Battery with individual cell management

• US 10,044,069 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: Despesse, Ghislain
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rankine, Tarikh
• Application Number:
  US14/002,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20140015488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery comprising a plurality of modules arranged in series, characterized in that a module comprises a cell and a cell switch arranged in series with the cell, and in that a circuit for controlling the cell switch is electrically fed directly by at least one cell of a module of the battery.

Claims

1. Battery comprising:

a plurality of modules disposed in series, each module comprising;

a lower terminal adapted to be connected to a lower module,

an upper terminal adapted to be connected to an upper module,

plural branches between the lower terminal and the upper terminal, the plural branches each comprising a cell and a cell switch disposed in series, wherein the cell switch is configured for connecting or disconnecting the cell of the battery, and

at least one parallel switch, provided on an additional branch, for selectively bypassing a particular cell or module and/or plurality of modules of the battery simultaneously,

wherein each of the plurality of modules comprises a control circuit for controlling the cell switches and the at least one parallel switch of a given module and is electrically powered directly by at least one cell of the given module or an adjacent module, and

a local or remote intelligent device configured to open and close the cell switches and the parallel switches of the battery in real time at a cell switching frequency to convert a voltage of the battery to supply a sinusoidal output without using a DC/AC converter.

2. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a control circuit of at least one switch disposed at the level of a given module that is electrically powered directly by at least one cell of the given module or an adjacent module, said at least one switch being selected from:

a switch for selectively inverting the output voltage of the battery;

a series/parallel changeover switch for disposing in series or parallel certain sub-parts of the battery;

an additional switch for disposing two cells in series or parallel.

3. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a plurality of cells each associated with a cell switch disposed in series with the cell, controlled by one or more control circuits each at the level of a given module electrically powered directly by at least one cell of the given module or an adjacent module.

4. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a control circuit connected via a diode to at least one cell of a module of the battery for supplying it with electrical power.

5. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a control circuit connected to at least one cell of a module of the battery via a transistor controlled by the voltage or the current available at the level of said module.

6. Battery according to claim 5, wherein the transistor is controlled by the voltage or the current available at the level of said module via an amplifier device.

7. Battery according to claim 4, wherein the control circuit is connected to all the cells of a module of the battery.

8. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least one sensor for measuring a parameter characteristic of the state of a cell associated with a cell and in that a control circuit controls the cell switch of said cell as a function of the parameter characteristic of its state.

9. Battery according to claim 8, wherein it comprises a sensor for measuring the current at the level of a cell or a sensor for measuring the voltage at the terminals of a cell or at the terminals of its cell switch and/or a sensor for measuring the temperature of a cell or for impedance spectrometry measurements.

10. Battery according to claim 7, wherein it comprises one or more processing circuits at the level of a given module electrically powered directly by at least one cell of the given module of the battery or a central computer that drives the switches of the battery via the control circuit as a function of at least one measurement of the parameter characteristic of the state of the cell.

11. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises a communication module associated with a given module, comprising an interface for communication with a central server or with at least one other module and/or a processing circuit associated with a given module electrically powered directly by at least one cell of the given module or an adjacent module.

12. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises an electronic card comprising:

terminals for connection to cells of the battery, and

cell switches for one or more modules, and

a control circuit of the cell switches, and

a circuit for electrically powering the control circuit from at least one cell of the battery.

13. Battery according to claim 12, wherein it comprises an electronic card disposed between each module of the battery or a single electronic card on which are disposed all the cells of the battery or a plurality of electronic cards each associated with a plurality of modules.

14. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least one cell comprising a cell switch and a control circuit powered directly from the cell and integrated inside the exterior casing of the cell.

15. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises an H bridge for inverting the output voltage of the battery provided by four switches, these four switches being provided on the one hand by two transistors disposed at the level of the upper end module and controlled by a control circuit disposed at the level of or near said module and on the other hand two transistors disposed at the level of the lower end module and controlled by a control circuit disposed at the level of or near said module.

16. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises switches for modifying the series or parallel assembly of sub-assemblies of the battery and in that these switches are controlled by at least one control circuit disposed at the level of a module of the battery.

17. Battery according to claim 1, wherein the cell switch is a transistor.

18. Battery according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a plurality of casings disposed in series and comprises a rack with locations for removably accommodating the casings, a location comprising electrical contacts for the electrical connection of a casing with the terminals of the battery via a power bus, the location being associated with a rack switch so as to be able to maintain an electrical output in the absence of a certain casing in a certain location via at least one other casing disposed in another slot of the rack.

19. Method of managing a battery according to claim 1, the method comprising:

a step of electrically powering a control circuit of a switch disposed at the level of a given module of the battery from at least one cell of the given module or an adjacent module, and

a step of opening or closing cell switches and/or parallel switches of the battery in real time to convert a voltage of the battery in order to supply a sinusoidal output voltage.

20. Battery management method according to claim 19, wherein it comprises a step of electrically powering by at least one cell of the battery all other electronic components internal to the battery necessitating a power supply.

21. Management method according to claim 19, wherein it comprises the following steps:

measuring at least one parameter at the level of a cell of a given module of the battery representative of the state of the cell;

transmitting said measured parameter to at least one processing circuit or a computer;

determining the position of a cell switch taking into account said measured parameter;

commanding opening or closing of the cell switch via the control circuit powered by the given module or an adjacent module.

22. Battery management method according to claim 21, wherein it comprises a step consisting in comparing the measured parameter to a threshold to diagnose the state of the cell, estimate the state of charge of the cell or estimate its state of health.

23. Battery management method according to claim 22, wherein it comprises a step of opening the cell switch when the cell is holding a charge below a threshold or is overcharged or is faulty or overheating.

24. Battery management method according to claim 19, wherein it comprises a step of cyclic opening/closing of the cell switch associated with a cell, the cyclic ratio being fixed as a function of the total time of use of said cell, in turn determined as a function of the overall current and voltage demand from the battery and as a function of the diagnosis of the cell concerned.

25. Battery management method according to claim 19, wherein it comprises some or all of the following steps:

balancing the modules or cells with one another, giving priority to using the modules or cells carrying the highest charge when the battery is connected to a load and the modules or cells carrying the lowest charge when charging the battery;

balancing the modules or cells by modifying the average rate of use of the modules or cells but without using the same modules and/or cells continuously so that the charging of the modules or cells is balanced;

choosing the modules to use as a function of the current that they can supply;

limiting the use of the modules or cells at the highest temperature or giving preference to using them when the current demand is lower;

maintaining a homogeneous temperature within the battery.