Abstract: The present invention relates to a safety apparatus and a protection method of a secondary battery, which can prevent explosion and fire of the secondary battery using a switch or a rupture switch attached on the outside of the secondary battery if a swelling degree of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined value when the secondary battery is swelled due to abnormal usage such as overcharge, short-circuit, reverse-connection and heat-exposure of large-capacity lithium polymer battery.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a battery pack in which a plurality of unit modules consisting of battery cells are stacked, adjacently or in regular intervals, and electrode tabs are connected in series, and more specifically, to a battery pack including an overcurrent protector capable of preventing damage to each battery cell caused by a battery cell short circuit or overcurrent which flows in from a protection circuit by: connecting positive and negative electrode tabs of the battery cell with a voltage sensing line in order to sense the voltage of each battery cell; and installing a fuse in a connector which is arranged between the battery cell and the voltage sensing line and couples electrode tabs.

Abstract: This invention relates to a lithium secondary battery, the tab shape of which is improved, thus increasing the safety and improving the electrical properties thereof. The lithium secondary battery includes an electrode group composed of a first electrode, a second electrode, and a separator disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, a first electrode tab connected to the first electrode, and a second electrode tab connected to the second electrode. The first electrode tab includes a first portion connected to the first electrode and a second portion, which is not the first portion, the width of the first portion being less than the width of the second portion.

Abstract: Provided are a demand controller, a charger, and a remote charging control system and control method. The remote charging control method includes transferring current power usage from a demand controller to a total operation center (TOC); transferring usable electric energy from the TOC to a remote controller according to current power usage transferred to the TOC; determining whether the remote controller controls the current power usage according to the usable electric energy transferred to the demand controller; as the determination result, when the control of the current power usage is required, transferring a control signal controlling a state-of-charge from the demand controller to a charger or an electric vehicle; and stopping the charging of the electric vehicle according to the control signal transferred to the charger or the electric vehicle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a safety apparatus and a protection method of a secondary battery, which can prevent explosion and fire of the secondary battery using a switch or a rupture switch attached on the outside of the secondary battery if a swelling degree of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined value when the secondary battery is swelled due to abnormal usage such as overcharge, short-circuit, reverse-connection and heat-exposure of large-capacity lithium polymer battery.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly having at least one tab which projects from one side of the electrode assembly, an external finishing material surrounding and sealing the tab except a distal end portion thereof and the electrode assembly, and polymer films interposed between the external finishing material and the tab to improve adhesion therebetween. When the tab has a thickness no less than a predetermined thickness, the tab is formed to have a sectional shape which ensures that an inside angle defined by one of upper and lower surfaces of the tab and an adjacent side surface of the tab becomes an obtuse angle, and the polymer films are formed to have protuberances on the inner surfaces thereof, so as to improve bondability between the tab and the polymer films.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electrode for a secondary battery, which enables cost savings and the manufacture of products having various sizes and shapes. The method includes (A) preparing an electrode plate, (B) cutting the electrode plate to conform to the width of the electrode, thus providing a unit electrode plate, and (C) removing at least one of the corner regions of the unit electrode plate.

Abstract: The present invention relates, in general, to a charge equalization apparatus for batteries and, more particularly, to a charge equalization apparatus, in which the primary windings (M11 to M1N) of a number of transformers (T1 to TN) corresponding to the number of battery cells are connected in parallel with each other, a switch (S) for controlling the flow of current of the primary windings (M11 to M1N) of the parallel-connected transformers is connected in series with the parallel-connected primary windings, respective secondary windings (M21 to M2N) corresponding to the primary windings are connected in parallel with the battery cells, and the battery cells are connected in series with each other.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a battery pack in which a plurality of unit modules consisting of battery cells are stacked, adjacently or in regular intervals, and electrode tabs are connected in series, and more specifically, to a battery pack including an overcurrent protector capable of preventing damage to each battery cell caused by a battery cell short circuit or overcurrent which flows in from a protection circuit by: connecting positive and negative electrode tabs of the battery cell with a voltage sensing line in order to sense the voltage of each battery cell; and installing a fuse in a connector which is arranged between the battery cell and the voltage sensing line and couples electrode tabs.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cooling structure of a lithium ion secondary battery system. The cooling structure of a lithium ion secondary battery system according to the present invention provides cooling channels for lithium battery unit cells accommodated by a laterally partitioned arrangement of main frames, each having a heat radiation part and lattice-shaped paths, and partitioning frames, and allows air, blown by a cooling fan, to cool the lithium battery unit cells while passing through the cooling channels and the lattice-shaped paths. Each of the main frames has a pair of passage slots formed in both sides thereof to allow the air blown by the cooling fan to be directly blown to each accommodated lithium battery unit cell, thus forming each secondary cooling channel communicating with the pair of passage slots.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a lithium secondary battery, which improves charge-discharge characteristics, lifespan, and temperature characteristics of the battery and which includes interposing a separator between a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, thus manufacturing an electrode assembly; housing the electrode assembly in a battery case, introducing an additive-containing electrolytic solution, and then sealing the battery case; subjecting the sealed battery case to pre-charging, and then removing gas generated by the pre-charging; subjecting the battery case to formation; and removing gas generated by the formation, wherein the additive is one or more selected from among LiF2BC2O4, 3,9-divinyl-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro[5,5]undecane, LiB(C2O4)2, poly(ethyleneglycol)borate and derivatives thereof, halogen-substituted carbonate, and vinyl silane, and the pre-charging is conducted in a range of 10% or less of a battery capacity.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery having a cell tab connection structure made using resistance welding. A support member is interposed between the cells to support the cells. A terminal is placed on an upper surface of the support member. Tabs of each of the cells or both side edges of the terminal are bent, and the terminal is joined to the corresponding tabs of the cells by resistance welding.

