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

• US 9,209,644 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BYD Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
• 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:
  US13/747,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20130127398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/129, 219/209
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• 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 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/657 by electric or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• 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

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a battery heating circuit, wherein: the battery comprises a first battery E1 and a second battery E2, the heating circuit comprises a first switch unit 10, a second switch unit 20, a damping component R1, a damping component R2, a current storage component L1, a current storage component L2, a switching control module 100 and a charge storage component C; the first battery, the damping component R1, the current storage component L1, the first switch unit 10 and the charge storage component C are connected in series to form a first charging/discharging circuit; the second battery, the damping component R2, the current storage component L2, the charge storage component C and the second switch unit 20 are connected in series to form 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 charge storage component;

wherein;

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

the second battery, the second switch unit, and the charge 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 charge storage component and a second current flowing between the second battery and the charge 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 charge 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 first 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 second battery.

4. The circuit of claim 3 wherein the charge storage component is a capacitor.

5. The circuit of claim 1 and further comprising:

a third current storage component connected in series with the first battery and the first switch unit; and

a fourth current storage component connected in series with the second battery and the second switch unit;

wherein;

the first charging and discharging circuit includes the third current storage component; and

the second charging and discharging circuit includes the fourth current storage component.

6. The circuit of claim 5 wherein each of the third current storage component and the fourth current storage component is an inductor.

7. The circuit of claim 1 and further comprising:

a first one-way semiconductor component connected in series with the first battery and the first switch unit; and

a second one-way semiconductor component connected in series with the second battery and the second switch unit.

8. The circuit of claim 7 and further comprising:

a third one-way semiconductor component;

a third current storage component connected in series with the third one-way semiconductor component;

a fourth one-way semiconductor component; and

a fourth current storage component connected in series with the fourth one-way semiconductor component.

9. The circuit of claim 8 wherein:

a combination of the third one-way semiconductor component and the third current storage component is parallel to a combination of the first one-way semiconductor component and the first switch unit; and

a combination of the fourth one-way semiconductor component and the fourth current storage component is parallel to a combination of the second one-way semiconductor component and the second switch unit.

10. The circuit of claim 9 wherein:

the third one-way semiconductor component and the third current storage component are configured to limit the first current if the first current flows from the charge storage component to the first battery; and

the fourth one-way semiconductor component and the fourth current storage component are configured to limit the second current if the second current flows from the charge storage component to the second battery.

11. The circuit of claim 8 wherein each of the third current storage component and the fourth current storage component is an inductor.

12. 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.

13. The circuit of claim 12 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.

14. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the switching control component is configured to, if the first current flowing from the charge storage component to the first battery becomes zero, turn off the first switch unit and turn on the second switch unit.

15. The circuit of claim 14 wherein the switching control component is configured to, if the second current flowing from the charge storage component to the second battery becomes zero, turn off the second switch unit and turn on the first switch unit.

16. 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.