Sony Corporation

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Shin Hotta

Shinichi Uesaka

Atsushi Ozawa

Kentaro Marutani

Yoshio Inagaki

Katsuya Shirai

Kazuo Nakamura

Koichi Tsukihara

Shiho Moriai

Nobuhiko Umezu

Koichi Tatsuki

Goh Matsunobu

Masanobu Katagi

Tomoyuki Ono

Kazuhito Tsuchida

Tsuyoshi Masato

Provided is a sensor that includes a sensing layer including a pressure detection unit, a dielectric layer provided on the sensing layer, the dielectric layer being deformable, and a conductive layer including a protrusion protruding toward the dielectric layer. The conductive layer is movable in an in-plane direction of the sensing layer.

Sensor, electronic device, wearable terminal, and control method

There is provided a battery remaining-life estimation apparatus that includes a memory, and a circuit. The memory is configured to store information about a polarization-voltage curve of a secondary battery, the information being stored with a correlation with a current value and a temperature of the secondary battery. The circuit is configured to estimate a remaining power of the secondary battery, the remaining power being estimated based on a discharge curve of the secondary battery. The circuit obtains the polarization-voltage curve based on the information in the memory, the polarization-voltage curve being correlated with the current value and the temperature of the secondary battery. The circuit also estimates the discharge curve by subtracting the obtained polarization-voltage curve from an open-circuit voltage curve obtained for the secondary battery.

Apparatus for estimating remaining power amount of battery employing a polarization voltage

Provided is a method for charging/discharging a battery pack having an auxiliary charging/discharging device and a battery assembly in which a plurality of secondary battery cell parallel modules, each of which includes a plurality of fasecondary battery cells connected in parallel, are connected in series, the method including, when there is no abnormality in the secondary battery cells during charging/discharging, connecting the auxiliary charging/discharging device in parallel to any of the secondary battery cell parallel modules, and when there is an abnormality in any of the secondary battery cells during charging/discharging, releasing connection to the secondary battery cell at which the abnormality has arisen in the secondary battery cell parallel module including the secondary battery cell at which the abnormality has arisen, and connecting the auxiliary charging/discharging device in parallel to the secondary battery cell parallel module including the secondary battery cell at which the abnormality has arisen.

Battery pack, method for charging/discharging same, and power consumption device

A battery pack is provided. The battery pack has a plurality of secondary batteries and an inspection circuit. When the plurality of secondary batteries are classified into a first secondary battery group configured of secondary batteries selected from the plurality of secondary batteries and a second secondary battery group configured of remaining secondary batteries not belonging to the first secondary battery group, the inspection circuit creates a first data string of the secondary batteries configuring the second secondary battery group, based on a predetermined arithmetic rule, from identification marks of the secondary batteries configuring the first secondary battery group, obtains a second data string by examining identification marks of the secondary batteries configuring the second secondary battery group, subsequently compares the first data string with the second data string, and stops a function of the battery pack when the first data string and the second data string do not match.

Battery pack and method of inspecting storage state of secondary battery in battery pack

A battery pack and a method of inspecting a storage state of a secondary battery in the battery pack are provided. In the method of inspecting a storage state of a secondary battery in the battery pack, the battery pack includes (A) a plurality of secondary batteries and (B) a housing, the housing having a plurality of storage sections and containing the secondary batteries in the respective storage sections; a conductive memberis attached to an outer surface of each of the secondary batteries made of a non-conductive material; each of the storage sections is provided with at least two detection sections; and depending on a storage state of each of the secondary batteries in each of the storage sections, two detection sections are in contact with the conductive member, or at least one detection section is not in contact with the conductive member.

A battery pack and a simple construction is provided. The battery pack includes a plurality of secondary batteries, a housing storing the plurality of secondary batteries, and an inspection circuit stored in the housing. The housing includes a main body section and a closing member to close an opening for taking the plurality of secondary batteries in and out of the main body section, and includes a plurality of fixing members for fixing the closing member on the main body section, the plurality of fixing members being made of a conductive material. An attachment state of the fixing members with respect to the closing member and the main body section is monitored by the inspection circuit, and an attachment order of the fixing members with respect to the closing member and the main body section is memorized by the inspection circuit.

