Circuits and methods for heating batteries in parallel using resonance components in series

• US 9,083,196 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BYD Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (BYD Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: BYD Company Limited
• Inventors: Xu, Wenhui, Han, Yaochuan, Feng, Wei, Yang, Qinyao, Xia, Wenjin, Ma, Shibin
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US13/747,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20130141032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/129
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• 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: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007192 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a battery heating circuit, wherein: the battery comprises a first battery and a second battery; the heating circuit comprises a first switch unit, a second switch unit, a damping component R1, a damping component R2, a current storage component L3, a current storage component L4, a switching control module and an energy storage component V1; the first battery, the damping component R1, the current storage component L3, the energy storage component V1 and the first switch unit are connected in series to constitute a first charging/discharging circuit; the second battery, the damping component R2, the current storage component L4, the energy storage component V1 and the second switch unit are connected in series to constitute a second charging/discharging circuit.

Claims

1. A circuit for heating a first battery and a second battery, the circuit comprising:

the first battery including a first damping component and a first current storage component, the first damping component and the first current storage component being parasitic to the first battery;

the second battery including a second damping component and a second current storage component, the second damping component and the second current storage component being parasitic to the second battery;

a first switch unit;

a second switch unit;

a switching control component coupled to the first switch unit and the second switch unit; and

a first energy storage component including a first storage terminal and a second storage terminal, the first storage terminal being coupled to a first negative terminal of the first battery through the first switch unit, the second storage terminal being coupled to a second negative terminal of the second battery through the second switch unit;

wherein;

the first battery, the first switch unit, and the first energy storage component are connected to form a first charging and discharging circuit; and

the second battery, the second switch unit, and the first energy storage component are connected to form a second charging and discharging circuit;

wherein;

the switching control component is configured to turn on the first switch unit and the second switch unit alternately so as to control a first current flowing between the first battery and the first energy storage component and a second current flowing between the second battery and the first energy storage component; and

the circuit for heating the first battery and the second battery is configured to heat the first battery and the second battery by at least discharging the first battery and discharging the second battery.

2. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the circuit for heating the first battery and the second battery is further configured to charge the first energy storage component with the first current flowing in a first direction and with the second current flowing in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction being opposite to each other.

3. The circuit of claim 1 wherein:

the first damping component is a first parasitic resistor of the first battery;

the first current storage component is a first parasitic inductor of the battery;

the second damping component is a second parasitic resistor of the second battery; and

the second current storage component is a second parasitic inductor of the battery.

4. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the first energy storage component includes an inductor.

5. The circuit of claim 4 wherein the switching control component is configured to turn on the first switch unit and turn off the second switch unit in response to an inductor current flowing though the inductor reaches a predetermined value in magnitude.

6. The circuit of claim 4 wherein the switching control component is configured to turn off the first switch unit and turn on the second switch unit in response to an inductor current flowing though the inductor reaches a predetermined value in magnitude.

7. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the first energy storage component includes a capacitor.

8. The circuit of claim 7 wherein the switching control component is configured to turn on the first switch unit and turn off the second switch unit in response to a capacitor current flowing to the capacitor reaches zero in magnitude twice.

9. The circuit of claim 7 wherein the switching control component is configured to turn off the first switch unit and turn on the second switch unit in response to a capacitor current flowing to the capacitor reaches zero in magnitude twice.

10. The circuit of claim 1, and further comprising:

a second energy storage component;

wherein;

the first battery, the second switch unit, and the second energy storage component are connected to form a third charging and discharging circuit; and

the second battery, the first switch unit, and the second energy storage component are connected to form a fourth charging and discharging circuit;

wherein the switching control component is configured to turn on the first switch unit and the second switch unit alternately so as to control a third current flowing between the first battery and the second energy storage component and a fourth current flowing between the second battery and the second energy storage component.

11. The circuit of claim 10 wherein the circuit for heating the first battery and the second battery is further configured to charge the second energy storage component with the third current flowing in a third direction and with the fourth current flowing in a fourth direction, the third direction and the fourth direction being opposite to each other.

12. The circuit of claim 10 wherein:

the first energy storage component includes a first inductor; and

the second energy storage component includes a second inductor.

13. The circuit of claim 12 wherein the switching control component is configured to turn on the first switch unit and turn off the second switch unit in response to a first inductor current flowing though the first inductor or a second inductor current flowing through the second inductor reaches a predetermined value in magnitude.

14. The circuit of claim 12 wherein the switching control component is configured to turn off the first switch unit and turn on the second switch unit in response to a first inductor current flowing though the first inductor or a second inductor current flowing through the second inductor reaches a predetermined value in magnitude.

15. The circuit of claim 10 wherein:

the first energy storage component includes a first capacitor; and

the second energy storage component includes a second capacitor.

16. The circuit of claim 15 wherein the switching control component is configured to turn on the first switch unit and turn off the second switch unit in response to a first capacitor current flowing to the first capacitor or a second capacitor current flowing to the second capacitor reaches zero in magnitude twice.

17. The circuit of claim 15 wherein the switching control component is configured to turn off the first switch unit and turn on the second switch unit in response to a first capacitor current flowing to the first capacitor or a second capacitor current flowing to the second capacitor reaches zero in magnitude twice.

18. The circuit of claim 1 wherein:

the first switch unit includes a first switch and a first one-way semiconductor component connected in parallel with the first switch; and

the switching control component is coupled to the first switch and configured to turn on and off the first switch respectively.

19. The circuit of claim 18 wherein:

the second switch unit includes a second switch and a second one-way semiconductor component connected in parallel with the second switch; and

the switching control component is coupled to the second switch and configured to turn on and off the second switch respectively.

20. The circuit of claim 1 is further configured to:

start heating the first battery and the second battery if at least one heating start condition is satisfied; and

stop heating the first battery and the second battery if at least one heating stop condition is satisfied.