Provided is a charging control device that allows the actual state of charge of a secondary battery to converge quickly to an upper limit value given as a control center value when the actual state of charge is higher than the upper limit value so that charging may be performed in an efficient manner and fuel economy may be improved. The charging control device (10) includes a charge/discharge integration unit (23) for computing an integrated charge/discharge value (IW) of the secondary battery, a charge control unit (26) for controlling the charging of the secondary battery such that the recognized state of charge is maintained at a prescribed upper limit value (80%) lower than a fully charged state (100%) by switching a generation voltage of a generator. When a disconnection of a terminal of the secondary battery is detected by a terminal disconnection detection unit (25), the charge control unit (26) prohibits the charging of the secondary battery from then on until the integrated charge/discharge value reaches a prescribed discharge value (−20%).

The present invention provides a fast charging method for battery, including the steps as follows: (1) the battery is charged with a constant current I.sub.1 and the charging time is t.sub.1; (2) the battery is charged with a constant current I.sub.2 and the charging time is t.sub.2; (3) the battery is discharged with the constant current I.sub.2 and the discharging time is t.sub.3, recycling until the voltage reaches a pre-charging voltage of battery; (4) the battery is standed after the voltage reaching the pre-charging voltage of battery, and the rest time is t.sub.4, and then the battery is charged with a constant current I.sub.3 until the voltage reaching a cut-off voltage of battery, and then the battery is charged with a constant voltage until the current reaching a cut-off current I.sub.4; wherein, I.sub.2<I.sub.1, t.sub.2<t.sub.1, t.sub.3<t.sub.1, I.sub.2<I.sub.3≦I.sub.1, I.sub.4≦I.sub.2. The fast charging method provided in present invention can decrease the polarization in pulse charging phase, increase the time of whole pulse charging phase, improve the charging speed in pulse charging phase, and thus shorten the full-charging time.

A method is provided for determining a lower voltage set-point, an upper voltage set-point, a temperature-dependent upper current set-point, a time limit value, and a lower current hysteresis threshold set-point based on a measured temperature of a battery. A charge current from a battery charging circuit is provided. If a charge voltage is above the lower voltage set-point and below the upper voltage set-point and the charge current exceeds the temperature-dependent upper current set-point, timer is started. If the timer reaches a time limit value while the charge current exceeds the temperature-dependent upper current set-point and the charge voltage is between the lower voltage set-point and the upper voltage set-point, the charge current is reduced.

A battery management system and a method of driving the same are provided. When the output signal of a charger is higher than a first voltage, a battery cell is charged with a first current by a first charge circuit. When the output signal of the charger is higher than a second voltage, a battery cell is charged with a second current by a second charge circuit. The second voltage is higher than the first voltage and second current is higher than the first current.

A battery monitoring device includes a first coil positioned within a cell of a battery, a second coil positioned to be magnetically coupled to the first coil through active material that is contained within the cell, and a controller that is configured to apply an electrical current to one of the first and second coils, detect induced electrical current in the other of the first and second coils, and determine a state-of-charge (SOC) of the battery based on the induced electrical current.

A battery monitoring device includes a first coil positioned within a cell of a battery, a second coil positioned to be magnetically coupled to the first coil through active material that is contained within the cell, and a controller that is configured to apply an electrical current to one of the first and second coils, detect induced electrical current in the other of the first and second coils, and determine a state-of-charge (SOC) of the battery based on the induced electrical current.

A charge control device includes a voltage detector that detects a voltage of a battery, a temperature detector that detects a battery temperature, a voltage setting unit that sets at least one of a charge completion voltage and an abnormality determination voltage to a high temperature time voltage that is lower than a normal voltage when the battery temperature detected by the temperature detector is or is above a high temperature determination threshold set in advance, and a charging current limiting unit that reduces a charging current a charger supplies to the battery when the battery temperature is in a temperature range between a set temperature that is lower by a predetermined temperature than the high temperature determination threshold and the high temperature determination threshold and the battery voltage detected by the voltage detector is in a voltage range between the normal voltage and the high temperature time voltage.

A battery system monitoring device that monitors a battery system provided with a cell group having a plurality of battery cells connected in series with each other, including: a first control device that monitors and controls states of the plurality of battery cells of the cell group; a second control device that controls the first control device; a temperature detection unit that measures a temperature in the vicinity of the first control device; and a plurality of voltage detection lines, for measuring an inter-terminal voltage of the battery cell, which connect each of a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the battery cell and the first control device. The first control device includes a balancing switch, which performs balancing discharge of the battery cell for each of the battery cells.

Provided are a power generation control method for a vehicle configured to perform idling stop at a predetermined vehicle speed or less by a stop/start system, the vehicle including: a power generator configured to be driven by an internal combustion engine to generate power; and a battery to be charged by the power generated by the power generator, the power being generated in the vehicle under control so as to reduce an amount of fuel to be consumed by the internal combustion engine for power generation, the power generation control method including: detecting a charged and discharged state of the battery; and controlling the internal combustion engine to interrupt power generation involving fuel consumption when a charged state of the battery has recovered to a charged state before the idling stop through charging after the idling stop in accordance with the detected charged and discharged state.

A method of disconnecting a secondary battery which disconnects the secondary battery from an electric power supply path in an electric power supply system performs shutting off a flow of a current to a secondary battery side through a converter after it is detected that there is an abnormality in the secondary battery, and when it is determined that the voltage of the power storage unit is equal to or less than the voltage of the secondary battery by the predetermined value, maintaining a connection of the secondary battery to the electric power supply path and when it is determined that the voltage of the power storage unit is greater than the voltage of the secondary battery by the predetermined value, operating a relay to disconnect the secondary battery from the electric power supply path.