DUAL-MODE BATTERY

• US 20120262105A1
• Filed: 10/20/2010
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Original Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Inventors: Atkins, Andrew Farquhar
• Application Number:
  US13/503,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20120262105A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/00 Arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion, e.g. hybrid propulsion systems comprising electric motors and internal combustion engines ; Control systems therefor, i.e. systems controlling two or more prime movers, or controlling one of these prime movers and any of the transmission, drive or drive units arrangement or mounting in vehicles of electrical gearing, in which an electrical machine serves only as reduction gearing and not as the prime mover and in which no electrical storing means are used B60K17/12; control and regulation of purely electrical prime movers B60L; prime-movers comprising electrical and internal combustion motors in a common engine block or housing per se F02B65/00; electric motors or motor-generators used for starting the combustion engine F02N11/04; electric motors for synchronising gearing F16H3/12 Informative references: mechanical gearings with secondary electric drive F16H3/72; arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with the dynamo-electric machine H02K7/00; machines comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; dynamo-electric machines not otherwise provided for in H02K see H02K99/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/105 the accumulator being a flywheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/20 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/30 characterised by chargeable mechanical accumulators, e.g. flywheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2054 by controlling transmissions or clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/30 using propulsion power stored mechanically, e.g. in fly-wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/24 including control of energy storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/435 Supercharger or turbochargers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 battery apparatus is provided comprising a mechanical battery (40) including a flywheel. The battery apparatus further comprises a chemical battery (42) wherein the mechanical and chemical batteries (40, 42) are arranged, in use, to supply energy to a common load (48).

Claims

1. A battery apparatus comprising a mechanical battery including a flywheel and a chemical battery, wherein said mechanical and chemical batteries are arranged, in use, to supply energy to a common load.

2. The battery apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mechanical battery is arranged in parallel with the chemical battery.

3. The battery apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mechanical battery is arranged in series between the chemical battery and a vehicle transmission.

4. The battery apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a controller (44) for controlling energy flow in the battery apparatus.

5. The battery apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mechanical battery (40) and chemical battery (42) are rechargeable using energy recovered from operation of a system which comprises the common load.

6. The battery apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mechanical battery (40) and the chemical battery (42) are rechargeable by one another.

7. The battery apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the common load to which the mechanical (40) and chemical (42) batteries supply energy is an electric machine (46).

8. The battery apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said electric machine (46) is comprised in any of:

an electric vehicle (EV), including a Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV); and

a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), including a Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.

9. A vehicle, engine or machine including a battery apparatus comprising a mechanical battery including a flywheel and a chemical battery, wherein said mechanical and chemical batteries are arranged, in use, to supply energy to a common load.

10. A method of supplying energy to a system including a load, said method comprising using a battery apparatus comprising a chemical battery and a mechanical battery including a flywheel to supply said energy to the system, wherein the combination of chemical battery energy and mechanical battery energy supplied is selected according to instantaneous operating conditions.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising the step of recharging at least one of said mechanical battery and said chemical battery using energy recovered from operation of said system.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising the step of recharging said chemical battery using said mechanical battery or recharging said mechanical battery using said chemical battery.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said instantaneous operating conditions include at least one of:

system load size, relative battery charge, absolute battery charge, relative battery capacity, absolute battery capacity, required rate of energy supply, required amount of energy supply, and required energy type.

14. A method of controlling energy flow in a system including a battery apparatus and a load, said battery apparatus comprising a chemical battery and a mechanical battery including a flywheel, the method comprising considering, according to instantaneous operating conditions, whether energy should flow into or out of the battery apparatus from or to the load and, thereafter, recharging or extracting energy from an optimised combination of the mechanical battery and the chemical battery in accordance with said instantaneous operating conditions.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein selecting an optimised combination of mechanical and chemical battery operation includes consideration of at least one of an instantaneous state of charge of the flywheel in the mechanical battery and an instantaneous state of charge of the chemical battery.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein selecting an optimised combination of mechanical and chemical battery operation includes considering an instantaneous power requirement of the load.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein selecting an optimised combination of mechanical and chemical battery operation includes considering an the instantaneous energy cycling speed in the system.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14 further including the step of maintaining a minimum charge level in the mechanical battery and/or the chemical battery during operation of the system.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising, at the end of a system operating period, draining energy from the mechanical battery into the chemical battery for storage therein.

20. (canceled)