Abstract: A protection circuit having: a connecting terminal for receiving a voltage for charging a rechargeable battery; a switching element interposed between the connecting terminal and the rechargeable battery; a temperature fuse for blocking a conductive path between the connecting terminal and the switching element; a heater for melting the temperature fuse; a voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage relating to the conductive path; a first abnormality detection unit for detecting occurrence of a first abnormality that is pre-set as a recoverable abnormality; a second abnormality detection unit for detecting occurrence of a second abnormality that is pre-set as an abnormality on the basis of which the temperature fuse should be melted; a protection control unit for turning OFF the switching element when the first abnormality is detected by the first abnormality detection unit; and a heater control unit for executing a temperature fuse melting process of applying the voltage of the conductive path to the hea

Abstract: A charge control circuit includes a charge control unit that controls an operation of a charging unit that charges a rechargeable battery; and a voltage detection unit that detects a terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery, wherein when a terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery as detected by the voltage detection unit is lower than a predetermined first threshold-value voltage, being lower than a full-charge voltage which is a terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery in full charge, the charge control unit causes a constant current charging to the rechargeable battery by requesting the charging unit to supply a charging current of a predetermined first current value, causing the charging unit to supply a charging current of the first current value to the rechargeable battery, when the terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery as detected by the voltage detection unit exceeds the first threshold-value voltage but is less than the full charge voltage, the charge control unit causes the constan

Abstract: A full charge capacity correction circuit including: an integrating unit that calculates an integrated current value; a capacity storing unit that stores a full charge capacity value; a first estimating unit that estimates a storage ratio, which is a ratio of a quantity of stored electricity to an actual full charge capacity, as a first storage ratio; a second estimating unit that estimates a storage ratio; a full charge capacity correction unit that estimates a new full charge capacity value, and stores the estimated new full charge capacity value; an open circuit ratio estimating unit that uses a condition in which the rechargeable battery is in an open circuit state, and estimates the storage ratio based on a terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery; and a correction control unit that uses the open circuit ratio estimating unit as the first estimating unit or the second estimating unit.

Abstract: A protection circuit having: a connecting terminal which is connected to an external circuit and which inputs and outputs a charging/discharging current of a secondary battery to and from the external circuit; a voltage detection unit for detecting an output voltage of the secondary battery; a current detection unit for detecting a discharging current of the secondary battery; a power consumption calculation unit for calculating power consumption of the external circuit by multiplying a value of the output voltage detected by the voltage detection unit by a value of the discharging current detected by the current detection unit; and an external protection unit for executing external protection processing of protecting the external circuit when the power consumption calculated by the power consumption calculation unit exceeds a power threshold set to a value that is not less than a maximum value of power consumption of the external circuit.

Abstract: A full charge capacity value correction circuit includes: a current detection portion which detects a current value in a secondary battery; a voltage detection portion which detects a terminal voltage value of the secondary battery; a capacity storage portion which stores a full charge capacity value of the secondary battery; a remaining quantity calculation portion which calculates a remaining charging quantity in the secondary battery a remaining quantity estimation portion which estimates a remaining quantity of the secondary battery and a full charge capacity value correction portion which, when an estimated remaining quantity becomes equal to a reference value set in advance, adds a difference electrical quantity, to the full charge capacity value stored in the capacity storage portion, or subtracts the difference electrical quantity from the full charge capacity value stored in the capacity storage portion based on an estimated remaining quantity and an accumulated remaining quantity.

Abstract: A battery internal short-circuit detection apparatus includes: a voltage detection unit for detecting a terminal voltage of the battery; a current detection unit for detecting a discharging current of the battery; a voltage drop and recovery detection unit for detecting a momentary voltage drop of the battery and a recovery from the voltage drop, in response to a result of detection performed by the voltage detection unit; and a determination unit for determining that an internal short circuit has occurred, when a maximum value of the discharging current detected by the current detection unit between the voltage drop and the recovery is equal to or lower than a threshold current.

Abstract: A circuit for counting a number of cycles, including: a current detecting portion that detects a current value of a current flowing to a secondary battery; a current integrating portion that calculates, as an integrated electric quantity, an integrated value of the current value detected by the current detecting portion; a cycle electric quantity setting portion that successively sets a cycle electric quantity corresponding to one cycle of a cycle life of the secondary battery; and a cycle counting portion that counts a number of cycles of the cycle life, wherein the cycle counting portion adds one to the last counted number of cycles when an increment of the integrated electric quantity calculated by the current integrating portion after the number of cycles is counted last time reaches a last set cycle electric quantity, and the cycle electric quantity setting portion decreases a predetermined decrement from the last set cycle electric quantity to set a new cycle electric quantity when the increment of the