Battery pack and method of monitoring removal of secondary battery in battery pack

An assembled battery includes a plurality of secondary battery cell series modules each having a plurality of secondary battery cells connected in series, wherein in each secondary battery cell series module, the secondary battery cells are connected in series by a first connection member, the secondary battery cell constituting the secondary battery cell series module and the secondary battery cell constituting the secondary battery cell series module adjacent to the above secondary battery cell series module are connected in parallel by a second connection member, the electrical resistance value of the second connection member is higher than the electrical resistance value of the first connection member, and the melting point of a material constituting the second connection member is lower than the melting point of a material constituting the first connection member.

Assembled battery and power consumption apparatus

A method of estimating a state of charge of a secondary cell includes: calculating a value of (&#x2202;E/&#x2202;T) in advance on the assumption that Eis an electromotive force of the secondary cell and T is a temperature of the secondary cell; and calculating the state of charge based on at least a value of (&#x2202;E/&#x2202;T) for which a value of the state of charge is set as a variable, a temperature measurement value of the secondary cell, and a current measurement value of the secondary cell.

Method of estimating state of charge of secondary cell, state-of-charge estimation device, cell pack, electronic apparatus, and electric vehicle

The present invention relates to an electric storage unit group, a charger, an electronic device, an electric vehicle, a method for charging the electric storage unit, a method for discharging the electric storage unit group, a method for supplying and receiving power, and a method for determining a charging/discharging route in the electric storage unit group, which can provide a method for charging the electric storage unit group in which a plurality of electric storage units are connected in a desired form. The method for charging the electric storage unit group is a method for charging a rechargeable battery cell in an electric storage unit group in which a plurality of electric storage units having rechargeable battery cells are linearly or reticulately connected. At an upstream side of the electric storage unit group, the electric storage unit group is connected to a power supply for charging the electric storage units.

Electric storage unit group, charger, electronic device, electric vehicle, method for charging electric storage unit group, method for discharging electric storage unit group, method for supplying and receiving power, and method for determining charging/discharging route in electric storage unit group

A battery pack that has a configuration in which a plurality of secondary battery cells are connected in series at time of discharge and are connected in parallel at time of charge, and that has a configuration and a structure with which the charge and the discharge are allowed to be performed without any trouble even if an abnormal-state secondary battery cell exists is provided. A battery packincludes a plurality of secondary battery cellsand a control circuit. Under control of the control circuit, the plurality of secondary battery cellsare connected in series at time of discharge, and are connected in parallel at time of charge. The control circuitmeasures voltages of the respective secondary battery cellsbefore the charge, and in a state that a secondary battery cellhaving a value of measured voltage equal to or less than a predetermined value as an abnormal-state secondary battery cell is electrically disconnected from other secondary battery cellsin the plurality of secondary battery cells, the control circuitconnects the other secondary battery cellsin parallel and charges the other secondary battery cells

Battery pack and electric power consuming apparatus

A power supply device including: (a) a power supply unit group composed of a plurality of power supply units and connected with a power consuming appliance; and (b) a control device configured to control the power supply unit group, wherein the control device and each of the power supply units are connected to each other by a communicating circuit.

Power supply device

A method for crystallizing a thin film A gate insulating film formed on a substrate so as to cover a gate electrode. A light absorption layer is formed thereon through a buffer layer. Energy lines Lh are applied to the light absorption layer from a continuous-wave laser such as a semiconductor laser. This anneals only a surface side of the light absorption layer Lh and produces a crystalline silicon film obtained by crystallizing the amorphous silicon film using heat generated by thermal conversion of the energy lines Lh at the light absorption layer and heat of the annealing reaction.

Method for crystallizing thin film, method for manufacturing thin film semiconductor device, method for manufacturing electronic apparatus, and method for manufacturing display device

A gate insulating film () is formed on a substrate () so as to cover a gate electrode (), and an amorphous silicon film (semiconductor thin film) () is further formed. A light absorption layer () is formed thereon through a buffer layer (). Energy lines Lh are applied to the light absorption layer () from a continuous-wave laser such as a semiconductor laser. This oxidizes only a surface side of the light absorption layer Lh and produces a beautiful crystalline silicon film () obtained by crystallizing the amorphous silicon film () using heat generated by thermal conversion of the energy lines Lh at the light absorption layer () and heat of the oxidation reaction. This provides a method for crystallizing a thin film with good controllability at low costs achieved with simpler process.

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Tokyo, Japan

Shin Hotta