Apparatus, method and article for power storage device failure safety

• US 9,124,085 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gogoro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gogoro Inc.
• Inventors: Wu, Yi-Tsung, Luke, Hok-Sum Horace, Tseng, Wen-Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mourad, Rasem
• Application Number:
  US14/071,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20150123468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 320/104, 320/107, 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/00 Details of emergency protective circuit arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

In response to receiving information regarding an unsafe condition from portable electrical energy storage device (e.g., battery) safety sensors, a locking mechanism controller determines whether the battery is in a desired state to, as a safety measure, have the compartment that holds the battery locked and/or to send a signal to reduce or eliminate current draw from the battery. If the locking mechanism controller determines the battery is in the desired state to have the compartment locked, then it sends a signal to a compartment locking mechanism causing the compartment locking mechanism to lock the compartment in which the battery is located to prevent a user from opening the compartment, and thus helps protect the user against the unsafe condition. In some embodiments, the unsafe condition may be a potential or existing catastrophic failure of the battery in the compartment (e.g., a meltdown, explosion or dangerous leak, etc.).

Claims

1. A portable electrical energy storage device compartment system, comprising:

at least one controller; and

at least one communications module coupled to the at least one controller, wherein the at least one controller;

receives information via the at least one communications module regarding an unsafe condition of a portable electrical energy storage device in a compartment configured to hold the portable electrical energy storage device; and

in response to receiving the information regarding the unsafe condition;

determines whether the portable electrical energy storage device is in a desired state to have the compartment locked; and

if it is determined the portable electrical energy storage device is in the desired state to have the compartment locked, then locks a portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism of the compartment to protect a user against the unsafe condition.

2. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1 wherein the desired state to have the compartment locked is a state in which one or more of a temperature level, a voltage level and a current level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected is above a particular respective threshold.

3. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 2 wherein the unsafe condition is a potential or existing catastrophic failure of the portable electrical energy storage device in the compartment.

4. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1 wherein the desired state to have the compartment locked is a state in which one or more of a temperature level of the portable electrical energy storage device and a temperature level of an inside of the compartment is above a particular respective threshold.

5. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1, wherein the at least one communications module receives the information regarding the unsafe condition from one or more sensors coupled to a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected and communicates the information to the at least one controller to enable the at least one controller to lock the portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism.

6. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1, further comprising:

the portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism coupled to the at least one controller; and

one or more sensors coupled to the at least one controller that sense conditions indicative of the unsafe condition, the conditions indicative of the unsafe condition including conditions regarding one or more of;

a temperature level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a voltage level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a current level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a temperature of the portable electrical energy storage device, a temperature of an inside of the compartment in which the portable electrical energy storage device is located, and a short circuit of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, wherein the at least one controller sends a control signal in a manner to lock the portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism if the controller determines the portable electrical energy storage device is in the desired state to have the compartment locked based on the conditions indicative of the unsafe conditions sensed by the one or more sensors.

7. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to make a determination regarding unlocking the portable electrical energy storage device based on one or more of:

information regarding the unsafe condition no longer being present and performance of a locking mechanism override operation.

8. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1 wherein the portable electrical energy storage device compartment system is coupled to a vehicle.

9. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1 wherein the portable electrical energy storage device compartment system is coupled to a collection, charging and distribution machine.

10. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller sends the information regarding an unsafe condition to an external device via a wireless signal transmitted to the external device.

11. The portable electrical energy storage device compartment system of claim 1, further comprising a power source, separate from the portable electrical energy storage device, coupled to the at least one controller and the portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism to provide power to the portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism and the at least one controller.

12. A method of operating a portable electrical energy storage device compartment system, the method comprising:

receiving, by the portable electrical energy storage device compartment system, information regarding an unsafe condition of a portable electrical energy storage device in a compartment configured to hold the portable electrical energy storage device; and

making a determination, by the portable electrical energy storage device compartment system, regarding locking a portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism based on the information regarding the unsafe condition of the portable electrical energy storage device in the compartment.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by a communications module of the portable electrical energy storage device compartment system, the information regarding the unsafe condition from one or more sensors coupled to a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected; and

communicating, by a communications module of the portable electrical energy storage device compartment system, the information to at least one controller of the portable electrical energy storage device compartment system to enable the at least one controller to lock the portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the received information regarding the unsafe condition includes information regarding one or more of:

a temperature level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a voltage level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a current level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a temperature of the portable electrical energy storage device, and a temperature of an inside of the compartment in which the portable electrical energy storage device is located.

15. A vehicle, comprising:

a motor to propel the vehicle at least partially powered by a portable electrical energy storage device;

an electronic control unit coupled to the portable electrical energy storage device that controls how much power to draw from the portable electrical energy storage device to power the motor;

a compartment configured to hold the portable electrical energy storage device;

at least one controller of a locking mechanism of the compartment; and

at least one communications module coupled to the at least one controller, wherein the at least one controller;

receives information via the at least one communications module regarding an unsafe condition of a portable electrical energy storage device in the compartment; and

in response to receiving the information regarding the unsafe condition;

determines whether the portable electrical energy storage device is in a desired state to have the compartment locked; and

if it is determined the portable electrical energy storage device is in the desired state to have the compartment locked, then locks the locking mechanism of the compartment to protect a user against the unsafe condition.

16. The vehicle of claim 15 wherein the at least one controller:

in response to receiving the information regarding the unsafe condition, sends a signal to the electronic control unit to reduce or eliminate a current power draw from the portable electrical energy storage device in the compartment.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein the information regarding the unsafe condition is indicative of an unsafe current level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device and electronic control unit are connected.

18. A portable electrical energy storage device, comprising:

at least one portable electrical energy storage device cell; and

one or more sensors coupled to the at least one portable electrical energy storage device cell and to at least one controller, wherein the one or more sensors sense conditions indicative of an unsafe condition of the portable electrical energy storage device, the conditions indicative of the unsafe condition including conditions regarding one or more of;

a temperature level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a voltage level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a current level of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected, a temperature of the portable electrical energy storage device, a temperature of an inside of a compartment in which the portable electrical energy storage device is located, and a short circuit of a circuit to which the portable electrical energy storage device is connected; and

at least one communications module coupled to the at least one controller, wherein the at least one communications module communicates information regarding the conditions indicative of an unsafe condition to the at least one controller; and

the at least one controller, in response to receiving the information regarding the unsafe condition;

determines whether the portable electrical energy storage device is in a desired state to have the compartment locked; and

if it is determined the portable electrical energy storage device is in the desired state to have the compartment locked, then sends a signal to activate a portable electrical energy storage device compartment locking mechanism.

19. The portable electrical energy storage device of claim 18, wherein the at least one communications module communicates information regarding the conditions indicative of an unsafe condition to an external device.

20. The portable electrical energy storage device of claim 19 wherein the at least one communications module wirelessly communicates information regarding the conditions indicative of an unsafe condition to the external device.