Abstract: A full charge capacity value correction circuit, has: a current detection portion which detects a current value of current flowing in a secondary battery; a voltage detection portion which detects a terminal voltage value of the secondary battery; a capacity storage portion which stores a full charge capacity value indicating a full charge capacity of the secondary battery; a remaining quantity calculation portion which calculates, as a accumulated remaining quantity, a remaining charging quantity in the secondary battery from a total value obtained by cumulatively adding charged electrical quantities and subtracting discharged electrical quantities in the secondary battery, based on charge/discharge currents of the secondary battery detected by the current detection portion; a remaining quantity estimation portion which estimates, as an estimated remaining quantity, a remaining quantity of the secondary battery by using a terminal voltage value detected by the voltage detection portion; and a full charge cap

Abstract: A set battery control circuit includes: a voltage detection portion that detects a terminal voltage across each secondary battery in a set battery formed by connecting a plurality of secondary batteries in series; a discharge portion that discharges the plurality of secondary batteries; and an imbalance reduction processing portion that performs imbalance reduction processing at set timing preset as timing at which terminal voltages across the plurality of secondary batteries become voltages at or below a cut-off voltage of discharge preset as a voltage at which discharge is to end in such a manner that a secondary battery having a terminal voltage higher than a lowest voltage, which is a lowest terminal voltage among the terminal voltages across the plurality of secondary batteries detected by the voltage detection portion, is discharged by means of the discharge portion so that a difference among the terminal voltages across the respective secondary batteries is lessened.

Abstract: A full charge capacity correction circuit including: an integrating unit that calculates an integrated current value of a rechargeable battery; a capacity storing unit that stores a full charge capacity value of the rechargeable battery; a first estimating unit that estimates a storage ratio of the rechargeable battery, which is a ratio of a quantity of stored electricity to an actual full charge capacity, as a first storage ratio when an estimable condition which is a condition that enables to estimate the storage ratio is satisfied; a second estimating unit that estimates a storage ratio when the estimable condition is satisfied after the first storage ratio is estimated, as a second storage ratio; a full charge capacity correction unit that estimates a new full charge capacity value of the rechargeable battery based on a difference integrated value that is an integrated value integrated by the integrating unit for a period after the first storage ratio is estimated and until the second storage ratio is est

Abstract: A protection circuit having: a connecting terminal for receiving a voltage for charging a rechargeable battery; a switching element interposed between the connecting terminal and the rechargeable battery; a temperature fuse for blocking a conductive path between the connecting terminal and the switching element; a heater for melting the temperature fuse; a voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage relating to the conductive path; a first abnormality detection unit for detecting occurrence of a first abnormality that is pre-set as a recoverable abnormality; a second abnormality detection unit for detecting occurrence of a second abnormality that is pre-set as an abnormality on the basis of which the temperature fuse should be melted; a protection control unit for turning OFF the switching element when the first abnormality is detected by the first abnormality detection unit; and a heater control unit for executing a temperature fuse melting process of applying the voltage of the conductive path to the hea

Abstract: A charge control circuit includes a charge control unit that controls an operation of a charging unit that charges a rechargeable battery; and a voltage detection unit that detects a terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery, wherein when a terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery as detected by the voltage detection unit is lower than a predetermined first threshold-value voltage, being lower than a full-charge voltage which is a terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery in full charge, the charge control unit causes a constant current charging to the rechargeable battery by requesting the charging unit to supply a charging current of a predetermined first current value, causing the charging unit to supply a charging current of the first current value to the rechargeable battery, when the terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery as detected by the voltage detection unit exceeds the first threshold-value voltage but is less than the full charge voltage, the charge control unit causes the constan

Abstract: The battery pack includes an assembled battery including a plurality of secondary battery cells connected at least in series; a voltage detector which detects a terminal voltage of each of the plurality of secondary battery cells; a charge/discharge controller which controls charge/discharge of the assembled battery based on the terminal voltage of each cell detected by the voltage detector; a short-circuiting section which short-circuits a node between cells to the high voltage side or the low voltage side of a power line, or which short-circuits nodes between the cells to each other; and a disconnection detector which controls conduction/non-conduction of the short-circuiting section and which detects a disconnection of the connection line from the voltage detector to the node between the cells, based on a state of controlling the conduction/non-conduction, and at least one of a voltage at the node between the cells detected by the voltage detector, a voltage of the high voltage side or the low voltage side

Abstract: A protection circuit having: a connecting terminal which is connected to an external circuit and which inputs and outputs a charging/discharging current of a secondary battery to and from the external circuit; a voltage detection unit for detecting an output voltage of the secondary battery; a current detection unit for detecting a discharging current of the secondary battery; a power consumption calculation unit for calculating power consumption of the external circuit by multiplying a value of the output voltage detected by the voltage detection unit by a value of the discharging current detected by the current detection unit; and an external protection unit for executing external protection processing of protecting the external circuit when the power consumption calculated by the power consumption calculation unit exceeds a power threshold set to a value that is not less than a maximum value of power consumption of the external circuit.

