Method and apparatus for charging multiple energy storage devices

• US 10,081,257 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kusch, Ruediger Soeren, King, Robert Dean, Steigerwald, Robert Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Paul
• Application Number:
  US15/712,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20180022221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 320140
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/526 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/25 by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An electric vehicle includes a controller configured to receive sensor feedback from a high voltage storage device and from a low voltage storage device, compare the sensor feedback to operating limits of the respective high and low voltage storage device, determine, based on the comparison a total charging current to the high voltage storage device and to the low voltage storage device and a power split factor of the total charging current to the high voltage device and to the low voltage device, and regulate the total power to the low voltage storage device and the high voltage storage device based on the determination.

Claims

1. An energy storage and management system (ESMS) for a vehicle propulsion system, the ESMS comprising:

an energy storage device;

a first DC/DC conversion device coupleable to an internal charging source for charging the energy storage device;

a second DC/DC conversion device coupleable to an external charging source for charging the energy storage device;

a plurality of energy ports for coupling the energy storage device to at least one of the first and second DC/DC conversion devices, the plurality of energy ports including;

a first energy port coupled to the energy storage device;

a second energy port coupled to the energy storage device;

a third energy port coupled to the first DC/DC conversion device; and

a fourth energy port coupled to the second DC/DC conversion device; and

a control system configured to;

selectively control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and

selectively control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.

2. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a battery.

3. The ESMS of claim 1, further comprising a second energy storage device.

4. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the first DC/DC conversion device comprises a bi-directional buck/boost converter.

5. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the second DC/DC conversion device comprises a boost converter.

6. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the internal charging source comprises at least one electric motor/generator.

7. The ESMS of claim 6, further comprising an inverter coupled to the electric motor/generator.

8. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the external charging source is an external AC source.

9. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to:

monitor a temperature of the energy storage device;

control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored temperature of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and

control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored temperature of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.

10. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to:

monitor a current of the energy storage device;

control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored current of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and

control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored current of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.

11. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to:

monitor a voltage of the first DC/DC conversion device;

monitor a voltage of the second DC/DC conversion device;

control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored voltage of the first DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and

control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored voltage of the second DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.

12. The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the control system comprises one or more controllers.

13. A vehicle propulsion system, comprising:

a vehicle drivetrain;

an energy storage device coupled to the vehicle drivetrain;

a first DC/DC conversion device coupleable to an internal charging source for charging the energy storage device;

a second DC/DC conversion device coupleable to an external charging source for charging the energy storage device;

a plurality of energy ports for coupling the energy storage device to at least one of the first and second DC/DC conversion devices, the plurality of energy ports including;

a first energy port coupled to the energy storage device;

a second energy port coupled to the energy storage device;

a third energy port coupled to the first DC/DC conversion device; and

a fourth energy port coupled to the second DC/DC conversion device; and

a control system configured to;

selectively control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and

selectively control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.

14. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle drivetrain comprises a transmission coupled to an internal combustion engine.

15. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the energy storage device is a battery.

16. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the first DC/DC conversion device comprises a bi-directional buck/boost converter.

17. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the internal charging source comprises at least one electric motor/generator.

18. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the second DC/DC conversion device comprises a boost converter.

19. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the control system is further configured to:

monitor a temperature of the energy storage device;

control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored temperature of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and

control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored temperature of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.

20. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the control system is further configured to:

monitor a current of the energy storage device;

control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored current of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and

control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored current of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.

21. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the control system is further configured to:

monitor a voltage of the first DC/DC conversion device;

monitor a voltage of the second DC/DC conversion device;

control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored voltage of the first DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and

control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored voltage of the second DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.