Systems and methods for initializing a charging system

• US 9,770,991 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Perisic, Milun, Ransonm, Ray M., Kojouke, Lateef A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): RANKINE, TARIKH KANEM
• Application Number:
  US13/907,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20140354241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 320148, 320162
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/12 Buck converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/42 Voltage source inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/44 Current source inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for charging a battery. The system, for example, includes, but is not limited to a first interface configured to receive a voltage from an AC voltage source, a matrix conversion module comprising a plurality of switches electrically connected to the first interface and configured to provide a charging voltage to the battery, and a controller communicatively connected to the matrix conversion module, wherein the controller is configured to: determine a voltage of the battery, determine an angle of the AC voltage source to initiate charging of the battery based upon the voltage of the battery, and control the plurality of switches to provide the charging voltage to the battery between the determined angle of the AC voltage source and a subsequent zero-crossing of the AC voltage source.

Claims

1. A charging system for charging a battery,

comprising:

a first interface configured to receive a voltage from an alternative current (AC) voltage source;

a matrix conversion module comprising a plurality of switches electrically connected to the first interface and configured to provide a charging voltage to the battery; and

a controller communicatively connected to the matrix conversion module, wherein the controller is configured to;

determine a voltage of the battery;

determine an initiation angle of the AC voltage source to initiate charging of the battery based upon the voltage of the battery; and

control the plurality of switches to provide the charging voltage to the battery when an angle of the received voltage of the AC voltage source is between the determined initiation angle of the AC voltage source and a subsequent zero-crossing of the AC voltage source.

2. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a lower bound for the determined initiation angle based upon the voltage of the battery and a peak voltage of the AC voltage source; and

bound the determined initiation angle to the lower bound when the determined angle is lower than the lower bound.

3. The charging system of claim 2, wherein the lower bound is determined based upon the following equation:

4. The charging system of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine an upper bound for the determined initiation angle based upon the voltage of the battery, the peak voltage of the AC voltage source, a maximum desired current in the charging system and the determined lower bound; and

bound the determined initiation angle to the upper bound when the determined angle is greater than the upper bound.

5. The charging system of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the upper bound using a multi-dimensional lookup table.

6. The charging system of claim 5, wherein the multi-dimensional lookup table is based upon the following equation:

7. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

monitor a current flowing into the battery caused by the charging voltage; and

controlling the plurality of switches to provide the charging voltage to the battery until the current flowing into the battery approaches zero.

8. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the plurality of switches to provide the charging voltage to the battery when the determined voltage of the battery is less than a peak voltage of the AC voltage source; and

control the plurality of switches to provide a boosted voltage to the battery when the determined voltage of the battery is greater than the peak voltage of the AC voltage source.

9. A method for charging a battery in a charging system using an alternating current (AC) voltage source coupled to a matrix conversion module, the method comprising:

determining, by a control module, a voltage of the battery;

determining, by the control module, an initiation angle of the AC voltage source to initiate charging of the battery based upon the voltage of the battery; and

controlling, by the control module, the matrix conversion module to provide a charging voltage to the battery when an angle of the received voltage of the AC voltage source is between the determined initiation angle of the AC voltage source and a subsequent zero-crossing of the AC voltage source.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the control module, a lower bound for the determined initiation angle based upon the voltage of the battery and a peak voltage of the AC voltage source; and

bounding, by the control module, the determined initiation angle to the lower bound when the determined angle is lower than the lower bound.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the lower bound is determined based upon the following equation:

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, by the control module, an upper bound for the determined initiation angle based upon the voltage of the battery, the peak voltage of the AC voltage source, a maximum desired current in the charging system, and the determined lower bound; and

bounding, by the control module, the determined initiation angle to the upper bound when the determined angle is greater than the upper bound.

13. The method of claim 12, furthering comprising determining, by the control module, the upper bound using a multi-dimensional lookup table.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the multi-dimensional lookup table is based upon the following equation:

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

monitoring, by the control module, a current flowing into the battery caused by the charging voltage; and

controlling, by the control module, the matrix conversion module to provide the charging voltage to the battery until the current flowing into the battery approaches zero.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

controlling, by the control module, the matrix conversion module to provide the charging voltage to the battery when the determined voltage of the battery is less than a peak voltage of the AC voltage source; and

controlling, by the control module, the matrix conversion module to provide a boosted voltage to the battery when the determined voltage of the battery is greater than the peak voltage of the AC voltage source.

17. A charging system for charging a battery,

comprising:

a first interface configured to receive a voltage from an alternative current (AC) voltage source;

an energy conversion module comprising a plurality of switches electrically connected to the first interface and configured to provide a charging voltage to the battery; and

a controller communicatively connected to the energy conversion module, wherein the controller is configured to;

control the plurality of switches to provide the charging voltage to the battery when a voltage of the battery is less than a peak voltage of the AC voltage source, the plurality of switches providing the charging voltage utilizing the voltage from the AC power source when an angle of the AC power source is between a determined initiation angle of the AC voltage source and a subsequent zero-crossing of the AC voltage source; and

control the plurality of switches to provide a boosted voltage to the battery when the voltage of the battery is greater than the peak voltage of the AC voltage source.

18. The charging system of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine the voltage of the battery; and

determine the initiation angle of the AC voltage source to initiate charging of the battery based upon the voltage of the battery.

19. The charging system of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a lower bound for the determined initiation angle based upon the voltage of the battery and the peak voltage of the AC voltage source; and

bound the determined angle to the lower bound when the determined initiation angle is lower than the lower bound, wherein the lower bound is determined based upon the following equation;

20. The charging system of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine an upper bound for the determined initiation angle based upon the voltage of the battery, the peak voltage of the AC voltage source, a maximum desired current in the charging system and the determined lower bound; and

bound the determined initiation angle to the upper bound when the determined angle is greater than the upper bound,

wherein the controller is further configured to determine the upper bound using a multi-dimensional lookup table, and

the multi-dimensional lookup table is based upon the following equation;