Modular battery cell architecture and control method

• US 9,438,048 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bulur, Yakup, Fishbune, Richard J., Maresh, Mark E., Swenson, Neil C., Wheeler, Adam M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SUN J
• Application Number:
  US14/310,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20150372515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 320/112
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a configuration of a multi-cell battery pack, with at least two cells electrically connected in a first parallel arrangement, which is connected in series to a second parallel arrangement of at least two additional cells. Each cell is locally connected to a sensor to sense and control the current of the cells in parallel or parallel-series combination in the multi-cell battery pack. A control module is in communication with each sensor, and associated instructions electrically remove or disable a cell from the multi-cell battery pack determined to be defective based on measurements from an associated sensor. Accordingly, the configuration measures and monitors a state of health of each cell in the multi-cell battery pack, the measurements including temperature, voltage and current sensing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

arranging a battery pack with multiple cells, the multiple cells arranged in a parallel configuration with each cell electrically connected in series to a current sensor, including a first cell in communication with a first current sensor and a second cell in communication with a second current sensor;

using each respective current sensor in measuring current at an associated cell in the battery pack, including the first current sensor measuring current through the first cell and the second current sensor measuring current through the second cell; and

controlling current flow in each individual cell within the battery pack responsive to the current measured at each individual cell, including balancing current flow in each cell in the battery pack.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring temperature of each individual cell in the battery pack.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying one of the multiple cells as a defective cell in the battery pack responsive to at least one measurement of an individual cell in the battery pack attaining a threshold, and electrically isolating the identified defective cell from the battery pack, the measurements selected from the group consisting of:

current and temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring voltage changes, including measuring a first voltage change across the first current sensor and measuring a second voltage change across the second current sensor, wherein one of the first current sensor and second current sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

a resistor and an inductor.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a first integrated circuit module in communication with the first cell, the first integrated circuit module converting the first voltage change to a first current change magnitude.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising a first feedback circuit in communication with the first integrated circuit module, the first feedback circuit controlling current flow for the first cell, including balancing current flow in parallel to the first cell and the second cell.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the multiple cells in a matrix, including adding a third cell in series to the parallel configuration, wherein a quantity of cells in parallel is equal in each row of the matrix.

8. A computer program product for controlling current flow in each cell of multiple cells in a battery pack, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage device having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

measuring current at an associated cell in a multi-cell battery pack arrangement, the multi-cell battery pack arrangement including the multiple cells arranged in a parallel configuration with each cell electrically connected in series to a current sensor, including a first cell in communication with a first current sensor and a second cell in communication with a second current sensor, the current measurements including the first current sensor measuring current through the first cell and the second current sensor measuring current through the second cell; and

controlling current flow in each individual cell within the battery pack responsive to the current measured at each individual cell, including balancing current flow in each cell in the battery pack.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising measuring temperature of each individual cell in the battery pack.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising using a control integrated circuit module in communication with the current sensor in identifying one of the multiple cells as a defective cell in the battery pack responsive to at least one measurement of an individual cell in the battery pack attaining a threshold, and electrically isolating the identified defective cell from the battery pack, the measurements selected from the group consisting of:

current and temperature.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising using the control integrated circuit module in measuring voltage changes, including measuring a first voltage change across the first current sensor and measuring a second voltage change across the second current sensor.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising using a first integrated circuit module in communication with the first cell, the first integrated circuit module converting the first voltage change to a first current change magnitude.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising using a first feedback circuit in communication with the first integrated circuit module, the first feedback circuit controlling a current flow for the first cell, including balancing current flow in parallel to the first cell and the second cell.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising arranging the multiple cells in a matrix, including adding a third cell in series to the parallel configuration, wherein a quantity of cells in parallel is equal in each row of the matrix.

15. A system comprising:

an arrangement of a battery pack with multiple cells, the multiple cells arranged in a parallel configuration with each cell electrically connected in series to a current sensor, the arrangement including a first cell in communication with a first current sensor and a second cell in communication with a second current sensor;

each respective current sensor to measure current at an associated cell in the battery pack, including the first current sensor to measure current through the first cell and the second current sensor to measure current through the second cell; and

a control mechanism to control current flow in each individual cell within the battery pack responsive to the current measured at each individual cell, including the control mechanism to balance current flow in each cell in the battery pack.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a temperature measurement of each individual cell in the battery pack, and the control mechanism to identify one of the cells as a defective cell in the battery pack responsive to at least one of the measurements of an individual cell in the battery pack attaining a threshold and electrically isolate the identified defective cell from the battery pack, the measurements selected from the group consisting of:

current and temperature.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a mechanism to measure voltage changes across each of the multiple cells, including the mechanism to measure a first voltage change across the first current sensor and to measure a second voltage change across the second current sensor.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a first integrated circuit module in communication with the first cell, the first integrated circuit module to convert the first voltage change to a first current change magnitude.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a first feedback circuit in communication with the first integrated circuit module, the first feedback circuit to control a current flow for the first cell, including a balance of current flow in parallel to the first cell and the second cell.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising the multiple cells arranged in a matrix, wherein the matrix comprises a third cell added in series to the parallel configuration, and wherein a quantity of cells in parallel is equal in each row of the matrix.