Systems and methods for series battery charging

• US 10,153,651 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 24M Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 24M Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Taylor, Tony L., Ota, Naoki, Tan, Taison
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US14/879,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 320134
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/049 Processes for forming or storing electrodes in the battery container
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/128 Processes for forming or storing electrodes in the battery container
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/288 Processes for forming or storing electrodes in the battery container
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4264 with capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/446 Initial charging measures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0447 of complete cells or cells stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Systems and methods for charging and discharging a plurality of batteries are described herein. In some embodiments, a system includes a battery module, an energy storage system electrically coupled to the battery module, a power source, and a controller. The energy storage system is operable in a first operating state in which energy is transferred from the energy storage system to the battery module to charge the battery module, and a second operating state in which energy is transferred from the battery module to the energy storage system to discharge the battery module. The power source electrically coupled to the energy storage system and is configured to transfer energy from the power source to the energy storage system based on an amount of stored energy in the energy storage system. The controller is operably coupled to the battery module and is configured to monitor and control a charging state of the battery module.

Claims

1. A battery formation system comprising:

a battery module;

an energy storage system electrically coupled to the battery module and configured to bidirectionally transfer energy from and to the battery module, the energy storage system operable in a first operating state in which the energy is transferred from the energy storage system to the battery module to charge the battery module, and a second operating state in which the energy is transferred from the battery module to the energy storage system to discharge the battery module;

an electrical connection to a power source electrically coupled to the energy storage system and configured to transfer energy from the power source to the energy storage system based on an amount of stored energy in the energy storage system; and

a controller operably coupled to the battery module and the energy storage system and configured to monitor and control a charging state of the battery module; and

further comprising;

a power converter electrically coupled to the energy storage system and the battery module, the power converter configured to adjust a direct current (DC) voltage in the first and second operating states.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery module includes a plurality of batteries connected in series.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery module further includes a cell fixture configured to be electrically coupled to a plurality of batteries, the cell fixture configured to connect the plurality of batteries in series.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery module further includes a cell fixture configured to be electrically coupled to a plurality of batteries, the cell fixture configured to connect the plurality of batteries in a plurality of configurations.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein one of the plurality of configurations is a series configuration.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery module further includes a docking station configured for wireless charging of the battery module.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the energy storage system is configured to store energy by at least one of:

an electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC), a Li-ion capacitor, a hybrid capacitor, a flywheel, and a superconducting coil.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the energy storage system is configured to store energy in the form of an elevated fluid, a heated fluid, or a compressed fluid.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the power source is further configured to transfer energy to the energy storage system when the amount of stored energy in the energy storage system is below a threshold level.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is operably coupled to the energy storage system and configured to monitor and control a charging state of the energy storage system.

11. A battery formation method, comprising:

transferring energy from an energy storage system to a first battery module to charge the first battery module;

monitoring a charging state of the first battery module with a first controller operably coupled to the first battery module;

transferring the energy from the first battery module to the energy storage system to discharge the first battery module;

transferring the energy from the energy storage system to the second battery module to charge the second battery module; and

monitoring a charging state of the second battery module with a second controller operably coupled to the second battery module; and

wherein energy is transferred from the energy storage system to the first battery module during a first time and energy is transferred from the energy storage system to the second battery module during a third time period.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing the energy transferred from the first battery module to the energy storage system.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transferring energy from the second battery module to the energy storage system to discharge the second battery module.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing the energy transferred from the first battery module and/or the energy transferred from the second battery module to the energy storage system.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring an amount of stored energy in the energy storage system; and

transferring energy from a power source to the energy storage system if the amount of stored energy falls below a threshold value.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the first time period is concurrent with at least a portion of the third time period.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the second time period is concurrent with at least a portion of the third time period.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling the charging state of the first battery module with the first controller and/or controlling the charging state of the second battery module with the second controller to realize at least one of the following charging schemes:

constant voltage charging, constant current charging, taper current charging, pulsed charging, burp charging, IUI charging, trickle charging and/or float charging.

19. A battery formation system comprising:

a plurality of battery modules;

a centralized energy storage system bidirectionally coupled to the plurality of battery modules to send and to receive energy from the plurality of battery modules, the centralized energy storage system operable in a first operating state in which energy is transferred from the centralized energy storage system to the plurality of battery modules to charge the plurality of battery modules, and a second operating state in which the energy is transferred from the battery module to the centralized energy storage system to discharge the plurality of battery modules, wherein at least a portion of the first operating state is concurrent with at least a portion of the second operating state;

an electrical connection to a power source to electrically coupled to the centralized energy storage system to the power source to transfer energy from the power source to the centralized energy storage system; and

a controller operably coupled to the plurality of battery modules and the centralized energy storage system configured to monitor and control a charging state of the a plurality of battery modules.