EMBEDDED BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHODS

• US 20130033102A1
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lonnie Calvin Goff, Mark Edmond Eidson, Michael Richard Conley
• Original Assignee: Lonnie Calvin Goff, Mark Edmond Eidson, Michael Richard Conley
• Inventors: Goff, Lonnie Calvin, Eidson, Mark Edmond, Conley, Michael Richard
• Application Number:
  US13/649,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20130033102A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.6
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/08 Methods and devices for control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• 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 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/25 by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/06 Lead-acid accumulators semi-lead accumulators H01M10/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 : Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery with an embedded battery management system is disclosed. The battery management system facilitates various advantages including monitoring the operational characteristics of individual battery cells, performing passive and/or active cell balancing, calculating the remaining life of the battery, and providing a warning if the battery is near the end of its life. The embedded battery management system also facilitates making battery parameters available externally, interfacing with smart charging systems, and enabling the battery management system to control the smart charging system, for example by making desired charge requests. The embedded battery management system includes non-volatile memory that stores algorithms for implementing different functions of the battery management system.

Claims

1. In a battery including a case, a plurality of cells enclosed in said case, and a terminal electrically coupled to said plurality of cells, a method for balancing the charge of each of said plurality of cells, said method comprising:

generating sensor data using a sensor set disposed within said case, said sensor data including data indicative of a state of charge of each cell of said plurality of cells;

analyzing said sensor data using a processing unit disposed within said case to detect a charge imbalance between one or more of said cells; and

diverting charging current from said over-charged cell if at least one of said cells is over-charged compared to other ones of said cells, said step of diverting reducing the charge of said over-charged cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said battery is a lead-acid battery.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of diverting charging current from said over-charged cell includes diverting said charging current through a load.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said load has a resistance of 100 Ohms.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of analyzing said sensor data to detect a charge imbalance includes comparing a voltage associated with each cell of said plurality of cells with the average voltage of all of said plurality of cells.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of diverting charging current occurs if at least one of said cells is over-charged compared to said average voltage of all of said plurality of cells by at least a predetermined amount.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said predetermined amount is 0.01 Volts.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, using said processing unit, the life expectancy of said battery based on an average operating temperature over a defined amount of time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the life expectancy of said battery is determined by the formula (N)·

(½

)^(x-77F)/15F, where (N) represents the average life expectancy of a battery in months and x is said average operating temperature in Fahrenheit.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, using said processing unit, the remaining life expectancy of said battery based on an average operating temperature and empirical data associated with said battery.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving voltage data indicative of the output voltage on said terminal of said battery;

storing said voltage data in memory to create stored voltage data;

receiving new voltage data indicative of the output voltage on said terminal of said battery, said new voltage data including voltage data acquired during a time period from when a starter motor of a vehicle is energized by said battery and an engine of said vehicle starts and being indicative of an initial drop in said output voltage of said battery during a recent engine start;

retrieving said stored voltage data, said stored voltage data being indicative of initial drops in said output voltage of said battery during previous engine starts;

comparing said new voltage data to said stored voltage data using a processing unit;

determining whether said new voltage data differs from said stored voltage data by at least a predetermined amount; and

generating a notification signal when said new voltage data differs from said stored voltage data by at least said predetermined amount; and

wherein said step of comparing said new voltage data to said stored voltage data includes comparing said initial drop in said output voltage of said battery during said recent engine start with at least one of said initial drops in said output voltage of said battery during previous engine starts.

12. A battery comprising:

a case;

a plurality of cells enclosed in said case;

a terminal electrically coupled to said plurality of cells;

a sensor set disposed within said case and operative to generate sensor data, said sensor data including data indicative of a state of charge of each cell of said plurality of cells; and

a processing unit disposed within said case, said processing unit being operative to analyze said sensor data to detect a charge imbalance between one or more of said plurality of cells, and

divert charging current from an over-charged cell if at least one of said cells is over-charged compared to other ones of said plurality of cells, said step of diverting reducing the charge of said over-charged cell.

13. The battery of claim 12, wherein said battery is a lead-acid battery.

14. The battery of claim 12, further comprising:

a load; and

wherein said processing unit is operative to selectively divert said charging current through said load; and

said load has a resistance of 100 Ohms.

15. The battery of claim 12, wherein said processing unit is operative to analyze said sensor data to detect a charge imbalance by comparing a voltage associated with each cell of said plurality of cells with the average voltage of all of said plurality of cells.

16. The battery of claim 15, wherein said processing unit is operative to divert said charging current if at least one of said cells is over-charged by at least 0.01 Volts.

17. The battery of claim 12, wherein said processing unit is further operative to determine the life expectancy of said battery based on an average operating temperature over a defined amount of time.

18. The battery of claim 17, wherein said processing unit is further operative to determine the remaining life expectancy of said battery based on empirical data associated with said battery.

19. The battery of claim 12, further comprising:

a voltage sensor disposed inside said case and operative to provide voltage data indicative of an output voltage of said battery, said voltage data including voltage data acquired during a time period from when a starter motor is energized by said battery and an engine starts and being indicative of an initial drop in said output voltage of said battery;

memory operative to store data and code; and

wherein

said processing unit is coupled to said memory and said voltage sensor and, responsive to said code, is operative to

receive said voltage data from said voltage sensor,

retrieve voltage data previously provided by said voltage sensor from said memory, said previously provided voltage data being indicative of initial drops in said output voltage of said battery during previous time periods when said starter motor is energized,

compare said voltage data from said voltage sensor to said voltage data previously provided by said voltage sensor,

determine whether said voltage data differs from said previously provided voltage data by at least a predetermined amount, and

generate a notification signal when said voltage data differs from said previously provided voltage data by at least said predetermined amount; and

said processing unit is operative to compare said initial drop in said output voltage of said battery with said initial drops in said output voltage of said battery during said previous time periods.

20. A battery comprising:

a case;

a plurality of cells enclosed in said case;

a terminal electrically coupled to said plurality of cells;

a sensor set disposed within said case and operative to generate sensor data, said sensor data including data indicative of a state of charge of each cell of said plurality of cells;

means for analyzing said sensor data to detect a charge imbalance between one or more of said plurality of cells, and

means for diverting charging current from an over-charged cell if at least one of said cells is over-charged compared to other ones of said plurality of cells, said step of diverting reducing the charge of said over-charged cell.