
information and the like to the control circuit by
wires. However, in the case where the integrated
circuit is arranged inside the secondary battery cell,
it is preferable that the integrated circuit be
configured to be connected to the information input
terminal and the information output terminal provided
to the secondary battery cell or to the information
input/output terminal. With this, sensing wiring can be
simplified in the whole battery pack and the number of
connection points with the control circuit can be
reduced, thus achieving the improvement of the
reliability of the battery pack. Further, it is also
possible to provide a mode of receiving a battery state
by superimposing the battery state on a power line.
The control circuit can be formed of a circuit
including an MPU and a storage means (for example,
formed of EEPROM), and includes a communication circuit
for receiving the identification information and the
like from the integrated circuit or a battery state to
be described later and exchanging information with the
integrated circuit as needed. As described above, it is
preferable to store the same identification information
and the like and information (data) as the
identification information and the like and the
information (data) that are stored in the memory unit
provided to the secondary battery cell, in the storage
means of the control circuit. Depending on
circumstances, a sequencer can be used as a substitute
for the MPU. By transmission of a control signal or an
electrical signal from the control circuit to the
secondary battery cell, the integrated circuit can be
controlled. The control circuit corresponds to the
l l ~ ~ t ~ i d e l l .
The identification information and the like or
various types of information stored in the integrated
circuit and/or a communication path may be encrypted.
With this, a third party has a difficulty of breaking
the encryption.
The integrated circuit may have a measurement
function of measuring a battery state (battery
information). With this, the secondary battery cell
itself can collect information on a battery state and
the configuration of the whole battery pack can be
simplified. Here, the battery state measured by the
integrated circuit can be in a mode of at least one
physical amount selected from the group consisting of a
battery temperature, a battery current, and a battery
terminal voltage. Although depending on a place where
the integrated circuit is arranged on the secondary
battery cell, the battery temperature means a
temperature inside the secondary battery cell or a
temperature of the outer surface of the secondary
battery cell. Further, the battery current means a
value of a current flowing between the positive
electrode and the negative electrode of the secondary
battery cell. In addition, the battery terminal voltage
means a voltage value between the positive electrode
and the negative electrode of the secondary battery
cell. The battery state only needs to be transmitted to
the outside or the control circuit together with the
identification information and the like. In order to
measure the battery temperature, the integrated circuit
only needs to have a pn junction portion, for example.
A built-in potential (built-in voltage) in a pn
junction portion has temperature dependence. Therefore,
a forward current is caused to flow in the pn junction
portion to measure a voltage value or a constant
forward voltage is applied to the pn junction portion
to measure a current value, so that the temperature of
the secondary battery cell can be obtained. For the
measurement of a battery current, a well-known current
measurement circuit only needs to be provided in the
integrated circuit, and also for the measurement of a
battery terminal voltage, a well-known voltage
measurement circuit only needs to be provided in the
integrated circuit.
In the battery pack of the present invention
including the preferred modes and configurations
described above or a battery pack in a power
consumption device of the present invention, as a
connection mode of a plurality of secondary battery
cells (state of assembled battery), a mode of
connecting a plurality of secondary battery cells in
parallel and connecting in series a plurality of
parallel connection units thus obtained and a mode of
connecting a plurality of secondary battery cells in
series and connecting in parallel a plurality of inline
connection units thus obtained can be exemplified,
though not limited thereto.
Examples of the secondary battery cell include a
lithium-ion secondary battery, but the secondary
battery cell is not limited thereto. A type of
secondary battery to be used only needs to be selected
as appropriate in accordance with required properties.
The configuration and structure of the secondary
battery cell itself can be the well-known configuration
and structure, and the shape of the secondary battery
cell can also be the well-known cylinder type or square
type including a laminate type as described above. A
charge/discharge control circuit for controlling charge
and discharge of the secondary battery cell can be
formed of the well-known circuit including an MPU and a
storage means (for example, formed of EEPROM). The
charge/discharge control circuit may include a wellknown
battery protection circuit. In order to stop the
function of the battery pack as needed, the battery
protection circuit only needs to be operated. It should
be noted that the charge/discharge control circuit may
be incorporated into the above-mentioned control
circuit.
For example, the battery pack in the present
invention can be applied to various power consumption
devices such as electric cars (including hybrid cars),
golf carts, electric carts, electric motorcycles,
electric power-assisted bicycles, rail cars, electric
tools including electric drills, power supply units or
home energy servers (household electric storage
apparatuses), personal computers, mobile phones, PDAs
(personal digital assistants), digital still cameras,
video cameras, camcorders, electronic books, electronic
dictionaries, music players, radios, headphones,
cordless handsets, electric shavers, refrigerators, air
conditioners, television receivers, image display
apparatuses, monitors, stereo apparatuses, water
heaters, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines,
dryers, lighting devices including interior lights,
game machines, navigation systems, memory cards,
pacemakers, hearing aids, medical devices, toys, robots,
load conditioners, and traffic lights and can be used
as drive power sources or auxiliary power sources of
those power consumption devices. Alternatively, for
example, the battery pack in the present invention can
be applied to devices such as power sources for power
storage for buildings including houses or powergenerating
facilities, can be used to supply power to
those devices, and can also be used as an electric
storage device in a so-called smart grid. It should be
noted that such electric storage devices can not only
supply power but also store power by receiving power
supplied from another power source. Further, the
battery pack in the present invention can be
incorporated into a home energy management system
(HEMS) or a building energy management system (BEMS).
As a power source for charging a secondary battery cell
constituting the battery pack, not only commercial
power sources but also various solar batteries, fuel
cells, thermal power generation facilities, nuclear
power generation facilities, hydropower generation
facilities, wind power generation apparatuses, low-head
hydropower generation apparatuses, geothermal power
generation apparatuses, and the like can be exemplified,
and regenerative energy generated by a power
consumption device can also be exemplified, but the
power source is not limited thereto.
[Example 11
Example 1 relates to a secondary battery cell
according to the first embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention, a battery pack of
the present invention in which the secondary battery
cell according to the first embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention is incorporated,
and a power consumption device of the present invention
in which the secondary battery cell according to the
first embodiment and the seventh embodiment of the
present invention is incorporated. In Example 1, the
integrated circuit is arranged on the outer surface of
the secondary battery cell, a power source of the
integrated circuit is the secondary battery cell, and
information is transmitted in a wired system.
A schematic perspective view of the secondary
battery cell of Example 1 is shown in (A) of Fig. 1, a
schematic partial end view of the integrated circuit
and the like taken along the arrow B-B of (A) of Fig. 1
is shown in (B) of Fig. 1, and a schematic partial plan
view of abnormality detection wiring or shielding
wiring is shown in (C) of Fig. 1. Further, a block
diagram of a wiring abnormality detection circuit in
Example 1 is shown in Fig. 2, a block diagram of the
integrated circuit in Example 1 is shown in (A) of Fig.
3, and a connection state of secondary battery cells in
a battery pack of Example 1 is shown in Fig. 4. Further,
a schematic perspective view of the battery pack and a
schematic view of a state in which a lid of the battery
pack is removed are shown in (A) and (B) of Fig. 5,
respectively, and a schematic end view of the secondary
battery cell of Example 1 is shown in Fig. 6. It should
be noted that in (B) of Fig. 1, the cross sections of a
battery can and the like are shown to be flat, but
actually, the cross sections of the battery can and the
like are formed into an arc.
A secondary battery cell 20 of Example 1 or
Example 2 to Example 12 to be described later includes
an integrated circuit (IC chip) 50 that stores
identification information. Here, specifically, the
identification information is identification number (ID
number) given to the integrated circuit 50 itself.
Further, in Example 1, the integrated circuit 50 is
driven by power from the secondary battery cell 20.
As shown in (A) of Fig. 3 that is a block diagram
of the integrated circuit 50 of Example 1, in Example 1
to Example 12, the integrated circuit 50 includes a
signal processing unit 51 that processes an
input/output signal, a storage area 52 formed of a RAM,
and a memory unit 53 that is necessary to store
identification information and the like and perform
various processing. The storage area 52 stores whether
the integrated circuit 50 has been removed from the
secondary battery cell 20 or not. Specifically, the
storage area 52 formed of a RAM is formed of a
plurality of bits and formed of a flag area in which
whether the integrated circuit 50 has been removed from
the secondary battery cell 20 or not is stored and an
error detection bit area for the flag area. Further, in
the memory unit 53 of the integrated circuit 50, the
identification information and the like (identification
information and individual information) are stored.
