BATTERY SYSTEMS OPERABLE IN A BACKUP MODE AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20150329008A1
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: KARLSON, PETER T., BEREZIN, VYACHESLAV, JONES, THOMAS A.
• Application Number:
  US14/279,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20150329008A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• 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: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/10 Batteries in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• 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 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

The present disclosure pertains to various embodiments of battery systems and related methods that may operate in a preconditioning mode based upon a predicted disturbance of service of an electrical utility. Such systems may include a battery configured to store electrical energy. A communication module may be configured to receive an indication of a predicted disturbance of an electrical utility. A battery management system may operate the battery system in a normal mode to maintain a state of charge (SOC) of the battery system within a normal mode SOC range. Upon receipt of an indication of the predicted disturbance from the communication module, the battery system may be transitioned to a preconditioning mode. The state of charge may be maintained within a preconditioning mode SOC range that exceeds the normal SOC range. The battery system may provide electrical energy during an actual disturbance affecting the electrical utility.

Claims

1. A battery system configured to operate in a preconditioning mode based upon a predicted disturbance of service of an electrical utility, comprising:

a battery system configured to store electrical energy;

a communication module configured to receive an indication of a predicted disturbance of an electrical utility;

a battery management system in communication with the battery system and the communication module, the battery management system configured to;

operate the battery system in a normal mode to maintain a state of charge (SOC) of the battery system within a normal mode SOC range;

receive the indication of the predicted disturbance from the communication module;

transition the battery system to a preconditioning mode upon receipt of the indication of the predicted disturbance and maintain the state of charge of the battery system within a preconditioning mode SOC range, the preconditioning mode SOC range exceeding the normal SOC range; and

accumulate electrical energy in the battery in the preconditioning mode up to a charge capacity cutoff threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the predicted disturbance comprises at least one of a weather disturbance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery management system is further configured to:

detect an actual disturbance in the service of the electrical utility;

transition to a backup mode upon detection of the actual disturbance; and

provide electrical energy from the battery system to an external load.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the battery management system is further configured to permit discharge of the battery system to a backup discharge threshold in the backup mode, the backup discharge threshold being lower than a normal discharging SOC that is maintained in the normal mode.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the actual disturbance comprises at least one of a blackout condition and a brownout condition.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the external load comprises the electrical utility.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the external load comprises a device configured to receive electrical power from the electrical utility.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interaction component configured to permit a user to specify a user preference;

wherein the battery management system is further configured to operate the battery system in the preconditioning mode based on the user preference.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface module configured to receive the indication of the predicted disturbance from a user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the preconditioning mode SOC range comprises a charge threshold of about 90%.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the normal charging SOC range comprises a normal charging SOC limit and a normal discharging SOC limit, and the battery management system is further configured to operate the battery system in the backup mode in a backup SOC range.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication module comprises a communications interface comprising at least one of a wireless data network interface, a wired data network interface, a cellular data interface, a satellite data interface, and a radio data system interface.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery controller may selectively disable a delayed charging operation in the preconditioning mode.

14. A method of operating a battery system configured to transition between a normal mode and a preconditioning mode based upon a predicted disturbance of service of an electrical utility, comprising:

operating the battery system in a normal mode and maintaining a state of charge (SOC) of the battery system within a normal mode SOC range;

receiving an indication of a predicted disturbance of service of the electrical utility from an external source;

transitioning the battery system to a preconditioning mode upon receipt of the indication of the predicted disturbance and maintaining the SOC of the battery system within a preconditioning mode SOC range, the preconditioning mode SOC range exceeding the normal SOC range; and

accumulating electrical energy in the battery in the preconditioning mode up to a charge capacity cutoff threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predicted disturbance comprises at least one of a weather disturbance and a supply-side disturbance of the electrical utility.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

operating the battery system in a backup mode and providing electrical energy from the battery system to an external load upon detection of an actual disturbance.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the actual disturbance comprises at least one of a blackout and a brownout.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving at least one user-specified battery preconditioning preference; and

adjusting at least one of the operation of the battery system in the preconditioning mode based on the at least one user-specified battery preconditioning preference.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selectively disabling a delayed charging operation in the preconditioning mode.

20. A battery system configured to transition between a normal mode and a preconditioning mode based upon an indication of predicted weather, comprising:

an electrical drivetrain configured to power a vehicle;

a battery system configured to store electrical energy and to provide electrical energy to the electrical drive;

a communication module configured to receive an indication of a weather disturbance through a communication interface;

a battery management system in communication with the battery system and the communication module, the battery management system configured to;

operate the battery system in a normal mode to maintain a state of charge (SOC) of the battery system between a first charge threshold and a first discharge threshold;

receive the indication of the weather disturbance;

transition the battery system to a preconditioning mode upon receipt of the indication of the weather disturbance and to accumulate electrical energy up to a second charge threshold, the second charge threshold being higher than the first charge threshold; and

transition the battery system to a backup mode upon receipt of an indication of actual disturbance in the service of the electrical utility and to provide electrical energy from the battery to an external load to a second discharge threshold, the second discharge threshold being lower than the first discharge threshold.