JPH0965576A - Method of detecting the number of cell of secondary battery, its equipment and charging treatment method for secondary battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to perform the charge treatment of a battery cell efficiently and at a high speed by converting the output voltage value of a secondary battery in an initial charging operation and during a subsequent initial discharge operation and by indicating the results. SOLUTION: When charging a secondary battery 3, a predetermined quantity of charging is given to the secondary battery 3 as a preliminary charging treatment operation. To obtain a predetermined proportion of the quantity of discharge for the quantity of discharge, the preliminary discharge treatment operation is performed for the secondary battery. The output voltage value of the secondary battery 3 is measured during the preliminary discharge treatment operation for the secondary battery 3, and its output voltage value is converted into the digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery 3. After the elapse of a predetermined period from the start of the preliminary discharge, a latch circuit 8 for latching the digital value at that point in time is stored by using a look-up tale 71, and the number of cells constituting the secondary battery 3 is indicated based on the stored digital value.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for accurately detecting the number of cells constituting a secondary battery, and moreover, to accurately determine the number of cells constituting the secondary battery. The present invention relates to a charging processing method and a charging processing apparatus thereof, which can perform optimum charging processing operation on the secondary battery after being detected.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, secondary batteries (secondary cells) such as lead-acid batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries and lithium-ion batteries are recharged many times throughout their service life. The operation is repeated and used.

However, with the widespread use of such secondary batteries, it has become necessary to efficiently carry out the charging operation for the secondary batteries, and from a user's point of view in particular, it is accurate in a short time. There is an increasing demand for the development of secondary batteries that can achieve full charge and the development of charging processing operation methods for the secondary batteries. Conventionally, in the various types of secondary batteries as described above, different charging treatment operations are not provided depending on their structures, performances, chemical substances used, etc. However, in both cases, the charge processing operation is performed for a long time using a low current amount, and the high speed charge in a short time as required by the user is not achieved.

Various methods have been proposed for detecting the amount of charge in a secondary battery, but none of them are accurate, so charging for realizing a high-speed charge processing operation is not possible. It did not provide a quantitative detection method. On the other hand, conventionally known secondary batteries are generally composed of one cell, or a plurality of cells having the same configuration and the same nominal capacity are assembled as one pack and used as one body. It is what is done.

However, when a user uses the secondary battery, it is generally impossible to directly determine the number of cells of the secondary battery in appearance. For this reason, there are many problems that the charging process operation is mistaken and the secondary battery is destroyed, or the life of the secondary battery is shortened. Further, when performing a charging process operation on the secondary battery, while constantly detecting the battery voltage, the number of constituent cells of the secondary battery is predicted according to the battery voltage, and the voltage division ratio for battery voltage detection is calculated. It is necessary to perform switching operation every time, and the charging operation is complicated and time-consuming and costly.

[0006]

The object of the present invention is to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a plurality of secondary batteries, even when the secondary battery is composed of a single cell. Even if it is composed of cells, the number of cells that compose the secondary battery is automatically detected accurately in the charging process operation, and the cell that has the detected number of composing cells is automatically detected. (EN) A charging processing operation method and apparatus capable of charging a secondary battery efficiently and at high speed by setting a charging current suitable for the secondary battery.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention basically adopts the technical constitution as described below. That is, as a first aspect of the present invention, when a secondary battery composed of one or a plurality of cells is charged, a predetermined charge amount is put into the secondary battery to perform an initial charge processing operation. A step of executing, a step of performing an initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery so as to obtain a discharge amount of a predetermined ratio with respect to the input charge amount, during the initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery ,
A step of measuring the output voltage value of the secondary battery and converting the output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, a predetermined value after the start of the initial discharge process. After the lapse of the period, a step of storing the digital value at that point in time by using a latch storage circuit or the like by using the service storage means,
A step of displaying the number of cells forming the secondary battery based on the stored digital value, and a method for detecting the number of cells of the secondary battery, and a power supply for supplying a predetermined charging current. Means, a charging / discharging terminal for connecting the secondary battery, a charging / discharging processing operation means for individually performing a charging processing operation and a discharging processing operation on the secondary battery, Voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage, conversion means for converting the output voltage value of the secondary battery output from the voltage detection means into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, the digital A cell number detecting device for a secondary battery, comprising a storage means for storing a value using a storage means including a latch circuit, and a second aspect of the present invention is one or a plurality of storage cells. Consists of cells When charging the secondary battery, a step of charging a predetermined amount of charge into the secondary battery and executing an initial charge processing operation, the secondary battery so as to obtain a discharge amount of a predetermined ratio to the charged amount of charge. Performing an initial discharge treatment operation on the battery, measuring an output voltage value of the secondary battery during the initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery,
A step of converting the output voltage value into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery, a predetermined period after the start of the initial discharge, and the digital value at that time including a latch circuit and the like. Storing using a storage means,
Based on the stored digital value, a step of setting a charging voltage value in the charging voltage setting means, and using the newly set charging voltage value, a substantial A method of charging a secondary battery, which comprises a step of performing a charging operation, a power supply means for supplying a predetermined charging current, a charging / discharging terminal for connecting the secondary battery, and the secondary battery. Output from the voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery during the discharge processing operation, the charge / discharge processing operation means for individually executing the charge processing operation and the discharge processing operation. A conversion unit that converts the output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, and a memory that stores the digital value using an appropriate storage circuit including a latch circuit. Means, the memory Based on the digital value stored by the step, a charging apparatus of a secondary battery and a charging voltage value setting means for setting a new charging voltage for charging processing of the secondary battery.

[0008]

Since the method for detecting the number of cells of the secondary battery and the device therefor and the method for charging the secondary battery and the device according to the present invention have the technical configurations as described above, they can be executed under predetermined conditions. The secondary battery is configured based on a predetermined condition from the output voltage value of the secondary battery during the initial charging process operation that is performed and the initial discharging process operation that is subsequently executed under predetermined conditions. Since the digital value corresponding to the number of cells is converted and the result is displayed, the user can select the secondary battery without knowing the number of cells constituting the secondary battery in advance. It is possible to automatically, easily, and accurately recognize the number of cells constituting the battery, and based on the number of cells constituting the secondary battery,
When performing the recharging process operation on the secondary battery, it is possible to set an appropriate charging voltage or charging rate and efficiently execute the charging process operation in a short time.

[0009]

The configuration of a specific example of the method for detecting the number of cells of a secondary battery and the method for charging a secondary battery according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. That is, the method for detecting the number of cells of a secondary battery according to the first aspect of the present invention is basically such that when a secondary battery composed of, for example, one or a plurality of cells is charged, a predetermined charge is applied. A first step of charging an amount into the secondary battery and performing an initial charging process operation;
A second step of performing an initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery so as to obtain a discharge amount of a predetermined ratio with respect to the input charge amount, during the initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery, A third step of measuring the output voltage value of the secondary battery and converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, the initial step. A fourth step of latching the digital value at that time point after a lapse of a predetermined period after the start of the discharging process, and displaying the number of cells constituting the secondary battery based on the latched digital value. 5 steps.

That is, the voltage of each battery cell forming the secondary battery has a specific voltage range for operating each, and generally, for example, 1V to 2V.
It shows the range between. Particularly, in nickel-cadmium battery (NiCAD) cells or nickel-hydrogen battery (NiMH) cells, it is known that the maximum V _MAX is 1.32 V chemically, while the minimum voltage V _MIN is Although it does not become a constant value due to the residual capacity of the battery, it has been found that it can be set to 1.0 V or higher depending on the charging current and charging time.

Therefore, when one or a plurality of cells are combined into one pack, the operating voltage of the pack is, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the value of 1V to 2V by the number N of cells, that is, (1 It is considered to be ~ 2V) x N. Specifically, if the pack is composed of five cells, the operating voltage of the pack is 5V to 10V.
Will be equivalent to.

Further, from the viewpoint of safety and prevention of destruction of the cell, it is necessary to prevent the cell from being operated beyond the above voltage range during the charge processing operation or the discharge processing operation. Is. Therefore, during the charging process operation, the secondary battery charging device may be configured to stop the charging process operation when the voltage of the cell exceeds the specific range described above. Is necessary,
Therefore, the secondary battery charging device needs to know the number of cells to be charged. In the past, such a function was pre-programmed in the secondary battery charging device, but was only effective for a fixed number of cells.

However, in some cases, a plurality of cells having different voltage values may be connected to one charging device, which is a problem, but in the present invention, the secondary battery is used. By detecting the output terminal voltage value of the battery pack of
Even if the number of cells that make up the secondary battery cannot be confirmed from the external appearance, it is possible to automatically identify the number of cells that make up the pack, and at the same time, when performing the charging process operation on the secondary battery. It is configured to change the input attenuator ratio so as to match the secondary battery voltage value so as to be in an appropriate range, and is a secondary battery having a plurality of cells of different numbers using one charging processing device. It is possible to charge the battery.