Here, for example, the individual information is an
identification number (ID number) and an authentication
number given to the secondary battery cell 20. It
should be noted that any one kind of a manufacturer
name of the secondary battery cell 20, a vendor name, a
model number of the secondary battery cell, the rating,
specifications, and key information for authentication
of the secondary battery cell, or a combination of
arbitral multiple kinds may be further added as the
individual information.
Further, in Example 1 to Example 7, the integrated
circuit 50 includes a wiring abnormality detection
circuit 60. Then, in Example 1 to Example 7, when the
integrated circuit 50 is removed from the secondary
battery cell 20, the wiring abnormality detection
circuit 60 detects a wiring abnormality. Alternatively,
the integrated circuit 50 includes a detection means
for detecting that the integrated circuit 50 has been
removed from the secondary battery cell 20
(specifically, wiring abnormality detection circuit 60
in Example 1 to Example 7 ) .
A battery pack 10 of Example 1 or Example 2 to
Example 12 to be described later includes the plurality
of secondary battery cells 20. In other words, the
battery pack 10 of Example 1 or Example 2 to Example 12
to be described later includes the plurality of
secondary battery cells 20 each including the
integrated circuit (IC chip) 50 that stores
identification information and the like, and the
integrated circuit 50 is driven by power from the
secondary battery cell 20 or an external power source.
Although Fig. 4 shows a connection state (state of
assembled battery) of the secondary battery cells 20 in
Example 1, in the battery pack 10 in Example 1 or
Example 2 to Example 12 to be described later, the
plurality of secondary battery cells 20 are connected
in series and a plurality of in-line connection units
thus obtained are connected in parallel, though not
limited thereto. More specifically, in the battery pack
10, seven secondary battery cells 20 are connected in
series, and three in-line connection units each formed
of the secondary battery group thus connected in series
are connected in parallel. The secondary battery cells
20 are housed in a casing 17 formed of a plastic
material such as an ABS resin. It should be noted that
in Example 1, the integrated circuits 50 are connected
in a so-called cascading connection system.
Then, the battery pack 10 in Example 1 or Example
2 to Example 12 to be described later further includes
a control circuit (control apparatus) 90. The control
circuit 90 determines whether the integrated circuit is
one that has been removed from the secondary battery
cell or not (authentication of integrated circuit),
based on the identification information from the
integrated circuit 50 provided to each secondary
battery cell 20 and also based on the individual
information as needed, and authenticates each secondary
battery cell 20. The control circuit 90 is formed of a
circuit including an MPU 91 and a storage means 92
formed of an EEPROM, for example. Further, the control
circuit 90 includes a communication circuit 93 for
receiving the identification information from the
integrated circuit 50 and exchanging information with
the integrated circuit 50 and transmits a control
signal to the secondary battery cell 20 at
predetermined time intervals. Further, a
charge/discharge control circuit that controls charge
and discharge of the secondary battery cell 20 is
incorporated into the control circuit 90. In the
storage means 92 of the control circuit 90, the
identification information is stored, and the control
circuit 90 performs collation with the identification
information from the integrated circuit 50. Further,
the individual information is also stored in the
storage means 92 of the control circuit 90, and the
control circuit 90 performs collation with the
individual information from the integrated circuit 50.
The power source of the control circuit 90 is the
secondary battery cell 20 constituting the battery pack
10. The control circuit 90 includes a well-known
battery protection circuit 94. In order to stop the
function of the battery pack 10 as needed, the battery
protection circuit 94 only needs to be operated.
Specifically, the battery protection circuit 94 is
formed of a fuse and in order to stop the function of
the battery pack 10, the battery protection circuit 94
is operated. In other words, the fuse only needs to be
blown under the control of the MPU 91. Alternatively,
the function of an over-discharge prevention switch or
an overcharge prevention switch included in the battery
protection circuit 94 may be stopped. However, the
battery protection circuit 94 is not limited to such a
configuration.
In Example 1, the secondary battery cell 20 is a
cylinder-type secondary battery cell and is formed of a
lithium-ion secondary battery. The configuration and
structure of the secondary battery cell 20 itself can
be the well-known configuration and structure.
As shown in Fig. 6 that is a schematic end view,
in the secondary battery cell 20 formed of the lithiumion
secondary battery of Example 1, a wound electrode
body 40 obtained by winding a positive electrode
material 41 and a negative electrode material 42 via a
separator 43, and a pair of insulating plates (upper
insulating plate 32 and lower insulating plate 33) are
housed inside a substantially hollow, cylindrical
battery can 31. The separator 43 insulates the positive
electrode material 41 and the negative electrode
material 42 from each other and causes lithium ions to
pass therethrough while preventing a short circuit due
to contact between the positive electrode material 41
and the negative electrode material 42. The battery can
31 is made of nickel-plated iron, for example, and one
end portion thereof is closed and the other end portion
is opened to form an opening end portion. The pair of
insulating plates 32 and 33 interposes the wound
electrode body 40 therebetween and is arranged so as to
be located perpendicularly to a wound circumferential
surface of the wound electrode body 40.
A battery lid 34, and a safety valve mechanism 35
and a heat sensitive resistance element (PTC element)
36 that are provided inside the battery lid 34, are
attached to the opening end portion of the battery can
31 by being caulked via a gasket 37, and the inside of
the battery can 31 is hermetically sealed. The battery
lid 34 is made of the same material as the battery can
31, for example. The safety valve mechanism 35 is
electrically connected to the battery lid 34 via the
heat sensitive resistance element 36. The safety valve
mechanism 35 has a configuration in which, in the case
where an internal pressure reaches a certain level or
more due to an internal short circuit, an application
of heat from the outside, or the like, a disk plate 35A
is inverted so that an electrical connection between
the battery lid 34 and the wound electrode body 40 is
disconnected. The heat sensitive resistance element 36
increases resistance in accordance with a temperature
rise and thus limits a current and prevents abnormal
heat due to a large current from being generated. A
gasket 37 is formed of an insulating material, for
example, and asphalt is applied to its surface.
For example, a center pin 44 is inserted into the
center of the wound electrode body 40. In the wound
electrode body 40, a positive electrode lead 45 formed
of aluminum or the like is connected to the positive
electrode material 41, and a negative electrode lead 46
formed of nickel or the like is connected to the
negative electrode material 42. The positive electrode
lead 45 is welded to the safety valve mechanism 35,
thus being electrically connected to the battery lid 34.
On the other hand, the negative electrode lead 46 is
welded to the battery can 31.
The lithium-ion secondary battery is manufactured
in the following manner, for example.
First, the positive electrode material 41 and the
negative electrode material 42 are produced by a wellknown
method. Next, the positive electrode lead 45 is
attached to the positive electrode material 41 by
welding, and the negative electrode lead 46 is attached
to the negative electrode material 42 by welding. After
that, the positive electrode material 41 and the
negative electrode material 42 are wound via the
separator 43 to form the wound electrode body 40. A
leading end portion of the positive electrode lead 45
is welded to the safety valve mechanism 35, and a
leading end portion of the negative electrode lead 46
is welded to the battery can 31, and thereafter the
wound electrode body 40 is housed inside the battery
can 31 while being interposed between the pair of
insulating plates 32 and 33. Then, an electrolytic
solution is injected into the inside of the battery can
31 so that the separator 43 is impregnated with
electrolytic solution. Finally, the battery lid 34, the
safety valve mechanism 35, and the heat sensitive
resistance element 36 are fixed to the opening end
portion of the battery can 31 by caulking via the
gasket 37. In this way, the lithium-ion secondary
battery shown in Fig. 6 can be completed.
In Example 1, the integrated circuit 50 is
arranged on the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell 20, a power source of the integrated circuit 50 is
the secondary battery cell 20, and information is
transmitted in a wired system. In other words, the
identification information and the like are transmitted
to the outside of the secondary battery cell 20
(specifically, control circuit 90) by wires
(specifically, via wiring 48). The integrated circuit
50 is connected to a positive electrode (specifically,
battery lid 34) and a negative electrode (specifically,
battery can 31) of the secondary battery cell 20 via
wiring 58.
Then, in the battery pack 10 of Example 1, each of
the 21 secondary battery cells 20 is stored in a
storage unit provided to the casing 17. When all the
secondary battery cells 20 are stored in the storage
unit, the casing 17 is housed inside the main body unit
11 of the battery pack 10, and thereon, a printed
wiring board 95 attached with an MPU 91 and the like is
attached to the main body unit 11 by an appropriate
method (see (B) of Fig. 5). The main body unit 11 is
covered with a closure member (specifically, lid) 12,
and a fixing unit provided to the main body unit 11
(for example, bushing provided with tap unit 14) is
screwed with a fixing member (for example, screw) 13.
