Control of cells, modules and a pack comprised of hybridized electrochemistries

• US 8,396,609 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sakti3, Inc
• Original Assignee: Sakti3, Inc
• Inventors: Wang, Chia Wei, Sastry, Ann Marie, Albano, Fabio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, ANTHONY T
• Application Number:
  US12/614,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 429/9, 429/13, 429/32, 429/432, 700/298
• US Class Current: 700/298
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/18 The network being internal to a power source or plant
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A power management apparatus for a hybridized energy device includes a hybridized energy device including a plurality of units. The units include electrical energy storage and/or gathering cells, in series or in parallel to form a module. A plurality of the modules in series or in parallel form a pack. The power management apparatus also includes a central management apparatus (CMA) interconnecting a plurality of module management apparatus (MMAs) by means of either wired or wireless connections and a plurality of MMAs. Each MMA interconnects with a plurality of unit management apparatuses by means of either wireless or wired communication circuits. The power management apparatus further includes a plurality of units management apparatuses (UMAs), each wired, connected with, or deposited on a unit. Furthermore, the power management apparatus includes a rechargeable battery power source for a CMA, a plurality of MMAs, and a plurality of UMAs.

Claims

1. A power management apparatus for a hybridized energy device comprising:

a hybridized energy device comprising a pack, the pack including a plurality of modules, the modules including a plurality of units configured in series or parallel, wherein the units include electrical energy storage or gathering cells;

a central management apparatus (CMA) interconnecting a plurality of module management apparatus (MMAs) by means of either wired or wireless connections, the CMA including

a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU) and a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium including one or more codes directed to

communicating with each individual module by wired or wireless connections,

conditioning voltages across the connected modules,

monitoring one or more first state parameters of each module,

estimating one or more first and second state parameters of each module at a first and at a second predetermined time,

determining the operational conditions of one or more first state parameters for the associated module having an optimal second state parameters of the hybridized energy device,

shunting excess charge around the associated module,

communicating among connected MMAs,

monitoring one or more first state parameters of modules when the hybridized energy device is in idle, and

conditioning the connected modules when the hybridized energy device is in idle,

a power module responsive of distributing the charging currents to each of said modules,

a power condition circuit connected across terminals of the MMAs and the CMA for providing regulated operating voltages of modules of the associated pack,

a plurality of measurement circuits to monitor a plurality of state parameters of each module, and

a bypass circuit configured to shunt charge around the associated module when activated,

wherein each of the plurality of MMAs, interconnects with a plurality of unit management apparatuses (UMAs) by means of wireless or wired communication circuits, each of the MMAs comprising

a microcomputer including a CPU and a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium including one or more codes directed to

communicating with each connected UMA and CMA by wired or wireless connections,

conditioning voltages across the connected units,

monitoring one or more first state parameters of each unit,

estimating one or more first and second state parameters of each unit at a first and at a second predetermined time,

determining the operational conditions of one or more first state parameters for the associated unit having an optimal second state parameters of the module,

shunting excess charge around the associated unit,

monitoring one or more first state parameters of the unit when the associated module is in idle, and

conditioning the connected unit when the associated module is in idle,

a power module responsive of distributing the charge currents to each said unit,

a power condition circuit connected across two terminals between the MMAs and the CMA responsive to regulating the operating voltage of the associated module,

a power condition circuit connected across of the terminals of the UMAs for providing a regulated operating voltages of units within the same module,

a plurality of measurement circuits to monitoring a plurality of state parameters of each units,

a bypass circuit configured to shunt charge around the associated units when activated,

wherein each of the plurality of UMAs is wire-connected with or is deposited on a unit, each UMA including

a microcomputer including a CPU and a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium including one or more codes directed to

communicating between the UMA and MMA by wired or wireless connections,

communicating between two UMAs by wired-connection or being deposited on a unit,

changing the operating voltage of the associated unit,

monitoring a plurality of one or more first state parameters,

estimating one or more first and second state parameters at a first and at a second predetermined time, and

calculating the second state parameters based on looking up tabulated data of said first state parameters,

measurement circuits to monitoring a plurality of state parameters, and

a power condition circuit connected across two terminals between one of the MMAs and the UMA responsible of regulating the operating voltage of the associated unit; and