Therefore, the basic technical idea of the method for detecting the number of cells of the secondary battery in the present invention exists in the following points. That is, each of the secondary batteries described above has a structure, a chemical substance used, and the like, which are different from each other. , When the discharge process is performed, it is found that the cell shows a predetermined voltage value with a certain range, and it is possible to judge the number of cells that compose the secondary battery pack by using such fact. It is the one.

The output value of the battery shown when a predetermined time has elapsed during the discharge processing operation of the cell when the above-described predetermined charge processing operation and discharge processing operation are performed on the cell. Has a certain width, and by utilizing the relationship between the maximum value V _MAX and the minimum value V _{MIN of} one or a plurality of cells arranged in one pack constituting the secondary battery. It is intended to determine the number.

That is, basically, a predetermined reference is prepared in advance using the width of the output voltage during the discharge processing operation of each cell described above, and the detected secondary battery is constructed. The output voltage of one pack is compared with the reference, and the number of cells forming the one pack is determined. A more detailed specific example of the method for detecting the number of cells of a secondary battery according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2. First, each cell constituting the secondary battery (a cell having no residual capacity or a partial residual capacity) A predetermined charging current is used from time T0 to a certain fixed period, preferably a short time, that is, a period H1 from time T1 to time T1. Then, the initial charge processing operation is performed, the cell is lifted to a constant charge state, and then the discharge processing operation is performed using a predetermined discharge current for a predetermined period H2 from time T1 to perform a predetermined discharge processing. The output voltage value of the cell is measured at time T2 after the operation.

Of course, in this example, during the discharge processing operation, the operation of continuously detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery is executed, and when the predetermined discharge processing operation time has elapsed, the operation at that time is performed. It goes without saying that the output voltage value may be latched or stored in an appropriate storage means. In the present invention, the output voltage value of the secondary battery may be latched in an appropriate latch circuit, or may be stored by using an appropriate storage means. .

Further, as another specific example, when the predetermined discharge processing operation time has elapsed, the output voltage value at that time is directly supplied to an appropriate conversion means, and the cells constituting the secondary battery are provided. The number may be displayed. In the present invention, the discharge treatment operation is performed while monitoring the output voltage value of the cell while performing the short-time discharge treatment operation after performing the above-described short-time initial charge treatment operation on each cell. The output voltage value of the cell at the time when a predetermined time has elapsed after the start is measured, and the measured voltage value is a predetermined reference value for comparison, that is, in the case of one constituent cell, as described above. Compare the allowable range of the indicated voltage value and the allowable range of the concerned voltage value in the case where there are a plurality of constituent cells with each other or compare it with a data table, or compare the allowable range of the above voltage value with an appropriate hardware. The number of constituent cells in the secondary battery can be easily determined by performing comparison calculation processing by the calculation means or the calculation means configured by software.

In the above initial charging treatment operation according to the present invention, the charging amount used is such that the charging amount is such that the substantial charging amount with respect to the nominal standard capacity of the secondary battery becomes a predetermined ratio. And the charging time are appropriately selected and used. Furthermore, the predetermined charge amount is such that the actual charge amount with respect to the nominal standard capacity of the secondary battery is several% or less,
For example, it is preferably set to be 1 to 2%.

Further, the initial charging operation time H1 is preferably set to a time shorter than the substantial charging operation time for the secondary battery, and is preferably set to about 10 seconds, for example. . As a more specific example, when a nickel cadmium battery cell having a nominal standard capacity of 1200 mA is used, the charging rate is 4C.
Is set, the charging period H1 is set to 9 seconds, and the initial charging processing operation is executed.

On the other hand, it is necessary that the initial discharge operation time according to the present invention is set to a time shorter than the substantial discharge operation time for the secondary battery, and in the initial discharge operation period H2. It is preferable that the predetermined discharge amount in the initial charge processing operation is substantially the same as the predetermined charge amount in the initial charge processing operation or has a discharge amount smaller than the predetermined charge amount.

Preferably, the discharge amount is a fraction of the predetermined charge amount in the initial charging process operation to 1 / tens of minutes.
It is desirable to set to. More specifically, the predetermined discharge amount in the initial discharge processing operation period H2 is preferably set to 10% of the predetermined charge amount in the initial charge processing operation.

Specifically, the discharge rate is set to 0.4 C and the discharge period H2 is set to 9 seconds to discharge a discharge amount of 10% of the initial charge amount. . By performing the above initial charge / discharge treatment, for example, in the case of a nickel-cadmium battery cell or a nickel-hydrogen battery cell, the maximum value of the output voltage value during the discharge treatment operation due to the chemical structure limitation. V _MAX becomes 1.32 V as described above, while the minimum voltage V _MIN does not become a constant value due to the residual capacity of the battery, but by appropriately adjusting the processing conditions of the initial charge and discharge processing described above. As shown in FIG. 3, the minimum voltage V _MIN can be appropriately set between 1.0V and 1.2V.

Next, a specific example of the method for determining the number of cells constituting the secondary battery in the present invention will be described.
That is, in the present invention, by performing the above-mentioned initial charge / discharge processing operation, each cell has an output voltage value having the above-mentioned maximum value V _MAX and minimum voltage V _MIN during the discharge processing operation. Since the band has a certain band, one or a plurality of cells included in one pack constituting the secondary battery are all secondary battery cells of the same type having the same nominal standard capacity. Therefore, if the packs have substantially the same residual capacity, the output voltage value indicated by the pack is expected to be a value that is twice the number of cells in the output voltage value band.

If a plurality of cells forming the pack have different residual capacities,
Since it is expected that some errors will occur, it is desirable to separately perform an operation to make the residual capacities of the constituent cells substantially constant. Specifically, the maximum value of the output voltage value band described above is V
_Assuming that _{MAX is} the minimum voltage, V _MIN is the minimum voltage, and N is the number of cells, the maximum value of N that can reliably determine the number of cells is obtained from the following equation.

N × V _MAX <(N + 1) × V _MIN Therefore, N <V _MIN / (V _MAX −V _MIN ) Now, in the case of nickel cadmium battery cell or nickel hydrogen battery cell, discharge treatment is performed. The maximum output voltage value V _MAX during operation is 1.3 as described above.
On the other hand, the minimum voltage V _MIN is N <3.125 when the minimum voltage V _MIN is set to 1.0 V by appropriately adjusting the processing conditions of the initial charging / discharging process described above. It shows that it is possible to accurately determine the number of cells up to.

As shown in Table 1, looking at the relationship between the number of cells and the output voltage value band, the value of V _MAX when the number of cells is 3 and the value of V _MAX when the number of cells is 4 are shown. _{Since MIN} is very close to each other, it is difficult to distinguish them, and the value of V _MAX when the number of cells is 4 and V when the number of cells is 5
_It can be understood because it completely overlaps with _MIN .

Table 1 Number of cells V _MIN to V _MAX 1 1 to 1.32 2 2 to 2.64 3 3 to 3.96 4 4 to 5.28 5 5 to 6.6 6 6 6 to 7.927 7 to 9.24 That is, in the present invention, the determination method of the number of cells using the output voltage value band of each cell as described above does not always determine all the cell numbers, and the bandwidth May be subject to restrictions.

That is, the output voltage is increased as the number of cells is increased.
Overlap may occur between pressure value bandwidths,
In the part where the overlap occurs, the cell
It becomes impossible to judge the number accurately. Therefore, the first
By appropriately adjusting the processing conditions of the initial charge / discharge processing,
Small voltage V _MINIf set to 1.06V, N <4.08, and it is possible to accurately determine the number of cells up to 4 cells.
It shows that

As shown in Table 2, looking at the relationship between the number of cells and the output voltage value band, the value of V _MAX when the number of cells is 4 and the value of V _MAX when the number of cells is 5 are shown. _{Since MIN} is very close to each other, it is difficult to distinguish them, and the value of V _MAX when the number of cells is 5 and V when the number of cells is 6
_It can be understood because it completely overlaps with _MIN .

Table 2 Number of cells V _MIN to V _MAX 1 1.06 to 1.32 2 2.12 to 2.64 3 3.18 to 3.96 4 4.24 to 5.28 5 5.30 to 6.6 6 6.36 to 7.92 7 7.42 to 9.24 Similarly, by appropriately adjusting the process conditions of the initial charge-discharge process, if the minimum voltage V _{MI N} and set to 1.1V , N <5, showing that it is possible to accurately determine the number of cells up to 5 and by appropriately adjusting the processing conditions of the initial charge / discharge processing, the minimum voltage V _MIN becomes 1.14V. If set, N <6.33, which shows that the number of cells up to 6 can be accurately discriminated. Furthermore, by adjusting the processing conditions of the initial charge / discharge processing appropriately, the minimum voltage If V _MIN is set to 1.16V, N <7.25, and 7 It shows that it is possible to accurately determine the number of cells up to.

