Battery pack manager unit and method for using same to extend the life of a battery pack

• US 9,214,822 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Myers Motors, LLC, University of Akron
• Original Assignee: University of Akron
• Inventors: Hartley, Thomas T., Magistro, Benjamin W., Gras, Courtney A., Clester, Rick, Faulstick, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhou, Zixuan
• Application Number:
  US13/263,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20120112685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/112, 320/116
• 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 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0038 relating to sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• 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 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a device and method for the management of a collection of battery cells. In one embodiment, the present invention permits the management of a collection of battery cells composed of an overall battery pack manager unit, individual cell manager units, and wireless communication links between these units. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a device and method for the management of a collection of battery cells in the field of rechargeable batteries, such as batteries based on lithium-based chemistries, nickel-based chemistries, and lead-acid chemistries. In still another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method that permits the maximization of battery pack capacity during a charge-discharge cycle and/or permits the maximization of the total number of charge-discharge cycles.

Claims

1. A battery pack manager for charging a battery pack comprising a plurality of battery cells using a power source, the battery pack manager comprising:

a battery pack manager unit coupled to the battery pack, and directly coupled to an output of the power source, said battery pack manager unit comprising;

a wireless communication block that includes a first antenna that establishes a wireless link with a plurality of second antennas, such that every one of a plurality of individual cell manager units includes one said second antenna, each said individual cell manager unit adapted to be coupled to one of the plurality of battery cells of the pack, and the battery pack manager is able to permit the wireless control and wireless monitoring of individual cells in a battery pack through each said individual cell manager unit,

wherein each said individual cell manager unit comprises a charge exchange block that includes a collection of magnetic cores from which individual cell control units place energy from their specific cells, and from which individual cell control units can extract energy to be placed into their specific cells, the process of the exchange being wirelessly coordinated by said battery pack manager unit.

2. The battery pack manager of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage battery cells having lithium-based chemistries, nickel-based chemistries, and lead-acid chemistries.

3. The battery pack manager of claim 2, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage battery cells having lithium-based chemistries.

4. The battery pack manager of claim 2, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage battery cells having nickel-based chemistries.

5. The battery pack manager of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit further comprises at least one individual cell manager unit comprising:

a cell and pack identifier block that is a unit for assigning an identification code to each individual cell manager unit and recognizing the overall battery pack unit identification code;

a cell sensor block including one or more of cell current sensors, cell voltage sensors, cell temperature sensors, or cell bypass current sensors;

a cell overvoltage protection block including a pseudo-passive overvoltage protection unit to accommodate failures in the microcontroller block;

a cell under-voltage protection block having a passive unit to accommodate cell failures and microcontroller block failures during discharge;

a cell microcontroller block comprising;

a performance objective coordinator block;

a real-time cell model parameter identification block;

a real-time cell capacity estimator block;

a real-time cell state observer block for estimating cell dynamic variables;

a real-time state-of-charge estimator block;

a real-time damage rate sensor block;

a real-time state-of-life estimator block;

a real-time state-of-health estimator block;

a real-time cell fault detection and estimator block;

a real-time component failure detection and estimator block;

a real-time cell life-extending charging-current-profile shaping block;

a communication block;

a real-time wireless communication failure detection and estimator block; and

a sleep-mode manager block for the individual cell manager units;

a wireless communication block containing a wireless transceiver block for allowing the microcontroller block to communicate individual battery cell information to the overall pack manager unit and to the other individual cell manager units; and

a charge exchange block.

6. The battery pack manager of claim 5, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage battery cells having lithium-based chemistries, nickel-based chemistries, and lead-acid chemistries.

7. The battery pack manager of claim 6, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage battery cells having lithium-based chemistries.

8. The battery pack manager of claim 6, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage battery cells having nickel-based chemistries.

9. The battery pack manager of claim 6, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage battery cells having lead-acid chemistries.

10. A method of extending the life of a battery pack of a plurality of battery cells, the method comprising the steps of:

utilizing a battery pack manager according to claim 1 to manage the charging and discharging cycles of the battery pack.

11. The battery pack manager of claim 1, wherein said pack fault detection and estimator block are in combination with an emergency disconnect block.

12. The battery pack manager of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication block includes a wireless link with any load control unit.

13. The battery pack manager of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication block includes a wireless link with any battery charging unit.