a rechargeable battery power source for the CMA the plurality of MMAs, and the plurality of UMAs.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the energy storage or gathering cells comprise any combination of rechargeable electrochemical cells and primary electrochemical cells.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the rechargeable electrochemical cells comprise lithium-ion cells, nickel metal hydride cells, nickel cadmium cells, lead-acid cells, nickel zinc cells, or lithium sulfur cells.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the primary electrochemical cells comprise zinc-carbon cells, magnesium and aluminum cells, alkaline-manganese dioxide cells, silver oxide cells, zinc-air cells, lithium cells, or alkaline cells.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the energy storage or gathering cells comprise any combination of fuel cells, capacitors, or solar cells.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the fuel cells comprise polymer exchange membrane fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells, alkaline fuel cell, molten-carbonate fuel cell, phosphoric-acid fuel cell, or direct-methanol fuel cell.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein the solar cells comprise amorphous solar cells, mono crystalline solar cells, or multicrystalline solar cells.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein the capacitor cells comprise dielectric spacers, solid dielectrics, electrolytic capacitors, or supercapacitors.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the measurement circuits of CMA, MMA, and UMA include a plurality of metering circuits to measure electrical and thermodynamic state variables, and a plurality of circuits isolating each module/unit to avoid the effect of connecting modules and units to achieve high accuracy.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the power management apparatus of claim 1 wherein the CMA, MMAs, and UMAs include counter circuits for activating the next sampling.

9. A power management method for a hybridized energy device comprising:

providing a hybridized energy device including

a pack including a plurality of modules, the modules including a plurality of units configured in series or parallel, wherein the units include electrical energy storage or gathering cells,

a central management apparatus (CMA) interconnecting a plurality of module management apparatus (MMAs) by means of either wired or wireless connections, the CMA including

a microcomputer,

a power module responsive of distributing the charging currents to each of said modules,

a power condition circuit connected across terminals of the MMAs and the CMA for providing regulated operating voltages of modules of the associated pack,

a plurality of measurement circuits to monitor a plurality of state parameters of each module, and

a bypass circuit configured shunt charge around the associated module when activated,

wherein each of the plurality of MMAs, interconnects with a plurality of unit management apparatuses (UMAs) by means of wireless or wired communication circuits, each of the MMAs comprising

a microcomputer,

a power module responsive of distributing the charge currents to each said unit,

a power condition circuit connected across two terminals between the MMAs and the CMA responsive to regulating the operating voltage of the associated module,

a power condition circuit connected across of the terminals of the UMAs for providing a regulated operating voltages of units within the same module,

a plurality of measurement circuits to monitoring a plurality of state parameters of each units, and

a bypass circuit configured to shunt charge around the associated units when activated,

wherein each of the plurality of UMAs is wire-connected with or is deposited on a unit, each UMA including

a microcomputer including a non-transitory computer readable medium

measurement circuits to monitoring a plurality of state parameters, and

a power condition circuit connected across two terminals between one of the MMAs and the UMA responsible of regulating the operating voltage of the associated unit, and

a rechargeable battery power source for the CMA, the plurality of MMAs, and the plurality of UMAs;

a central management method (CMM) including

communicating with each individual module by means of either wired or wireless connections,

conditioning voltages across the connected modules, approaches of monitoring one or more first state parameters of each modules,

estimating one or more first and second state parameters of each modules at a first and at a second predetermined times,

determining the operational conditions of one or more first state parameters for the associated module having an optimal second state parameters of the hybridized energy device,

shunting excess charge around the associated module,

communicating among connected MMAs,

monitoring one or more first state parameters of modules when the hybridized energy device is in idle, and

conditioning the connected modules when the hybridized energy device is in idle;

a plurality of module management methods (MMMs), wherein each module management method includes

communicating via a wired or wireless circuit with each connected UMA and CMA,

conditioning voltages across the connected units,

monitoring one or more first state parameters of each units,

estimating one or more first state parameters at a first and a second predetermined time,

determining the operational conditions of one or more first state parameters for the associated unit having an optimal second state parameters of the module,

shunting excess charge around the associated unit,

monitoring one or more one or more a first state parameters of unit when the associated module is in idle mode, and

conditioning the connected unit when the associated module is in idle mode;