However, the minimum voltage value V in the cell
_{Increasing MIN} can increase the number of cells that can be detected, but has a drawback that the charging / discharging process operation time until reaching the minimum voltage value V _MIN of the cell also becomes long. As another method for solving such a problem, when the number of cells is small, for example, when the number of cells is up to 6, the number of cells is determined one by one so that the number of cells is 6 or more. In this case, a method of detecting the number that increases by two, such as 8, 10, 12, and 14, may be adopted.

In this case, if the maximum value of the above-mentioned output voltage value band is V _MAX , the minimum voltage is V _MIN , and the number of cells is N, the maximum value of N that can reliably determine the number of cells is , Is calculated from the following formula. N × V _MAX <(N + 2) × V _MIN Therefore, N <2 × V _MIN / (V _MAX −V _MIN ) Then, assuming that the minimum voltage V _MIN is set to 1.0 V, N <6.26. Therefore, it is possible to accurately discriminate every two cells up to six cells.

Similarly, if the minimum voltage V _MIN is set to 1.06 V, N <8.15, and it is possible to accurately discriminate every 2 cells up to 8 cells. ing. In addition, the minimum voltage V _MIN is 1.
If it is set to 1V, N <10, which means that it is possible to accurately discriminate every two cells up to ten cells.

Similarly, if the minimum voltage V _MIN is set to 1.14 V and 1.16 V, N <12.67 N <14.5, respectively, and the numbers of cells up to 12 and 14 are obtained. It shows that it is possible to accurately discriminate every two pieces.

In the above concrete example, the minimum voltage V of the cell
_{When MIN} is set to 1.14V, if the number of cells is between 1 and 6, it is possible to judge the increase for each cell, and if it is 7 or more, 8 or 10 It becomes possible to accurately judge an increase of two like the individual 12.
The determination processing of the number of cells in the present invention is performed, for example, by storing the comparison data of the output voltage value band and the number of cells as shown in Table 1 or 2 in an appropriate lookup table in advance. Then, the output voltage value measurement result of the pack is converted into data indicating the number of cells forming the pack by a comparison calculation process using an appropriate calculation program and displayed on a suitable display means. In addition, the comparison circuit means for inputting the maximum value of each output voltage value band as the reference data value as shown in Table 1 or Table 2 is provided for each output voltage value band. The output voltage value measurement result of the pack is configured to be input to each comparison circuit means, and based on the measurement result of the output voltage value of the pack, The output of the comparator circuit means in the manner turned ON or OFF, and converted into digital data corresponding to the number of the cell by a combination of its output state, it may be as to display the result in the appropriate display means. FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a processing procedure when the method for detecting the number of cells of a secondary battery according to the present invention is executed by software.

That is, after the start, in step (1), a predetermined charge amount and a predetermined charge amount determined by selecting a charge time are used to initialize the pack constituting the secondary battery. The charging process operation is started, and in step (2), it is determined whether or not a predetermined initial charging process operation time t1 has elapsed. If NO, the step (2) is repeated, and if YES. If so, proceed to step (3) to stop the initial charging process operation, and then proceed to step (4)
Then, the initial discharge processing operation is started for the pack forming the secondary battery by using the predetermined discharge amount determined by selecting the predetermined discharge rate and the discharge time.

Then, in step (5), the measurement of the output voltage of the pack is started, and the process proceeds to step (6) in which the measured output voltage value of the pack is changed to that of the cells constituting the pack. Convert to a digital value corresponding to the number. After that, the process proceeds to step (7) to determine whether or not a predetermined initial discharge processing operation time t2 has elapsed, and if NO, return to step (5) and repeat the above steps, but if YES. , Go to step (8),
The digital value at the time when the initial discharge processing operation time t2 has elapsed is latched or stored in an appropriate storage means including a latch circuit, and then the process proceeds to step (9).
The comparison calculation process is executed while referring to the look-up table as described above for the latched or stored digital value, and in step (10), the digital value obtained from the output voltage value of the pack battery. The output voltage value band to which the value belongs is determined and converted into the number value of the cells forming the pack to determine the number of cells.

In the specific example of the present invention, the digital value can be directly displayed as the number of cells constituting the secondary battery without storing or latching the digital value in the storage means or the latch means. This is as described above. Then, in step (11), the result is displayed on an appropriate display means, for example, a liquid crystal display means, a number display lamp, or the like, and the process proceeds to step (12) to stop the discharge processing operation and become END.

On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of a cell number detecting device when the method for detecting the cell number of a secondary battery according to the present invention is executed by hardware. That is, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the cell number detecting device according to the present invention, in which charge / discharge for connecting the power supply means 2 for supplying a predetermined charging current and the secondary battery 3 is connected. Terminal 4, the secondary battery 3
Charging / discharging process operation means 5 for individually executing the charging process operation and the discharging process operation, a voltage detecting means 6 for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery 3 during the discharging process operation, and the voltage detecting means. Based on the output voltage value of the secondary battery output from 6, a conversion unit 7 that converts the output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, and a latch that latches the output value of the conversion unit 7 There is shown a cell number detection device 1 for a secondary battery comprising a means 8 and, if necessary, a display means 9 for displaying the number of cells constituting the secondary battery.

The charging / discharging process operating means 5 in FIG.
For example, it is desirable that it is composed of an appropriate timer means 51, a charging processing operation means 52 including an appropriate charging constant current means, and a discharging processing operation means 53 including an appropriate discharging constant current means. The charge / discharge processing operation means 5 causes the secondary battery to perform an initial charging operation for a predetermined period of time, and then performs an initial discharging operation for the secondary battery for a predetermined period of time. Is configured to execute.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that an appropriate current amount adjusting means 10 is provided between the power supply means 2 and the charge / discharge processing operation means 5. On the other hand, voltage detection means 6 for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery 3 in FIG.
The configuration of is not particularly limited, and any known voltage detecting means can be adopted.

Further, the converting means 7 for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery in the present invention is connected to the voltage detecting means 6 for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery. And has, for example, a plurality of types of threshold values, the level of the detected voltage value is compared with each of the threshold values, and the voltage value exceeds any threshold value. It is desirable to further have a means for calculating the presence.

Specifically, the conversion means 7 is composed of a comparison operation circuit, and the output voltage value band group formed in a plurality of stages as described above is stored in a predetermined storage means 7.
1 is stored in a format such as a look-up table, and the output voltage value of the pack that is always output from the voltage detecting means 6 is compared with the value in the look-up table to carry out a calculation operation, whereby the secondary battery May be converted into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the battery, or the output voltage value detected for the secondary battery is input and a plurality of reference potentials are set to be different from each other. The comparators may be arranged in parallel and converted into digital data by combining the output data of the respective comparators.

Next, a specific description will be given of a method of charging a secondary battery according to a second aspect of the present invention with reference to the drawings. That is, the secondary battery charging method and the apparatus thereof according to the present invention are provided by the above-described first aspect.
After confirming the number of cells included in a pack that constitutes a certain secondary battery, based on the confirmed number of cells, the charging process operation of the secondary battery is most appropriately and efficiently performed. For this purpose, an optimum charging voltage value for the secondary battery is set, and the secondary battery is charged using the optimum charging voltage value.

Therefore, to add an additional explanation to the flowchart of FIG. 1, the method of charging the secondary battery according to the second aspect described above includes steps (1) to (12) in which the above-mentioned first method is used. The procedure is the same as that of the embodiment, and in step (13), an optimum charging voltage value is set according to the determined number of cells, and then step (1)
Proceeding to 4), the charging processing operation is executed using the charging voltage value set in step (13), and when the charging processing operation ends, the operation of the charging processing method ends.

As a circuit configuration for executing the charging processing method for the secondary battery in the second aspect, a basic block diagram showing an example of an apparatus for executing the first aspect shown in FIG. The configuration is almost the same as that of the charging voltage value setting means 11 which is further connected to the latch means 8 to newly set the charging voltage value for charging the secondary battery based on the digital value. Charge processing system means 15 for performing a predetermined charge processing operation on the next battery is further provided.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the charging voltage value setting means 11 has a voltage setting circuit means 12 and, for example, an attenuator means having a function of changing the charging voltage value according to the number of cells. It is desirable to be composed of 13 and 13. The attenuator means 13 is composed of, for example, a plurality of resistance means and a plurality of switching means, and the switching means is appropriately turned on and off according to the detected number of cells forming the secondary battery. Then, the charging voltage value is changed by the combination thereof.

