Systems and methods for constructing a battery

• US 20030152830A1
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enersys Energy Products, Inc. (EnerSys)
• Original Assignee: Modular Energy Devices, Inc. (EnerSys)
• Inventors: Eaves, Stephen S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,553,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/156
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• 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 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• 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 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/637 characterised by the use of reversible temperature-sensitive devices, e.g. NTC, PTC or bimetal devices; characterised by control of the internal current flowing through the cells, e.g. by switching means for preventing undesired use or discharge H01M50/572
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6571 Resistive heaters arrangements for heating the battery by its resistance to the internal current H01M10/637
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

Methods and systems for constructing a battery, the battery including at least two energy storage sections connected in parallel to a common module power bus, the energy storage sections including at least one battery cell and at least one section disconnect device capable of disconnecting the at least two energy sections from the module power bus, and, a section protection device to control the section disconnect device based on data from the energy storage sections. In an embodiment, the battery can include at least two battery modules connected in series using an interlock signal, where the battery modules include a module protection device having an interlock signal controller and fault logic for controlling the interlock signal controller, such that the modules can control the interlock signal and hence a disconnect device that receives the interlock signal and is connected between the modules and a load and/or charger.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a battery, the method comprising:

providing at least one module by connecting at least two energy storage sections in parallel to a common module power bus, the at least two energy storage sections having at least one battery cell and at least one section disconnect device to disconnect the at least one of the at least two energy storage sections from the common module power bus,

acquiring data associated with the at least one battery cell in the at least two energy storage sections, and,

based on the data, controlling the section disconnect device to disconnect one or more of the at least two energy storage sections from the module power bus.

2. A method according to claim 1, where acquiring data includes acquiring data associated with at least one of:

battery cell voltage, battery cell temperature, and battery cell current.

3. A method according to claim 1, where acquiring includes acquiring using section protection device, said section protection device for comparing the acquired data against at least one predetermined value.

4. A method according to claim 1, where the section disconnect device is thermally activated.

5. A method according to claim 1, where the section disconnect device includes a resistive heating device.

6. A method according to claim 4, where the section disconnect device is activated by an electrical current.

7. A method according to claim 1, where the at least two energy storage sections include an equalizer device for directing energy from at least one battery cell output terminal to an electrically resistive device.

8. A method according to claim 7, where the directing is based on a predetermined battery cell voltage setting.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising connecting the at least one module in series.

10. A method according to claim 9, where the at least one module is associated with at least one module protection device for receiving data associated with at least one of a voltage, a temperature, and a current based on the at least one module.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising comparing the received data to at least one threshold, and based on the comparison, controlling an interlock signal that connects the series connected modules.

12. A method according to claim 11, where the interlock signal controls a pack disconnect device to disconnect the battery module from at least one of a charge source and a load.

13. A method according to claim 1, where at least two energy storage sections includes at least one fuse.

14. A method according to claim 1, further including providing battery cell protection devices for at least one of the at least one battery cells.

15. A battery, comprising:

at least two energy storage sections connected in parallel to a common module power bus, the at least two energy storage sections including at least one battery cell and at least one section disconnect device capable of disconnecting at least one of the at least two energy sections from the module power bus, and,

a section protection device to control the section disconnect device based on data from the at least two energy storage sections.

16. A battery according to claim 15, where the data is associated with at least one of a temperature, a voltage, and a current.

17. A battery according to claim 15, where the at least one battery cell is connected in a series-parallel arrangement.

18. A battery according to claim 15, where the section protection device compares at least one of a temperature, a voltage, and a current to at least one predetermined value to control the section disconnect device.

19. A battery according to claim 15, where the section protection device is associated with at least one of the at least two energy storage sections.

20. A battery according to claim 15, where the disconnect device is thermally activated.

21. A battery according to claim 15, where the disconnect device is activated by providing electrical current to a resistive heating element.

22. A battery according to claim 15, where the at least two energy storage sections include at least one equalization device.

23. A battery according to claim 22, where the at least one equalization device compares the at least one battery cell voltage to a predetermined voltage setting, and based on the comparison, directs energy from the at least one battery cell to an electrically resistive device.

24. A battery according to claim 15, further comprising a module protection device.

25. A battery according to claim 24, where the module protection device includes fault logic and an interlock signal control, the fault logic for providing control to the interlock signal control.

26. A battery comprising,

at least two battery modules connected in series using an interlock signal, the at least two battery modules further comprising:

a module protection device, where the module protection device includes an interlock signal controller and fault logic for controlling the interlock signal controller,

at least two energy storage sections connected in parallel to a common module power bus, the at least two energy storage sections including at least one battery cell and at least one section disconnect device capable of disconnecting at least one of the at least two energy sections from the module power bus, and,

a section protection device to control the section disconnect device based on data from the at least two energy storage sections.

27. A battery according to claim 26, further comprising a pack disconnect device connected in series to the interlock signal, the pack disconnect device connected between the at least two battery modules and at least one of a load and a charger.

28. A battery according to claim 27, where the interlock signal controls the pack disconnect device.

29. A battery according to claim 27, where the module protection device for the at least one battery module controls the interlock signal to cause the pack disconnect device to disconnect at least one of the load and the charger from the at least one battery module.