Modular electronically reconfigurable battery system

• US 7,893,561 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Applied Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Titan Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weidenheimer, Douglas M., Donegan, Kevin J., Morton, David Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): DeBeradinis; Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US11/483,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20070062744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 307/71, 307/9.1
• US Class Current: 307/71
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 6/00 Electromagnetic launchers ; Plasma-actuated launchers projectiles for electromagnetic or plasma guns F42B6/006
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An electronically reconfigurable battery includes a number of battery modules selectively interconnected by a number of electronic switches, wherein a selectable number of battery modules may be connected either in a series configuration or in a parallel configuration, as a result of placing selected switches of said plurality of switches in open states or closed states. In a parallel configuration, the battery provides power to a primary load, such as a propulsion load for a vehicle. In a series configuration, the battery is configured to provide a high voltage and high power output to a short-term and/or pulsed load, such as an additional load provided on the vehicle. Current from the battery is limited in one of three ways: a) by the batteries themselves; b) a current limiting device or system in series with the total erected battery; or c) a single level power converter or current limiter that is used to erect and charge the capacitor bank in a sequential one level at a time manner until the battery is fully erected and the capacitor is fully charged.

Claims

1. An electronically reconfigurable battery, comprising:

a first plurality of battery modules configured in a star configuration;

a plurality of switches interconnecting said plurality of battery modules such that a selectable number of said plurality of battery modules may be connected either in a series configuration or in a parallel configuration, as a result of placing selected switches of said plurality of switches in open states or closed states;

an output switch for connecting a first output terminal of said battery to a first load;

a series current limiting device inserted in circuit with the partially or sequentially erected battery so as to limit DC current; and

wherein said charge current limiting device comprises a single stage converter (SSC) whose output voltage is limited to approximately the battery module voltage level.

2. An electronically reconfigurable battery as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of battery modules is coupled with at least three of said plurality of switches as follows:

a first switch which connects said each battery module in series with an adjacent battery module when closed, and

second and third switches which connect said each battery module in parallel with an adjacent battery module when closed, wherein when said first switch is closed, said second and third switches are open, and when said first switch is open, said second and third switches are closed.

3. An electronically reconfigurable battery as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a second plurality of battery modules, each of said second plurality of battery modules being connected in parallel with each other, said first plurality of battery modules being selectively connected to said second plurality of battery modules through at least two of said plurality of switches.

4. An electronically reconfigurable battery as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a second output terminal for connecting said second plurality of battery modules to a second load.

5. An electronically reconfigurable battery as set forth in claim 4, wherein said second load comprises a motor for propelling a vehicle or vessel.

6. An electronically reconfigurable battery as set forth in claim 5, wherein said first load comprises an electromagnetic armor system.

7. An electronically reconfigurable battery as set forth in claim 1, wherein said plurality of switches comprises a plurality of integrated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) switches.

8. An electronically reconfigurable battery as set forth in claim 1, wherein said plurality of switches comprises a plurality of metal oxide field effect transistor (MOSFET) switches.

9. An electronically reconfigurable battery as set forth in claim 7, where in said plurality of IGBT switches comprise opto-isolated switches.

10. An electronically reconfigurable battery as set forth in claim 8, wherein said plurality of MOSFET switches comprise opto-isolated switches.

11. An electronically reconfigurable battery as recited in claim 1, wherein said reconfigurable battery can be reconfigured to match a hybrid vehicle with a variable DC main bus voltage used for a first level of reliability and to shorter life higher power mode.

12. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, wherein DC current is limited by selection of electrochemical discharge characteristics of the selected battery technology.

13. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, further comprising a series current limiting device inserted in circuit with the fully erected battery so as to limit DC current.

14. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 13, wherein said current limiting device comprises a resistive or inductive component in a resistance-capacitance (RC) or inductance-capacitance (LC) current limiting circuit.

15. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, wherein a bypass switch is used to connect the input to the output of the SSC circuit to directly connect the dynamic store portion of the battery with the static portion of the battery.

16. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, wherein the SSC comprises an electronic DC-DC converter whose input circuit is connected to the static portion of the battery and whose output is connected to the first stage of the dynamic section of the battery.

17. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, wherein the SSC comprises an electronic DC-DC converter whose input circuit is connected to a suitable DC source other than the static portion of the battery and the output is connected to the first stage of the dynamic section of the battery.

18. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, wherein the SSC comprises an electronic converter whose circuit topology is chosen from the group consisting of Buck, Boost, Buck/Boost, step-up, step-down, resonant, isolated, non-isolated, cyclo-converter, and matrix converter.

19. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, wherein the SSC comprises an electronic AC-DC converter whose input circuit is connected to a suitable AC source and whose output is connected to the first stage of the dynamic section of the battery.

20. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, wherein said battery is adapted for use in high to extreme peak to average power output pulsed power applications and platforms for non-vehicular applications.

21. An electronically reconfigurable battery as described in claim 1, wherein each arm of the configuration comprises a plurality of ERB modules which can be strung together based on the needs of the particular application.

22. A reconfigurable battery system comprising:

a plurality of battery arms, each battery arm comprising a plurality of battery modules which are electronically reconfigurable to selectively operate in parallel or series;

a center switch matrix coupled with a first output terminal and each of said battery arms, and configured to selectively connect one or more of said battery arms with said first output terminal;

an outer switch matrix coupled with a second output terminal and each of said battery arms, and configured to selectively connect one or more of said battery arms with said second output terminal;

a series current limiting device inserted in circuit with said plurality of battery arms; and

wherein said current limiting device comprises a single stage converter (SSC) whose output voltage is limited to approximately the battery module voltage level.

23. The reconfigurable battery system as recited in claim 22, wherein said center switch matrix couples the first output terminal with each said battery arm on a first battery arm side thereof, and said outer switch matrix couples the second output terminal with each battery arm on a second battery arm side thereof.

24. The reconfigurable battery system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of battery arms comprises a first battery arm, a second battery arm, a third battery arm and a fourth battery arm.

25. The reconfigurable battery system of claim 22 wherein each battery arm comprises a scalable number of battery modules.