BATTERY PACK SAFETY AND THERMAL MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A battery pack comprising one or more battery cells, a pack positive and a pack negative electrical contact, a fuse, and a fuse receptacle or connector.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process of controlling the temperature of a battery pack includes the steps of determining the operating mode and present temperature of the battery pack. Optimal temperature for the battery pack depends on the operating mode and the difference between the present temperature and the previously identified optimal temperature. The battery pack is warmed if the temperature difference (measured minus optimal) is large. The optimal time interval over which the battery pack should be warmed is a function of the operating mode and the previously calculated temperature difference. A heater is switchably operated enabling and disabling the heat generating element to warm the pack to the previously identified optimal temperature.
196 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A battery pack comprising one or more battery cells, a pack positive and a pack negative electrical contact, a fuse, and a fuse receptacle or connector.
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12. A process of determining the hazardous status of a system comprising a plurality of battery packs for transportation safety purposes, comprising the steps of:
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communicating with each battery pack in said system; determining the amount of hazardous material in each battery pack; determining the electrical connectivity of each pack with all other packs; defining one or more groups, each group consisting of all packs electrically connected with one another; summing the amount of hazardous material in the packs of each group of electrically connected packs; identifying the group or groups having the greatest sum of hazardous material; comparing the greatest sum value with a threshold value;
determining the hazardous status based upon the result of the preceding comparison and,communicating the result of the hazardous status determination.
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- 13. A battery pack comprising one or more battery cells and a heater.
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20. A process of controlling the temperature of a battery pack comprising the steps of:
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determining the operating mode of the battery pack; determining the present temperature of the battery pack; identifying the optimal temperature for the battery pack as a function of the previously determined operating mode; calculating the difference between the previously measured present temperature and the previously identified optimal temperature; deciding if the temperature difference indicates that the battery pack should be warmed; determining the optimal time interval over which the battery pack should be warmed as a function of the previously determined operating mode and the previously calculated temperature difference; and
,operating a heater by switchably enabling and disabling the heat generating element in a fashion to warm the pack to the previously identified optimal temperature in the previously determined optimal time interval.
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Specification