a plurality of unit management methods (UMMs), wherein each unit management method includes

communicating between the UMA and MMA of,

communicating between two UMAs by wired connected with or deposited on a unit,

changing the operating voltage of the associated unit,

monitoring a plurality of one or more first state parameters,

estimating one or more first state parameters at a first and at a second predetermined time, and

calculating the second state parameters based on looking up tabulated data of said first state parameters; and

regulating the energy of the battery power source to achieve maximum operational period.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first state parameters comprise state of charge (SOC), temperature, voltage, resistance, and discharge or charge current.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the second state parameters comprises to lifetime, safety, mechanical, kinetic, thermal, ion concentration, voltage profile, degree of intercalation, degree of achievable capacity under various discharge rate or discharge profile, intercalation-induced stresses, volume changes, capacity loss, efficiency, and power status.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein each of the microcomputers for any of the CMA, MMAs, and UMAs comprises a central processing unit (CPU), input and output terminals responsible of accepting and delivering management commands from and to connected terminals, input and output circuitry for series connection of bypass modules and units, stored computer programs into storage system for calculating the second state parameters by either looking up and extrapolating the stored data table of said first state parameters of the module or unit or using a physics based mathematical model for the said cells or calculated by mathematical models, computer programs responsive estimating said first state parameters at the next predetermined time, computer algorithms for calculating the operational conditions for each module or unit, memory to store said state variables and processed data, and an operational amplifiers and capacitors to balance the mismatch cell voltages among parallel cells within the module.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the conditioning of voltages across the connected modules of the CMM comprises discharging the high voltage module or charging the low voltage module, wherein the connected modules are in series.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the hybridized energy device includes one or more central processing units (CPU) and one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums, wherein the estimating of one or more first and one or more second state parameters of said unit at a first and a second predetermined time comprises:

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for processing information related to a three-dimensional electrochemical system comprising an anode, cathode, separator, electrolyte, and current collectors obtained from the measuring circuit, and obtained from the mathematical model at a first predetermined time;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for processing information related to a three-dimensional fuel cell comprising one or more electrodes, electrolyte, and catalyst obtained from the measuring circuit, and obtained from the mathematical model at a first predetermined time;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for processing information related to a three-dimensional solar cell comprising a negative terminal, a n-type semiconductor layer, a p-n junction, a p-type semiconductor layer, and a positive terminal obtained from the measuring circuit, and obtained from the mathematical model at a first predetermined time;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for processing information related to a three-dimensional capacitor comprising two electrodes, and a dielectric layer obtained from the measuring circuit, and obtained from the mathematical model at a first predetermined time;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for outputting a computer generated relationship between one or more first material characteristics referenced against one or more second material characteristics for a selected material set for a design of three dimensional spatial elements in a three-dimensional said electrochemical cell, said fuel cell, said solar cell, or said capacitor cell;

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to selecting one or more of the first material characteristics or second material characteristics for the selected material set;

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to executing a modeling program for processing the one or more first material characteristics or second material characteristics to provide the three dimensional said electrochemical cell, said fuel cell, said solar cell, or said capacitor cells having a three-dimensional geometries at a second predetermined time; and

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to processing the one or more selected first or second material characteristics to determine whether the one or more first or second material characteristics is within one or more operable range of second state parameters.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the one or more first material characteristics comprises electrical, thermal, mechanical, transport, or kinetic.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the one or more second material characteristics comprises particle size, particle spacing, volume fraction, density, composition of cathode, composition of anode, composition of separator, composition of current collector, composition of electrolyte, dimensions of cathode, dimensions of anode, dimensions of separator, dimensions of current collectors, dimensions of electrolyte, interfacial interaction of electrolyte and anode or electrolyte and cathode, shape of the cathode, shape of anode, shape of separator, shape of electrolyte, and the types of materials.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the modeling program comprises 3D finite element model, I D finite element model, I D finite difference model, an equivalent circuit model, a cell model coupled with evolution model, or a lookup data table.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the selected material sets comprises of composition materials for anode, cathode, separator, electrolyte, current collectors, dielectric material, p-type material, n-type material, p-n junction, and catalyst.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to a meshing program; and