That is, in the charging processing system for a secondary battery according to the present invention, the number of cells constituting the secondary battery is first detected, and according to the detected number of cells,
An appropriate charging voltage value is set so that a full-scale charge processing operation is performed on the secondary battery, and more specifically, one cell that constitutes the secondary battery. When the charging processing operation is performed, for example, the basic technical idea is to execute the charging processing operation of the cell while detecting the output voltage characteristic curve, and the secondary circuit composed of a plurality of cells. When operating the charging process of the battery,
Divide the output voltage value of the entire secondary battery to an output voltage value corresponding to the output voltage value of one cell, and control the charging processing operation of the secondary battery using the divided voltage value. It is what

Therefore, the attenuator means 13 is
According to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery, a voltage dividing circuit function is generated such that a voltage value for one cell is generated. The charge processing system means 15 used in the second aspect of the present invention uses, for example, the output voltage, the charge current, the cell surface temperature, etc. as parameters in order to charge the secondary battery. The charging processing method may be used in which the charging processing operation is stopped when the characteristic curves show a predetermined state. Furthermore, the applicant of the present application has already filed Japanese Patent Application No. 5-516416. Alternatively, the charging processing system proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-243223 may be used.

A more specific structural example of the cell number detecting device for a secondary battery or the charging processing device for a secondary battery according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. In the figure, Vin and -Vin are connection terminals with a power source, and 20 constitutes a voltage regulator for generating a voltage of 16V. In addition, a constant current circuit 21 that operates during a charging process operation is provided between the secondary battery 3 and a connection terminal of the power source.
And a constant current circuit 22 that operates during the discharge treatment operation.

Further, there is provided a timer means 51 which starts driving when the power is turned on, and the timer means 5 is provided.
When the "L" level trigger signal is input to 1,
One-shot monostable multivibrators U3A and U3B in which the output Q1 is in the ON state, that is, the "H" level for 2 seconds.
And are connected in series. Further, as the conversion means 7 for converting the output voltage value of the secondary battery connected to the battery voltage detection means 4 for measuring the output voltage value of the secondary battery 3 into a digital data value corresponding to the number of cells, Four
A circuit in which a plurality of comparators U4A to U4D are arranged in parallel is shown, and the respective comparators U4A to U4D are shown.
To the inverting input terminal of each of the above-described output voltage value measurement data of the secondary battery, and to the non-inverting input terminal of each of the comparators U4A to U4D, the output voltage value band of each of the above. The voltage value corresponding to is input individually.

Further, outputs of the comparators U4A to U4D are connected to input terminal portions D3 to D0 provided in the latch means 8, respectively, and outputs of the latch means 8 are connected to an appropriate display means 9. At the same time, it is connected to the charging voltage value setting means 11 constituting the attenuator, and specifically, the charging voltage value setting means 11 has six resistors R13 to R18 connected in series and four resistors R13 to R18. Switch means U6A to U6D, and the output data of the above-mentioned latch means 8 is the four switch means U6A to U6.
It is connected to the drive terminal of 6D.

Therefore, in the present invention, the four switch means U6A are based on the output data of the latch means 8.
~ U6D is turned on or off, resulting in resistance R13
.About.R17 and the four switch means U6A to U6D are turned on or off in combination, the resistors R17 and R
A voltage having a predetermined voltage division ratio is output from the connection node portion with 18.

Further, reference numeral 15 in the drawing denotes a microcomputer which constitutes a known charging processing system, and which includes transistors TRQ1 and TQ1.
The drive is controlled by the power supply control means 23 composed of RQ4. The LED 24 is a display device that indicates that the charging process is in operation, and the LED 25 is a display unit that displays the end of the charging process operation.

In the device for detecting the number of constituent cells of the secondary battery and the charging processing device for the secondary battery shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the number of constituent cells is 4 to 6, 8 and 10. In the case of the number, the number is designed so that the number can be accurately detected, and the trigger signal and the output signals Q1 and Q2 in the timer means 51 and the clock signal input to the latch means 8 are also provided. A specific example of the timing relationship of is as shown in a part of FIG.

The operation of the secondary battery cell number detection device and the secondary battery charge processing device shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 will be described below. When the power supply is connected between Vin and -Vin, the transistor TRQ7 is turned on, so that the driving voltage of all circuits in the device is 16V except the power supply (5V) in the charge processing system 15. Is set to.

At this time, when the secondary battery 3 is connected between the connection terminals, the output voltage value of the secondary battery is formed by the input terminal section of the attenuator, which constitutes the charging voltage value setting means 15, the comparator and the like. The output voltage of the secondary battery is supplied to the converting means 7 and the transistor TRQ3. Here, since the base of the transistor TRQ3 is pulled to the “L” level by the secondary battery, the transistor TQ3 is
RQ3 is turned on, and as a result, the transistor TRQ5 is also turned on.

Therefore, the timer 51 is connected via the capacity C16.
The signal of the “L” level is input to the trigger terminal TRG1 of the first one-shot monostable multivibrator U3A that constitutes the "H"
A level signal is output. Further, by outputting a signal of "H" level from the output terminal Q1 of the first one-shot monostable multivibrator U3A, the transistor TRQ6 is turned on and the four terminals D- constituting the latch means 8 are formed. TYPE flip-flop (aquad D-type
An "L" level signal is input to the clear terminal CLR of (F / F), and as a result, the stored contents of the latch means 8 are cleared.

Further, a signal of "H" level is output from the output terminal Q1 of the first one-shot monostable multivibrator U3A, whereby the transistor TRQ2.
Is turned on, and as a result, a negative signal is input to the -IN terminal of the circuit U2 forming the constant current circuit 21,
The constant current circuit 21 operates to start the charging processing operation on the secondary battery 3 based on a predetermined charging amount.

After 10 seconds, the signal output from the output terminal Q1 of the first one-shot monostable multivibrator U3A becomes "L" level, the transistor TRQ6 is turned off, and at the same time, the transistor TRQ2 is also turned on. Since the constant current circuit 21 is turned off as a result, the charging processing operation for the secondary battery 3 is also stopped.

When the signal output from the output terminal Q1 of the first one-shot monostable multivibrator U3A becomes "L" level, the trigger terminal TRG1 of the second one-shot monostable multivibrator U3B is set to "L". ”
A level signal is input, and an "H" level signal is output from the output terminal Q2 of the second one-shot monostable multivibrator U3B for 10 seconds.

Further, the "H" level signal is output from the output terminal Q2 of the second one-shot monostable multivibrator U3B, so that the transistor TRQ11.
Is turned on, and the transistor TRQ9 provided in the constant current circuit 22 for discharge processing operation is turned on, whereby a predetermined discharge processing operation is started for the secondary battery 3 via the resistor R49. .

During the discharge processing operation, the output voltage value of the secondary battery is divided into ½ of the output voltage value of the secondary battery by the resistors R19 and R20, and the conversion means 7 is operated. Are input to the inverting input terminals of the four comparators U4A to U4D, and the non-inverting input terminals of the comparators U4A to U4D are
A predetermined voltage value determined in advance is input as the reference value.

In the above specific example of the present invention, since the output voltage value of the secondary battery is divided into 1/2,
As the reference voltage value input to the non-inverting input terminal of each of the comparators U4A to U4D, a half value of the voltage value indicating the upper limit of the output voltage value band set for the secondary battery 3 is adopted. Is desirable. For example, a reference voltage of 2.7V is input to the non-inverting terminal of the comparator U4A, and the output of the comparator U4A is "L" when the output voltage value of the secondary battery exceeds 2.7V. ", Which corresponds to the output voltage value of the secondary battery of 5.4V.

Similarly, the output of the comparator U4B is
When the output voltage value of the secondary battery exceeds 3.3V, it becomes “L” level, and the output of the comparator U4C becomes “L” when the output voltage value of the secondary battery exceeds 4.2V. The output of the comparator U4D is set to "L" level when the output voltage value of the secondary battery exceeds 5.4V.

The detected output voltage value of each secondary battery is
As described above, 6.6V, 8.4V and 10.8V are detected respectively. The output values of the above-mentioned respective comparators U4A to U4D are supplied to the D3 to D0 terminals of the flip-flops forming the latch means 8, respectively. Then, when 10 seconds have elapsed from the start of the discharge processing operation, a signal of "L" level is output from the output terminal Q2 of the second one-shot monostable multivibrator U3B, whereby the transistor TR
Since Q11 is turned off and the transistor TRQ9 provided in the constant current circuit 22 for discharge processing operation is also turned off, the predetermined discharge processing operation that has been performed on the secondary battery 3 via the resistor R49 is performed. Be stopped.