Abstract: A battery internal short-circuit detecting device has: a battery temperature detection unit for detecting a battery temperature Tr; an ambient temperature detection unit for detecting an ambient temperature Te; an average heating value detection unit for detecting an average value Pav of battery heating values per predetermined first period ?W1, which are generated by discharging or charging the battery; a battery temperature estimation unit for obtaining a battery temperature Tp estimated to be reached after a lapse of a predetermined second period ?W2 since the detection of the average value Pav of the heating values, based on the average value Pav of the heating values and the ambient temperature Te; and an internal short-circuit determination unit for determining that an internal short circuit has occurred when the actual battery temperature Tr after the lapse of the second period ?W2 is equal to or greater than the sum of the estimated battery temperature Tp and a predetermined coefficient ?.

Abstract: An internal short-circuit detecting device for detecting an internal short circuit of a battery being subjected to constant current charge using a constant current amount (I) has: a voltage detection unit for detecting a terminal voltage of the battery; a terminal voltage acquisition unit for acquiring a terminal voltage (V1), as predetermined by the voltage detection unit, at a starting point of a first period (?W1) and a terminal voltage (V2) at an ending point; a voltage increase amount calculation unit for calculating an actual increase amount (?V3) of the terminal voltage of the first period (?W1) from the terminal voltages (V1 and V2); a voltage increase amount prediction unit for calculating a predicted increase amount (?V4) of the terminal voltage for the period when charging is performed using the current amount (I) for the first period (?W1); and an internal short-circuit determination unit for determining that the internal short circuit is generated when the actual increase amount (?V3) is equal to

Abstract: A battery internal short-circuit detection apparatus includes: a voltage detection unit for detecting a terminal voltage of the battery; a current detection unit for detecting a discharging current of the battery; a voltage drop and recovery detection unit for detecting a momentary voltage drop of the battery and a recovery from the voltage drop, in response to a result of detection performed by the voltage detection unit; and a determination unit for determining that an internal short circuit has occurred, when a maximum value of the discharging current detected by the current detection unit between the voltage drop and the recovery is equal to or lower than a threshold current.

Abstract: A set battery control circuit includes: a voltage detection portion that detects a terminal voltage across each secondary battery in a set battery formed by connecting a plurality of secondary batteries in series; a discharge portion that discharges the plurality of secondary batteries; and an imbalance reduction processing portion that performs imbalance reduction processing at set timing preset as timing at which terminal voltages across the plurality of secondary batteries become voltages at or below a cut-off voltage of discharge preset as a voltage at which discharge is to end in such a manner that a secondary battery having a terminal voltage higher than a lowest voltage, which is a lowest terminal voltage among the terminal voltages across the plurality of secondary batteries detected by the voltage detection portion, is discharged by means of the discharge portion so that a difference among the terminal voltages across the respective secondary batteries is lessened.

Abstract: A charging method includes a constant-current charging step wherein a constant charge current is supplied to a secondary battery to be charged to a predetermined end voltage; and a constant-voltage charging step wherein the predetermined end voltage is maintained by reducing the charge current after said secondary battery is charged to the end voltage, wherein: said constant-current charging step includes the charging step to be carried out with the end voltage set to OCV which is a voltage when no current is flowing, and with a voltage of a charge terminal of said battery pack set to an overvoltage above said OCV, and said constant-voltage charging step includes the step of reducing the voltage across the charge terminals to the after the voltage across the charge terminals is increased to the overvoltage or after the charge current of the charge terminal is reduced to or below a predetermined current level.

Abstract: An anomaly detecting method for a battery pack including a secondary battery made up of at least one cell and a voltage detecting circuit for measuring cell voltage of the secondary battery comprises the steps of measuring the cell voltage, judging by using the measured cell voltage whether predefined anomaly judgment conditions to be used in determining that at least one of an internal short circuit of the cell and an anomaly of the voltage detecting circuit has occurred are satisfied, and determining that at least one of the internal short circuit of the cell and the anomaly of the voltage detecting circuit has occurred if the anomaly judgment conditions are judged to have been satisfied. The anomaly detecting method prevents in advance continued execution of charge operation when the cell voltage does not reach a threshold voltage due to an internal short circuit of the cell or an anomaly of the voltage detecting circuit.