It should be noted that a reference numeral 15
represents an identification sign (serial ID, bar code)
stuck to a side wall of the main body unit 11, and a
reference numeral 16 represents an output unit.
Essentially, the main body unit 11 has an arbitrary
shape, but in Example 1, the shape is a cuboid. An
opening portion of the main body unit 11 through which
the plurality of secondary battery cells 20 are taken
in and out is provided to a top surface of the main
body unit 11, and the closure member 12 closes the
opening portion. It should be noted that the opening
portion may be provided to a side surface of the main
body unit 11 or to a bottom surface of the main body
unit 11.
In Example 1, as shown in (B) of Fig. 1 that is a
schematic partial end view, the integrated circuit 50
is bonded to the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell 20 by using an adhesive (not shown). Then, the
wiring abnormality detection circuit 60 is connected to
the abnormality detection wiring or the shielding
wiring 66 provided to the secondary battery cell 20.
The shielding wiring 66 is continuously formed over the
outer surface of the secondary battery cell 20 from
above the integrated circuit 50. Specifically, the
shielding wiring 66 is formed of an active shield and a
guard voltage is applied thereto. More specifically, a
film 65 is continuously laminated over the outer
surface of the secondary battery cell 20 from above the
integrated circuit 50, and the shielding wiring 66
connected to the integrated circuit 50 at a terminal
portion (pad portion) 64C is formed on the film 65 by a
screen printing method. After that, the whole is
laminated with an exterior film 67. Opening portions
68A and 68B are provided to the exterior film 67, and
terminal portions (pad portions) 64A and 64B are
exposed at bottom portions of the opening portions 68A
and 68B. Then, the wiring 58 (not shown in (B) of Fig.
1) is attached to the terminal portion 64A, and the
wiring 48 (not shown in (B) of Fig. 1) is attached to
the terminal portion 64B.
As shown in Fig. 2 that is a block diagram of the
wiring abnormality detection circuit 60, the wiring
abnormality detection circuit 60 includes a signal
generation circuit 61, comparison circuits 62, and an
AND circuit 63. It should be noted that Fig. 2 shows
three lines of the shielding wiring 66, but the number
of lines of the shielding wiring 66 is not limited
thereto. A predetermined voltage is applied to the
shielding wiring 66 from the signal generation circuit
61.
After the battery pack 10 is completely assembled,
various types of information (data) are initialized. In
other words, the identification information and the
like of all the secondary battery cells 20 are caused
to correspond to the positions of the secondary battery
cells 20 in the casing 17, and the control circuit 90
stores the correspondence in the storage means 92.
Alternatively, the control circuit 90 stores the
identification information and the like of all the
secondary battery cells 20 in the storage means 92
based on a polling system. In the memory unit 53 of
each integrated circuit 50, identification information
is stored in advance. Then, under the control of the
control circuit 90, individual information is stored in
the memory unit 53 of each integrated circuit 50.
Further, under the control of the control circuit 90,
"information indicating that the integrated circuit has
not been removed from the secondary battery celll1
(hereinafter, referred to as unon-removal informationn)
is stored in the flag area of the storage area 52 of
the integrated circuit 50, and appropriate data is
written in the error detection bit area for the flag
area. The non-removal information is stored also in the
storage means 92 of the control circuit 90.
When the integrated circuit 50 is intended to be
removed from the secondary battery cell 20, the
exterior film 67 has to be removed and then the
shielding wiring 66 and the film 65 have to be removed.
In such an operation, the shielding wiring 66
inevitably causes a disconnection or short circuit, and
the shielding wiring 66 enters a non-conductive state
or a short circuit state. As a result, a change is
caused in a voltage that is input to the comparison
circuits 62 of the wiring abnormality detection circuit
60 via the shielding wiring 66, and a change is caused
output of the AND circuit Thus, the wiring
abnormality detection circuit 60 can detect a wiring
abnormality. Then, the signal processing unit 51 of the
integrated circuit 50 detects a change of the output of
the AND circuit 63 and stores in the storage area 52
information indicating that the wiring abnormality has
been detected (in other words, information indicating
that the integrated circuit 50 has been removed from
the secondary battery cell 20). Alternatively, when the
detection means detects that the integrated circuit 50
has been removed from the secondary battery cell 20,
the storage area 52 stores information indicating that
the integrated circuit 50 has been removed from the
secondary battery cell 20. In other words, data (nonremoval
information) stored in the storage area 52
(specifically, flag area and error detection bit area)
is deleted or rewritten.
At predetermined time intervals, based on the
position information of the secondary battery cell 20
of the casing 17, the control circuit 90 transmits a
command for inquiring about whether the integrated
circuit 50 has been removed from the secondary battery
cell 20 or not and a command for inquiring about the
identification information and the like, to the
integrated circuit 50 provided to the secondary battery
cell 20, specifically, via the communication circuit 93
and the wiring 48. The signal processing unit 51 of the
integrated circuit 50 that receives this command
transmits the identification information and the like
stored in the memory unit 53 and the information stored
in the flag area of the storage area 52 to the control
circuit 90. The control circuit 90 that receives the
identification information and the like and the
information stored in the flag area investigates
whether the information stored in the flag area
corresponds to non-removal information or not. Then, in
the case where the information stored in the flag area
does not correspond to the non-removal information, in
other words, the integrated circuit is not
authenticated, it is determined that the integrated
circuit 50 is one that has been removed from the
secondary battery cell 20, and a warning or the like is
given to a user who uses the battery pack 10. Depending
on circumstances, the output from the battery pack 10
is stopped. Further, in the case where the information
stored in the flag area corresponds to the non-removal
information, the control circuit 90 investigates
whether or not the received identification information
and the like matches the identification information and
the like stored in the storage means 92. It should be
noted that the match or mismatch of the identification
information and the like may be investigated before the
information stored in the flag area is investigated.
Such an operation and processing are sequentially
performed on all the secondary battery cells 20. Then,
in the case where the identification information
mismatches, or the identification information matches
but the individual information mismatches, in other
words, in the case where authentication is not
established, the control circuit 90 determines that the
secondary battery cell 20 in the battery pack 10 is
fraudulently substituted, and a warning or the like is
given to a user who uses the battery pack 10. Depending
on circumstances, the output from the battery pack 10
is stopped.
When the integrated circuit 50 is removed from the
secondary battery cell 20, the data (non-removal
information) stored in the storage area 52
(specifically, flag area and error detection bit area)
is deleted or rewritten. Therefore, for example, the
control circuit 90 investigates the information (data)
stored in the storage area 52, and thus it can be
determined reliably that the integrated circuit 50 has
been removed from the secondary battery cell 20, as
described above.
In addition, the control circuit 90 and the
integrated circuit 50 provided to each secondary
battery cell 20 store not only the identification
information but also the individual information such as
an identification number and an authentication number
that are given to the secondary battery cell 20. Thus,
it is possible to easily identify each of the secondary
battery cells 20 and easily and reliably determine
whether the secondary battery cell is an authenticated
regular secondary battery cell or not.
Generally, when a discharge voltage of the
secondary battery cell 20 has a certain value or less,
the output of the power from the battery pack is
stopped. However, even in such a situation, the
secondary battery cell 20 has sufficient power for
driving the control circuit 90 or the integrated
circuit 50, and therefore no problems are caused.
However, if the battery pack is left as it is for a
long period of time, the secondary battery cell 20 may
lose enough power to drive the control circuit 90 or
the integrated circuit 50. In such a case, charging of
the battery pack and initialization of various
information (data) in the battery pack only need to be
performed by a manufacturer of the battery pack, or the
like.
In Example 1 or Example 2 to Example 12 to be
described later, the battery pack 10 can be applied to
power consumption devices, for example, electric cars
(including hybrid cars), golf carts, electric carts,
electric motorcycles, electric power-assisted bicycles,
and rail cars. In other words, the power consumption
device includes the battery pack 10 that includes a
plurality of secondary battery cells 20 each including
the integrated circuit 50 having a measurement function
of measuring a battery state. Then, the battery pack 10
can be discharged in order to drive a conversion
apparatus (specifically, motor, for example) that is
provided to those described above and converts power
into a driving force by being supplied with power, and
can be charged using a regenerative energy from the
apparatus. It should be noted that those power
consumption devices include, for example, a control
apparatus including an indication of a battery
remaining amount, and a control apparatus that performs
information processing related to the control of the
power consumption device based on information on the
secondary battery cell 20.
