System and method for precharging and discharging a high power ultracapacitor pack

• US 7,633,271 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
• Original Assignee: ISE Incorporated (ISE Group of Companies)
• Inventors: Ruppert, Swen O., Holl, Eugen, Schulte, Juergen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PACHECO, ALEXIS BOATENG
• Application Number:
  US12/324,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20090140702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 320/166, 320/167, 307/110, 363/53, 323/288
• US Class Current: 320/167
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/12 Induction machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/06 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/22 Dynamic electric resistor braking, combined with dynamic electric regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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

Abstract

This invention is a system and a method that uses the braking resistor, commonly used and available in electrically or hybrid-electrically propelled vehicles, to limit the precharge current during the startup of a high power ultracapacitor pack energy storage device and/or safely and rapidly discharge an ultracapacitor pack for maintenance work or storage to lengthen the life of the individual ultracapacitor cells and, correspondingly, the whole pack. The use of the braking resistor for precharging an ultracapacitor energy storage pack is an effective and less expensive method compared to other methods such as a separate DC-to-DC converter. This method includes the control logic sequence to activate and deactivate switching devices that perform the connections for the charging and discharging current paths.

Claims

1. A method for discharging an energy storage in a hybrid electric vehicle, the energy storage including a plurality of ultracapacitor energy storage cells, the hybrid electric vehicle including an internal combustion engine, a generator, a DC power bus, and at least one braking resistor, the method comprising:

shutting off fuel to the internal combustion engine;

electrically coupling the energy storage to the generator;

spinning the internal combustion engine via the generator;

discharging the energy storage to a first voltage at least in part via the spinning the internal combustion engine;

electrically coupling the energy storage to the braking resistor; and

,

discharging the energy storage from the first voltage to a second voltage through the braking resistor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the discharging the energy storage to the first voltage comprises discharging the energy storage down to the minimum operating voltage of the generator.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising cooling the braking resistor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the cooling the braking resistor comprises operating an engine coolant pump via an engine power take off to circulate a coolant through the braking resistor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid electric vehicle further includes at least one multi-phase inverter, the method further comprising operating a first phase of the at least one multi-phase inverter to electrically couple the braking resistor to the DC power bus.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising operating a second phase of the at least one multi-phase inverter to electrically couple the energy storage to the DC power bus.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the discharging the energy storage to a first voltage comprises discharging the energy storage by at least 30 kW of power.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the discharging the energy storage from the first voltage to a second voltage comprises discharging the energy storage by at least 60 kW of power.

9. A system for discharging an energy storage in a hybrid electric vehicle, the energy storage including a plurality of ultracapacitor energy storage cells, the hybrid electric vehicle including an internal combustion engine, a generator, the system comprising:

a DC power bus;

at least one braking resistor; and

,

a controller configured to shut off fuel to the internal combustion engine, electrically couple the energy storage to the generator, spin the internal combustion engine via the generator, discharge the energy storage to a first voltage at least in part via the internal combustion engine, electrically couple the energy storage to the braking resistor, and, discharge the energy storage from the first voltage to a second voltage through the braking resistor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first voltage is associated with the minimum operating voltage of the generator.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a coolant loop configured to cool the braking resistor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the coolant loop includes an engine coolant pump powered by an engine power take off, and is configured to circulate a coolant through the braking resistor.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the hybrid electric vehicle further includes at least one multi-phase inverter, the controller further configured to operate a first phase of the at least one multi-phase inverter to electrically couple the braking resistor to the DC power bus.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to operate a second phase of the at least one multi-phase inverter to electrically couple the energy storage to the DC power bus.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to discharge the energy storage to the first voltage by at least 30 kW of power.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to discharge the energy storage to the second voltage by at least 60 kW of power.