System and method for managing a power system with multiple power components

• US 9,568,930 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motiv Power Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motiv Power Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Castelaz, Jim Michael, Riley, Jessica, Diamond, Steven, Chang, Sam, Parikh, Vishal, Tsai, Benson
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, TOAN T
• Application Number:
  US14/231,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20140330446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 307/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/106 for load balancing, symmetrisation, or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• 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: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the system for managing a power system with a plurality of power components that includes power source components and power consumption components includes a central power bus, a plurality of adaptable connectors that each electrically couple to a power component and to the central power bus, and a control processor that receives the state of each power component from the respective adaptable connector and is configured to balance the voltage and current output from each power source component to provide a desired power to a power consumption component based on the received states.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a power bus;

a plurality of adaptable connectors, wherein each of the adaptable connectors is coupled to a power component and to the power bus, wherein at least two of the adaptable connectors control a voltage of the power bus, and wherein each of the adaptable connectors comprises;

a processor that determines a state of the power component, wherein the state of the power component is taken from the group consisting of;

a State of Health (SoH) of the power component, a State of Charge (SoC) of the power component, and a temperature state of the power component; and

a power converter that regulates a current flow between the power bus and the power component; and

a control processor that;

(1) receives the state of each power component from the respective adaptable connector, (2) determines an amount of power at least one of the power components is to supply to the power bus based in part on the received states of the power components, and (3) communicates with the adaptable connectors thereby causing the at least one adaptable connector to supply the amount of power determined in (2) onto the power bus.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control processor is configured to communicate instructions to each of the adaptable connectors to balance current flow between each of the power components.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the power components interchangeably receive power and provide power.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the power components is a motor, and wherein at least one of the power components is a battery.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the power converter of one of the adaptable connectors is substantially identical to the power converter of another one of the adaptable connectors.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the adaptable connectors further comprises:

a sensor that is coupled to the processor of the adaptable connector, wherein the sensor is used to determine the state of the power component.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

a voltage sensing device, a temperature sensing device, and a current sensing device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control processor communicates with each of the adaptable connectors to receive the state of each of the power components and to communicate the desired current to be supplied from each of the power components to the power bus.

9. A system comprising:

a power bus;

a plurality of adaptable connectors, wherein each of the adaptable connectors is coupled to a power component and to the power bus, wherein at least two of the adaptable connectors control a voltage of the power bus, and wherein each of the adaptable connectors comprises;

a processor that determines a state of the power component; and

a power converter that regulates a current flow between the power bus and the power component; and

a control processor that;

(1) receives the state of each power component from the respective adaptable connector, (2) determines an amount of power at least one of the power components is to supply to the power bus based in part on the received states of the power components, and (3) communicates with the adaptable connectors thereby causing the at least one adaptable connector to supply the amount of power determined in (2) onto the power bus.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the state of the power component is taken from the group consisting of:

a State of Health (SoH) of the power component, a State of Charge (SoC) of the power component, and a temperature state of the power component.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the power components interchangeably receive power and provide power.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the power components is a motor, and wherein at least one of the power components is a battery.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the power converter of one of the adaptable connectors is substantially identical to the power converter of another one of the adaptable connectors.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the adaptable connectors further comprises:

a sensor that is coupled to the processor of the adaptable connector, wherein the sensor is used to determine the state of the power component.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

a voltage sensing device, a temperature sensing device, and a current sensing device.

16. A system comprising:

a power bus;

a first adaptable connector that couples a first power component to the power bus, wherein the first power component is a battery pack, and wherein the first adaptable connector comprises;

a switching power converter;

a processor that determines a value indicative of the battery pack state; and

a power controller that regulates a first current flow between the first battery pack and the power bus;

a second adaptable connector that couples a second power component to the power bus, wherein the second power component is a second battery pack, and wherein the second adaptable connector comprises;

a switching power converter;

a processor that determines a value indicative of the battery pack state; and

a power controller that regulates a second current flow between the second battery pack and the power bus;

a third adaptable connector that couples a third power component to the power bus, wherein the third power component is a motor, and wherein the third adaptable connector comprises;

a switching power converter;

a processor that determines a value indicative of a motor state; and

a power controller that regulates a third current flow between the motor and the power bus; and

a control processor that;

(1) receives the values indicative of the state of each power component, (2) determines an amount of power at least one of the power components is to supply to another one of the power components based in part on the received values, and (3) balances the current flow between each of the power components based on the amount of power determined in (2).

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the battery pack state is taken from the group consisting of:

a State of Health (SoH) of the battery pack, a State of Charge (SoC) of the battery pack, and a temperature state of the battery pack, and wherein the motor state is taken from the group consisting of;

a State of Health (SoH) of the motor, and a temperature state of the motor.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the power bus is an Alternating Current (AC) power bus, and wherein at least two of the adaptable connectors control a voltage of the AC power bus.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the value indicative of the battery pack state of the first battery pack is a first temperature, wherein the the value indicative of the battery pack state of the second battery pack is a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature, and wherein the processor balances in (3) by increasing the first current flow and decreasing the second current flow based on the second temperature being greater than the first temperature.