Since the wiring abnormality detection circuit
that detects a wiring abnormality is provided in
Example 1, it is possible to reliably detect that an
integrated circuit provided to a secondary battery cell
has been removed from that secondary battery cell and
reliably prevent the integrated circuit from being used
for another secondary battery cell or being attached to
another secondary battery cell. Additionally, since the
integrated circuit stores the identification
information, in order to determine whether a battery
pack mounted to a power consumption device can be used
safely for the power consumption device, it is possible
to easily and reliably authenticate a secondary battery
cell provided to the battery pack. Further, since a socalled
cascading connection system is adopted as a
connection system for the integrated circuit 50 in
Example 1 and the integrated circuits are sequentially
authenticated, the identification information and the
like of all the secondary battery cells in the battery
pack can be known by using a small amount of wiring,
and complicated wiring is unnecessary. For that reason,
the wiring can be simplified in the whole battery pack,
and the number of connection points with the control
circuit can be reduced, thus achieving the improvement
of the reliability of the battery pack.
Depending on circumstances, instead of providing
the storage area 52 or together with the storage area
52, a fuse (or circuit disconnection means) may be
arranged on a power input side of the integrated
circuit 50 or on the inside of the integrated circuit
50, such as the signal processing unit 51. Then, when
the wiring abnormality detection circuit 60 detects a
wiring abnormality, the integrated circuit 50 blows (or
disconnects) a fuse (or circuit disconnection means).
With this, the integrated circuit 50 is disabled, and
it is possible to reliably detect that the integrated
circuit 50 provided to a secondary battery cell 20 has
been removed from the secondary battery cell and to
prevent the integrated circuit 50 from being attached
to another secondary battery cell.
Further, as shown in (A) and (B) of Fig. 7 that
are schematic partial cross-sectional views of a
square-type secondary battery cell and the like, and as
shown in (C) of Fig. 7 that is a schematic partial plan
view, it is also possible to provide a configuration in
which a secondary battery cell 120 is attached to a
secondary battery cell fixing unit 79 of a casing 17'
with use of a bolt 75, and an abnormality detection
wiring 74 is connected to the bolt 75 and a contact
unit 76. In the secondary battery cell 120, for example,
a bushing 77 provided with a tap unit 78 is attached.
By connection of the abnormality detection wiring 74 to
the bushing 77, the abnormality detection wiring 74 can
be connected to the bolt 75. The abnormality detection
wiring 74 is also connected to the wiring abnormality
detection circuit 60. Then, in a state where the bolt
75 is attached to the secondary battery cell fixing
unit 79 (see (B) of Fig. 7), the bolt 75 and the
contact unit 76 are in a contact state, and the
abnormality detection wiring 74 is in a conductive
state. On the other hand, when the bolt 75 is removed
from the secondary battery cell fixing unit 79, the
bolt 75 and the contact unit 76 enter a non-contact
state, with the result that the abnormality detection
wiring 74 enters a non-conductive state. For that
reason, it is possible to reliably detect that the
integrated circuit 50 provided to the secondary battery
cell 120 has been removed from the secondary battery
cell 120 and to reliably prevent the integrated circuit
50 from being attached to another secondary battery
cell.
[Example 21
Example 2 is a modification of Example 1. In a
secondary battery cell 20 of Example 2, an integrated
circuit (IC chip) 50 has a measurement function of
measuring a battery state (battery information). Then,
the integrated circuit 50 transmits a measured battery
state to the outside of the secondary battery cell 20
(specifically, control circuit 90) by wires. In other
words, the integrated circuit 50 is connected to a
control circuit 90 provided to a battery pack 10 via
wiring 48, and a battery state of the integrated
circuit 50 is transmitted to the control circuit 90 via
the wiring 48.
In Example 2, a battery state measured by the
integrated circuit 50 is at least one physical amount
selected from the group consisting of a battery
temperature, a battery current, and a battery terminal
voltage. More specifically, the battery state measured
by the integrated circuit 50 refers to three physical
amounts of a battery temperature, a battery current,
and a battery terminal voltage. It should be noted that
the physical amounts are not limited thereto and can be
only a battery temperature, only a battery current,
only a battery terminal voltage, a battery temperature
and battery current, a battery temperature and battery
terminal voltage, or a battery current and battery
terminal voltage. Then, in order to measure a battery
temperature, the integrated circuit 50 includes a pn
junction portion. Further, in order to measure a
battery current, the integrated circuit 50 includes a
well-known current measurement circuit (specifically,
for example, a current measurement circuit formed of a
combination of a shunt resistance, an operational
amplifier, and an analog-to-digital converter, a
combination of a current transformer type or hall
element type current sensor, a magnetic resonance type
current sensor, an operational amplifier, and an
analog-to-digital converter, or a combination of a
reference voltage generation circuit, a resistor, and
an analog-to-digital converter), and in order to
measure a battery terminal voltage, the integrated
circuit 50 includes a well-known voltage measurement
circuit (specifically, for example, a voltage
measurement circuit constituted of a combination of an
operational amplifier and an analog-to-digital
converter, a combination of a reference voltage
generation circuit and a comparison circuit, or a
combination of an operational amplifier and an analogto-
digital converter).
As shown in (B) of Fig. 3 that is a block diagram
of the integrated circuit 50 of Example 2, the
integrated circuit 50 includes a temperature
measurement unit (temperature measurement circuit) 54
that measures a battery temperature, a current
measurement unit (current measurement circuit) 55 that
measures a battery current, and a voltage measurement
unit (voltage measurement circuit) 56 that measures a
battery terminal voltage, in addition to the signal
processing unit 51 that processes an input/output
signal, the storage area 52, and the memory unit 53
that is necessary to store individual information and
perform various processing. It should be noted that all
the temperature measurement unit 54, the current
measurement unit 55, and the voltage measurement unit
56 are not necessarily mounted to the integrated
circuit 50 and may be mounted by selecting their
functions depending on the intended use. The current
measurement unit 55 and the voltage measurement unit 56
of the integrated circuit 50 are connected to the
battery lid 34 and the battery can 31 via the wiring 58
in order to measure a current and a voltage.
Based on an instruction issued from the control
circuit 90 at predetermined second time intervals, the
integrated circuit 50 measures a battery state of the
secondary battery cell 20 and transmits a measured
battery state, and the control circuit 90 receives the
measured battery state so that the battery state can be
known. Then, based on the received battery state, the
control circuit 90 determines whether the secondary
battery cell 20 has an abnormality. Such an operation
and processing are sequentially performed on all the
secondary battery cells 20. Then, if an abnormality
occurs in the secondary battery cell 20, in other words,
an abnormal temperature rise of the secondary battery
cell 20, an abnormal current flow in the secondary
battery cell 20, and an abnormal voltage value change
in the secondary battery cell 20 occur, switches SW
provided to the in-line connection units are each set
to an off state under the control of the control
circuit 90, and then an in-line connection unit
including a secondary battery cell 20 in which an
abnormality occurs only needs to be separated from the
battery pack 10. Depending on circumstances, the output
from the battery pack 10 may be stopped. Then, a
warning or the like indicating that an abnormality has
occurred in the secondary battery cell only needs to be
given to a user who uses the battery pack 10. It should
be noted that also in the case where an abnormality
occurs in the integrated circuit 50 and the integrated
circuit 50 enters a state in which information cannot
be exchanged, it is preferable to take the same action.
In this way, in the secondary battery cell, the
battery pack 10, or the power consumption device of
Example 2, the integrated circuit 50 of the secondary
battery cell 20 has a measurement function of measuring
a battery state. Therefore, the secondary battery cell
20 itself can collect information of the battery state,
which can simplify the configuration of the whole
battery pack. It should be noted that the integrated
circuit and the battery pack of Example 2 can be
applied as appropriate to each of Examples to be
described below.
[Example 31
Example 3 is also a modification of Example 1. In
Example 3, various types of information or
identification information and the like stored in an
integrated circuit 50 are encrypted. Specifically, as
shown in (A) of Fig. 8 that is a block diagram of the
integrated circuit 50, the integrated circuit 50
further includes an encryption processing unit 71 and a
random number generator 72. The encryption processing
unit 71 and the random number generator 72 can be wellknown
encryption processing unit and random number
generator and therefore detailed descriptions thereof
will be omitted. A secondary battery cell, a battery
pack, and a power consumption device can also be the
same secondary battery cell, the battery pack, and the
power consumption device that have been described in
Example 1 or Example 2, and therefore detailed
descriptions thereof will be omitted. Since the various
types of information or the identification information
and the like stored in the integrated circuit 50 are
encrypted in Example 3, a third party has a difficulty
of breaking the encryption. It should be noted that a
communication path may be encrypted in the same manner.
