Method and system for supplying electrical energy from a battery power supply unit to a heating element

• US 9,634,518 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2007
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Campagnolo S.R.L.
• Original Assignee: Campagnolo S.R.L.
• Inventors: Miglioranza, Federico
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodas, Richard Isla
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, MANUEL J
• Application Number:
  US11/772,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20080124616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,585 Days
• Field of Search: 320135, 320136, 320150, 429 62
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1407 on vehicles not being driven by a motor, e.g. bicycles

Abstract

In order to improve the performance of a battery power supply unit for a bicycle electronic device at low atmospheric temperature, when its temperature is less than or equal to a lower temperature threshold, electrical energy is supplied by the power supply unit to a heating element thermally coupled with the power supply unit that, in this way, self-heats. Part of the electrical energy of the power supply unit can be simultaneously supplied to the electronic device.

Claims

1. Bicycle electronic device, comprising:

a connector for receiving electrical energy from a power supply unit having a maximum nominal capacity, at least one battery, at least one heating element thermally coupled with the at least one battery, and a battery temperature sensor associated with the at least one battery; and

a controller that receives an input signal from the battery temperature sensor indicative of a temperature of the at least one battery and provides a signal for switching part of the electrical energy of the power supply unit towards the heating element when the detected temperature of the at least one battery is less than or equal to a predetermined lower temperature threshold and the power supply unit has a nominal capacity that is greater than 5% of the maximum nominal capacity of the power supply unit.

2. Device according to claim 1, further comprising a power regulator for regulating the switching of the part of electrical energy, driven by the signal provided by the controller.

3. Device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor of atmospheric temperature, an output of which is supplied to the controller.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined lower temperature threshold is selected so as to ensure a capacity of the power supply unit of 40% of the maximum nominal capacity of the power supply unit.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined lower temperature threshold is −

4°

C.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the checking step comprises checking whether the detected temperature is lower than an upper temperature threshold.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the upper temperature threshold is selected so as to ensure a capacity of the power supply unit of about 75% of a maximum nominal capacity of the power supply unit.

9. Method according to claim 7, wherein the upper temperature threshold is 4°

C.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting at least one temperature comprises detecting the temperature of each of a plurality of batteries of the battery power supply unit.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein the checking step comprises checking whether a difference between the lower temperature threshold and the detected temperature is less than or equal to a maximum temperature difference.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein the maximum temperature difference is a constant value.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the maximum temperature difference is equal to 15°

C.

16. Method according to claim 14, wherein the maximum temperature difference is a non-decreasing function of a residual charge of the power supply unit.

17. Method according to claim 13, wherein the detected temperature is the atmospheric temperature.

18. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of detecting a residual charge of the power supply unit, wherein the checking step comprises checking whether the residual charge is greater than a minimum residual charge.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein the minimum residual charge is a constant percentage value of a maximum charge of the power supply unit.

20. Method according to claim 19, wherein the minimum residual charge is equal to 75% of the maximum charge of the power supply unit.

21. Method according to claim 19, wherein the minimum residual charge is a non-decreasing function of the temperature difference.

22. Method according to claim 21, wherein the minimum residual charge is an increasing function of the temperature difference in the temperature difference range comprised between 0°

C. and a maximum temperature difference, is equal to a residual reserve charge for a temperature difference equal to 0°

C., and is equal to a maximum charge of the power supply unit for temperature differences greater than or equal to the maximum temperature difference.

23. Method according to claim 22, wherein the increasing function of the temperature difference in the temperature difference range comprised between 0°

C. and a maximum temperature difference is linear.

24. Method according to claim 22, wherein the minimum residual charge is equal to a residual reserve charge for temperature differences less than 0°

C.

25. Method according to claim 22, wherein the residual reserve charge is equal to 30% of the maximum charge of the power supply unit.

26. Method according to claim 18, wherein the detected temperature is the atmospheric temperature.

27. Method according to claim 1, wherein the checking step comprises checking whether the electronic device is active.

28. Method according to claim 1, wherein electrical energy from the power supply unit is supplied to a plurality of heating elements, each of which is thermally coupled with a respective one of a plurality of batteries of the power supply unit.

29. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of supplying electrical energy to the electronic device.

30. Method according to claim 29, wherein the step of supplying electrical energy to the electronic device occurs when the detected temperature is higher than the predetermined lower temperature threshold.

4. Method for controlling battery temperature in an electrical energy power supply unit for powering a bicycle electronic device, comprising the steps of:

providing a power supply unit that has at least one battery with a maximum nominal capacity, and a predetermined lower temperature threshold that is selected to ensure a minimum nominal capacity of the power supply unit is no less than 5% of the maximum nominal capacity;

providing at least one battery temperature sensor associated with the at least one battery;

providing at least one heating element thermally coupled with the at least one battery;

detecting through said at least one battery temperature sensor a temperature associated with the at least one battery;

checking operative conditions of the power supply unit, including checking whether the detected temperature associated with the at least one battery is less than or equal to the predetermined lower temperature threshold;

and, if the checking step has a positive outcome, electrical energy from the power supply unit is supplied to said at least one heating element provided that a remaining minimum nominal capacity of the power supply unit is at least 5% of the maximum nominal capacity of the power supply unit.

10. Method according to claim 4, wherein the electrical energy from the power supply unit to the at least one heating element is supplied as a function of a difference between the lower temperature threshold and a temperature proportional to the detected temperature.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the function is of the proportional, integrative and/or derivative type.

