ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM

• US 20160001664A1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Roth, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 10,828,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/42 with use of more than one motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/19 Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An energy storage system for a vehicle has at least first and second electric motors and first and second energy storage cells arranged in the vehicle In a traction mode the first energy storage cell is interconnected with the at least one first electric motor and the second energy storage cell is interconnected with the at least one second electric motor. In a charging mode the first and second energy storage cells are interconnected with a respectively dedicated charging device separately and independently of one another or the first and second energy storage cells are interconnected in series and with a common charging device.

Claims

1. An energy storage system for a vehicle that has at least one first electric motor and at least one second electric motor, comprising:

first and second energy storage cells arranged in the vehicle, and connections between the first and second electric motors and the first and second energy storage cells so that in a traction mode the first energy storage cell is interconnected with the at least one first electric motor and the second energy storage cell is interconnected with the at least one second electric motor, and so that in a charging mode the first and second energy storage cells are interconnected respectively with dedicated charging devices separately and independently of one another or the first and second energy storage cells are interconnected in series with a common charging device.

2. The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein in the charging mode the first energy storage cell is coupled to a first charging device and the second energy storage cell is coupled to a second charging device that is separate from the first charging device.

3. The energy storage system of claim 2, wherein the first charging device comprises a first cable running between the vehicle and a charging station, and wherein the second charging device comprises a second cable running between the vehicle and the charging station.

4. The energy storage system of claim 2, wherein the first charging device comprises a first charging regulator arranged on the vehicle or on the charging station, and wherein the second charging device comprises a second charging regulator arranged on the vehicle or on the charging station.

5. The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein in the charging mode the first energy storage cell and the second energy storage cell are connected in series with the common charging device, the common charging device comprising a cable running between the vehicle and a charging station, and/or the common charging device comprising a common charging regulator arranged on the vehicle or on the charging station.

6. The energy storage system of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring and control unit provided for interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells with the respectively dedicated charging device separately and independently of one another or interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells in series with the common charging device.

7. A method for operating the energy storage system of claim 1, comprising:

establishing the traction mode by interconnecting the first energy storage cell with the at least one first electric motor and interconnecting the second energy storage cell with the at least one second electric motor, and subsequently terminating the traction mode and establishing the charging mode by interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells with respectively dedicated charging devices separately and independently of one another or interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells in series with a common charging device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining a charging infrastructure when in the charging mode and then, depending on the determined charging infrastructure, manually or automatically interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells with the respectively dedicated charging device separately and independently of one another, or interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells in series with the common charging device.

9. An energy storage system for a vehicle provided with at least one electric motor, comprising:

first and second energy storage cell arranged in the vehicle, and connections between the at least one electric motor and the first and second energy storage cells so that, in a traction mode, the first and second energy storage cells are connected in series and supply the at least one electric motor with electrical energy and wherein in a charging mode the first and second energy storage cells are interconnected in parallel with a common charging device.

10. The energy storage system of claim 9, wherein in the traction mode the first and second energy storage cells are connected together to form a common energy storage unit that is connected electrically conductively to the at least one electric motor and supply the at least one electric motor with electrical energy.

11. The energy storage system of claim 10, wherein the at least one electric motor comprises first and second electric motors arranged in the vehicle, wherein in the traction mode the energy storage unit is interconnected with both the first and second electric motors to supply both electric motors with electrical energy, the first electric motor driving a first vehicle axle and the second electric motor driving a second vehicle axle, or the first and second electric motors drive a common vehicle axle.

12. A method for operating the energy storage system of claim 9, comprising:

establishing the traction mode by interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells in series to supply electrical energy to the at least one electric motor, and subsequently terminating the traction mode and establishing the charging mode by interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells in parallel with a common charging device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a charging infrastructure when in the charging mode and then, depending on the determined charging infrastructure, interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells with the respectively dedicated charging device separately and independently of one another, or interconnecting the first and second energy storage cells in parallel with the common charging device.