ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT FOR CHARGING AND HEATING A BATTERY

• US 20110144861A1
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Control Solutions Incorporated (ADAMA Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Control Solutions Incorporated (ADAMA Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lakirovich, Konstantin, Walach, Brett
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/08 Methods and devices for control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to 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: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1582 Buck-boost converters H02M3/1584 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An electronic circuit configured to operate in any of a plurality of charging and heating modes for two batteries, a primary battery and a secondary battery. The electronic circuit includes a plurality of switch and diode pairs in a stacked configuration. The stacks of switch and diode pairs are connected to an inductor, to a plurality of mode control switches, and the two batteries. The mode control switches are used to set the modes, which include a charging mode, a self-heating, a power exchange-heating mode, and a direct power transfer mode.

Claims

1. An electronic circuit coupled between two batteries, the electronic circuit comprising:

a plurality of mode control switches configured to set the electronic circuit to operate in one of a plurality of charging and heating modes;

a plurality of switch and diode pairs, each switch and diode pair including a diode connected across an output of an electronic switch, the electronic switch having a trigger connected to a control signal; and

an inductor connected to the plurality of switch and diode pairs;

the electronic circuit configured to operate in the plurality of charging and heating modes according to the states of the mode control switches and the control signals applied to the switch and diode pairs, where the switch and diode pairs are triggered on and off to either charge the inductor or operate the inductor as a current source for charging and heating the batteries in accordance with the charging and heating modes.

2. The electronic circuit of claim 1 where:

the plurality of mode control switches includes three mode control switches, wherein one mode control switch is connected to one battery, another mode control switch is connected to the other battery, and the third mode control switch is connected to each switch of each of the batteries;

the plurality of switch and diode pairs includes a first stacked switch and diode pair having a first node between two switch and diode pairs in the first stack, a second stacked switch and diode pairs having a second node between the switch and diode pairs in the second stack;

the inductor is coupled to the first and second nodes;

a top switch and diode pair of the first stacked switch and diode pairs is coupled to a third node between the first and second mode control switches;

a top switch and diode pair of the second stacked switch and diode pairs is coupled to a fourth node between the second and third mode control switches; and

a bottom switch and diode pair of the two stacked switch and diode pairs are coupled to the other terminal of the two batteries.

3. The electronic circuit of claim 1 where the mode control switches and the switch and diode pairs are switched to operate in any one of the following four modes:

a charging mode configured to transfer charge from one battery to the other battery via the inductor;

a first heating mode configured to provide self-heating of one of the batteries;

a second heating mode configured to provide heating of both batteries via the inductor; and

a direct power transfer mode configured to provide direct charging of one of the batteries via the other battery.

4. The electronic circuit of claim 1 where the switch and diode pairs include electronic switches selected from a group consisting of transistors, bipolar junction transistors, field effect transistors, integrated circuits, power transistors.

5. The electronic circuit of claim 1 where the mode control switches include switches selected from a group consisting of transistors, bipolar junction transistors, field effect transistors, silicon-controlled rectifiers, integrated circuits, power transistors, mechanical switches, throw switches, push-buttons, dial switches, rotary switches, electromechanical switches, relays, contactors, solenoids.

6. The electronic circuit of claim 1 configured to operate in a vehicle where one battery is the main vehicle battery, and the other belongs to a vehicle sub-system.

7. The electronic circuit of claim 1 configured to operate in a vehicle where both batteries operate in different vehicle sub-systems.

8. A battery-operated sub-system configured to operate in a battery-operated system, the battery-operated system powered by a primary battery and the battery-operated sub-system powered by a secondary battery, the battery-operated sub-system comprising:

a controller configured to generate a plurality of control signals; and

an electronic circuit connected to the primary battery and to the secondary battery, the electronic circuit having;

a plurality of mode control switches configured to set the electronic circuit to operate in one of a plurality of charging and heating modes;

a plurality of switch and diode pairs, each switch and diode pair including a diode connected across an output of an electronic switch, the electronic switch in the plurality of switch and diode pairs having a trigger connected to one of the plurality of control signals; and

an inductor connected to the plurality of switch and diode pairs;

the electronic circuit configured to operate in the plurality of charging and heating modes according to the states of the mode control switches and the control signals applied to the switch and diode pairs, where the switch and diode pairs are triggered on and off to either charge the inductor or operate the inductor as a current source for charging and heating the batteries in accordance with the charging and heating modes.