As described above, the integrated circuit in Example 3
can be combined with the integrated circuit described
in Example 2, as shown in the block diagram of (B) of
Fig. 8. Further, the integrated circuit and the battery
pack of Example 3 can be applied as appropriate to each
of Examples to be described below.
[Example 41
Example 4 is also a modification of Example 1. In
Example 4, information is transmitted in a wireless
system. In other words, as shown in Fig. 11 showing a
connection state of secondary battery cells in a
battery pack of Example 4, in a secondary battery cell
20 of Example 4, an integrated circuit 50 transmits
non-removal information and identification information
and the like to the outside of the secondary battery
cell 20 (specifically, control circuit 90 provided to
battery pack 10) by radio waves. As shown in Fig. 9
that is a schematic perspective view, the integrated
circuit 50 is connected to a battery lid 34 of the
secondary battery cell 20 by wiring 58' and uses the
battery lid 34 as an antenna. Depending on
circumstances, as shown in (A) of Fig. 10 that is a
schematic perspective view and in (B) of Fig. 10 that
is a schematic view of an aggregate including the
integrated circuit and the antenna, the integrated
circuit 50 may be provided with an independent antenna
57. It should be noted that in (A) and (B) of Fig. 10,
the aggregate of the integrated circuit 50 and the
antenna 57 is indicated as an integrated circuit
aggregate (wireless IC tag) 50 ' .
In Example 4, the non-removal information and the
identification information and the like of all the
secondary battery cells in the battery pack can be
known via radio waves, and complicated wiring is
unnecessary. Further, at predetermined time intervals,
based on position information of the secondary battery
cell 20 in a casing 17, a command for inquiring about
the non-removal information and the identification
information is transmitted from the control circuit 90
via radio waves. Except for the above points,
operations and processing for authentication and the
like can be the same as those of Example 1, and
therefore detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.
In Example 4, the configuration of the whole battery
pack 10 can be simplified. The integrated circuit and
the battery pack of Example 4 can be applied as
appropriate to each of Examples to be described below.
The antenna may be caused to function as
abnormality detection wiring. Specifically, the antenna
is formed in the same configuration (note that a
forming pattern is different) and the same forming
method as those for the shielding wiring 66 described
in Example 1, and the antenna is connected to the
wiring abnormality detection circuit as well. Also with
such a configuration, when the integrated circuit is
intended to be removed from the secondary battery cell,
the antenna inevitably causes a disconnection, with the
result that information indicating that a wiring
abnormality has been detected (in other words,
information indicating that the integrated circuit 50
has been removed from the secondary battery cell 20)
can be reliably detected.
[Example 51
Example 5 is also a modification of Example 1. In
Example 1 described above, the integrated circuit 50
arranged on the outer surface of each secondary battery
cell 20 is connected to the control circuit 90 via two
lines of wiring (sensing wiring) 48.
Incidentally, as an embodiment of a connection
state of secondary battery cells 20 in a conventional
battery pack 10 (state of assembled battery) is shown
in Fig. 26 and a schematic end view of the secondary
battery cell is shown in Fig. 27, the integrated
circuit 50 arranged on the outer surface of each
secondary battery cell 20 is connected to the control
circuit 90 via an information input/output terminal 47
and the wiring (sensing wiring) 48. In other words, the
integrated circuit 50 is connected in a so-called bus
connection system. In such a state, for example, a
secondary battery cell 20A and a secondary battery cell
20B of Fig. 26 largely differs from each other in a
voltage value of a direct-current component in a signal
that is output from the integrated circuit 50 to the
control circuit 90 via the wiring (sensing wiring) 48.
Therefore, when the integrated circuit 50 transmits
identification information and the like to the outside
of the secondary battery cell 20 (specifically, control
circuit 90) by wires, a range of the voltage value to
be input to the control circuit 90 is increased and for
example, there arises a problem that a withstand
voltage of various circuits constituting the control
circuit 90 has to be increased.
To avoid generation of such a problem, in Example
5, as shown in Fig. 13 showing a connection state of
secondary battery cells 20 in a battery pack 10 (state
of assembled battery) and in Fig. 12 that is a
schematic perspective view of the secondary battery
cell 20, an integrated circuit 50 is connected in a socalled
bus connection system, while a control circuit
90 receives identification information and the like
from the integrated circuit 50 provided to each
secondary battery cell 20, based on capacitive
couplings 73. By such capacitive couplings 73, a
direct-current component of a signal that is output
from the integrated circuit 50 to the control circuit
90 via wiring (sensing wiring) 48 is eliminated, and
therefore it is unnecessary to require a high withstand
voltage of the control circuit 90. The integrated
circuit and the battery pack of Example 5 can be
applied as appropriate to each of Examples to be
described below.
The capacitive couplings 73 may be formed in a
communication circuit 93 of the control circuit 90, may
be independently formed in the control circuit 90, may
be formed in a signal processing unit 51 of the
integrated circuit 50, may be independently formed in
the integrated circuit 50, or may be arranged (formed)
between the integrated circuit 50 and the control
circuit 90. Specifically, for example, a capacitor
(capacity unit) formed of two conductor layers (for
example, wiring, electrode, and the like provided
inside a circuit) only need to be formed while
interposing an insulating layer within a circuit.
[Example 61
Example 6 is also a modification of Example 1. In
Example 6, a secondary battery cell 120 is a squaretype
secondary battery cell. Inside the secondary
battery cell 120, a wound electrode body in which a
positive electrode material and a negative electrode
material are wound via a separator is housed. Then, as
shown in (A) and (B) of Fig. 14 that are schematic
perspective views of the secondary battery cell 120, an
integrated circuit is arranged on an outer surface of
the secondary battery cell 120. Specifically, an
integrated circuit (more specifically, integrated
circuit aggregate 50') or an integrated circuit 50 is
bonded to the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell 120. Further, a power source of the integrated
circuit 50 is the secondary battery cell 120, and the
integrated circuit 50 is connected to a positive
electrode terminal 121 and a negative electrode
terminal 122 of the secondary battery cell 120 via
wiring 58. In an example shown in (A) of Fig. 14,
information is transmitted in a wireless system, and
the integrated circuit includes an antenna (not shown).
As needed, a current measurement unit and a voltage
measurement unit of the integrated circuit are
connected to the positive electrode terminal 121 and
the negative electrode terminal 122 via the wiring 58
in order to measure a current and a voltage.
Alternatively, as shown in (B) of Fig. 14 that is a
schematic perspective view of the secondary battery
cell 120, information is transmitted in a wired system.
Specifically, the integrated circuit 50 is connected to
the positive electrode terminal 121 and the negative
electrode terminal 122 of the secondary battery cell
120 via the wiring 58. The integrated circuit 50 is
connected to a control circuit 90 via wiring 48 as in
Example 1. Alternatively, as in Example 5, the
integrated circuit 50 is connected to the control
circuit 90 by the capacitive coupling and wiring. It
should be noted that the integrated circuit 50 or the
integrated circuit aggregate 5 0 ' is covered with
shielding wiring as in Example 1, but the illustration
of the shielding wiring is omitted in (A) and (B) of
Fig. 14 and in Fig. 15 to be described next.
The secondary battery cell can be of a laminate
type. As shown in Fig. 15 that is a schematic exploded
perspective view, a secondary battery cell 220 has a
laminated structure in which a separator 233 is
inserted between a positive electrode material plate
231 and a negative electrode material plate 232 for the
purpose of insulation and a plurality of laminates of
them are laminated, and has the structure in which this
laminated structure is vertically sealed with an
aluminum laminate 234 together with an electrolytic
solution. The positive electrode material plate 231 and
the negative electrode material plate 232 are provided
with a positive electrode terminal 221 and a negative
electrode terminal 222, respectively. The positive
electrode terminal 221 and the negative electrode
terminal 222 protrude to the outside from a bonding
portion of the aluminum laminate 234. The integrated
circuit 50 or the integrated circuit aggregate 50' is
connected to the positive electrode terminal 221 and
the negative electrode terminal 222. The integrated
circuit 50 or the integrated circuit aggregate 50' is
located on an outer surface of the aluminum laminate
234. Then, a mode in which a power source of the
integrated circuit 50 is the secondary battery cell and
information is transmitted in a wireless system or a
wired system can be provided. The integrated circuit
and a battery pack of Example 6 can be applied as
appropriate to each of Examples to be described below.
[Example 71
Example 7 is also a modification of Example 1. In
Example 7, an integrated circuit 50 is arranged on an
outer surface of a secondary battery cell, which is the
same as in Example 1, but a power source of the
integrated circuit 50 is an external power source, and
information is transmitted in a wired system or a
wireless system.
