Wireless battery management system

• US 9,553,460 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elite Power Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Elite Power Solutions LLC
• Inventors: Dao, Yuan, Schlanger, William Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US14/657,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20150188334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• 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: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• 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: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1308 Power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A wireless battery management system includes a computing device and first and second battery unit monitoring modules. The computing device includes an output data request port and an input data port. In response to a data request from the output data request port of the computing device, a first battery unit monitoring module transmits data of the first battery unit to the input data port of the computing device wirelessly and may transmits a data request to the second battery unit monitoring module. In response, the second battery unit monitoring module may transmit data of the second battery unit to the input data port of the computing device wirelessly or transmit data of the second battery to the first module for wireless transmission. In addition, each battery unit monitoring module may communicate wirelessly and independently with the computing device.

Claims

1. A battery management system comprising:

a computing device comprising;

an output data request port coupled with a wireless computer signal transmitter; and

an input data port coupled with a wireless computer signal receiver;

a first battery unit monitoring module coupled with a first battery unit and comprising;

an input data request port coupled with a module wireless signal receiver that is connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal transmitter of the output data request port of the computing device;

an output data request port;

an output data port coupled with a wireless module signal transmitter connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal receiver of the input data port of the computing device;

wherein computing device sends a data request to the output data request port that is converted into a wireless signal by the wireless computer signal transmitter;

wherein said data request is received by the wireless module signal receiver and provided to the input data request port;

a second battery unit monitoring module coupled with a second battery unit and comprising;

a single input data request port connected only to the output data request port of the first battery unit monitoring module, therein defining a module connection between said first battery unit monitoring module and said second battery unit monitoring module;

an output data port coupled the input data port of the computing device;

wherein the first battery unit monitoring is a master to said second battery unit monitoring module and the second battery unit monitoring module is a slave to the first battery unit monitoring module,

wherein the first battery unit monitoring module responds to a data request signal from the output data request port of the computing device b transmitting data of the first battery unit to the input data port of the computing device and subsequently transmits a data request to the second battery unit monitoring module through said module connection; and

wherein the second battery unit monitoring module responds to the data request from the output data request port the first battery unit monitoring module by transmitting data of the second battery unit to the input data port of the computing device;

wherein the computing device receives data from the first and second battery unit monitoring modules sequentially after sending a single data request signal to only the first battery unit monitoring module; and

wherein the computing device receives data from the second battery unit monitoring module automatically after receiving data from the first battery unit monitoring module.

2. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the second battery unit monitoring module comprises a second wireless module signal transmitter and whereby the second battery unit monitoring module wirelessly transmits data of the second battery unit to the wireless computer signal receiver.

3. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the second battery unit monitoring module transmits data of the second battery unit to the first battery unit monitoring module through the module connection for wireless transmission to the wireless computer signal receiver by the wireless module signal transmitter of the first battery unit monitoring module.

4. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the first battery unit monitoring module connects to a first battery unit for an electric vehicle.

5. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the first battery unit monitoring module comprises an analog-to-digital converter that measures a voltage of the first battery unit.

6. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the first battery unit monitoring module comprises a temperature monitoring device that measures a temperature of the first battery unit.

7. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the data of the first battery unit is a voltage and a temperature or the first battery unit.

8. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the computing device transmits a second data request to the first battery unit monitoring module after the computing device has not received data on the input data port for a predetermined period of time.

9. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to output an alarm when an error condition is detected.

10. The battery management system of claim 9, wherein the error condition is a high voltage condition, a low voltage condition, a high current condition, a high temperature condition or a connection fault condition.

11. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to shut off a battery charge when the computing device detects a high voltage condition across the first and second battery units.

12. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to shut off a load when the computing device detects a low voltage condition across the first and second battery units.

13. The battery management system of claim 1, further comprising a battery unit balancing system that is configured to balance the first battery unit.

14. A battery management system comprising:

as computing device comprising;

an output data request port coupled with a wireless computer signal transmitter; and

an input data port coupled with a wireless computer signal receiver;

a first battery unit monitoring module coupled with a first battery unit and composing;

an input data request port coupled with a first module wireless signal receiver that is connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal transmitter of the output data request port of the computing device;

an output data port coupled with a first wireless module signal transmitter connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal receiver of the input data port of the computing device;

wherein computing device sends a data request to the output data request port that is convened into a wireless signal by the wireless computer signal transmitter;

wherein said data request is received by the first wireless module signal receiver and provided to the input data request port;

wherein the first battery unit monitoring module responds to a data request signal from the output data request port of the computing device by transmitting data of the first battery unit wirelessly through the first wireless module signal transmitter to the input data port of the computing device;

a second battery unit monitoring module coupled with a second battery unit and comprising;

a second input data request port coupled with a second module wireless signal receiver that is connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal transmitter of the output data request port of the computing device;

a second output data port coupled with a second wireless module signal transmitter connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal receiver of the input data port of the computing device;

wherein computing device sends a data request to the output data request port that is converted into a wireless signal by the wireless computer signal transmitter;

wherein said data request is received by the second wireless module signal receiver and provided to the second input data request port;

wherein the second battery unit monitoring module responds to a data request signal from the output data request port of the computing device by transmitting data of the second battery unit wirelessly through the second wireless module signal transmitter to the input data port of the computing device.

15. The battery management system of claim 14, wherein the data of the first battery unit is a voltage and a temperature of the first battery unit.

16. A method of managing a battery unit comprising the steps of:

providing a battery management system comprising;

an output data request port coupled with a wireless computer signal transmitter; and

an input data port coupled with a wireless computer signal receiver;

a first battery unit monitoring module coupled with a first battery unit and comprising;

an input data request port coupled with a first module wireless signal receiver that as connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal transmitter of the output data request port of the computing device;

an output data port coupled with a first wireless module signal transmitter connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal receiver of the input data port of the computing device;

wherein computing device sends a data request to the output data request port that is converted into a wireless signal by the wireless computer signal transmitter;

wherein said data request is received by the first wireless module signal receiver and provided to the input data request port;

wherein the first battery unit monitoring module responds to a data request signal from the output data request port of the computing device by transmitting data of the first battery unit wirelessly through the first wireless module signal transmitter to the input data port of the computing device;

a second battery unit monitoring module coupled with a second battery unit and comprising;

a second input data request port coupled with a second module wireless signal receiver that is connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal transmitter of the output data request port of the computing device;

a second output data port coupled with a second wireless module signal transmitter connected wirelessly to the wireless computer signal receiver of the input data port of the computing device;

wherein computing device sends a data request to the output data request port that is converted into a wireless signal by the wireless computer signal transmitter;

wherein said data request is received by the second wireless module signal receiver and provided to the second input data request port;

wherein the second battery unit monitoring module responds to a data request signal from the output data request port of the computing device by transmitting data of the second battery unit wirelessly through the second wireless module signal transmitter to the input data port of the computing device; and

wherein the computing device outputs an alarm when an error condition is detected.

17. The method of managing a battery unit of claim 16, wherein the error condition is a high voltage condition or a low voltage condition.

18. The method of managing a battery unit of claim 16, further comprising the step of the terminating a battery charge to a battery when the computing device detects a high voltage condition across the first and second battery units.

19. The method of managing a battery unit of claim 16, further comprising the step of the terminating a connection between a battery and a load when the computing device is detects a low voltage condition.