17. The battery pack manager of claim 1, wherein said battery pack manager unit further comprises:

a pack identifier block;

a pack sensor block that comprises pack current sensors, pack voltage sensors and pack temperature sensors;

a pack current control block that comprises a block that uses signals from a pack performance coordinator block to control the pack current;

a pack informational display block that displays one or more of a pack voltage, a pack current, a pack temperature, a pack state-of-charge, a pack state-of-life, a pack state-of-health, or individual cell information, where the individual cell information includes one or more of a cell voltage, a cell current, a cell temperature, cell model parameters, cell damage rates, a cell state-of-charge, a cell state-of-life, a cell state-of-health, cell faults or cell manager unit failures; and

a pack performance coordinator block which has the ability to change the pack charging or discharging current to coordinate with the individual battery cells so as to achieve specific performance objectives, such as minimizing individual battery cell damage rates, minimizing charging time, or maximizing the energy out of the pack;

the parameters of which are highly dependent on cell chemistry.

18. The battery pack manager of claim 17, wherein said where pack performance coordinator block comprises:

a pack current control block;

a cell-pack-current coordination block, wherein this block coordinates pack charging currents with cell bypass currents;

a pack performance objective coordinator block;

a real-time pack capacity estimator block;

a real-time pack state-of-charge estimator block;

a real-time pack state-of-life estimator block;

a real-time pack state-of-health estimator block;

a real-time charge-exchange coordinator block;

a communication block;

a communication failure detection and estimator block that is designed to accommodate and coordinate; and

a pack fault detection and estimator block.

19. The battery pack manager of claim 1, wherein said plurality of individual cell manager units each includes:

a performance objective coordinator block;

a real-time cell model parameter identification block;

a real-time cell capacity estimator block;

a real-time cell state observer block for estimating cell dynamic variables;

a real-time state-of-charge estimator block;

a real-time damage rate sensor block;

a real-time state-of-life estimator block;

a real-time state-of health estimator block;

a real-time cell fault detection and estimator block;

a real-time component failure detection and estimator block;

a real-time cell life-extending charging-current-profile shaping block;

a communication block;

a real-time wireless communication failure detection and estimator block; and

a sleep-mode manager block.

14. A battery pack manager for charging a battery pack comprising a plurality of individual battery cells using a power source, the battery pack manager comprising:

a battery pack manager unit coupled to the entire battery pack, and coupled to an output of the power source, wherein said battery pack manager unit monitors at least one electrical parameter associated with the entire battery pack, said battery pack manager unit configured to deliver an electrical charging current to the battery pack, and wherein said battery pack manager unit includes a first antenna; and

the battery pack manager is able to permit the wireless control and wireless monitoring of individual cells in a battery pack through each said individual cell manager unit,

a plurality of individual cell manager units, each said individual cell manager unit in operative communication with one of the plurality of individual battery cells of the battery pack to monitor at least one electrical parameter associated with the battery cells, each said individual cell manager unit having a second antenna to communicate wirelessly with said first antenna of said battery pack manager unit, wherein said plurality of individual cell manager units each include a charge exchange block that includes a collection of magnetic cores from which individual cell control unit place energy from their specific cells, and from which individual cell control units can extract energy to be placed into their specific cells, the process of the exchange being wirelessly coordinated by said pack manager unit.

15. The battery pack manager of claim 14, wherein said battery pack manager unit is configured to adjust the electrical current supplied to the battery pack based on said at least one electrical parameter monitored by each said cell manager unit.

16. The battery pack manager of claim 15, wherein said battery pack manager controls one or more of said cell manager units to charge or discharge one or more of the battery cells.

20. The battery pack manager of claim 14, wherein said plurality of individual cell manager units each include:

a performance objective coordinator block;

a real-time cell model parameter identification block;

a real-time cell capacity estimator block;

a real-time cell state observer block for estimating cell dynamic variables;

a real-time state-of-charge estimator block;

a real-time damage rate sensor block;

a real-time state-of-life estimator block;

a real-time state-of health estimator block;

a real-time cell fault detection and estimator block;

a real-time component failure detection and estimator block;

a real-time cell life-extending charging-current-profile shaping block;

a communication block;

a real-time wireless communication failure detection and estimator block; and

a sleep-mode manager block;

wherein based on said at least one electrical parameter of said battery pack and said at least one electrical parameter of each battery cell, said battery pack manager unit commands one or more of said individual cell manager units to control at least one function thereof.