SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN ENERGY STORAGE PACK

• US 20120001483A1
• Filed: 03/18/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electroengine SA
• Original Assignee: Electroengine SA
• Inventors: Bergefjord, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US13/257,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20120001483A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, a control system (13) and a control device (15) for controlling a storage pack (7), and a vehicle (1) comprising the control system. The invention also relates to a feeding device (17), a storage cell (9) provided with a feeding device and a supply module.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a storage pack (7), which storage pack comprises a plurality of storage cells (9) adapted to store energy and to supply the stored energy as electric energy jointly with at least a majority of the other storage cells in the storage pack as a joint, storage pack voltage and current, characterized in that the control system comprises a plurality of feeding devices (17), each feeding device being adapted to be electrically connected with a subgroup (10a-d) of at least one storage cell(s) in the storage pack, and at least one supply module (37) arranged to electrically interconnect the plurality of feeding devices, wherein each of at least a majority of the feeding devices is adapted to handle an exchange of energy between its subgroup of storage cell(s) and the supply module.

2. A control system according to claim 1, characterized in that each of at least a majority of the feeding devices (17) is arranged to handle the exchange of energy independently from the other feeding devices connected with the supply module, and in that the control system comprises a control device (15) arranged to individually and independently control each of the feeding devices and the handling of the exchange of energy.

3. A control system according to claim 2, characterized in that the control device (15) is arranged to receive information on the present charge levels of the subgroups of storage cells, and to control at least one feeding device connected with a subgroup with higher charge level than an average charge level of the storage pack to transfer energy from its subgroup of storage cells to the supply module.

4. A control system according to claim 3, characterized in that the control device (15) is arranged to control the at least one feeding device to transfer the energy to the supply module during recharge of the storage pack with a joint recharge voltage and current.

5. A control system according to any of the claims 1-4, characterized in that the supply module comprises a first (2) and second (4) power lines connected with and electrically interconnecting at least a majority of the plurality of feeding devices.

6. A control system according to claim 5, characterized in that the supply module comprises a capacitor (38) connected between the power lines.

7. A control system according to any of the claims 1-6, characterized in that at least a majority of the feeding devices (17) each comprises a converter (23) comprising a first terminal having two contacts adapted to be connected with a negative and a positive pole of the subgroup of storage cells, respectively.

8. A control system according to one of claim 5 or 6, and claim 7, characterized in that the converter (23) comprises a second terminal having two contacts connected with the first and second power lines, respectively, wherein the converter is arranged to convert a common feeding voltage into a separate feeding voltage for its subgroup of cells and vice versa.

9. A control system according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the converter is a DC/DC-converter.

10. A control system according to any of the claims 1-9, characterized in that the supply module (37) is arranged to supply a common feeding voltage to the plurality of feeding devices, and that the supply module comprises a voltage controller (36) arranged for striving to keep the common feeding voltage at a target voltage.

39. An electric vehicle or vessel, characterized in that the vehicle or vessel comprises a control system according to any of the claims 1-10.

11. A feeding device connectable with a storage pack comprising a plurality of storage cells (9) adapted to store energy and to supply the stored energy as electric energy, characterized in that the feeding device (17) is adapted to be electrically connected with a subgroup (10) of at least one storage cell(s) in the storage pack, and to be electrically connected with a supply module (37), which supply module is adapted to be further connected with a plurality of similar feeding devices in order to electrically interconnect the feeding devices, wherein the feeding device (17) is adapted to handle an exchange of energy between its subgroup of storage cell(s) and the supply module.

12. A feeding device according to claim 11, characterized in that the feeding device (17) is arranged to handle the exchange of energy independently from any other feeding devices connected with the supply module.

13. A feeding device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the feeding device (17) is adapted to estimate the present charge level of the subgroup of storage cell(s), and to transfer energy from the subgroup to the supply module (37) when obtaining information that the present charge level for its subgroup of storage cell(s) is higher than an average charge level of the storage pack.

14. A feeding device according to any of the claims 11-13, characterized in that the feeding device (17) is adapted to be connected with a first (2) and second (4) power lines belonging to the supply module and interconnecting a plurality of similar feeding devices.

15. A feeding device according to any of the claims 11-14, characterized in that the feeding device comprises a converter (23) comprising a first terminal having first and second contacts adapted to be connected with a negative and a positive pole of the subgroup of storage cells, respectively.

16. A feeding device according to claim 14 and 15, characterized in that the converter (23) comprises a second terminal having a first and a second contacts connected with the first and second power lines, respectively, wherein the converter is arranged to convert a common feeding voltage provided by the power lines into a separate feeding voltage for the subgroup of storage cells, and vice versa.

17. A feeding device according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the feeding device comprises a DC/DC-converter.

18. A feeding device according to any of the claims 11-17, characterized in that the feeding device (17) is adapted to receive a common feeding voltage from the supply module having a constant target voltage.