31. Power supply system comprising:

a battery power supply unit having at least one battery, a maximum nominal capacity, and a predetermined lower temperature threshold;

at least one temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the at least one battery;

at least one heating element thermally associated with the at least one battery;

a selectively actuable electrical connection from the power supply unit to the heating element; and

a controller that checks operative conditions of the system, including whether a detected temperature from the at least one temperature sensor is less than or equal to the predetermined lower temperature threshold and, if the check has a positive outcome, actuates the electrical connection to supply electrical energy from the power supply unit to the heating element when a nominal capacity of the power supply unit is greater than 5% of the maximum nominal capacity of the power supply unit.

32. System according to claim 31, comprising an electrical connection from the power supply unit to a bicycle electronic device.

33. System according to claim 31, further comprising a bicycle electronic device.

34. System according to claim 31, wherein the operative conditions further include whether the detected temperature is less than an upper temperature threshold.

35. System according to claim 31, wherein the controller actuates the electrical connection through a power regulator selected from the group consisting of relays and solid-state devices.

36. System according to claim 35, wherein the heating element is of the resistive type and the heating controller comprises a multiplier of an output signal of the at least one temperature sensor, a subtractor for subtracting an output of the multiplier from the lower temperature threshold and for obtaining an error signal, and a P.I.D. (proportional-integral-derivative) type power regulator block acting upon the error signal to output a driving signal for the power regulator.

37. System according to claim 36, wherein the driving signal at the output of the P.I.D. power regulator block causes a voltage value at ends of the heating element, or a current value through the heating element, that increases as the error signal increases.

38. System according to claim 36, wherein the P.I.D. power regulator block causes a modulated voltage at ends of the heating element, or a modulated current through the heating element, the duty cycle of which increases as the error signal increases.

39. System according to claim 31, wherein the at least one temperature sensor comprises at least one temperature sensor thermally coupled with the at least one battery.

40. System according to claim 39, wherein the power supply unit comprises at least two batteries, and at least one temperature sensor is thermally associated with each battery.

41. System according to claim 31, wherein the at least one temperature sensor comprises a thermistor.

42. System according to claim 31, wherein the operative conditions further include whether a difference between the lower temperature threshold and the detected temperature is less than or equal to a maximum temperature difference.

43. System according to claim 42, wherein the at least one sensor of a temperature indicative of the temperature of the power supply unit comprises a sensor of atmospheric temperature to provide the detected temperature used to evaluate the temperature difference.

44. System according to claim 31, further comprising a residual charge sensor, and in the operative conditions further include whether the residual charge is greater than a minimum residual charge.

45. System according to claim 31, wherein the at least one heating element comprises at least one resistive sheet applied to the power supply unit.

46. System according to claim 31, wherein the power supply unit comprises at least two batteries, and each battery is thermally associated with at least one heating element.

47. System according to claim 31, wherein its components are housed in a single casing that can be fixed to the frame of a bicycle.

48. System according to claim 31, wherein the power supply unit is housed in a first casing and the electronic device is housed in a second casing, the first and the second casing being mechanically and electrically removably connectable.

49. System according to claim 48, wherein the controller is housed in the first casing.

50. System according to claim 48, wherein the controller is housed in the second casing.

51. System according to claim 48, wherein a power regulator for the selective actuation of the electrical connection is housed in the first casing.

52. System according to claim 48, wherein a power regulator for the selective actuation of the electrical connection is housed in the second casing.

53. System according to claim 48, wherein the selectively actuable electrical connection is shunted from an electrical connection from the power supply unit to the electronic device.

54. System according to claim 53, wherein a residual charge sensor of the power supply unit is housed in the first casing.

55. System according to claim 53, wherein at least one atmospheric temperature sensor is housed in the first casing.

56. System according to claim 53, wherein at least one atmospheric temperature sensor is housed in the second casing.

57. System according to claim 31, wherein the battery power supply unit is of a rechargeable type.

58. Method for controlling battery temperature in an electrical energy power supply unit for powering a bicycle electronic device, comprising the steps of:

providing a power supply unit that has at least one battery, a maximum nominal capacity, and a predetermined lower temperature threshold that is selected to ensure a minimum nominal capacity of the power supply unit that is no less than 5% of a maximum nominal capacity;

providing at least one battery temperature sensor associated with the at least one battery;

providing at least one heating element thermally coupled with the at least one battery;

detecting through said at least one battery temperature sensor a temperature associated with the at least one battery;

checking operative conditions of the power supply unit, including checking whether the detected temperature associated with the at least one battery is less than or equal to the predetermined lower temperature threshold;

and, if the checking step has a positive outcome;

supplying electrical energy from the power supply unit to said at least one heating element as a function of a difference between the predetermined lower temperature threshold and a temperature proportional to the detected temperature associated with the at least one battery when the power supply unit has a nominal capacity greater than at least 5% of the maximum nominal capacity of the power supply unit.

59. Method for controlling battery temperature in an electrical energy power supply unit for powering a bicycle electronic device, comprising the steps of:

providing a power supply unit that has at least one battery with a maximum nominal capacity, and a predetermined lower temperature threshold that is selected to ensure a remaining minimum nominal capacity of the power supply unit is no less than 5% of the maximum nominal capacity;

providing at least one battery temperature sensor associated with the at least one battery;

providing at least one heating element thermally coupled with the at least one battery;

detecting through said at least one battery temperature sensor a temperature associated with the at least one battery;

checking operative conditions of the power supply unit, including checking whether the detected temperature associated with the at least one battery is less than or equal to the predetermined lower temperature threshold;

and, if the checking step has a positive outcome, electrical energy from the power supply unit is supplied to said at least one heating element provided that the remaining minimum nominal capacity of the power supply unit is at least 5% of the maximum nominal capacity of the power supply unit.