Battery heating circuits and methods with resonance components in series using voltage inversion and freewheeling circuit components

• US 8,970,172 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BYD Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (BYD Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: BYD Company Limited
• Inventors: Han, Yaochuan, Xu, Wenhui, Feng, Wei, Yang, Qinyao, Xia, Wenjin, Li, Xianyin
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Jerry D
• Application Number:
  US13/187,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20120031890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 320/129
• US Class Current: 320/128
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/345 Arrangements for heating thermal treatment apparatus H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/651 characterised by parameters specified by a numeric value or mathematical formula, e.g. ratios, sizes or concentrations
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/657 by electric or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6571 Resistive heaters arrangements for heating the battery by its resistance to the internal current H01M10/637
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6572 Peltier elements or thermoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00711 with introduction of pulses during the charging process
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Circuit and method for heating a battery. The circuit includes the battery with damping component, a switch unit, a switching control module, an energy storage circuit, a freewheeling circuit, and an energy superposition unit. The energy storage circuit connects with the battery to form a loop, and includes current and charge storage components. The damping component, switch unit, current storage component, and charge storage component connect in series. The switching control module turns on the switch unit such that current flows between the battery and energy storage circuit. The energy superposition unit superposes the energy in the energy storage circuit with the energy in the battery after the switch unit switches on and then off. The freewheeling circuit forms a serial loop with the battery and the current storage component to sustain current flow in the battery after the switch unit switches on and then off.

Claims

1. A battery heating circuit, comprising a switch unit, a switching control module, a damping component, an energy storage circuit, a freewheeling circuit, and an energy superposition unit, wherein:

the energy storage circuit is configured to connect with the battery to form a loop, and comprises a current storage component and a charge storage component;

the damping component, the switch unit, the current storage component, and the charge storage component are connected in series;

the switching control module is connected with the switch unit, and is configured to switch on the switch unit so as to allow current flow from the battery to the energy storage circuit and from the energy storage circuit to the battery and to switch off the switch unit so as to stop the current flow;

the energy superposition unit is connected across the energy storage circuit, and is configured to superpose the energy in the energy storage circuit with the energy in the battery after the switch unit switches on and then switches off;

the freewheeling circuit is configured to form a serial loop with the battery and the current storage component to sustain current flow in the battery after the switch unit switches on and then switches off.

2. The heating circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

the damping component is a parasitic resistance in the battery, and the current storage component is a parasitic inductance in the battery.

3. The heating circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

the damping component is a resistor, the current storage component is an inductor, and the charge storage component is a capacitor.

4. The heating circuit according to claim 3, wherein:

the energy superposition unit comprises a polarity inversion unit, which is connected with the energy storage circuit, and is configured to invert the voltage polarity of the charge storage component after the switch unit switches on and then switches off.

5. The heating circuit according to claim 4, wherein:

the polarity inversion unit comprises a first single-pole double-throw switch and a second single-pole double-throw switch located on the two ends of the charge storage component respectively;

the input wires of the first single-pole double-throw switch are connected in the energy storage circuit, the first output wire of the first single-pole double-throw switch is connected with the first pole plate of the charge storage component, and the second output wire of the first single-pole double-throw switch is connected with the second pole plate of the charge storage component;

the input wires of the second single-pole double-throw switch are connected in the energy storage circuit, the first output wire of the second single-pole double-throw switch is connected with the second pole plate of the charge storage component, and the second output wire of the second single-pole double-throw switch is connected with the first pole plate of the charge storage component; and

the switching control module is also connected with the first single-pole double-throw switch and second single-pole double-throw switch respectively, and is configured to invert the voltage polarity of the charge storage component by altering the connection relationships between the respective input wires and output wires of the first single-pole double-throw switch and the second single-pole double-throw switch.

6. The heating circuit according to claim 4, wherein:

the polarity inversion unit comprises a one-way semiconductor component, a second current storage component, and a switch;

the charge storage component, second current storage component, and switch are connected sequentially in series to form a loop;

the one-way semiconductor component is connected in series between the charge storage component and the second current storage component or between the second current storage component and the switch; and

the switching control module is also connected with the switch, and is configured to invert the voltage polarity of the charge storage component by controlling the switch to switch on.

7. The heating circuit according to claim 4, wherein:

the polarity inversion unit comprises a DC-DC module and a second charge storage component;

the DC-DC module is connected with the charge storage component and the second charge storage component respectively; and

the switching control module is also connected with the DC-DC module, and is configured to transfer the energy in the charge storage component to the second charge storage component by controlling the operation of the DC-DC module, and then transfer the energy in the second charge storage component back to the charge storage component, so as to invert the voltage polarity of the charge storage component.

