Expandable energy storage control system architecture

• US 8,245,801 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2009
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
• Original Assignee: Bluways USA, Inc.
• Inventors: Flett, Frederick P.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, HAU VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/612,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20100133025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.2, 180/65.245, 180/65.29, 180/65.265, 180/65.275, 180/65.21, 180/65.31, 307/75, 307/9.1, 307/82, 318/139, 318/376
• US Class Current: 180/65.21
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/42 characterised by the architecture of the hybrid electric vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• 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 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• 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: B60W 10/24 including control of energy storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/14 Trucks; Load vehicles, Busses
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/114 Super-capacities
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0866 comprising several power sources, e.g. battery and capacitor or two batteries
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2011/0885 Capacitors, e.g. for additional power supply
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2011/0888 DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2011/0896 Inverters for electric machines, e.g. starter-generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 : being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 : Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1423 : with multiple batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1438 : in combination with power supplies for loads other than batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 : using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• 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

Abstract

A hybrid electric vehicle drive system comprises a first power bus electrically coupled to a motive power subsystem and a drive wheel propulsion assembly; a second power bus electrically coupled to the first power bus and a plurality of energy storage subsystems, wherein the first power bus is configured to allow electrical power to be transmitted among the motive power subsystem, the drive wheel propulsion assembly, and the second power bus, and wherein the second power bus is configured to allow electrical power to be transmitted among the plurality of energy storage subsystems and the first power bus.

Claims

1. A hybrid electric vehicle drive system, comprising:

a motive energy subsystem;

a drive wheel propulsion assembly including at least one electric motor, the at least motor configured to drive the drive wheel propulsion assembly;

a first propulsion energy storage subsystem;

a second propulsion energy storage subsystem;

an energy storage DC bus electrically coupled to the first propulsion energy storage subsystem and the second propulsion energy storage subsystem, and configured transmit energy among the first propulsion energy storage subsystem and the second propulsion energy storage subsystem;

a first energy storage DC-to-DC converter interspersed between the first propulsion energy storage subsystem and the energy storage DC bus;

a second energy storage DC-to-DC converter interspersed between the second propulsion energy storage subsystem and the energy storage DC bus;

a propulsion DC bus configured to transmit energy among the motive energy subsystem, the drive wheel propulsion assembly, and the energy storage DC; and

,

a bus-to-bus DC-to-DC converter interspersed between the energy storage DC bus and the propulsion DC bus.

2. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 1, wherein the propulsion DC bus transmits energy at a first predetermined voltage;

and,

wherein the energy storage DC bus transmits energy at a second predetermined voltage that is lower than the first predetermined voltage.

3. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 2, wherein the second predetermined voltage is between 25% and 75% of the first predetermined voltage.

4. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 3, wherein the first predetermined voltage corresponds with a propulsion voltage rating of the at least one electric motor;

and,

wherein the second predetermined voltage corresponds with an energy storage voltage rating of the first propulsion energy storage subsystem.

5. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 1, wherein the first propulsion energy storage subsystem comprises at least one energy-type energy storage subsystem;

wherein the second propulsion energy storage subsystem comprises at least one power-type energy storage subsystem;

wherein the at least one energy-type energy storage device is rated to store at least 3000% energy of the at least one power-type energy storage device used here; and

,

wherein the at least one power-type energy storage device used here is rated to deliver at least 300% power of the at least one energy-type energy storage device.

6. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 1, wherein the first propulsion energy storage subsystem comprises a battery energy storage subsystem;

and,

wherein the second propulsion energy storage subsystem comprises a first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem.

7. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 6, further comprising:

a battery management system communicably coupled to the battery energy storage subsystem and the first energy storage DC-to-DC converter, the battery management system configured to control whether energy can be stored in or removed from the battery energy storage subsystem, and if so, at what energy transfer rate.

a ultracapacitor management system communicably coupled to the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem and the second energy storage DC-to-DC converter, the ultracapacitor management system configured to control whether energy can be stored in or removed from the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem, and if so, at what energy transfer rate.

8. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 7, further comprising a system controller communicatively coupled to the battery management system and the ultracapacitor management system, the system controller configured to selectably route power flows between the motive energy subsystem, the electric motor, the battery energy storage subsystem, and the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem;

and,

wherein the controller is further configured to meter energy from the battery energy storage subsystem and the ultracapacitor management system in equal and/or unequal amounts to the propulsion DC bus across the energy storage DC bus.

9. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 7, further comprising a system controller communicatively coupled to the battery management system and the ultracapacitor management system, the system controller configured to selectably route power flows between the motive energy subsystem, the electric motor, the battery energy storage subsystem, and the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem;

and,

wherein the controller is further configured to electrically couple and decouple the energy storage DC bus from the propulsion DC bus such that power may flow across both the energy storage DC bus and the propulsion DC bus independently of each other when electrically decoupled.

10. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to decouple the energy storage DC bus from the propulsion DC bus and to cause energy to be transmitted between the battery energy storage subsystem and the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem via the energy storage DC bus during periods of vehicle propulsion.

11. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to first route energy from the propulsion DC bus to the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem over the energy storage DC bus, then to decouple the energy storage DC bus from the propulsion DC bus, and to shuffle energy from the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem across the energy storage DC bus to the battery energy storage subsystem after decoupling the energy storage DC bus from the propulsion DC bus.

12. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 11, further comprising a third propulsion energy storage subsystem including a second ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem;

wherein the energy storage DC bus is electrically coupled to the third propulsion energy storage subsystem, and is further configured transmit energy among the first, the second and the third propulsion energy storage subsystems;

wherein the second ultracapacitor energy storage is maintained ready at a either a substantially full state of charge in anticipation of a vehicle acceleration event, or a substantially discharged state of charge in anticipation of a vehicle deceleration event; and

,

wherein the controller is further configured to first route energy from the propulsion DC bus across the energy storage DC bus to the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem, then to decouple the energy storage DC bus from the propulsion DC bus, and shuffle energy from the first ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem across the energy storage DC bus to the battery energy storage subsystem in response to decoupling the energy storage DC bus from the propulsion DC bus.

13. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 6, further comprising a third propulsion energy storage subsystem including a second ultracapacitor energy storage subsystem;

and,

wherein the energy storage DC bus is electrically coupled to the third propulsion energy storage subsystem, and is further configured transmit energy among the first, the second and the third propulsion energy storage subsystems.

14. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first energy storage DC-to-DC converter and the second energy storage DC-to-DC converter is based on a first technology;

and,

wherein the bus-to-bus DC-to-DC converter is based on a second technology, different from the first technology.

15. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the first energy storage DC-to-DC converter and the second energy storage DC-to-DC converter is metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (“

MOSFET”

)-based; and

,

wherein the bus-to-bus DC-to-DC converter is insulated-gate bipolar transistor (“

IGBT”

)-based.

16. The hybrid electric vehicle drive system of claim 1, wherein one or more vehicle electrical accessories are electrically coupled to and driven by the energy storage DC bus.