9. The battery-operated sub-system of claim 8 where:

the plurality of mode control switches includes three mode control switches, wherein one mode control switch is connected to one battery, another mode control switch is connected to the other battery, and the third mode control switch is connected to each switch of each of the batteries;

the plurality of switch and diode pairs includes a first stacked switch and diode pair having a first node between two switch and diode pairs in the first stack, a second stacked switch and diode pairs having a second node between the switch and diode pairs in the second stack;

the inductor is coupled to the first and second nodes;

a top switch and diode pair of the first stacked switch and diode pairs is coupled to a third node between the first and second switches;

a top switch and diode pair of the second stacked switch and diode pairs is coupled to a fourth node between the second and third switches; and

a bottom switch and diode pairs of the two stacked switch and diode pairs are coupled to the other terminal of the two batteries.

10. The battery-operated sub-system of claim 8 where the mode control switches and the switch and diode pairs are switched to operate in any one of the following four modes:

a charging mode configured to charge the secondary battery via the inductor;

a first heating mode configured to provide self-heating of the secondary battery;

a second heating mode configured to provide heating of both the primary and secondary battery via the inductor; and

a direct power transfer mode configured to provide direct charging of the secondary battery via the primary battery.

11. The battery-operated sub-system of claim 8 where the switch and diode pairs include electronic switches selected from a group consisting of transistors, bipolar junction transistors, field effect transistors, integrated circuits, power transistors.

12. The battery-operated sub-system of claim 8 where the mode control switches include switches selected from a group consisting of transistors, bipolar junction transistors, field effect transistors, silicon-controlled rectifiers, integrated circuits, power transistors, mechanical switches, throw switches, push-buttons, dial switches, rotary switches, electromechanical switches, relays, contactors, solenoids.

13. The battery-operated sub-system of claim 8 where the battery-operated system is a vehicle and the primary battery is a vehicle battery.

14. The battery-operated sub-system of claim 8 configured to control a door on a military vehicle.

15. A method for charging and heating at least one battery in a system having two batteries, the method comprising:

switching an electronic circuit to one of a plurality of charging and heating modes;

configuring a plurality of switch and diode pairs to alternately charge and discharge an inductor to provide charge to one or both of the batteries to either charge or heat the batteries in accordance with the selected charging and heating mode; and

coupling a plurality of control signals to the plurality of switch and diode pairs to cycle the charging and discharging of the inductor in accordance with the selected charging and heating mode.

16. The method of claim 15 where the step of coupling the plurality of control signals cycles the charging and discharging by:

setting the electronic circuit to a first cycle by;

connecting a first one of the batteries to the inductor; and

disconnecting a second one of the batteries from the inductor;

charging the inductor with the first battery in the first cycle;

setting the electronic circuit to a second cycle by;

disconnecting the first battery from the inductor; and

connecting the second battery to the inductor to generate a current flow from the inductor to the second battery;

charging the second battery with the inductor in the second cycle.

17. The method of claim 15 where the step of coupling the plurality of control signals cycles the charging and discharging by:

setting the electronic circuit to a first cycle by;

disconnecting a first one of the batteries from the inductor;

connecting a second one of the batteries to the inductor to generate a current flow through the inductor;

charging the inductor with the second battery and heating the second battery in the first cycle;

setting the electronic circuit to a second cycle by connecting the inductor to the second battery to generate a current flow from the inductor to the second battery to heat the second battery with the charge in the inductor.

18. The method of claim 15 where the step of coupling the plurality of control signals cycles the charging and discharging by:

setting the electronic circuit to a first cycle by;

connecting a first one of the batteries to the inductor; and

disconnecting a second one of the batteries from the inductor;

charging the inductor with the first battery and heating the first battery in the first cycle;

setting the electronic circuit to a second cycle by;

disconnecting the first battery from the inductor; and

connecting the second battery to the inductor to generate a current flow from the inductor to the second battery to heat the second battery with the charge in the inductor

setting the electronic circuit to a third cycle by connecting the second battery to the inductor to generate a current flow from the second battery to the inductor to charge the inductor and to heat the second battery using the second battery;

setting the electronic circuit to a fourth cycle by;

connecting the first battery to the inductor to generate a current flow from the inductor to the first battery to heat the first battery; and

disconnecting the second battery from the inductor.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

setting the electronic circuit to directly transfer power from one battery to the other by;

closing the mode control switches to connect the batteries to one another; and

switching the switch and diode pairs to an OFF position to allow charge to flow from one battery to the other via the mode control switches thereby increasing the supply current in the battery receiving the charge and heating both batteries.