Fig. 16 shows electrical signals in communication
processing between the integrated circuit 50 and the
control circuit 90 shown in (A) of Fig. 3. First, an
external electrical signal including a preamble signal
is transmitted from the control circuit 90 to the
integrated circuit 50 via the communication circuit 93.
On the integrated circuit 50 side, the transmitted
external electrical signal is received, this external
electrical signal is rectified, and power necessary to
operate is held inside the integrated circuit 50. After
that, a command and an ID number of a secondary battery
cell 20 are transmitted from the control circuit 90 to
the integrated circuit 50 via the communication circuit
93. On the integrated circuit 50 side, according to
control signals (specifically, external electrical
signals such as command and ID number), if the
transmitted ID number matches an ID number of the
integrated circuit itself, a signal processing unit 51
of this integrated circuit 50 transmits identification
information and individual information stored in a
memory unit 53 and information stored in a flag area of
a storage area 52 to the control circuit 90. Such an
operation and processing are sequentially performed on
all the secondary battery cells 20. According to such a
method, since the integrated circuit 50 obtains power
necessary to operate based on the external electrical
signal from the outside (specifically, control circuit
90), a power source unit is not required. Further, in
this method, the ID number transmitted from the outside
(specifically, control circuit 90) and the ID number of
the integrated circuit itself are compared with each
other, and in the case where the ID numbers match each
other, a battery state is transmitted from the
integrated circuit 50 provided to the secondary battery
cell 20. Thus, each battery state within the battery
pack 10 constituted of a large number of secondary
battery cells 20 can be obtained without confusion.
[Example 81
Example 8 relates to a secondary battery cell
according to the second embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention, a battery pack of
the present invention in which the secondary battery
cell according to the second embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention is incorporated,
and a power consumption device of the present invention
in which the secondary battery cell according to the
second embodiment and the seventh embodiment of the
present invention is incorporated. In Example 8, an
integrated circuit 50A is arranged on an outer surface
of a secondary battery cell 20, a power source of the
integrated circuit 50A is the secondary battery cell 20,
and information is transmitted in a wired system. In
other words, identification information and the like
are transmitted to the outside of the secondary battery
cell 20 (specifically, control circuit 90) by wires
(specifically, via wiring 48). The integrated circuit
50A is connected to a positive electrode (specifically,
battery lid 34) and a negative electrode (specifically,
battery can 31) of the secondary battery cell 20 via
wiring 58.
As shown in (A) of Fig. 17 that is a schematic
perspective view of the secondary battery cell of
Example 8 and in (B) of Fig. 17 that is a schematic
partial end view of the integrated circuit and the like
along with the arrow B-B of (A) of Fig. 17, the
secondary battery cell of Example 8 includes the
integrated circuit (IC chip) 50A that stores
identification information. Then, the integrated
circuit 50A includes a photodetection means
(specifically, photo diode) 80. When the integrated
circuit 50A is removed from the secondary battery cell
20, the photodetection means 80 detects light.
Alternatively, the integrated circuit 50A includes a
detection means for detecting that the integrated
circuit 50A has been removed from the secondary battery
cell 20. It should be noted that in (B) of Fig. 17,
cross sections of a battery can and the like are shown
to be flat, but actually, the cross sections of the
battery can and the like are formed into an arc.
Specifically, the integrated circuit 5OA is caused
to adhere to the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell 20 by using an adhesive such that the
photodetection means 80 faces an outer surface of the
integrated circuit 50A. In this state, light does not
reach the photodetection means 80. For example, when
the integrated circuit 50A is removed from the
secondary battery cell 20 indoors or outdoors, the
photodetection means 80 generally detects light. Then,
when the photodetection means 80 detects light, the
storage area 52 stores information indicating that the
integrated circuit 50A has been removed from the
secondary battery cell 20. Alternatively, when the
detection means (specifically, photodetection means 80
in Example 8) detects that the integrated circuit 50A
has been removed from the secondary battery cell 20,
the storage area 52 stores information indicating that
the integrated circuit 50A has been removed from the
secondary battery cell 20. In other words, data (nonremoval
information) stored in the storage area 52
(specifically, flag area and error detection bit area)
is deleted or rewritten. Alternatively, when the
photodetection means 80 detects light or when the
detection means detects that the integrated circuit 50A
has been removed from the secondary battery cell 20,
the integrated circuit 50A disconnects a fuse (or
circuit disconnection means).
Except for the above points, the secondary battery
cell of Example 8 has the same configuration and
structure as those of the secondary battery cell of
Example 1, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof
will be omitted. It should be noted that the secondary
battery cells described in Example 2 to Example 7 can
be applied as appropriate to the secondary battery cell
of Example 8.
As shown in Fig. 18 that is a schematic end view
of the secondary battery cell, depending on
circumstances, the integrated circuit 50A may be
arranged inside the secondary battery cell 20. In this
case, in a cylinder-type secondary battery cell 20
shown in Fig. 18, the integrated circuit 50A may be
arranged in a space A located between an upper
insulating plate 32 and a safety valve mechanism 35
provided inside the secondary battery cell 20 or in a
space B located immediately below the battery lid 34.
Then, the integrated circuit 5OA only needs to be
connected to a positive electrode lead 45 and a battery
can 31 via wiring 59. Further, as shown in (A) and (B)
of Fig. 19 and Fig. 20 that are schematic perspective
views and a schematic exploded perspective view, in
square-type secondary battery cells 120 and 220, the
integrated circuit 50A only needs to be arranged in an
appropriate space such as a gap surrounded by an
insulating spacer arranged immediately below a sealing
plate (cap plate) or a laminate portion. It should be
noted that the aggregate of the integrated circuit 50A
and an antenna is indicated as an integrated circuit
aggregate (wireless IC tag) 50". Further, as an
information output unit or the like of the integrated
circuit arranged inside the secondary battery cell 20,
120, or 220, an information input/output terminal (see,
for example, information input/output terminal 47 of
(B) of Fig. 19) connected to the integrated circuit
only needs to be provided to the secondary battery cell
20, 120, or 220. The secondary battery cells described
in Example 2 to Example 7 can be applied as appropriate
to such secondary battery cells 20, 120, and 220.
[Example 91
Example 9 relates to a secondary battery cell
according to the third embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention, a battery pack of
the present invention in which the secondary battery
cell according to the third embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention is incorporated,
and a power consumption device of the present invention
in which the secondary battery cell according to the
third embodiment and the seventh embodiment of the
present invention is incorporated. Also in Example 9,
an integrated circuit 50B is arranged on an outer
surface of a secondary battery cell 20, a power source
of the integrated circuit 50B is the secondary battery
cell 20, and information is transmitted in a wired
system. In other words, identification information and
the like are transmitted to the outside of the
secondary battery cell 20 (specifically, control
circuit 90) by wires (specifically, via wiring 48) . The
integrated circuit 50B is connected to a positive
electrode (specifically, battery lid 34) and a negative
electrode (specifically, battery can 31) of the
secondary battery cell 20 via wiring 58.
As (A) of Fig. 21 that is a schematic perspective
view of the secondary battery cell of Example 9 and in
(B) of Fig. 21 that is a schematic partial end view of
the integrated circuit and the like along with the
arrow B-B of (A) of Fig. 21, the secondary battery cell
of Example 9 includes the integrated circuit (IC chip)
50B that stores identification information. Then, the
integrated circuit 50B includes a pressure detection
means 81. When the integrated circuit 50B is removed
from the secondary battery cell 20, the pressure
detection means 81 detects a change in pressure.
Alternatively, the integrated circuit 50B includes a
detection stage for detecting that the integrated
circuit 50B has been removed from the secondary battery
cell 20. It should be noted that in (B) of Fig. 21,
cross sections of the battery can and the like are
shown to be flat, but actually, the cross sections of
the battery can and the like are formed into an arc.
Specifically, the integrated circuit 50B is caused
to adhere to the outer surface of the secondary battery
cell 20 by using an adhesive such that the
photodetection means 80 faces an outer surface of the
integrated circuit 50B. In addition, the whole of the
integrated circuit 50B is laminated with an exterior
film 67. In this state, the pressure detection means 81
is in a state being applied with a pressure. When the
integrated circuit 50B is removed from the secondary
battery cell 20, the pressure detection means 81 enters
a state being applied with no pressure. Then, when the
pressure detection means 81 detects a change in
pressure, a storage area 52 stores information
indicating that the integrated circuit 50B has been
removed from the secondary battery cell 20.