On the other hand, when the transistor TRQ11 is turned off, the resistor R42 pushes up the clock terminal CLK of the flip-flop constituting the latch means 8 to the "H" level to drive the latch circuit. As a result, the flip-flop circuit is driven. The respective signals of the comparator input to the D3 to D0 terminals of the flip-flop are latched and output to the output terminals OQ0 to OQ3 of the flip flop.

Output terminals OQ0 to OQ0 of such flip-flops
The output signal of OQ3 is supplied to the gate input terminals of the four switching means U6A to U6D that constitute the charging voltage value setting means 11. When the number of cells forming the secondary battery is displayed here, the number of cells forming the secondary battery is described based on the combination of signal data output to the output terminals OQ0 to OQ3 of the flip-flop. The method determines and displays the result on the display means 9. Further, when the number of cells contained in the secondary battery is found by the method, the number and output data are determined. Depending on the
By turning it N or OFF, an appropriate damping resistance is configured by a combination of resistance values, and an optimal specific voltage band required for the secondary battery is set.

While the output terminal Q1 or Q2 of the one-shot monostable multivibrator U3A and U3B in the timer means 51 is in the ON state, the "H" level signal is applied to the base of the transistor TRQ4. Therefore, since the transistor TRQ4 is turned on and the transistor TRQ1 is turned off, the VIN terminal in the charging processing system 15 is not supplied with power, so the charging processing system 15 does not operate, but the second one-shot When the output terminal Q2 of the monostable multivibrator U3B is turned off, the "L" level signal is applied to the base of the transistor TRQ4, so that the transistor TRQ4 turns off and the transistor TRQ1.
Is turned on, V in the charge processing system 15
Power is supplied to the IN terminal, and the charge processing system 15 starts operating.

Then, the charging processing system 15 appropriately divides the output voltage of the secondary battery from the charging voltage value setting means 11 in accordance with the number of cells forming the secondary battery, and divides the output voltage into one cell. Since the divided voltage value adjusted to the corresponding voltage value is input to the BAT terminal, the charging processing operation of the conventionally known secondary battery is executed based on the divided voltage value.

That is, the charge processing operation is started for the secondary battery by using the divided voltage value adjusted by the input attenuator to the voltage value corresponding to one cell. The relationship between the resistance value and the voltage value in the concrete converting means 7 and charging voltage value setting means 15 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is the method for detecting the number of cells of the secondary battery. Alternatively, it shows an example of a secondary battery charging method designed to be able to accurately detect cases where the number of cells is 4 to 6, and 8 and 10.

That is, Table 3 below shows an example of a combination of the switching devices U6A to U6D for setting the number of cells constituting the secondary battery and a predetermined charging voltage value. Table 3 Number of cells ON / OFF state of switching means U6C U6A U6D U6B 4 ON ON ON ON ON 5 ON ON ON OFF OFF 6 ON ON OFF OFF OFF 8 ON OFF OFF OFF OFF 10 OFF OFF OFF OFF That is, in the above specific example. , According to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery detected, by turning on / off each switch of the input attenuator according to the specific example of the above Table 3, a proper charging voltage according to the number of the cells. The value is automatically set, and the normal charging processing operation thereafter is executed by using the set value.

That is, according to the present invention, when there is a secondary battery for which the charging process operation is desired to be performed and the number of cells constituting the secondary battery is unknown, in the conventional case, Although what kind of appropriate charging process condition is set is a problem, in the present invention, as is clear from the above description, the number of constituent cells of the secondary battery is automatically and accurately determined, Since the charging voltage value that determines an appropriate charging amount can be automatically set based on the result of the determination, it is possible to efficiently obtain a fully charged secondary battery.

Next, the configuration of a specific example of the secondary battery charge processing apparatus when the secondary battery charge processing operation method according to the present invention is executed by software will be described with reference to FIG.
That is, FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of another specific example of the charging processing operation device 1 according to the present invention, in which the charging terminal 4 for the secondary battery 3 and the charging terminal 4 connected to the charging terminal 4 are connected. Also, the output voltage of the secondary battery connected to the charging process operating means 21 and the discharging process operating means 22 connected to the predetermined current source 2 and the charging terminal 4 corresponds to the number of cells forming the secondary battery. Then, an attenuator circuit 13 for setting a voltage value for controlling the charging processing operation of the secondary battery 3
And a control circuit 75 for controlling each of the above circuits, the control circuit 75 being connected to the output voltage terminal 4 of the secondary battery and also connected to the attenuator circuit 13, According to the input of the A / D converter 7, the timer 51, the clock 74, the RAM 71
And a parallel input / output (PIO) means 73 for executing predetermined arithmetic processing based on signals and data of the ROM 72 and the like, and the parallel input / output (PIO) means 73 for the charging processing. A predetermined control signal is output to the operating means 21, the discharge processing operating means 22, and the attenuator circuit 13, and the software shown in FIG. 1 is executed.

More specifically, first, the central processing means CPU
After controlling the charging processing operation means 21 from a parallel input / output (PIO) means 70 so as to supply a predetermined charging current amount for a predetermined period, for example, 10 seconds, the central processing means CPU 70 also Parallel input / output (PIO) means 7
3, the discharge processing operation means 22 is controlled to discharge the secondary battery with a predetermined discharge current amount for a predetermined period, for example, 10 seconds. Next, while the discharge processing operation is being continued, the output voltage value of the secondary battery is converted into a digital value by the A / D converter 7, and the central processing means CPU 70.
When the number of cells constituting the secondary battery is calculated or compared according to a predetermined program, the result of the number of cells is stored in an appropriate storage means in some cases. When a predetermined period of the discharge processing operation has elapsed, the result of the number of cells can be displayed on the appropriate display means 9 via the parallel input / output (PIO) means 73.

Further, the result of the number of cells is sent to the attenuator circuit 1 via the parallel input / output (PIO) means 73.
3 to supply an appropriate control voltage according to the number of cells used during the charging process. After the initial charging and initial discharging processing is completed, the charging processing operation of the secondary battery is started using the appropriate control voltage value set by the attenuator circuit 13.

In this case, for example, with respect to the secondary battery 3 composed of a plurality of cells, the charging processing operation can be controlled by using the divided voltage value corresponding to one cell.
At that time, the output voltage value of the secondary battery during the charging processing operation is first passed through the attenuator circuit 13 to A /
After being transmitted to the D converter 7 and converted into a digital value, for example, a charging processing operation is executed according to an output voltage characteristic curve corresponding to one predetermined cell, and a predetermined state on the output voltage characteristic curve is detected. The charging processing operation is stopped at that time.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, another configuration example for carrying out the method for detecting the number of cells of the secondary battery and the operation method for charging the secondary battery according to the present invention will be described. This will be described below. In the specific example of the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a plurality of comparators are arranged in parallel to detect the number of cells forming the secondary battery, and the output of each of the comparator groups is detected. Although the number of cells is digitally converted by the combination, in this specific example, the voltage dividing resistance value of the voltage dividing circuit composed of a plurality of resistance groups is appropriately controlled by an appropriate switch means. , Adopting a configuration for converting the voltage dividing resistance value.

That is, the method of detecting the number of cells of the secondary battery shown in FIG. 8 basically has the following technical configuration. That is, in charging a secondary battery composed of one or a plurality of cells, a step of charging a predetermined charge amount to the secondary battery to execute an initial charge processing operation, and the charged charge amount. A step of performing an initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery so as to obtain a discharge rate of a predetermined ratio to the output voltage value of the secondary battery during the initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery. A step of measuring and converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery, after a predetermined period has elapsed after the initial discharge is started, at that time point. The step of setting the charging voltage value in the charging voltage setting means based on the digital value in the step, and the substantial charging process for the secondary battery by using the newly set charging voltage value. From the process of performing the operation, and A method of charging a secondary battery that is configured, more specifically, converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery. The step of dividing the output voltage value of the secondary battery by a plurality of resistance groups in which the resistance value of at least some of the resistors is different from the resistance value of other resistors, and This is to arbitrarily change the connection state of at least a part of the resistance groups of the resistance group so that a predetermined voltage division value of the pressure value is output, and the charging voltage value is set. The step is to supply the divided voltage value to the charging voltage setting means and set an appropriate charging voltage value at the time when the predetermined divided voltage value is output.

Further, in the above-described method for charging a secondary battery according to the present invention, for example, after a lapse of a predetermined period from the start of the initial discharge, the divided voltage value of the output voltage value in the secondary battery However, when the predetermined voltage value that is determined in advance is reached, the discharge operation process is stopped, and the divided voltage value is directly supplied to the charging voltage setting means without storing the digital value regarding the number of cells. It may be configured to.