19. A subgroup comprising at least one storage cell adapted to store energy and to supply the stored energy as electric energy, characterized in that the subgroup comprises a feeding device (17) according to any of the claims 11-18 connected with the subgroup.

20. A supply module for aiding in controlling a storage pack (7) comprising a plurality of storage cells (9) adapted to store energy and to supply the energy as electric energy, characterized in that the supply module (37) is adapted to be electrically connected with and to electrically interconnect a plurality of feeding devices (17), each feeding device being adapted to be electrically connected with a subgroup of storage cells in the storage pack, wherein the supply module is further adapted to allow the feeding devices (17) to handle an exchange of energy between the supply module and their respective subgroups of storage cells.

21. A supply module according to claim 20, characterized in that the supply module (37) is adapted to allow each of at least a majority of the feeding devices to handle an exchange of energy between the supply module and an individual subgroup (10) of storage cells independently from the other feeding devices.

22. A supply module according to any of the claim 20 or 21, characterized in that the supply module (37) is adapted to allow a transfer of energy between any one feeding device (17) and any other of the feeding devices connected with the supply module.

23. A supply module according to any of the claims 20-22, characterized in that the supply module (37) comprises a first (2) and a second (4) power lines connected with each of at least a majority of the plurality of feeding devices for electrically interconnecting the feeding devices.

24. A supply module according to claim 23, characterized in that the supply module comprises a capacitor (38) connected between the power lines.

25. A supply module according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that the supply module comprises a voltage controller (36) arranged for striving to keep a common feeding voltage between the power lines at a target voltage.

26. A supply module according to one of the claims 23-25, characterized in that the supply module (37) is adapted to be connected with a plurality of feeding devices, each comprising a converter (23) comprising a terminal having a first and a second contacts, wherein the first (2) and second (4) power lines are adapted to be connected with the first and second contacts, respectively.

27. A control device for controlling a storage pack (7) comprising a plurality of storage cells (9) adapted to store energy and to supply the stored energy as electric energy, characterized in that the control device (15) is adapted for controlling a plurality of feeding devices (17) connected with subgroups of at least one storage cell(s) in the storage pack, and to control the feeding devices to handle an exchange of energy between their individual subgroups of storage cells and a supply module (37) arranged to electrically interconnect the feeding devices.

28. A control device according to claim 27, characterized in that the control device (15) is adapted to individually and/or independently control each of at least a majority of the feeding devices (17), and the handling of the exchange of energy between the supply module and their individual subgroups of storage cells.

29. A control device according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that the control device (15) is arranged to receive information on the present charge levels of the subgroups of storage cells, and to control at least one feeding device (17) connected with a subgroup with higher charge level than an average charge level of the storage pack to transfer energy from that subgroup to the supply module (37).

30. A control device according to claim 29, characterized in that the control device (15) is arranged to control the at least one feeding device (17) to transfer energy to the supply module during a recharge of the storage pack with a joint recharge voltage and current.

31. A control device according to any of the claims 27-30, characterized in that the control device (15) is adapted to transmit control signals to at least a majority of the feeding devices for controlling a controllable converter (23) comprised within each of the feeding devices.

32. A control device according to any of the claims 27-31, characterized in that the control device (15) is able to control any two feeding devices (17) connected with the supply module to transfer energy in between them via the supply module (37).

33. A method for controlling a storage pack comprising a plurality of storage cells adapted to store energy and to supply the stored energy as electric energy, characterized in that the method comprises

exchanging energy between a supply module and at least one subgroup of storage cells in the storage pack with a feeding device, which feeding device is electrically connected between the subgroup of storage cells and the supply module, and which supply module electrically interconnects a plurality of such feeding devices.

34. A method according to claim 33, characterized in that the method comprises

individually and/or independently controlling each of at least a majority of a plurality of feeding devices to individually and/or independently handle the exchange of energy between its subgroup of storage cells and the supply module.

35. A method according to any of the claims 33-34, characterized in that the method comprises

receiving information on the present charge levels of the subgroups of storage cells, and

controlling at least one feeding device connected with a subgroup with higher charge level than an average charge level of the storage pack to transfer energy from that subgroup to the supply module.

36. A method according to claims 35, characterized in that the method comprises

recharging the storage pack with a joint recharge voltage and current, and

controlling the at least one feeding device to transfer energy from that subgroup to the supply module during the recharge of the storage pack.

37. A method according to any of the claims 33-36, characterized in that the method comprises

providing a first and a second power line in the supply module, which are connected with the feeding devices for supplying the common feeding voltage to the feeding devices, and

striving to keep the common feeding voltage at a target voltage.

38. A method according to any of the claims 33-37, characterized in that the method comprises

transferring energy from any one feeding device to any other feeding device via the supply module.