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to setting up one or more boundary conditions.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the lookup data table is constructed externally from the hybridized energy device with any said cell models and imported to the data storage device of said UMA, is comprised of an historical table of one or more first and one or more second state parameters.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the estimating one or more second state parameters of said module at a first and at a second predetermined time of the MMM comprises:

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for processing information obtained from the three-dimensional electrochemical system, the three-dimensional fuel cell, the three-dimensional solar cell, and the three-dimensional capacitor and obtained from the measurement circuits of the plurality of units at a first predetermined time, wherein said module comprises of a plurality of electrochemical cells, solar cells, fuel cells, and capacitor cells connected in series or in parallel;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for outputting a computer generated relationship between one or more first state parameters referenced against one or more second state parameters for a said module;

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to executing a modeling program for processing the one or more first state parameters or second state parameters to provide the three dimensional module consisting of a plurality of electrochemical cells, solar cells, fuel cells, and capacitor cells connected in series or in parallel at a second predetermined time; and

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to processing the one or more selected first or second state parameters of a plurality of units to determine whether the one or more first or second state parameters of said module is within one or more operable range of second state parameters at a second predetermined time.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the modeling program comprises an ID finite difference model, an equivalent circuit model, or a module model coupled with evolution model.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the estimating of one or more a second state parameters of said pack at a first and at a second predetermined time of the CMM comprises:

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for processing information from the one or more selected first or second state parameters of a plurality of units of the MMM and from the measurement circuit of a plurality of modules at a first predetermined time, wherein said pack comprises of a plurality of modules connected in series or in parallel;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for outputting a computer generated relationship between one or more first state parameters referenced against one or more second state parameters for a said pack;

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to executing a modeling program for processing the one or more first state parameters or second state parameters to provide the pack consisting of a plurality of modules connected in series or in parallel to a second predetermined time; and

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to processing the one or more selected first or second state parameters of a plurality of modules to determine whether the one or more first or second state parameters of said pack is within one or more operable range of the second state parameters at a second predetermined time.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the modeling program comprises to ID finite difference model, an equivalent circuit model, or a pack model coupled with evolution model.

27. The method of claim 9 wherein determining the operational conditions for each modules of the CMM comprises:

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for processing external information related to a required power consumption converted from the external load between the first and second predetermined times;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for generating operable range for one or more first state parameters each modules within the pack between a first and a second predetermined times;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for determining a plurality of sampling times between a first and a second predetermined times;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for determining a plurality of one or more of a first and a second state parameters, estimated at a plurality of sampling instants in time based on a plurality of one or more of first state parameters of each module estimated at a first predetermined instant in time;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for creating objective functions based on an evolutionary multi-objective optimization scheme at various sampling times; and

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to selecting one or more first state parameters until one or more of the first state parameters fulfilled at least one of the criteria listed bellowed for each module;

minimization of said objective functions, fulfilled criteria of said operable range of one or more of a first state parameters of each modules, and fulfilled desired value of one or more of a second state parameters of each modules; and

one or more codes directed to assign the selected one or more the first state parameters for each modules with the pack.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein an approach determining the operational conditions for each units of the MMM comprises:

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for processing information related to selected one or more of the first state parameters for the specified module;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for generating operable range for one or more first state parameters for each units within a specified module between a first and a second predetermined times;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for determining a plurality of sampling times between a first and a second predetermined times;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for determining a plurality of one or more of a first and a second state parameters, estimated at a plurality of sampling instants in time based on a plurality of one or more of first state parameters of each module estimated at a first predetermined instant in time;

one or more computer codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums for creating objective functions based on an evolutionary multi-objective optimization scheme at various sampling times;

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to selecting one or more first state parameters until one or more of the first state parameters fulfilled at least one of the criteria listed bellowed for each unit;

minimization of said objective functions, fulfilled criteria of said operable range of one or more of a first state parameters of each unit, and fulfilled desired value of one or more of second state parameters of each unit; and

one or more codes provided in the non-transitory computer readable mediums directed to assign the selected one or more first state parameters to each unit within the module.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the evolutionary multi-objective optimization comprises aggregate functions, vector evaluated genetic algorithm, multi-objective genetic algorithm, nondominated sorting genetic algorithm, niched-Pareto genetic algorithm, target vector approaches, Pareto archived evolution strategy, strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm, or micro-genetic algorithm.