A charge control device of one example of the present invention comprises a temperature detection unit, a storage unit, and an upper limit setting unit. The storage unit stores a reference current characteristic and at least one of a first current characteristic and a second current characteristic as a charging current characteristic, and stores a reference voltage characteristic and at least one of a first voltage characteristic and a second voltage characteristic as a charging voltage characteristic. The upper limit setting unit selects a characteristic used to set upper limits of a charging current and a charging voltage to the battery from among a plurality of the charging current characteristics and a plurality of the charging voltage characteristics stored in the storage unit.

A method includes detecting a present temperature value of a battery cell of a battery, determining whether the present temperature value is higher than a lowest threshold temperature value and lower than a highest threshold temperature value, detecting a present electric current value of the battery in association with a determination that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the highest threshold temperature value, determining whether the present electric current value is higher than a threshold current value corresponding to the present temperature value, and stopping a charge-discharge process of the battery cell in response to determining that the present electric current value is higher than the threshold current value.

In a case where an external charging start time is set in an external charging timer when a charging plug is connected to a charging connector, a charging controller is configured to perform standby setting of external charging before the external charging start time and transits to a pause state. The charging controller is intermittently activated during a timer charging setting period from a pause period start time when transition is made to the pause state to the external charging start time, and when a battery temperature at the time of activation of the charging controller is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, execute a temperature increase mode in which a heater is operated to increase the temperature of a main battery.

A battery with at least two battery cells, which are connected by at least one electric connection element to one another, and a superordinate control device. Each of the battery cells is provided with at least one galvanic element, a battery cell housing for accommodating the galvanic element, at least one sensor device for detecting a physical and/or chemical feature of the battery cell, and a communication device for communicating with the superordinate device. The superordinate device is adapted to control an energy flow in at least one of the battery cells and/or from at least one of the battery cells as a function of the physical and/or chemical features of the battery cell. The invention further also relates to a motor vehicle with such a battery.

The present disclosure includes a method of charging a battery. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving, in a battery charging circuit on an electronic device, an input voltage having a first voltage value from an external power source. The battery charger is configured to produce a charge current having a first current value into the battery. The input current limit and/or duty cycle of the charger is monitored. Control signals may be generated to increase the first voltage value of the input voltage if either (i) the input current limit is activated or (ii) the duty cycle reaches a maximum duty cycle. The charger also receives signals indicating a temperature inside the electronic device and generates control signals to decrease the value of the input voltage when the temperature increases above a threshold temperature.

A power storage device (4) includes a power storage unit (1211) including a plurality of cells, and a BMU (1212) configured to control the power storage unit (1211). The BMU (1212) includes an upper limit power acquisition unit (23) configured to acquire, based on a SOC and a temperature of the power storage unit (1211), an upper limit power that is an upper limit of a power output from the power storage unit (1211) or a power input to the power storage unit (1211).

A power supply device includes a transformer, a first rectifier, a voltage conversion module, and a control unit. The first rectifier is connected to a primary winding of the transformer, converts a received alternating-current voltage to a first direct-current voltage. The transformer is configured to convert the first direct-current voltage to a second direct-current voltage. The voltage conversion module is connected to the secondary winding of the transformer and configured to convert the second direct-current voltage to output a third direct-current voltage. The control unit, connected to the voltage conversion module, controls the voltage conversion module to adjust an output voltage or an output current of the power supply device.

An electrical energy store has a plurality of storage modules, each of which has at least one temperature sensor string having a temperature sensor in the form of a temperature-dependent resistor for measuring the storage module temperature, and a battery control unit, which, based on the resistance values of the temperature sensor strings, determines the temperatures at the respective temperature sensors. The battery control unit is designed to determine a respective storage module type based on the measured resistance values of the temperature sensor strings. A method for identifying a storage module type, includes the steps: detecting a resistance value of at least one temperature sensor string having a temperature sensor, determining the temperatures present at the respective temperature sensors via a battery control unit on the basis of the resistance values of the temperature sensor strings, and determining a storage module type on the basis of the resistance value of the at least one temperature sensor string per storage module.

A vehicle includes a vehicle battery; a vehicle sensor configured to detect a current, a voltage and a temperature of the vehicle battery; and an alternator configured to output a target voltage to the vehicle battery. A controller is configured to calculate state of charge (SOC) estimation based on the current, voltage and temperature of the vehicle battery, calculate an initial SOC based on a direct current internal resistance (DCIR) map and apply the initial SOC to the SOC estimation, when an open circuit voltage (OCV) is maintained in a predetermined range after engine-off, and adjust an available SOC range based on a difference between an actual battery charge current amount, to which the initial SOC is applied, and the calculated SOC estimation.

A control apparatus for a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a storage battery that stores therein electric power that is supplied from an external power supply apparatus and a rotating electric machine that is driven by electric power from the storage battery. The control apparatus includes a temperature adjusting unit that adjusts a temperature of the storage battery. The temperature adjusting unit performs an internal temperature adjustment process that is a process for adjusting the temperature of the storage battery using energy other than the electric power supplied from the power supply apparatus.