SYSTEM AND METHOD OF BATTERY TEMPERATURE CONTROL

• US 20140210417A1
• Filed: 06/21/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanwha Solutions Corporation (Hanwha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Ki-Seon
• Granted Patent: US 9,153,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/130
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A temperature control system for a battery in an energy storage system is disclosed. In one aspect, the temperature control system includes a circuit configured to determine that the temperature of the battery has been maintained below a normal operation temperature for a predetermined duration. The circuit is further configured to alternatingly repeat charging and discharging operations using a winding in a primary side of an inverter to generate reactive current to flow in opposite directions through the battery until the temperature of the battery is restored to the normal operation temperature.

Claims

1. A battery temperature control system comprising:

a battery;

a converter electrically connected to the battery and comprising first and second switches and a first inductor, the converter configured to boost or drop an output voltage of the battery into an output voltage of converter;

a DC linker electrically connected to the converter and comprising a first capacitor, the DC linker configured to stabilize the output voltage of the converter; and

an inverter electrically connected to the DC linker and comprising a non-contact transformer, the non-contact transformer comprising a first winding on a primary side and a second winding on a secondary side, the first and second windings separated from each other by a gap therebetween, the non-contact transformer further comprising first to fourth switches provided on the primary side and a fifth switch and a second inductor provided on the secondary side.

2. The battery temperature control system of claim 1, wherein a first end of the first inductor is connected to a first terminal of the battery, wherein the first switch of the converter is between a second end of the first inductor and a first plate of the first capacitor, and wherein the first switch of the converter being configured to connect the first terminal of the battery to the first plate of the linker capacitor when switched on, and the second switch is configured to connect the second end of the first inductor and a second terminal of the battery when switched on.

3. The battery temperature control system of claim 2, wherein the converter further comprises a third switch connected in parallel to the first inductor and configured to directly connect the first terminal of the battery to the first plate of the first capacitor when switched on.

4. The battery temperature control system of claim 1, wherein the first to fourth switches on the primary side of the inverter form a full-bridge structure.

5. The battery temperature control system of claim 4, wherein

the first switch of the inverter is connected between the first plate of the first capacitor and a first end of the first winding;

the second switch of the inverter is connected between the first end of the first winding and the second terminal of the battery;

the third switch of the inverter is connected between the first plate of the first capacitor and a second end of the first winding; and

the fourth switch of the inverter is connected between the second end of the first winding and the second terminal of the battery.

6. The battery temperature control system of claim 1, wherein the fifth switch of the inverter is between the second winding and the second inductor, the fifth switch being configured to connect the second winding and the second inductor in series.

7. The battery temperature control system of claim 6, further comprising a diode between the fifth switch and the second inductor.

8. The battery temperature control system of claim 7, wherein the diode is configured to be in series with the second winding when the fifth switch is switched on and forward biased when a current flows in a direction from the second winding towards the second inductor through the diode.

9. The battery temperature control system of claim 8, wherein the inverter further comprises a second capacitor configured to connect a first end and a second end of the second winding through the second inductor when the fifth switch is switched on.

10. A battery temperature control method comprising:

determining that the temperature of the battery has been maintained below a normal operation temperature for a predetermined duration;

decoupling a secondary side from a primary side of a non-contact transformer of an inverter in the energy storage system, the primary side including a winding having a first end and a second end;

performing a charging operation by forming a charging current path through which a charging current generated by an inductance of the winding flows in a charging direction from a first end of the winding through the second end of the winding towards a first terminal of the battery;

performing a discharging operation by forming a discharging current path through which a discharging current generated by the inductance of the winding flows in a discharging direction from a first end of the winding through the second end of the winding towards a second terminal of the battery; and

alternatingly repeating charging and discharging operations until the temperature of the battery has been restored to the normal operation temperature.

11. The battery temperature control method of claim 10, wherein alternatingly repeating charging and discharging operations is performed through alternatingly switching a first pair of switches and a second pair of switches on the primary side.

12. The battery temperature control method of claim 11, wherein the first pair of switches comprises a first switch configured to connect the first end of the winding and a first plate of a first capacitor when switched on and a fourth switch configured to connect the second end of the winding and a second plate of the first capacitor when switched on.

13. The battery temperature control method of claim 11, wherein the second pair of switches comprises a second switch configured to connect the first end of the winding and a second plate of a first capacitor when switched on and a third switch configured to connect the second end of the winding and a first plate of the first capacitor when switched on.

14. The battery temperature control method of claim 11, further comprising decoupling a grid and a load from the energy storage system.

15. The battery temperature control method of claim 11, further comprising coupling the load and the grid to the energy storage system after the temperature of the battery has been restored to the normal operation temperature and blocking the formed charging and discharging current paths.