Fault tolerant wireless battery area network for a smart battery management system

• US 9,564,762 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navitas Solution Co.
• Original Assignee: Navitas Solutions
• Inventors: Lee, Jaesik, Lee, Inseop, Lee, Minkyu, Chon, Andrew M.
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ARUN C
• Application Number:
  US14/455,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20140347014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00032 characterised by data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

A Wireless battery area network permits the wirelessly monitoring and controlling of individual batteries within large-scale battery applications. The system automatically configures its wireless nodes in the network and provides for the linking of a plurality of batteries (10) to a master battery management unit (M-BMU) (100) by establishing a wireless battery area network within a battery pack that include slave units (S-BMU) (210). The entire system may also be controlled by a top level battery management unit (T-BMU) (510). The system and method allows for the monitoring of voltage, current, temperature, or impedance of individual batteries and for the balancing or bypassing of a battery.

Claims

1. A fault-tolerant wireless battery area network (WiBaAN) system comprising:

a plurality of battery cells;

a plurality of master battery management units (M-BMU);

a plurality of sensor battery management units (S-BMU), wherein individual S-BMUs are each connected to at least two battery cells of the plurality of battery cells, and wherein individual S-BMUs include at least two sensors monitoring the at least one battery cell of the plurality of battery cells through fault tolerant sensor connections in which each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells is redundantly connected to the at least two sensors, which are connected to a common communication unit through multiplexing; and

at least one top level battery management unit (T-BMU) controlling the plurality of S-BMUs and being connected to at least one sensor through a fault tolerant top level connection;

wherein individual S-BMUs are each connected to at least one M-BMU of the plurality of M-BMUs by a first diverse wireless mode;

wherein the at least one T-BMU is connected to the plurality of S-BMUs by a second diverse wireless mode; and

wherein the first diverse wireless mode is distinct from the second diverse wireless mode.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first diverse wireless mode comprises at least one of frequency diversity, time diversity, spatial diversity, and modulation diversity.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second diverse wireless mode comprises at least one of frequency diversity, time diversity, spatial diversity, and modulation diversity.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a rebalancing module connected to a plurality of battery cells for rebalancing a charge between the plurality of battery cells;

wherein an excess charge is automatically redistributed from a first individual battery of the plurality of battery cells to a second individual battery of the plurality of battery cells upon the first individual battery reaching approximately a first maximum charge and wherein the second individual battery is under a second maximum charge.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first maximum charge and the second maximum charge are equal.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the rebalancing module disconnects at least one battery cell of the plurality of battery cells from the plurality of battery cells from the system.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a secondary protection module wirelessly receiving at least one fault signal from at least one S-BMU from the plurality of S-BMUs;

wherein the secondary protection module wirelessly receives the at least one fault signal when at least one M-BMU from the plurality of M-BMUs is not responsive to the at least one fault signal from the at least one S-BMU from the plurality of S-BMUs.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the secondary protection module operates independently from the plurality of M-BMUs.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one fault signal includes at least one of an indication of over voltage of at least one battery cell and an indication of under voltage of at least one battery cell.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the secondary protection module is wirelessly connected to the plurality of S-BMUs through a third diverse wireless connection comprised of at least one of frequency diversity, time diversity, spatial diversity, and modulation diversity.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the third wireless mode is distinct from the first wireless mode and the second wireless mode.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of battery cells are housed in a metal case and wherein the plurality of S-BMUs is mounted directly on said metal case.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a plurality of wireless repeaters;

wherein at least one wireless repeater of the plurality of wireless repeaters is individually attached to at least one S-BMU of the plurality of S-BMUs; and

wherein the plurality of wireless repeaters wirelessly communicate with at least one M-BMU of the plurality of M-BMUs using the first diverse wireless mode whereby a wireless range of the plurality S-BMUs is extended.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor measures a condition of the plurality of battery cells, the condition being selected from the group consisting of voltage, current, impedance and temperature.

15. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of S-BMUs is wirelessly connected with at least one other S-BMU in a mesh network such that each of the plurality M-BMUs is able to communicate with a first S-BMU by communicating with a second S-BMU that is in communication with the first S-BMU.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the mesh network of S-BMUs comprises a fourth diverse wireless mode.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the fourth diverse wireless mode is the same as the first wireless mode.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the fourth diverse wireless mode is distinct from the first wireless mode, the second wireless mode, and the third wireless mode.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one S-BMU of the plurality of S-BMUs is integrated on a single chip.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one S-BMU that is integrated on a single chip further includes one analog-to-digital converter for each sensor included in the at least one S-BMU and a digital multiplexer for combining the signals from each analog-to-digital convertor included on the at least one S-BMU.