BATTERY MODULE ARCHITECTURE WITH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL EXPANDABILITY

• US 20160294198A1
• Filed: 10/27/2015
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elitise LLC (COMSovereign Holding Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Elitise LLC (COMSovereign Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Poulis, Spiro, Begliarov, Sergei N., Zakharyan, Kagum G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,515,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• 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 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus 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: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery module architecture including a plurality of battery cells coupled electrically in series and having a combined battery potential proportional to the combined sum of the battery cells is controlled by microcontroller to balance battery cell voltages by a battery cell voltage balancer having a discharging circuit and a plurality of differential conductive connections each respectively coupled to positive and negative terminals of one of the battery cells.

Claims

1. A multi-cell battery control circuit within a battery housing, comprising:

a negative battery terminal and a positive battery terminal that each penetrate and conduct electrical current through the battery housing;

a plurality of battery cells coupled electrically in series and having a combined battery potential proportional to the combined sum of the battery cells,

a microcontroller;

a battery cell voltage balancer having a discharging circuit and a plurality of differential conductive connections, each of the differential conductive connections respectively coupled to positive and negative terminals of one of the battery cells, the cell voltage balancer also having at least one cell balancing output and at least one cell balancing input to transmit and receive cell voltage balancing information to and from the microcontroller, respectively;

a contactor series-coupled between the combined battery potential and the positive battery terminal and having a closed state that permits current to flow between the combined battery potential and the positive battery terminal, and an open state that prohibits current flow between the combined battery potential and the positive battery terminal, the contactor having a contactor control input coupled to the microcontroller;

a charger having a charger power input, a charger power output, and a charger control input, the charger input coupled to the positive battery terminal, the charger power output electrically coupled to the combined battery potential to charge the plurality of battery cells from the positive battery terminal if the contactor is in the open state, the charger control input coupled to the microcontroller; and

a communications link connected to the microcontroller that communicates to a transceiver outside of the battery housing.

2. The multi-cell battery control circuit in claim 1 further comprising,

a thermistor and heater coupled to the microcontroller and positioned in thermal communication with the plurality of battery cells to both measure and affect the temperature of the battery cells based on input from the microcontroller.

3. The multi-cell battery control circuit in claim 1 wherein,

the contactor is coupled to a bi-directional current sensing circuit, the bi-directional current sensing circuit having a current sense element coupled electrically in series between the combined battery potential and the positive battery terminal, the bi-directional current sensing circuit having an output coupled to the microcontroller.

4. The multi-cell battery control circuit in claim 3 wherein,

the bi-directional current sensing circuit includes a current-to-voltage converter that produces an output that is representative of the polarity of the current flowing through the current sense element, the output coupled to the microcontroller.

5. The multi-cell battery control circuit in claim 4 wherein,

the bi-directional current sensing circuit further includes an amplifier with an input coupled to the microcontroller and the input conducts a signal that modifies the gain of the amplifier.

6. The multi-cell battery control circuit in claim 1 further comprising,

a low-power path coupled electrically parallel to the contactor.

19. The multi-cell battery control circuit in claim 1 further comprising,

a low-power path coupled between the combined battery potential and the positive battery terminal.

20. The multi-cell battery control circuit in claim 19 wherein,

the low-power path comprises a series connected diode and resistor.

7. A method of managing a battery module, the battery module having a positive battery terminal and a negative battery terminal, a plurality of battery cells with an accumulated battery cell voltage, the battery module further includes a contactor coupled electrically in series between the accumulated battery cell voltage and the positive battery terminal, a charger that is coupled to the positive battery terminal and has a charger output coupled to the accumulated battery cell voltage, the method comprising:

opening the contactor to create an open circuit between the accumulated battery cell voltage and the positive battery terminal to prohibit sourcing current from the battery module;

closing the contactor to create an closed circuit between the accumulated battery cell voltage and the positive battery terminal;

charging the plurality of battery cells from the charger when the open circuit exists between the accumulated battery cell voltage and the positive battery terminal; and

charging the plurality of battery cells from the positive battery terminal when the closed circuit exists between the accumulated battery cell voltage and the positive battery terminal.

8. The method in claim 7 wherein,

opening is upon detection of an occurrence of a fault condition selected from over-current flowing through the contactor, or over-voltage at the plurality of battery cells, the positive battery terminal, or the contactor.