Alternatively, when the detection means (specifically,
pressure detection means 81 in Example 9) detects that
the integrated circuit 50B has been removed from the
secondary battery cell 20, the storage area 52 stores
information indicating that the integrated circuit 50B
has been removed from the secondary battery cell 20. In
other words, data (non-removal information) stored in
the storage area 52 (specifically, flag area and error
detection bit area) is deleted or rewritten.
Alternatively, when the pressure detection means 81
detects a change in pressure or the detection means
detects that the integrated circuit 50B has been
removed from the secondary battery cell 20, the
integrated circuit 50B disconnects a fuse (or circuit
disconnection means).
For example, as shown in (A) of Fig. 22 that is a
schematic plan view and in (B) of Fig. 22 that is a
schematic end view along the arrow B-B of (A) of Fig.
22, as the pressure detection means 81, an N-type
silicon semiconductor substrate is etched to form
diaphragm structure units, and P-type impurities are
introduced into the diaphragm structure units to
provide resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 to the diaphragm
structure units. When the diaphragm structure units
receive a pressure and then deflected, a stress
corresponding to a deflection amount is generated in
each of the resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4. In proportion
to this stress, a resistance value of the resistor is
changed. Such a change in resistance value only needs
to be measured using a Wheatstone bridge circuit shown
in (C) of Fig. 22, with a voltage being set to Vo.
Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 23 that is a
schematic partial plan view, in the case where a
secondary battery cell 120 is fixed to a casing 17'
with use of bolts 83 and a presser plate 84, the
structure in which the pressure detection means 81 is
interposed between the presser plate 84 and the
secondary battery cell 120 may be provided.
Except for the above points, the secondary battery
cell of Example 9 has the same configuration and
structure as those of the secondary battery cell of
Example 1, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof
will be omitted. It should be noted that the secondary
battery cells described in Example 2 to Example 8 can
be applied as appropriate to the secondary battery cell
of Example 9.
[Example 101
Example 10 relates to a secondary battery cell
according to the fourth embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention, a battery pack of
the present invention in which the secondary battery
cell according to the fourth embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention is incorporated,
and a power consumption device of the present invention
in which the secondary battery cell according to the
fourth embodiment and the seventh embodiment of the
present invention is incorporated.
A secondary battery cell of Example 10 includes an
integrated circuit (IC chip) 50 that stores
identification information.
The integrated circuit 50 includes a voltage
measurement means (voltage measurement unit 56) for
measuring a terminal voltage of a secondary battery
cell 20.
When the integrated circuit 50 is removed from the
secondary battery cell 20, the voltage measurement
means detects a change in voltage. Here, the voltage
measurement means (voltage measurement unit 56) is
formed of a reference voltage generation circuit and a
comparison circuit. One input unit of the comparison
circuit is connected to a battery lid 34 of the
secondary battery cell or a positive electrode terminal
121 or 221.
Generally, when the integrated circuit 50 is
intended to be removed from the secondary battery cell
20, noise is added to a voltage supplied to the
integrated circuit 50 or a large change is abruptly
caused in a voltage supplied to the integrated circuit
50. In the secondary battery cell of Example 10, a
battery terminal voltage in the battery state described
in Example 2 is measured by the voltage measurement
means (voltage measurement unit 5 6 ) . When the voltage
measurement means (voltage measurement unit 56) detects
that predetermined noise is added to the battery
terminal voltage or a predetermined change is caused
therein, a storage area 52 stores information
indicating that the integrated circuit 50 has been
removed from the secondary battery cell. Alternatively,
when a detection means (specifically, voltage
measurement unit 56 in Example 10) detects that the
integrated circuit 50 has been removed from the
secondary battery cell 20, the storage area 52 stores
information indicating that the integrated circuit 50
has been removed from the secondary battery cell 20. In
other words, data (non-removal information) stored in
the storage area 52 (specifically, flag area and error
detection bit area) is deleted or rewritten.
Alternatively, when the voltage measurement means
detects a change in voltage or the detection means
detects that the integrated circuit 50 has been removed
from the secondary battery cell 20, the integrated
circuit 50 disconnects a fuse (or circuit disconnection
means) .
Except for the above points, the secondary battery
cell of Example 10 has the same configuration and
structure as those of the secondary battery cell of
Example 1, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof
will be omitted. It should be noted that the secondary
battery cells described in Example 2 to Example 9 can
be applied as appropriate to the secondary battery cell
of Example 10. Further, there may be provided a
configuration in which the current measurement unit
(current measurement circuit) 55 described in Example 2
is used instead of the voltage measurement means
(voltage measurement unit 56), the integrated circuit
50 includes a current measurement means (current
measurement unit 55) for measuring a battery current of
the secondary battery cell 20, and when the integrated
circuit 50 is removed from the secondary battery cell
20, the current measurement means detects a change in
5 current.
[Example 111
Example 11 relates to a secondary battery cell
according to the fifth embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention, a battery pack of
10 the present invention in which the secondary battery
cell according to the fifth embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention is incorporated,
and a power consumption device of the present invention
in which the secondary battery cell according to the
15 fifth embodiment and the seventh embodiment of the
present invention is incorporated.
A secondary battery cell of Example 11 includes an
integrated circuit (IC chip) that stores identification
information.
20 The integrated circuit includes a resistance value
measurement means for measuring a resistance value in
the secondary battery cell.
When the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the resistance value
measurement means detects a change in resistance value.
Specifically, the resistance value measurement
means measures a resistance value of an electrolytic
solution in the secondary battery cell. More
specifically, in Example 11, the integrated circuit
includes the resistance value measurement means formed
of a measurement electrode for measuring a resistance
value of the electrolytic solution and a resistance
value measurement circuit. The measurement electrode is
immersed in the electrolytic solution.
Generally, when the integrated circuit is intended
to be removed from the secondary battery cell, the
state of the measurement electrode immersed in the
electrolytic solution is changed. Specifically, for
example, the measurement electrode is extracted from
the electrolytic solution. In the secondary battery
cell of Example 11, when the resistance value
measurement means detects a change in resistance value,
a storage area stores information indicating that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
battery cell. Alternatively, when a detection means
(specifically, resistance value measurement means in
Example 11) detects that the integrated circuit has
been removed from the secondary battery cell, the
storage area stores information indicating that the
integrated circuit has been removed from the secondary
battery cell. In other words, data (non-removal
information) stored in the storage area (specifically,
flag area and error detection bit area) is deleted or
rewritten. Alternatively, when the resistance value
measurement means detects a change in resistance value
or the detection means detects that the integrated
circuit has been removed from the secondary battery
cell, the integrated circuit disconnects a fuse (or
circuit disconnection means).
Except for the above points, the secondary battery
cell of Example 11 has the same configuration and
structure as those of the secondary battery cell of
Example 1, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof
will be omitted. It should be noted that the secondary
battery cells described in Example 2 to Example 10 can
be applied as appropriate to the secondary battery cell
of Example 11.
[Example 121
Example 12 relates to a secondary battery cell
according to the sixth embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention, a battery pack of
the present invention in which the secondary battery
cell according to the sixth embodiment and the seventh
embodiment of the present invention is incorporated,
and a power consumption device of the present invention
in which the secondary battery cell according to the
sixth embodiment and the seventh embodiment of the
present invention is incorporated.
A secondary battery cell of Example 12 includes an
integrated circuit (IC chip) that stores identification
information, as shown in (A) or (B) of Fig. 24 that are
block diagrams of the integrated circuit.
The integrated circuit includes a monitor circuit
85 that monitors a clock frequency supplied from the
outside.
When the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the monitor circuit 85 detects
a change in clock frequency.
Generally, when the integrated circuit is intended
to be removed from the secondary battery cell, the
clock frequency supplied from the outside is changed.
Specifically, an abnormal frequency is superimposed on
the clock frequency or the supply of a clock signal is
blocked. In the secondary battery cell of Example 12,
when the monitor circuit 85 detects a change in clock
frequency, a storage area stores information indicating
that the integrated circuit has been removed from the
secondary battery cell. Alternatively, when a detection
means (specifically, monitor circuit 85 in Example 12)
detects that the integrated circuit has been removed
from the secondary battery cell, the storage area
stores information indicating that the integrated
circuit has been removed from the secondary battery
cell. In other words, data (non-removal information)
stored in the storage area (specifically, flag area and
error detection bit area) is deleted or rewritten.
Alternatively, when a resistance value measurement
means detects a change in resistance value or the
detection means detects that the integrated circuit has
been removed from the secondary battery cell, the
integrated circuit disconnects a fuse (or circuit
disconnection means).