Further, regarding the device for detecting the number of cells of the secondary battery according to the present invention, as a configuration for realizing the above-mentioned specific example, as shown in FIG. 8, a power supply means 81 for supplying a predetermined charging current, Charging current amount / discharge current amount adjusting means 82, charging / discharging terminal 83 for connecting the secondary battery 3, charging / discharging processing operation means for individually performing charging processing operation and discharging processing operation on the secondary battery 3. 85, voltage detection means 88 for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery 3 during the discharge processing operation, and the secondary battery based on the output voltage value of the secondary battery 3 output from the voltage detection means 88 And a conversion means 89 for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery 3, and the conversion means 89 for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery 3. Measured secondary battery 3 A voltage dividing circuit 90 that divides the output voltage value by a plurality of resistance groups in which the resistance value of at least a part of the resistors is different from the resistance value of another resistor, for example, R1 to R4. A plurality of switch means 91 (91a, 91b, 91c) for changing the connection state of at least a part of the resistance groups in the circuit 90.
Etc.), a switch for controlling each of the switch means so that the output partial pressure value is output as a predetermined partial pressure value by operating each of the switch means 91a, 91b, 91c individually. The control unit 92 and the detection unit 93 that detects a state in which the output partial pressure value reaches a predetermined partial pressure value that is set in advance are configured. The switch control means 92 is composed of a binary counter, and each driven switch means 91 (91a, 91).
(b, 91c, etc.) can be sequentially selected.

Further, each switch means 9 to be driven selected by the switch control means 92 in the above concrete example.
1 (91a, 91b, 91c, etc.) in a combined state, that is, in the specific example shown in FIG.
Since a, 91b, 91c are adopted, a maximum of 8
A combination of switch means can be displayed, and therefore 8
It is possible to judge up to the number of cells.

Therefore, the three switch means 91a,
If the ON state of 91b and 91c is displayed as 1 and the OFF state is displayed as 0, 000 indicates all switch means 91.
a, 91b, 91c are in the OFF state, 11
If 1, all switch means 91a, 91b, 91
If c1 indicates that it is in the ON state, and 011 indicates that the switch means 91a is in the OFF state, it means that both switch means 91b and 91c are in the ON state. By checking the connection state of the switch means when the predetermined divided voltage value is output in the voltage dividing circuit, that is, the combination of ON / OFF states, the number of cells of the secondary battery can be increased. It is possible to determine whether it is configured.

Further, in the above-mentioned specific example of the present invention, it has substantially the same configuration as the above-mentioned device shown in FIG. 8, but further, the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery is , The conversion means for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery, after a lapse of a predetermined period from the start of the initial discharge, based on the digital value at that time, the charging voltage setting means 94 Is provided, and is configured to set the charging voltage value for controlling the charging process when the secondary battery is charged in full-scale.

The details and operation of the above-described specific example of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. First, the secondary battery 3 to be charged is connected to the terminal 83 connecting the output voltage terminal of the secondary battery of FIG.
A predetermined charge amount is supplied from the charge processing operation terminal 95 to the secondary battery 3 for a predetermined time, and the initial charge processing operation is executed. (Waveform G in the timing waveform diagram of FIG. 9
In this case, the above-mentioned respective conditions are applied as they are to the initial charging current and the initial charging processing time.

In the meantime, the output voltage of the secondary battery is constantly measured by an appropriate voltage detecting means 88, and the result is
For example, a voltage dividing circuit 90 composed of four resistors R1 to R4
And the divided voltage value is output from the node A. In the voltage dividing circuit 90, the voltage division value is determined by the resistance ratio between the combined resistance composed of the resistances R1 to R3 and the resistance R4.

Therefore, the resistance value of at least one of the resistors R1 to R4 is selected so as to be different from the resistance values of the other resistors, and in order to obtain a fine divided voltage value, It is desirable that the resistance values of the plurality of resistors be set to be different from each other. In addition, each of the above resistances R
1 to R3 are appropriate switch means 91a, 91, respectively.
b, 91c, and each of the switch means 91a, 91b, 91c is arbitrarily turned ON / O.
FF control is performed, and the resistors R1 to R are associated with the combination thereof
It is possible to change the combined resistance value consisting of 3.

Each of the switch means 91a, 91b, 91c constituting the switch means 91 may be, for example, an analog switch, and any other known switch means can be used. Further, the switch means 91 composed of the respective switch means 91a, 91b, 91c is connected to an appropriate control means 92, and the respective switch means 91a, 91b, 91c individually,
It is configured to be independently ON / OFF controlled.
The control means 92 may be composed of, for example, a binary counter, the Q1 output terminal of the counter controls the switch means 91a, and the Q2 output terminal of the counter controls the switch means 91b. The Q3 output terminal of the counter is connected so as to control the switch means 91c.

Therefore, the output waveforms of the output terminals Q1 to Q3 in the binary counter 92 are the waveform Q1 of FIG.
To Q3 respectively, and when the outputs of the counter are all 0, the voltage dividing circuit does not function and therefore the output voltage value of the secondary battery is detected by the output voltage value detecting means 88. A value obtained by reducing the detected voltage value by the voltage drop of the resistor R4 is output to the node A.

This state is the waveform G in the waveform diagram of FIG.
This is the state showing the maximum voltage value in the waveform of A, and when the next clock is input, the binary counter 9
Since the output terminal Q1 in 2 becomes "H" level and the switch means 91a is turned on, the resistor R1 connected thereto becomes effective in the voltage dividing circuit 90, and the resistors R4 and R4.
Since the voltage is divided between 1 and 1, the divided voltage value of the output node A of the voltage dividing circuit 90 is in the waveform GA as shown by the waveform GA in the waveform diagram of FIG. This indicates a voltage level that is one step lower than the maximum voltage value.

Similarly to the above, each time the clock is input, the combination of the output waveforms of the output terminals Q1 to Q3 in the binary counter 92 changes. Therefore, the switch means 91a corresponding to the combination changes. , 91b, 91
c is individually ON / OFF controlled, and accordingly,
The divided voltage value of the output node A of the voltage dividing circuit 90 gradually decreases as shown by the waveform GA in the waveform diagram of FIG. 9, and returns to the original state when eight clocks are input, The above operation is repeated.

On the other hand, the divided voltage value of the output node A of the voltage dividing circuit 90 is detected by the detecting means 93 composed of a comparator or the like.
Is input to A predetermined voltage value is input as a reference voltage value to the non-inverting input terminal of the comparator in the detecting means 93, and the divided voltage value of the output node A of the voltage dividing circuit 90 is the inverting input of the comparator. It is input to the terminal.

Therefore, the output node A of the voltage dividing circuit 90 is
When the divided voltage value of is equal to or less than the reference voltage value, the comparator outputs "H".
The output signal B of the level is output. More specifically, if the reference voltage value of the comparator is set to an output voltage value corresponding to one cell forming the secondary battery, even if the number of cells forming the secondary battery is unknown. The voltage dividing ratio in the voltage dividing circuit is changed by the counter 92 to change the ON / OFF selection state of a plurality of switch means 91a, 91b, 91c constituting the switch means 90, and the output node of the voltage dividing circuit 90. If the divided voltage value of A is made to match the reference voltage value, the switching means at the time when the divided voltage value of the output node A of the voltage dividing circuit 90 becomes coincident with the reference voltage value. 91a, 91
b, 91c ON / OFF selection state is the secondary battery 3
Will indicate the number of cells that make up.

In this specific example, an example in which the number of cells forming the secondary battery is set to 5 is shown. Therefore, the waveform GB is shown every time the counter repeats the counting operation. Similarly, it is indicated that the detection output signal B is output from the detection means 93 at the timing when the combination of the resistors R1 to R3 corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery is five.

In the present invention, the above-described initial charge processing operation is completed at time T1, and as shown by the waveform GD, at time T
In 1, the initial discharge treatment operation is performed with a predetermined discharge amount for a predetermined period. As the various conditions of the initial discharge treatment operation, it is possible to use the conditions described in the specific examples according to the present invention as they are.

Thereafter, the predetermined initial discharge treatment operation is performed at time T.
When the initial discharge processing operation is completed in 2, the operation of the counter is stopped at the time when the waveform GB becomes the “H” level at the same time as or after that time, and the “H” level of the waveform GB is reached. Based on the signal, the ON / OFF selection state of each switch means 91a, 91b, 91c in the switch means 90 is stored in an appropriate storage means or is transmitted to the appropriate display means 200 as it is, and the number of cells Can be displayed as.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned specific example, in the case of executing the charging processing operation of the secondary battery, in addition to the above-mentioned circuit configurations, the charging processing operation and the discharging processing operation for the secondary battery 3 are performed. Charging / discharging process operating means 8 including a charging process operating circuit 86 including a charging process operating terminal 95 and a discharging process operating circuit 87 including a discharging process operating terminal 96 for individually executing
5 is provided via the binary counter 92 described above.

