System and method for battery control of hybrid locomotives

• US 20090115371A1
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kane, Ajit Wasant, Pelkowski, Stephen Matthew, Chawla, Monika, Salasoo, Lembit, Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair, Kolwalkar, Amol Rajaram
• Granted Patent: US 8,299,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 7/04 Locomotives or motor railcars with two or more different kinds or types of engines, e.g. steam and IC engines
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

A system and method are provided for battery control of hybrid vehicles such as, but not limited to, hybrid locomotives. The system and method are implemented to sense a present state of charge (SoC) of one or more batteries and generate present SoC data there from, sense a present excursion defined by a relationship represented as maximum SoC−minimum SoC for a desired cycle and generate present excursion data there from, and control the one or more battery power/current charging limits in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data.

Claims

1. A method for controlling stored battery charge, the method comprising:

sensing a present state of charge (SoC) of one or more batteries and generating present SoC data there from;

sensing a present excursion defined by a relationship represented as maximum SoC−

minimum SoC for a desired cycle and generating present excursion data there from; and

controlling power/current charging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data.

2. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 1, further comprising controlling power/current discharging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data.

3. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 2, wherein controlling power/current discharging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data comprises maintaining a desired power/current discharge rate for the one or more batteries.

4. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 2, wherein controlling power/current discharging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data comprises modulating a power/current discharge rate control limit based on the present SoC data and the present excursion data for the one or more batteries.

5. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 1, wherein controlling power/current charging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data comprises modulating a power/current charge rate control limit based on the present SoC data and the present excursion data for the one or more batteries.

6. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 5, wherein modulating a power/current charge rate control limit based on the present SoC data and the present excursion data for the one or more batteries comprises adjusting the power/current charge rate control limit upward as the excursion increases, and adjusting the power/current charge rate control limit downward as the excursion decreases.

7. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 6, wherein the power/current charge rate control limit is adjusted in a linear fashion.

8. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 6, wherein the power/current charge rate control limit is adjusted in a non-linear fashion.

9. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 5, wherein modulating a power/current charge rate control limit based on the present SoC data and the present excursion data for the one or more batteries comprises adjusting the power/current charge rate control limit upward as the excursion increases beyond a desired limit, and adjusting the power/current charge rate control limit downward as the excursion decreases below a desired limit.

10. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 9, wherein the power/current charge rate control limit is adjusted in a linear fashion.

11. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 9, wherein the power/current charge rate control limit is adjusted in a non-linear fashion.

12. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 1, further comprising powering a hybrid vehicle during a mission via the one or more batteries during the controlling of the power/current charging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data such that a fuel consumption rate for the hybrid vehicle is increased above the fuel consumption rate achievable using a constant power/current charging system.

13. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 12, wherein the hybrid vehicle comprises a locomotive.

14. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 12, wherein powering a hybrid vehicle during a mission further comprises controlling the power/current charging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data such that only those cycles are charged at higher rates where excess braking power is available.

15. The method for controlling stored battery charge according to claim 12, wherein powering a hybrid vehicle during a mission further comprises controlling the power/current charging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data such that battery life and performance for the hybrid vehicle is increased above the battery life and performance achievable using a constant power/current charging system.

16. A battery control system comprising:

a battery charge sensor configured to sense and generate data corresponding to a present state of charge (SoC) of one or more batteries, and further configured to sense and generate data corresponding to a present excursion defined by a relationship represented as maximum SoC−

minimum SoC for a desired cycle; and

a battery controller configured to control power/current charging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data.

17. The battery control system according to claim 16, wherein the battery controller is further configured to control battery power/current discharging limits for the one or more batteries in response to the present SoC data and the present excursion data.

18. The battery control system according to claim 17, wherein the power/current discharging limits are configured to maintain a desired power/current discharge rate for the one or more batteries.

19. The battery control system according to claim 17, wherein the power/current discharging limits are configured to provide modulation of a power/current discharge rate based on the present SoC data and the present excursion data for the one or more batteries.

20. The battery control system according to claim 16, wherein the power/current charging limits are configured to provide modulation of a power/current charge rate based on the present SoC data and the present excursion data for the one or more batteries.

21. The battery control system according to claim 20, wherein the modulation is configured to provide adjustment of the power/current charge rate upward as the excursion increases, and adjustment of the power/current charge rate downward as the excursion decreases.

22. The battery control system according to claim 20, wherein the modulation is configured to provide adjustment of the power/current charge rate in a linear fashion.

23. The battery control system according to claim 20, wherein the modulation is configured to provide adjustment of the power/current charge rate in a non-linear fashion.

24. The battery control system according to claim 20, wherein the modulation is configured to provide adjustment of the power/current charge rate upward as the excursion increases beyond a desired limit, and adjustment of the power/current charge rate downward as the excursion decreases below the desired limit.

25. The battery control system according to claim 16, further comprising a hybrid vehicle powered via the one or more batteries such that a fuel consumption rate for the hybrid vehicle is increased above the fuel consumption rate achievable using a constant power/current charging system.

26. The battery control system according to claim 25, wherein the hybrid vehicle comprises a locomotive.

27. The battery control system according to claim 16, further comprising a hybrid vehicle powered via the one or more batteries such that battery life and performance for the hybrid vehicle is increased above battery life and performance achievable using a constant power/current charging system.

28. A battery control system for enhancing hybrid vehicle battery performance and fuel savings via modulation of battery charging and discharging current control limits based on a relationship defined as

Control Limit (P, I)=f(Excursion, SoC), where P is total battery charging power in Amp hours, I is battery charging/discharging current, SoC means state of charge of the battery cells, and Excursion means the magnitude of a cycle defined as maximum SoC−

minimum SoC for a cycle.

29. The battery control system according to claim 28, wherein the modulation is configured to provide adjustment of the power/current charge rate upward as the excursion increases, and adjustment of the power/current charge rate downward as the excursion decreases.

30. The battery control system according to claim 28, wherein the modulation is configured to provide adjustment of the power/current charge rate in a linear fashion.

31. The battery control system according to claim 28, wherein the modulation is configured to provide adjustment of the power/current charge rate in a non-linear fashion.

32. The battery control system according to claim 28, wherein the modulation is configured to provide adjustment of the power/current charge rate upward as the excursion increases beyond a desired limit, and adjustment of the power/current charge rate downward as the excursion decreases below the desired limit.

33. The battery control system according to claim 28, wherein the hybrid vehicle comprises a locomotive.