8. The heating circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

the switch unit is a two-way switch.

9. The heating circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

the switch unit comprises a first one-way branch configured to enable energy flow from the battery to the energy storage circuit and a second one-way branch configured to enable energy flow from the energy storage circuit to the battery; and

the switching control module is connected to the first one-way branch and the second one-way branch, respectively, and is configured to control switching the switch unit on or off by controlling turning the connected branches on or off.

10. The heating circuit according to claim 9, wherein:

the switch unit comprises a first two-way switch and a second two-way switch, the first two-way switch and the second two-way switch are connected in series opposite to each other to form the first one-way branch and the second one-way branch; and

the switching control module is connected with the first two-way switch and second two-way switch respectively, and is configured to control switching the first one-way branch and the second one-way branch on or off by controlling switching the first two-way switch and second two-way switch on or off.

12. The heating circuit according to claim 9, wherein:

the switch unit further comprises a resistor connected in series with the first one-way branch and/or the second one-way branch.

13. The heating circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

the freewheeling circuit comprises a switch and a one-way semiconductor component connected in series with each other; and

the switching control module is connected with the switch, and is configured to control the switch to switch on after the switch unit switches on and then switches off, and control the switch to switch off when the current flow to the battery reaches a preset value of current.

14. The heating circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

the freewheeling circuit comprises a one-way semiconductor component, a second damping component, and a second charge storage component; and

the one-way semiconductor component and the second damping component are connected in parallel with each other, and then connected in series with the second charge storage component.

15. The heating circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

the switching control module is also configured to control the switch unit to switch off after the first positive half cycle of the current flow through the switch unit after the switch unit switches on, and the voltage applied to the switch unit at the time the switch unit switches off is lower than the voltage rating of the switch unit.

16. The heating circuit according to claim 15, wherein:

the switching control module is configured to control the switch unit to switch off when the current flow through the switch unit reaches zero after the peak value in the negative half cycle after the switch unit switches on.

17. The heating circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

the heating circuit further comprises an energy consumption unit, which is connected with the charge storage component and is configured to consume the energy in the charge storage component after the switch unit switches on and then switches off and before the energy superposition unit performs energy superposition.

18. The heating circuit according to claim 17, wherein:

the energy consumption unit comprises a voltage control unit, which is connected with the charge storage component, and configured to convert the voltage across the charge storage component to a predetermined voltage value after the switch unit switches on and then switches off and before the energy superposition unit performs energy superposition.

19. The heating circuit according to claim 18, wherein:

the voltage control unit comprises a second damping component and a switch, the second damping component and the switch are connected with each other in series, and then connected in parallel across the charge storage component; and

the switching control module is also connected with the switch, and is configured to control the switch to switch on after the switch unit switches on and then switches off.

11. A battery heating circuit, comprising a switch unit, a switching control module, a damping component, an energy storage circuit, a freewheeling circuit, and an energy superposition unit, wherein:

the energy storage circuit is configured to connect with the battery to form a loop, and comprises a current storage component and a charge storage component;

the damping component, the switch unit, the current storage component, and the charge storage component are connected in series;

the switching control module is connected with the switch unit, and is configured to switch on the switch unit so as to allow current flow between the battery and the energy storage circuit and to switch off the switch unit so as to stop the current flow;

the energy superposition unit is connected with the energy storage circuit, and is configured to superpose the energy in the energy storage circuit with the energy in the battery after the switch unit switches on and then switches off;

the freewheeling circuit is configured to form a serial loop with the battery and the current storage component to sustain current flow in the battery after the switch unit switches on and then switches off;

the switch unit comprises a first one-way branch configured to enable energy flow from the battery to the energy storage circuit and a second one-way branch configured to enable energy flow from the energy storage circuit to the battery; and

the switching control module is connected to the first one-way branch and the second one-way branch, respectively, and is configured to control switching the switch unit on or off by controlling turning the connected branches on or off;

wherein;

the switch unit comprises a first switch, a first one-way semiconductor component, a second switch, and a second one-way semiconductor component, the first switch and the first one-way semiconductor component are connected with each other in series to constitute the first one-way branch;

the second switch and the second one-way semiconductor component are connected in series with each other to constitute the second one-way branch; and

the switching control module is connected with the first switch and the second switch, and is configured to control turning the first one-way branch and the second one-way branch on or off by controlling switching the first switch and the second switch on or off.