That is, the charging / discharging operation is executed by the output terminals Q4 to Q6 of the binary counter 92, the output signal B of the detecting means 93 and the clock signal of the clock circuit 101. That is, the output signal of each output terminal Q4 and Q5 of the binary counter 92 and the output signal B of the detection means 93 have a three-terminal input NAN.
It is input to the D gate circuit 97, and its output is input to one input terminal of a NAND gate circuit 98 having two input terminals, and the output terminal Q6 of the binary counter 92 is set to 2
It is configured to be input to the other input terminal of the NAND gate circuit 98 having an input terminal.

Now, whether the power is turned on or reset (R
When the ESET) 102 is operated, the output terminal Q6 of the binary counter 92 is at the “L” level, so that the charging processing operation terminal 95 is supplied with the charging current by the inverting circuit 103 provided in the charging processing operation circuit 86. On the other hand, the "L" level signal of the output terminal Q6 of the binary counter 92 is simultaneously input to one input terminal of the NAND gate circuit 98 having the two input terminals. NAND gate circuit 98 having
Since the NAND gate circuit 98 outputs an "H" level signal regardless of the logic of the signal input to the other input terminal of the discharge processing operation circuit 87, the discharge processing operation terminal is provided by the inverting circuit 104 provided in the discharge processing operation circuit 87. 96 has stopped the discharge treatment operation.

Further, the "L" level signal of the output terminal Q6 of the binary counter 92 and the "H" level signal of the NAND gate circuit 98 are both inverted to obtain the OR gate circuit 9
9 is input to the input terminal of the OR gate circuit 99.
As shown in the waveform GE, the signal of "H" level is output from one of the input terminals of the AND gate 100, so that the clock signal from the clock circuit 101 input to the other terminal of the AND gate 100 is output. A corresponding clock signal is output from the output of the AND gate 100 and input to the clock terminal CLK of the binary counter 92, and the timing waveforms of waveforms Q1 to Q6 are output in FIG.

Output terminal Q6 of the binary counter 92
When the output signal of the output terminal Q6 of the binary counter 92 changes to "H" level after the initial charge processing operation is continued for a predetermined period as described above while the output signal of "1" is "L" level, At the same time that the charging current is stopped from being supplied to the processing operation terminal 95, the NAND gate circuit 98 outputs an "L" level signal, so that the discharging current is supplied to the discharging processing operation terminal 96 and the initial value is set. The electric discharge treatment operation is started.

Output terminal Q6 of the binary counter 92
, The waveform signal GE output from the OR gate circuit 99 does not change, and the clock signal output from the output of the AND gate 100 does not change. There is no change in the operation waveform of each output terminal of the binary counter 92. After the initial discharge processing operation is continued for a predetermined period, the output signals of the output terminals Q4 and Q5 of the binary counter 92 are at "H" level and the output signal B of the detecting means 93 is at "H" level. Only in this case, the output of the NAND gate circuit 97 having the three-terminal input becomes the "L" level, and therefore the NA
Since the "H" level signal is output from the ND gate circuit 98, the discharge processing operation at the discharge processing operation terminal 96 is stopped.

The charging processing operation terminal 9 at this point is
The supply of charging current to 5 is designed to be temporarily stopped. On the other hand, at this point, the OR gate circuit 9
Since the "H" level signal is input to both of the input terminals 9 and 9, the output of the OR gate circuit 99 has a waveform G
Since the signal of "L" level is output as shown by E, the clock signal is not output from the NAND gate circuit 100. Therefore, each output terminal Q of the binary counter 92 is output.
From 1 to Q6, the clock signal output is stopped.

Further, at this time point, since the divided voltage value of the node A which is the output of the voltage dividing circuit is determined, the output thereof is fixed while the setting state of each switching means is fixed. By inputting to 94, the control voltage for full-scale charging operation of the secondary battery is set. In the above, specifically, the charging voltage setting means 9
4 shows an example in which the buffer amplifier circuit is simply used, and shows an example in which the divided voltage value at the node A is used as it is as the control voltage value in the charging processing operation.

That is, in the above-mentioned specific example, the charging processing operation is performed while monitoring the output voltage value of one cell, for example, detecting the output voltage characteristic curve of the secondary battery. is there. Of course, as the charging voltage setting means 94, it is also possible to determine another control reference based on the divided voltage value of the node A which is the output of the voltage dividing circuit.

[0107]

By using the method for detecting the number of cells of a secondary battery and the method for charging a secondary battery according to the present invention, the secondary battery is composed of a single cell or a plurality of cells. Even if it is unknown if it is composed of
It is possible to automatically, easily, and accurately recognize the number of cells that make up the secondary battery, and reconfigure the secondary battery based on the number of cells that make up the secondary battery. When performing the charging processing operation, it is possible to set an appropriate charging voltage or charging rate and efficiently execute the charging processing operation in a short time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a cell number detection method for a secondary battery and a charging processing method for a secondary battery according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating an operation of initial charging and initial discharging according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of an output voltage characteristic curve of a cell obtained by initial charging in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a specific example of a cell number detection device and a secondary battery charge processing device for executing the secondary battery cell number detection method and the secondary battery charge processing method according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an example.

FIG. 5 is a view showing another example of a cell number detection device and a secondary battery charge processing device for executing the secondary battery cell number detection method and the secondary battery charge processing method according to the present invention. It is a block diagram showing a part of composition of a concrete example.

FIG. 6 is a cell number detecting device for executing the cell number detecting method of the secondary battery and the charge processing method of the secondary battery according to the present invention, and another example of the charge processing device of the secondary battery. It is a block diagram showing a part of composition of a concrete example.

FIG. 7 shows a cell number detecting device and a rechargeable battery charge processing device for executing the rechargeable battery cell number detection method and the rechargeable battery charge processing method according to the present invention by software. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one specific example.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing another specific configuration of the method for detecting the number of cells of a secondary battery and the method for charging a secondary battery according to the present invention.

9 is a diagram for explaining the timing of each waveform specifically used in FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cell number detection device and secondary battery charge processing device 2 ... Power source 3 ... Secondary battery 4 ... Charge / discharge terminal 5 ... Charge / discharge processing operating means 51 ... Timer means 52 ... Charge processing operating circuit 53 ... Discharge processing operating circuit 6 ... Cell voltage detection means for secondary battery 7 ... Conversion means for converting to digital value 71 ... Storage means, lookup table 8 ... Latch means 9 ... Display means 10 ... Current amount adjusting means 11 ... Charging voltage value setting means 12 ... Voltage setting circuit means 13 ... Attenuator circuit means 15 ... Charge processing system means 81 ... Power supply means 82 ... Current amount adjusting means 83 ... Output voltage terminal 84 ... Secondary battery charge processing operation terminal 85 ... Charge / discharge processing operation circuit 86 ... Charge processing operation circuit 87 ... Discharge processing operation circuit 88 ... Secondary battery output voltage measuring means 89 ... Secondary battery constituent cell number detecting means 90 ... Voltage dividing circuit 91, 9 1a, 91b, 91c ... Switching means 92 ... Binary counter 93 ... Detecting means 94 ... Charging voltage setting means 95 ... Charging processing operation terminal 96 ... Discharging processing operation terminal

Claims (28)

