UNIVERSAL BATTERY AND MODULAR POWER SYSTEM

• US 20170141368A1
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIO Technology Company Limited (NIO, Inc. (China))
• Original Assignee: NextEV USA, Inc. (NIO, Inc. (China))
• Inventors: Ricci, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,753,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/52 Wind-driven generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/55 Capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/56 Mechanical storage means, e.g. fly wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/08 Structural combinations, e.g. assembly or connection, of hybrid or EDL capacitors with other electric components, at least one hybrid or EDL capacitor being the main component
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/12 Stacked hybrid or EDL capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/22 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/78 : Cases; Housings; Encapsulations; Mountings
• 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 10/48 : Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• 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 2220/20 : Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 : Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 : characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/503 : characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/514 : Methods for interconnecting adjacent batteries or cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 : Energy storage using capacitors
• 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 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems for a universal modular battery and power system are provided. The universal modular battery may include a number of modular interconnection features that enable a number of universal modular batteries to be stacked for use in a universal battery power system. The modular interconnection features facilitate the modular addition or subtraction of batteries in the universal battery power system to, among other things, alter a power capacity of the system. The universal batteries in a power system may be exchanged, swapped, or moved from one power system to another, including power systems associated with different vehicles and/or buildings.

Claims

1. A universal rechargeable battery, comprising:

a housing, comprising;

a power cell area including one or more power cells electrically interconnected with one another, wherein each of the one or more power cells includes an electrolyte having positive and negative ions;

a modular mechanical connection feature extending from at least one surface of the housing and having a mechanical contact surface; and

a modular receiving feature disposed opposite the modular mechanical connection feature, the modular receiving feature having at least one receiving surface substantially matching the mechanical contact surface of the modular mechanical connection feature, and wherein the modular receiving feature includes at least one relief portion that is inverse to a corresponding protrusion feature in the modular mechanical connection feature.

2. The universal rechargeable battery of claim 1, further comprising:

a first electrical contact electrically interconnected with the one or more power cells; and

a second electrical contact electrically interconnected with the one or more power cells, wherein the second electrical contact is physically separate from the first electrical contact, and wherein an electrical difference exists between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

3. The universal rechargeable battery of claim 2, wherein the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact are shrouded by at least a portion of the housing.

4. The universal rechargeable battery of claim 3, wherein the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact are disposed inside an outer peripheral surface of the housing.

5. The universal rechargeable battery of claim 1, further comprising:

a power management area disposed at least partially inside the housing and adjacent to the power cell area, wherein the power management area includes a controller, and wherein the controller is electrically interconnected to the one or more power cells.

6. The universal rechargeable battery of claim 1, further comprising:

a handling feature operatively connected to an outer peripheral surface of the housing.

7. The universal rechargeable battery of claim 6, wherein the handling feature includes a robotic end-effector receiving feature, and wherein the handling feature allows automatic handling by a robot and restricts manual handling by a user.

8. A universal rechargeable battery stack, comprising:

two or more universal rechargeable batteries arranged in a stack, wherein each of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries comprises;

a housing, comprising;

a power cell area including one or more power cells electrically interconnected with one another, wherein each of the one or more power cells includes an electrolyte having positive and negative ions;

a modular mechanical connection feature extending from at least one surface of the housing and having a mechanical contact surface; and

a modular receiving feature disposed opposite the modular mechanical connection feature, the modular receiving feature having at least one receiving surface substantially matching the mechanical contact surface of the modular mechanical connection feature, and wherein the modular receiving feature includes at least one relief portion that is inverse to a corresponding protrusion feature in the modular mechanical connection feature; and

wherein the modular mechanical connection feature of a first universal rechargeable battery of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries engages the modular receiving feature of a second and different universal rechargeable battery of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries.

9. The universal rechargeable battery stack of claim 8, wherein the modular mechanical connection feature of each universal rechargeable battery of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries includes a first guide feature arranged as a planar surface running from a front of each universal rechargeable battery to a rear of each universal rechargeable battery.

10. The universal rechargeable battery stack of claim 9, wherein the planar surface of the first guide feature is perpendicular to a front surface of the universal rechargeable battery stack.

11. The universal rechargeable battery stack of claim 9, wherein the modular receiving feature of the second universal rechargeable battery of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries includes a second guide feature configured to engage with the first guide feature of the first universal rechargeable battery.

12. The universal rechargeable battery stack of claim 11, wherein the first and second guides provide a sliding bearing surface between the first and second universal rechargeable batteries.

13. The universal rechargeable battery stack of claim 12, wherein the two or more universal rechargeable batteries are stacked directly on top of one another.

14. An universal rechargeable battery power system, comprising:

two or more universal rechargeable batteries arranged in a stack, wherein each of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries comprises;

a housing, comprising;

a power cell area including one or more power cells electrically interconnected with one another, wherein each of the one or more power cells includes an electrolyte having positive and negative ions;

a modular mechanical connection feature extending from at least one surface of the housing and having a mechanical contact surface; and

a modular receiving feature disposed opposite the modular mechanical connection feature, the modular receiving feature having at least one receiving surface substantially matching the mechanical contact surface of the modular mechanical connection feature, and wherein the modular receiving feature includes at least one relief portion that is inverse to a corresponding protrusion feature in the modular mechanical connection feature;

wherein the modular mechanical connection feature of a first universal rechargeable battery of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries engages the modular receiving feature of a second and different universal rechargeable battery of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries; and

a universal rechargeable battery receiving system having pairs of battery interconnections, wherein each pair of battery interconnections is configured to receive and electrically interconnect each of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries together.

15. The universal rechargeable battery power system of claim 14, wherein each of the two or more universal rechargeable batteries further comprises:

a first electrical contact electrically interconnected with the one or more power cells; and

a second electrical contact electrically interconnected with the one or more power cells, wherein the second electrical contact is physically separate from the first electrical contact, and wherein an electrical difference exists between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

16. The universal rechargeable battery power system of claim 15, wherein each pair of battery interconnections includes first and second electrical probes configured to mate with first and second electrical contacts of a mating universal rechargeable battery.

17. The universal rechargeable battery power system of claim 16, wherein the universal rechargeable battery receiving system further comprises:

at least one receiving feature disposed in a base thereof, and wherein the modular mechanical connection feature of a first mating universal rechargeable battery engages the at least one receiving feature.

18. The universal rechargeable battery power system of claim 17, wherein the universal rechargeable battery receiving system further comprises:

an electrical interconnection backplane, wherein each pair of battery interconnections is disposed on the electrical interconnection backplane.

19. The universal rechargeable battery power system of claim 18, wherein the first and second electrical probes of each pair of battery interconnections displace when an inserted universal rechargeable battery is connected with the universal rechargeable battery receiving system.

20. The universal rechargeable battery power system of claim 18, further comprising:

an electrical power output connector configured to only conduct electricity from inserted universal rechargeable batteries connected with the universal rechargeable battery receiving system.