9. The method in claim 8 wherein the battery module further includes a bi-directional current sensing circuit with a current-sense element coupled to the positive battery terminal, and the bi-directional current sensing circuit also having an output coupled to the microcontroller, the method further comprising,

sensing at the current-sense element to detect the occurrence of a fault condition.

10. The method in claim 7, further comprising:

charging the plurality of battery cells by current flowing from the positive battery terminal through the contactor if the current flowing from the positive battery terminal through the contactor is less than a reference current;

opening the contactor if the current flowing from the positive battery terminal through the contactor is greater than the reference current; and

charging the plurality of battery cells from the charger if the current flowing from the positive battery terminal through the contactor is greater than the reference current.

11. The method in claim 7, wherein the battery module further includes a heater and thermistor, the method further comprising:

reading the temperature of the plurality of battery cells using the thermistor prior to charging the plurality of battery cells;

comparing the temperature of the plurality of battery cells to a reference temperature; and

charging the plurality of battery cells if the temperature of the plurality of battery cells exceeds the reference temperature, else;

heating the plurality of battery cells if the temperature of the plurality of battery cells is less than the reference temperature.

12. The method in claim 7 wherein the battery module includes a communication link coupled to a receiver external to the battery module, the method further comprising:

sensing an original accumulated battery cell voltage;

detecting each occurrence wherein the accumulated battery cell voltage decreases at least twenty percent below the original accumulated battery cell voltage; and

transmitting via the communication link an indication of each occurrence wherein the accumulated battery cell voltage decreased at least twenty percent below the original accumulated battery cell voltage to the receiver.

13. The method in claim 12 further comprising:

detecting each subsequent occurrence wherein the accumulated battery cell voltage increases above the original accumulated battery cell voltage;

detecting each subsequent occurrence wherein the accumulated battery cell voltage decreases to a voltage that is within five percent of the original accumulated battery cell voltage; and

transmitting via the communication link an indication of each occurrence wherein the accumulated battery cell voltage decreases to a voltage that is within five percent of the original accumulated battery cell voltage to the receiver.

14. The method in claim 7, wherein the battery module is a master battery module of a plurality of battery modules, wherein the plurality of battery modules have the positive battery terminals coupled together and the negative battery terminals coupled together, respectively, the method further comprising:

sampling the voltages on the plurality of battery cells in each of the other plurality of battery modules;

communicating the voltages sampled in each of the other plurality of battery modules to the master battery module;

comparing the sampled voltages in the plurality of battery modules to determine a battery module and a battery cell within having a lowest sampled voltage; and

discharging the battery cells in all of the battery modules that have battery cell voltages greater than the lowest sampled voltage until the battery cells in the plurality of battery cells have substantially the same voltage as the lowest sampled battery cell voltage.

15. The method in claim 14 wherein the plurality of battery modules is N battery modules, the method further comprising:

opening at least one of the contactors at a time so that N−

1 or fewer contactors are closed; and

sourcing current from the N−

1 or fewer battery modules.

16. An aggregate battery, comprising:

a plurality of battery modules each battery module including

a positive battery terminal and a negative battery terminal,

a plurality of battery cells electrically coupled in series to create an accumulated battery cell voltage,

a contactor coupled between the positive battery terminal and the accumulated battery cell voltage, the contactor with an open state that prohibits current flow and a closed state that permits current flow,

a charger coupled between the positive battery terminal and the accumulated battery cell voltage, and

a battery cell balancer coupled to the plurality of battery cells,

a microcontroller coupled to and having a process to control each of the contactor, the charger, and the battery cell balancer, and

a communications link coupled to the microcontroller for communicating with at least one of the other plurality of battery modules;

wherein a first subset of the plurality of battery modules have the positive battery terminals coupled together and the negative battery terminals coupled together, respectively, the communications link of each of the first subset wirelessly coupled to the communication link in at least one of the other battery modules in the first subset.

17. The aggregate battery in claim 16 further comprising:

a second subset of the plurality of battery modules have the positive battery terminals coupled together and the negative battery cells coupled together, respectively, the communications link of each of the second subset wirelessly coupled with the communication link in at least one of the other battery modules, and the negative terminals of the second subset coupled to the positive battery terminals of the first subset.

18. The aggregate battery in claim 17 wherein,

each of the second subset of the plurality of battery modules are wirelessly coupled with the communication link in one of the battery modules in the first subset.