[Claims] 1. A step of charging a rechargeable battery composed of one or a plurality of cells with a predetermined charge amount to the rechargeable battery to execute an initial charge processing operation, A step of performing an initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery so as to obtain a discharge amount of a predetermined ratio to the charged amount, an output of the secondary battery during the initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery. A step of measuring a voltage value, a step of converting a measured value of the output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, and a predetermined period of time after the start of the initial discharge process After that, a step of storing a digital value corresponding to the number of cells at that time, and a step of displaying the number of cells constituting the secondary battery based on the stored digital value. Characterized by being Cell number detecting method for a secondary battery. 2. The predetermined charging amount is obtained by appropriately selecting and determining a charging current and a charging time so that a substantial charging amount with respect to a nominal standard capacity of the secondary battery becomes a predetermined ratio. The method for detecting the number of cells in a secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein 3. The predetermined discharge amount in the initial discharge treatment operation period has a value equal to or smaller than the predetermined charge amount in the initial charge treatment operation. Item 2. A method for detecting the number of cells of a secondary battery according to Item 1. 4. The predetermined charge amount is set such that the substantial charge amount with respect to the nominal standard capacity of the secondary battery is several percent or less. A method for detecting the number of cells of a secondary battery as described. 5. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the initial charging operation time is set to be shorter than a substantial charging processing operation time for the secondary battery. Secondary battery cell number detection method. 6. The secondary discharge operation time according to claim 1, wherein the initial discharge operation time is set to a time shorter than a substantial discharge treatment operation time for the secondary battery. Secondary battery cell number detection method. 7. A step of charging a secondary battery composed of one or a plurality of cells with a predetermined amount of charge into the secondary battery to execute an initial charge processing operation, the charging step comprising: A step of performing an initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery so as to obtain a discharge amount of a predetermined ratio to the charged amount, an output of the secondary battery during the initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery. A step of measuring the voltage value and converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, after a lapse of a predetermined period after the start of the initial discharge, The step of storing the digital value at that time, the step of setting the charging voltage value in the charging voltage setting means based on the stored digital value, and the newly set charging voltage value. Using the secondary battery Substantial performing a charging operation, the charging processing method for a secondary battery, characterized in that and a city for. 8. The predetermined charging amount is obtained by appropriately selecting and determining a charging current and a charging time so that a substantial charging amount with respect to a nominal standard capacity of the secondary battery becomes a predetermined ratio. The method for charging a secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein the method is for charging a secondary battery. 9. The charging of a secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein the initial discharge amount has a value equal to or smaller than a predetermined charge amount in the initial charge processing operation. Processing method. 10. The predetermined charge amount is set such that the substantial charge amount with respect to the nominal standard capacity of the secondary battery is several percent or less.
A method for charging a secondary battery as described. 11. The secondary charging operation time according to claim 7, wherein the initial charging operation time is set to be shorter than a substantial charging processing operation time for the secondary battery. How to charge the secondary battery. 12. The secondary discharge operation time according to claim 7, wherein the initial discharge operation time is set to a time shorter than a substantial discharge processing operation time for the secondary battery. How to charge the secondary battery. 13. A power supply means for supplying a predetermined charging current, a charging / discharging terminal for connecting a secondary battery, and a charging / discharging for individually performing a charging processing operation and a discharging processing operation on the secondary battery. Processing operation means, voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery during the discharge processing operation, based on the output voltage value of the secondary battery output from the voltage detection means,
A secondary battery comprising: a conversion unit that converts a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery; and a storage unit that stores the digital value output from the conversion unit. Cell number detector. 14. The cell of the secondary battery according to claim 13, further comprising display means for displaying the number of cells constituting the secondary battery based on the stored digital conversion value. Number detection device. 15. The charging / discharging process operating means causes the secondary battery to perform an initial charging operation for a predetermined period of time, and then the secondary battery for a predetermined period of time. 14. The cell number detecting device for a secondary battery according to claim 13, wherein the detecting device is configured to perform an initial discharge operation. 16. The conversion means for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery is connected to a voltage detection means for detecting an output voltage of the secondary battery,
And means for calculating the level of the detected voltage value by comparing the detected voltage value level with each of the threshold values. The cell number detection device for a secondary battery according to claim 13, further comprising: 17. The conversion means for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery receives the output voltage value detected for the secondary battery, and
17. The cell number detecting device for a secondary battery according to claim 16, wherein a plurality of comparators having different reference potentials are set in parallel. 18. A power supply means for supplying a predetermined charging current, a charging / discharging terminal for connecting a secondary battery, and a charging / discharging for individually performing a charging processing operation and a discharging processing operation on the secondary battery. Processing operation means, voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery during the discharge processing operation, output voltage value of the secondary battery output from the voltage detection means of the cells constituting the secondary battery Conversion means for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number, storage means for storing the converted digital value, charging voltage value for charging processing of the secondary battery based on the digital value stored by the storage means And a charging voltage value setting means for newly setting the charging processing apparatus for a secondary battery. 19. A step of charging a rechargeable battery composed of one or a plurality of cells with a predetermined charge amount to the rechargeable battery to perform an initial charge processing operation, A step of performing an initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery so as to obtain a discharge amount of a predetermined ratio to the charged amount, an output of the secondary battery during the initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery. A step of measuring the voltage value and converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, after a lapse of a predetermined period after the start of the initial discharge, Based on the digital value at that time, the step of setting the charging voltage value in the charging voltage setting means, and using the newly set charging voltage value For performing various charging processing operations Charging processing method for a secondary battery, characterized in that it is composed of and. 20. The step of converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery includes at least the output voltage value of the secondary battery. The resistance value of some resistors is different from the resistance value of other resistors, and the voltage is divided by a plurality of resistance groups, and the divided voltage value is output as a predetermined divided voltage value. As described above, the connection state of at least a part of the resistance groups of the resistance group is arbitrarily changed, and the step of setting the charging voltage value is performed at the time when the predetermined divided voltage value is output. 20. The charging processing method for a secondary battery according to claim 19, wherein the divided voltage value is supplied to the charging voltage setting means to set an appropriate charging voltage value. 21. When charging a secondary battery composed of one or a plurality of cells, a step of charging a predetermined charge amount to the secondary battery to execute an initial charge processing operation, A step of performing an initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery so as to obtain a discharge amount of a predetermined ratio to the charged amount, an output of the secondary battery during the initial discharge treatment operation on the secondary battery. The step of measuring the voltage value, dividing the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery by a plurality of resistance groups in which the resistance value of at least some resistors is different from the resistance value of other resistors. As you press
A step of arbitrarily changing the connection state of at least a part of the resistance groups of the resistance groups so that a predetermined predetermined voltage division value of the voltage division values is output, and a predetermined period after the start of the initial discharge. After a lapse of time, when the divided voltage value of the output voltage value of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined voltage value set in advance, the discharge operation process is stopped,
A step of supplying the divided voltage value to the charging voltage setting means, and a step of performing a substantial charging processing operation on the secondary battery using the newly set charging voltage value. A method for charging a secondary battery, which is characterized in that 22. A power supply means for supplying a predetermined charging current, a charging / discharging terminal for connecting a secondary battery, and a charging / discharging for individually performing a charging processing operation and a discharging processing operation on the secondary battery. Processing operation means, voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery during the discharge processing operation, based on the output voltage value of the secondary battery output from the voltage detection means,
The conversion means for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery, and the conversion means for converting into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery is , A voltage dividing circuit for dividing the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery by a plurality of resistance groups in which the resistance value of at least some resistors is different from the resistance value of other resistors, A plurality of switch means for changing the connection state of at least a part of the resistor groups in the voltage divider circuit, and the output voltage division value is predetermined by individually operating each of the switch means. A switch control means for controlling each of the switch means so that a predetermined partial pressure value is output, and a detection means for detecting a state in which the output partial pressure value has reached a predetermined predetermined partial pressure value. Consists of Things cell number detecting device for a secondary battery with a. 23. The secondary battery according to claim 22, wherein the switch control means is composed of a binary counter, and is configured to sequentially select a combination of the driven switch means. Cell number detector. 24. The number of cells constituting the secondary battery is determined from the combined state of the switch means driven by the switch control means, and the result is displayed. A cell number detection device for a secondary battery as described. 25. A rechargeable battery charging apparatus for charging a rechargeable battery composed of one or a plurality of cells, comprising a power supply means for supplying a predetermined charging current and a rechargeable battery. A charging / discharging terminal to be connected, a charging / discharging processing operation means for individually executing a charging processing operation and a discharging processing operation for the secondary battery, and a voltage for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery during the discharging processing operation. Detecting means, converting means for converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells forming the secondary battery, after a predetermined period has elapsed after the start of the initial discharge, and at that time point And a means for setting a charging voltage value in a charging voltage setting means on the basis of the digital value in the charging processing apparatus for a secondary battery. 26. The means for converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery is at least the output voltage value of the secondary battery. The resistance value of some resistors is different from the resistance value of other resistors, and the voltage is divided by a plurality of resistance groups, and the divided voltage value is output as a predetermined divided voltage value. As described above, the connection state of at least a part of the resistance groups of the resistance group is arbitrarily changed, and the means for setting the charging voltage value outputs the predetermined divided voltage value. 26. The charging processing device for a secondary battery according to claim 25, wherein the divided voltage value is supplied to the charging voltage setting means at that time. 27. The converting means for converting the measured output voltage value of the secondary battery into a digital value corresponding to the number of cells constituting the secondary battery is a measured output voltage value of the secondary battery. Is divided by a plurality of resistance groups in which the resistance value of at least a part of resistors is different from the resistance values of other resistors, of the resistance groups in the voltage dividing circuit A plurality of switch means for changing the connection state of at least a part of the resistor groups, and by operating each of the switch means individually, a predetermined predetermined partial pressure value of the output partial pressure value is output. And a switch control means for controlling each of the switch means, and a detection means for detecting a state in which the output partial pressure value has reached a predetermined predetermined partial pressure value. Charging the secondary battery according to Item 25. Processing equipment. Cell number detector. 28. The secondary battery according to claim 27, wherein the switch control means is composed of a binary counter, and is configured to sequentially select a combination of the driven switch means. Charge processing device.