Abstract: A two-stage charge equalization apparatus for a series-connected battery string includes a battery module having a plurality of batteries connected in series; a battery string having M (M?2) battery modules connected in series; M charge control switch modules connected in parallel to each of the M battery modules; M second DC/DC converters connected to each of the M charge control switch modules; a single first DC/DC converter connected to the M second DC/DC converter; and a microprocessor controlling the charge control switch module, wherein the first DC/DC converter is inputted with an overall potential of the battery string and outputs a potential lower than the potential inputted and each of batteries composing the battery module shares the second DC/DC converter using the charge control switch module.

Abstract: The present invention relates, in general, to a battery voltage equalization apparatus and method, and, more particularly, to a charge equalization apparatus and method, which decrease the withstand voltages of semiconductor switching elements while maintaining charge equalization performance, thus making it easy to implement the secondary windings of transformers while reducing the costs of the charge equalization apparatus. The charge equalization apparatus includes N first transformers (T1 to Tn) connected in series with N series-connected batteries (B1 to Bn) and adapted to decrease voltages of overcharged batteries among the N batteries. A charge storage device (Cdump) stores energy supplied from the first transformers. A second transformer (TS) redistributes energy stored in the charge storage device to the N series-connected batteries.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic charge equalization apparatus and method having an automatic PWM generating means for a series-connected battery string. The automatic charge equalization method and apparatus for a series-connected battery string according to the present invention can improve charge equalization by accomplishing charge equalization operation after comparing the potential of the corresponding battery cell with the average potential of the plurality of battery cells including the corresponding battery cell upon charging or discharging the corresponding battery cell.

Abstract: A battery management system according to the present invention comprises a battery module consisted of a plurality of batteries connected in series; a switch module connected in parallel to the battery module; a voltage sensor measuring a voltage of each battery composing the battery module; a charge equalizer causing each battery composing the battery module to be charged, discharged or charged/discharged; and a microprocessor controlling the switch module to determine whether to charge or discharge each battery composing the battery module according to the voltage values measured by the voltage sensor and; wherein the voltage sensor and the charge equalizer are connected in parallel to each battery composing the battery module by the switch module.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for testing batteries, which can prevent errors from occurring due to the tolerance of voltage sensors when the charged states of batteries are measured, and can charge a battery having a charged state deteriorated due to the difference in the resistance of each battery. The apparatus includes a voltage circuit for measuring voltages of N batteries. A resistance circuit decreases voltages of batteries, which are greater than a reference voltage. A connection switch unit selects any one of the N batteries. A divert change unit separates polarities of each battery and changes positions of an cathode and a anode of the battery depending on separated polarities. A selection switch unit selectively connects the cathode and anode of the battery to an cathode and a anode of the voltage circuit or the resistance circuit.

Abstract: The present invention relates, in general, to a battery voltage equalization apparatus and method, and, more particularly, to a charge equalization apparatus and method, which decrease the withstand voltages of semiconductor switching elements while maintaining charge equalization performance, thus making it easy to implement the secondary windings of transformers while reducing the costs of the charge equalization apparatus. The charge equalization apparatus includes N first transformers (T1 to Tn) connected in series with N series-connected batteries (B1 to Bn) and adapted to decrease voltages of overcharged batteries among the N batteries. A charge storage device (Cdump) stores energy supplied from the first transformers. A second transformer (TS) redistributes energy stored in the charge storage device to the N series-connected batteries.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a charge equalization apparatus, in which series-connected batteries are divided into modules having certain sizes, and intra-module charge equalization and inter-module charge equalization are simultaneously performed, thus improving charge equalization performance and reducing the circuit size.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a charge equalization apparatus, which can enable the primary windings and the secondary windings of transformers to be easily manufactured, can control the flow of charges into batteries depending on the charged states of series-connected batteries, and can prevent overcurrent from flowing into batteries that are currently being charged.