FAULT TOLERANT MODULAR BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20100315043A1
• Filed: 03/12/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hak Hon Chau
• Original Assignee: Hak Hon Chau
• Inventors: Chau, Hak Hon
• Granted Patent: US 8,410,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/12 Buck converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• 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 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A modular battery management system for managing a plurality of batteries and driving a load includes a plurality of battery management control modules; a plurality of bi-directional voltage converter modules respectively connected to the batteries and connected to the battery management control modules, the bi-directional voltage converter modules being connected to each other in parallel; and a plurality of energy storage modules respectively connected with the bi-directional voltage converter modules in parallel and connected to the load. The bi-directional voltage converter modules are configured to transfer electric energy from the batteries to the load or from the energy storage modules to the batteries. The battery management control modules are configured to execute a predetermined program based on the state information of each battery and control the bi-directional voltage converter modules. The batteries, the bi-directional voltage converter modules, the energy storage modules, and the battery management control modules are arranged in a redundant topology so that if any one of the components fails, the other components resume the functions of the failing component.

Claims

1. A modular battery management system for managing a plurality of batteries and driving a load, the system comprising:

a plurality of battery management control modules;

a plurality of bi-directional voltage converter modules respectively connected to the batteries and connected to the battery management control modules, the bi-directional voltage converter modules being connected to each other in parallel; and

a plurality of energy storage modules respectively connected with the bi-directional voltage converter modules in parallel and connected to the load;

wherein;

the bi-directional voltage converter modules are configured to transfer electric energy from the batteries to the load or from the energy storage modules to the batteries; and

the battery management control modules are configured to execute a predetermined program based on the state information of each battery and control the bi-directional voltage converter modules.

2. The modular battery management system of claim 1, wherein the energy storage modules are capacitors, super capacitors, ultra capacitors, flywheels or any form of recyclable electric energy storage elements.

3. The modular battery management system of claim 1, wherein the bi-directional voltage converter modules are configured to transfer electric energy from the energy storage modules to the batteries so as to charge the batteries when the voltage on the energy storage modules exceeds a predetermined value.

4. The modular battery management system of claim 1, wherein the bi-directional voltage converter modules are respectively connected to the batteries through a first plurality of switches, the energy storage modules are respectively connected with the bi-directional voltage converter modules in parallel through a second plurality of switches, the load is connected to the energy storage modules through a third switch, and the first plurality of switches, the second plurality of switches and the third switch are controlled by the battery management control modules.

5. The modular battery management system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of battery state monitoring modules respectively connected to the batteries, connected to the battery management control modules, and configured for monitoring the state of each battery and sending the state information of each battery to the battery management control modules, wherein the battery state monitoring modules and the bi-directional voltage converter modules are connected to the battery management control modules through a control bus.

6. The modular battery management system of claim 5, wherein when one battery management control module stops working properly, the other battery management control modules are configured to resume the functions of the battery management control module.

7. The modular battery management system of claim 1, wherein the battery management control modules are configured to adjust the output voltage levels of the bi-directional voltage converter modules based on an instruction from a user.

8. The modular battery management system of claim 4, wherein the battery management control modules are configured to disable one of the first plurality of switches and the bi-directional voltage converter module connected with the switch simultaneously.

9. A modular battery management system for managing a plurality of batteries and driving a load, the system comprising:

a plurality of battery management control modules;

a plurality of bi-directional voltage converter modules respectively connected to the batteries through a first plurality of switches and connected to the battery management control modules, the bi-directional voltage converter modules being connected to each other in parallel; and

a plurality of energy storage modules respectively connected with the bi-directional voltage converter modules in parallel and connected to the load;

wherein;

the bi-directional voltage converter modules are configured to transfer electric energy from the batteries to the load or from the energy storage modules to the batteries; and

the battery management control modules are configured to execute a predetermined program based on the state information of each battery and control the bi-directional voltage converter modules and the first plurality of switches.

10. The modular battery management system of claim 9, wherein the energy storage modules are capacitors, super capacitors, ultra capacitors, flywheels, or any form of recyclable electric energy storage elements.

11. The modular battery management system of claim 9, wherein the bi-directional voltage converter modules are configured to transfer electric energy from the energy storage modules to the batteries so as to charge the batteries when the voltage on the energy storage modules exceeds a predetermined value.

12. The modular battery management system of claim 9, wherein the battery management control modules are configured to disable one of the first plurality of switches and the bi-directional voltage converter module connected with the switch simultaneously.

13. The modular battery management system of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of battery state monitoring modules respectively connected to the batteries, connected to the battery management control modules, and configured for monitoring the state of each battery and sending the state information of each battery to the battery management control modules, wherein the battery state monitoring modules and the bi-directional voltage converter modules are connected to the battery management control modules through a control bus.

14. The modular battery management system of claim 13, wherein when one battery management control module stops working properly, the other battery management control modules are configured to resume the functions of the battery management control module.

15. The modular battery management system of claim 9, wherein the battery management control modules are configured to adjust the output voltage levels of the bi-directional voltage converter modules based on an instruction from a user.

16. A modular battery management system for managing a plurality of batteries and driving a load, the system comprising:

a plurality of battery management control modules;

a plurality of battery state monitoring modules respectively connected to the batteries, connected to the battery management control modules, and configured for monitoring the state of each battery and sending the state information of each battery to the battery management control modules;

a plurality of bi-directional voltage converter modules respectively connected to the batteries through a first plurality of switches and connected to the battery management control modules, the bi-directional voltage converter modules being connected to each other in parallel; and

a plurality of energy storage modules respectively connected with the bi-directional voltage converter modules in parallel through a second plurality of switches and connected to the load through a third switch;

wherein;

the bi-directional voltage converter modules are configured to transfer electric energy from the batteries to the load or from the energy storage modules to the batteries;

the battery management control modules are configured to execute a predetermined program based on the state information of each battery and control the bi-directional voltage converter modules, the first plurality of switches, the second plurality of switches and the third switch; and

the battery state monitoring modules and the bi-directional voltage converter modules are connected to the battery management control modules through a control bus.

17. The modular battery management system of claim 16, wherein the bi-directional voltage converter modules are configured to transfer electric energy from the energy storage modules to the batteries so as to charge the batteries when the voltage on the energy storage modules exceeds a predetermined value.

18. The modular battery management system of claim 16, wherein the battery management control modules are configured to disable one of the first plurality of switches and the bi-directional voltage converter module connected with the switch simultaneously.

19. The modular battery management system of claim 16, wherein the battery management control modules are configured to adjust the output voltage levels of the bi-directional voltage converter modules based on an instruction from a user.

20. The modular battery management system of claim 16, wherein the energy storage modules are capacitors, super capacitors, ultra capacitors, flywheels, or any form of recyclable electric energy storage elements.