MODULAR BATTERY CELL ARCHITECTURE AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20150372515A1
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bulur, Yakup, Fishbune, Richard J., Maresh, Mark E., Swenson, Neil C., Wheeler, Adam M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,438,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a multi-cell battery, with at least two cells electrically connected in a first parallel arrangement, which is connected in series to a second parallel arrangement of at least two additional cells. Each cell is locally connected to a sensor to sense and control the current of each cell in parallel or parallel-series combination in the multi-cell battery. A control module is in communication with each sensor, and associated instructions electrically remove or disable a cell from the battery determined to be defective based on measurements from the associated sensor. Accordingly, the configuration measures and monitors the state of health of each cell in the battery pack, the measurements including temperature, voltage and current sensing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

arranging a battery pack with multiple cells, the cells arranged in a parallel configuration with each cell electrically connected in series to a current sensor, including a first cell in communication with a first current sensor and a second cell in communication with a second current sensor;

each respective current sensor measuring current at an associated cell, including the first current sensor measuring current through the first cell and the second current sensor measuring current through the second cell; and

controlling current flow in each individual cell within the pack responsive to the current sensed at the individual cell, including balancing current flow in each cell in the pack.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring temperature of each individual cell in the pack.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying one of the cells as a defective cell in the pack responsive to at least one of the measurements of an individual cell in the pack attaining a threshold and electrically isolating the identified defective cell from the battery pack, the measurements selected from the group consisting of:

current and temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring voltage change, including measuring a first voltage change across the first current sensor and measuring a second voltage change across the second current sensor, wherein one of the current sensors is selected from the group consisting of:

a resistor and an inductor.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a first integrated circuit module in communication with the first cell, the first module converting the first voltage change to a first current change magnitude.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising a first feedback circuit in communication with the first module, the first feedback circuit controlling current flow for the first cell, including balancing current flow in parallel to the first and second cells.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the cells in a matrix, including adding a third cell in series to the parallel configuration, wherein a quantity of cells in parallel is equal in each matrix row.

8. A computer program product for controlling current flow, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by an integrated circuit to cause the integrated circuit to perform a method comprising:

measuring current at an associated cell in a multi-cell battery pack arrangement, the arrangement including the cells arranged in a parallel configuration with each cell electrically connected in series to a current sensor, including a first cell in communication with a first current sensor and a second cell in communication with a second current sensor, the current measurement including the first current sensor measuring current through the first cell and the second current sensor measuring current through the second cell; and

controlling current flow in each individual cell within the pack responsive to the current sensed at the individual cell, including balancing current flow in each cell in the pack.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising measuring temperature of each individual cell in the pack.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising a control integrated circuit module in communication with the current sensor, the control integrated circuit module identifying one of the cells as a defective cell in the pack responsive to one of the measurements of an individual cell in the pack attaining a threshold and electrically isolating the identified defective cell from the battery pack, the measurements selected from the group consisting of:

current and temperature.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising the control integrated circuit module measuring voltage change, including measuring a first voltage change across the first current sensor and measuring a second voltage change across the second current sensor.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising a first integrated circuit module in communication with the first cell, the first module converting the first voltage change to a first current change magnitude.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising a first feedback circuit in communication with the first module, the first feedback circuit controlling current flow for the first cell, including balancing current flow in parallel to the first and second cells.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising arranging the cells in a matrix, including adding a third cell in series to the parallel configuration, wherein a quantity of cells in parallel is equal in each matrix row.

15. A system comprising:

a battery pack arrangement with multiple cells, the cells arranged in a parallel configuration with each cell electrically connected in series to a current sensor, the arrangement including a first cell in communication with a first current sensor and a second cell in communication with a second current sensor;

each respective current sensor to measure current at an associated cell, including the first current sensor to measure current through the first cell and the second current sensor to measure current through the second cell; and

a control mechanism to control current flow in each individual cell within the pack responsive to the current sensed at the individual cell, including the mechanism to balance current flow in each cell in the pack.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a temperature measurement of each individual cell in the pack, and the control mechanism to identify one of the cells as a defective cell in the pack responsive to at least one of the measurements of an individual cell in the pack attaining a threshold and electrically isolate the identified defective cell from the battery pack, the measurements selected from the group consisting of:

current and temperature.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a voltage change measurement across each of the cells, the measurement including a first voltage change across the first current sensor and a second voltage change across the second current sensor.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a first integrated circuit module in communication with the first cell, the first module to convert the first voltage change to a first current change magnitude.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising a first feedback circuit in communication with the first module, the first feedback circuit to control current flow for the first cell, including a balance of current flow in parallel to the first and second cells.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the cells arranged in a matrix, including adding a third cell in series to the parallel configuration, wherein a quantity of cells in parallel is equal in each matrix row.