Except for the above points, the secondary battery
cell of Example 12 has the same configuration and
structure as those of the secondary battery cell of
Example 1, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof
will be omitted. It should be noted that the secondary
battery cells described in Example 2 to Example 11 can
be applied as appropriate to the secondary battery cell
of Example 12.
Hereinbefore, the present invention has been
described based on the preferred examples, but the
present invention is not limited to those examples. The
configuration, structure, connection relationship, and
the like of the battery pack, the secondary battery
cell, the integrated circuit, the control circuit, and
the like described in Examples are mere examples and
can be modified as appropriate. When the integrated
circuit is arranged on the outer surface of the
secondary battery cell, the integrated circuit arranged
on the outer surface of the secondary battery cell may
be covered with the same resin or the same type of
resin as that constituting a package of the integrated
circuit. With such a structure, the integrated circuit
is integrated with a covering resin layer, which makes
it extremely difficult to remove the integrated circuit
from the secondary battery cell and substantially makes
it impossible to remove the integrated circuit from the
secondary battery cell. Even if the integrated circuit
is intended to be removed from the secondary battery
cell, the integrated circuit is broken. Depending on
circumstances, there may be simultaneously adopted a
configuration in which when an integrated circuit
formed of a bare chip and provided with a groove
portion formed thereon is mounted onto a substrate and
the integrated circuit is removed from the substrate,
the integrated circuit is broken from the groove
portion. Alternatively, there may be adopted a
configuration in which an integrated circuit formed of
a bare chip is mounted onto a substrate, the substrate
and the integrated circuit are connected to each other
via a wire bonding portion, and when the integrated
circuit is removed from the substrate, the wire bonding
portion is broken. Alternatively, there may be adopted
a configuration in which an integrated circuit is
formed of a thin bare chip having a thickness of 50 pm
or less and when the integrated circuit is removed, the
integrated circuit is broken. In addition, those
configurations may be combined with each other as
appropriate.
As shown in (A) and (B) of Fig. 25 that are each a
schematic partial cross-sectional view of the main body
unit 11, the closure member (lid) 12, and the like, the
structure in which the main body unit 11 constituting
the battery pack 10 is made of a non-conductive
material (insulating material), for example, made of a
plastic material, and a bushing 14A formed of a
conductive material, specifically, made of metal or an
alloy (more specifically, stainless steel), is attached
to a fixing unit of the main body unit 11 at which the
fixing member 13 is attached. The bushing 14A is
connected to the integrated circuit 50 via the first
wiring 18. It should be noted that the first wiring 18
is attached to the bushing 14A by welding. The bushing
14A engages with the fixing member 13. It can be
obtained by forming the bushing 14A and the main body
unit 11 integrally with each other. Further, the
closure member 12 is formed of a non-conductive
material (insulating material), for example, made of a
plastic material. The fixing member 13 attached to the
closure member 12 is connected to the integrated
circuit 50 via second wiring 19A and 19B and further
via wiring not shown in the figure. Specifically, the
fixing member 13 is grounded via the second wiring 19A
and 19B and the wiring not shown in the figure, and one
end of the wiring not shown in the figure is
electrically connected to the second wiring 19A by an
attachment screw (not shown) formed of stainless steel.
At a part 19B of the second wiring, a through-hole 19C
for passing the fixing member 13 therethrough is
provided. It can be obtained by forming the second
wiring 19A and 19B and the closure member 12 integrally
with each other. The fixing member 13 is formed of a
screw made of a conductive material (for example, metal
or alloy), specifically, a screw made of stainless
steel. Then, by detection of no conduction between the
bushing 14A and the fixing member 13, it is possible to
detect that the fixing member (screw) 13 has been
removed from the fixing unit (bushing 14A provided with
tap unit 14B) provided to the main body unit 11 and
detect that the integrated circuit 50 provided to the
secondary battery cell 20 has entered a state capable
of being removed from the secondary battery cell 20.
Then, it only needs to give a warning or the like to a
user who uses the battery pack 10 and, depending on
circumstances, stop the output from the battery pack 10
Description of Symbols
10 battery pack
main body unit
closure member (lid)
fixing member (screw)
14B tap unit
bushing
identification sign (serial ID)
output unit
17' casing
first wiring
19B second wiring
through-hole
120, 220 secondary battery cell
battery can
upper insulating plate
lower insulating plate
battery lid
safety valve mechanism
disk plate
heat sensitive resistance element (PTC element)
gasket
wound electrode body
positive electrode material
negative electrode material
separator
center pin
positive electrode lead
46 negative electrode lead
47 information input/output terminal
48 wiring (sensing wiring)
50, 50A, 50B integrated circuit
501, 50" integrated circuit aggregate as aggregate of
integrated circuit and antenna
51 signal processing unit
52 storage area
53 memory unit
54 temperature measurement unit
55 current measurement unit
56 voltage measurement unit
57 antenna
58, 58', 59 wiring
60 wiring abnormality detection circuit
61 signal generation circuit
62 comparison circuit
63 AND circuit
64A, 64B, 64C terminal portion (pad portion)
65 film
66 shielding wiring
67 exterior film
68A, 68B opening portion
71 encryption processing unit
72 random number generator
73 capacitive coupling
74 abnormality detection wiring
75 bolt
76 contact unit
77 bushing
78 tapunit
79 secondary battery cell fixing unit
80 photodetection means
81 pressure detection means
82 silicon semiconductor substrate
83 bolt
84 presser plate
85 monitor circuit
90 control circuit
91 MPU
92 storage means
93 communication circuit
94 battery protection circuit
95 printed wiring board
121, 221 positive electrode terminal
122, 222 negative electrode terminal
231 positive electrode material plate
232 negative electrode material plate
233 separator
234 aluminum laminate

Claims
[I] A secondary battery cell, comprising
an integrated circuit that stores identification
information, wherein
the integrated circuit includes a wiring
abnormality detection circuit, and
when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the wiring abnormality
detection circuit detects a wiring abnormality.
[2] The secondary battery cell according to claim 1,
wherein
the wiring abnormality detection circuit is
connected to shielding wiring that is provided to the
secondary battery cell.
[3] The secondary battery cell according to claim 2,
wherein
when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the shielding wiring enters a
non-conductive state or a short circuit state.
[41 The secondary battery cell according to claim 2,
wherein
when the secondary battery cell is removed from a
secondary battery cell fixing unit, the shielding
wiring enters a non-conductive state or a short circuit
state.
[51 The secondary battery cell according to claim 1,
wherein
the integrated circuit includes a storage area,
and
when the wiring abnormality detection circuit
detects a wiring abnormality, the storage area stores
information indicating that a wiring abnormality is
detected.
[6] The secondary battery cell according to claim 1,
further comprising a fuse, wherein
when the wiring abnormality detection circuit
detects a wiring abnormality, the integrated circuit
disconnects the fuse.
[7] A secondary battery cell, comprising
an integrated circuit that stores identification
information, wherein
the integrated circuit includes a photodetection
means, and
when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the photodetection means
detects light.
[81 A secondary battery cell, comprising
an integrated circuit that stores identification
information, wherein
the integrated circuit includes a pressure
detection means, and
when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the pressure detection means
detects a change in pressure.
[91 A secondary battery cell, comprising
an integrated circuit that stores identification
information, wherein
the integrated circuit includes a voltage
measurement means for measuring a terminal voltage of
the secondary battery cell, and
when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the voltage measurement means
detects a change in voltage.
[lo] The secondary battery cell according to claim 9,
wherein
the voltage measurement means is formed of a
reference voltage generation circuit and a comparison
circuit.
[I11 A secondary battery cell, comprising
an integrated circuit that stores identification
information, wherein
the integrated circuit includes a resistance value
measurement means for measuring a resistance value in
the secondary battery cell, and
when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the resistance value
measurement means detects a change in resistance value.
[I21 The secondary battery cell according to claim 11,
wherein
the resistance value measurement means measures a
resistance value of an electrolytic solution in the
secondary battery cell.
5 [13] A secondary battery cell, comprising
an integrated circuit that stores identification
information, wherein N -
the integrated circuit includes a monitor circuit
that monitors a clock frequency supplied from the
10 outside, and
when the integrated circuit is removed from the
secondary battery cell, the monitor circuit detects a
change in clock frequency.
[I41 A secondary battery cell, comprising:
15 an integrated circuit that stores identification
information; and
a detection means for detecting that the
integrated circuit is removed from the secondary
battery cell.
20 [15] A battery pack, comprising
a plurality of secondary battery cells according
to claim 1.
[16] A power consumption device, comprising
a battery pack including a plurality of secondary
25 battery cells according to claim 1.