Modular battery case for prismatic cells and portable off-grid power storage and delivery system

• US 10,243,192 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bren-Tronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bren-Tronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Casebolt, Richard, Cecchini, Richard, Squillante, Alan, Paczkowski, Henry, Burke, Peter J., Fung, Sai
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Lisa S
• Application Number:
  US15/260,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20170069900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• 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 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• 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: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/10 Batteries in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/262 with fastening means, e.g. locks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/271 Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/503 characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/509 characterised by the type of connection, e.g. mixed connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A modular case having similarly sized U-shaped sections that enclose energy storage cells and a battery management system. Additional modules can be ganged together to increase the energy storage and output capacity. Removable panels in the sections can be removed for the installation of jacks and a status display. Various charging sources can be coupled to the module including solar, generator and AC mains for charging. An output switch selectively delivers AC mains power when available, and then switches to battery power during periods of AC mains unavailability.

Claims

1. A modular case to enclose prismatic cells and control electronics comprising:

a module having;

a first U-shaped section being upright to form a bottom half of the module and an equally sized second U-shaped section being inverted to form a top half of the module, wherein said module has a tubular shape with left and right edges disposed at the two opposed open ends thereof;

an internal module volume divided between a prismatic cell bay adapted to receive prismatic cells and a control electronics bay; and

a coupling rail disposed at said left and right edges of the module adapted to connect to one of a coupling rail of a further module or an end panel to close off the open ends.

2. The modular case of claim 1, further comprising a battery management system disposed within said control electronics bay including:

a charge control block for controlling the flow of current from external sources into said module;

a DC to AC converter that controls the flow of power out of said module to provide mains AC power; and

a microcontroller that controls the battery management system.

3. The modular case of claim 2, wherein said battery management system further includes:

a measurement and data acquisition sensor adapted to monitor voltages, currents and temperatures of the prismatic cells;

said microcontroller acquires, evaluates and responds to the monitored condition of the prismatic cells; and

a primary load controller operated by said microcontroller to operate said DC to AC converter.

4. The modular case of claim 3, wherein each U-shaped section includes a prismatic cell rack disposed in said prismatic cell bay;

wherein said module further includes a plurality of prismatic cells mounted within said prismatic cell rack; and

said battery management system further includes a cell balancer for equalizing the cell voltages within said prismatic cells.

5. The modular case of claim 1, wherein said first and second U-shaped sections have:

free ends that meet along a front and rear parting line;

rectilinear flanges formed at said free ends that extend outwardly from said bays; and

section fasteners for securing the flanges together outside of said internal module volume.

6. The modular case of claim 5, wherein said

coupling rail comprises an annular flange at said edges that extends outwardly.

7. The modular case of claim 6, further including module fasteners adapted to connect said annular flange to a further annular flange outside of said internal module volume.

8. The modular case of claim 6, further including an end panel and end panel fasteners to connect said end panel to said annular flange.

9. The modular case of claim 4, further comprising electrical connectors to electrically couple said prismatic cells together.

10. The modular case of claim 9, further comprising fusible link wires to electrically couple the prismatic cells of one module to the prismatic cells of a further module.

11. The modular case of claim 10, wherein the fusible link wires electrically couple each prismatic cell of one module to the corresponding prismatic cell of the further module, so that the cells from one module are parallel connected to the cells from the further module.

12. The modular case of claim 4, further comprising fusible link wires to electrically couple each prismatic cell of one module to the corresponding prismatic cell of the further module.

13. The modular case of claim 4, wherein said battery management system further includes:

an input AC power switch to selectively connect utility power when available to charge said prismatic cells; and

an output AC power switch to selectively switch the module output power between prismatic cell power and utility mains power when available.

14. The modular case of claim 4, wherein said battery management system includes:

a circuit breaker coupled to said prismatic cell output that trips upon sensing excessive current, wherein said microcontroller independently trips said circuit breaker upon sensing abnormal operating conditions.

15. The modular case of claim 4, wherein said battery management system includes:

an AC output monitor coupled to said DC to AC converter to receive a digital status signal from said DC to AC converter, said AC output monitor including a communications link to report status information about the module'"'"'s AC output.

16. The modular case of claim 15, wherein said communications link includes a wired communications link to report status to a local user.

17. The modular case of claim 16, wherein said communications link includes a wireless communications link to report status to remote technical support.

18. The modular case of claim 1, wherein one of said U-shaped sections includes a removable panel to access said control electronics bay.

19. The modular case of claim 15, further including a control panel that is installed in the space provided by removing said removable panel, said control panel is coupled to said microcontroller to provide visual indicators of the battery management system status on the outside of said module.

20. The modular case of claim 1, wherein each section has outwardly-extending flanges that are symmetrically configured to form an invertible mirror image connecting rail for coupling sections together to form the modular case and for ganging multiple modular cases together.

21. The modular case of claim 20, wherein said flanges comprise rectilinear flanges for coupling two sections together to form a modular case.

22. The modular case of claim 21, wherein said flanges further comprise annular flanges for ganging together two modular cases.