Battery management systems for energy storage devices

• US 9,893,385 B1
• Filed: 04/22/2016
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambri
• Original Assignee: Ambri
• Inventors: Nayar, Hari, Yuksel, Murat
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M'Baye
• Application Number:
  US15/136,337
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 320112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/399 Cells with molten salts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• 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: H01M 2300/0048 Molten electrolytes used at high temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/186 characterised by the disposition of the sealing members
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/188 the sealing members being arranged between the lid and terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/191 Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for monitoring and/or regulating energy storage devices. Examples of such monitoring and/or regulating include cell balancing, dynamic impedance control, breach detection and determination of state of charge of energy storage devices.

Claims

1. A system for storing energy, comprising:

an energy storage device comprising an electrochemical cell having a negative electrode, a positive electrode and an electrolyte between the negative and positive electrodes, wherein at least one of the negative electrode, the electrolyte and the positive electrode of the electrochemical cell is in a liquid state at an operating temperature of the electrochemical cell that is at least about 250°

C.; and

a controller in electrical communication with the energy storage device, wherein the controller includes (i) a central processing unit (CPU) that is programmed to monitor and control an operating state of the electrochemical cell, (ii) a terminal block that receives power from an auxiliary power source, and (iii) a filter that receives the power from the terminal block, steps down the power to about 12 Volts direct current (VDC), 5 VDC or 3.3 VDC, and transmits the power to the CPU.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a power isolator and a first analog front-end (AFE), wherein the power isolator is between the CPU and the first AFE.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the power isolator transmits power between the CPU and the first AFE at a voltage level of about 12 Volts.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the CPU and the first AFE are part of an integrated circuit.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second AFE isolated from the first AFE by a transformer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the CPU comprises a single-board computer.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising an analog front-end (AFE) and a serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus, wherein the single-board computer is connected to the AFE by the SPI bus, and wherein the SPI bus comprises a bus isolator device.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a port expander electrically connected to an inter-integrated circuit (I²C) port of the single-board computer.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising one or more relay drives electrically connected to the port expander.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more relay drives are configured to allow the controller to control the operating state of the electrochemical cell to enable cell balancing between the electrochemical cell and one or more other electrochemical cells of the energy storage device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the negative electrode, the electrolyte and the positive electrode of the electrochemical cell is in a liquid state.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the single-board computer is a beagle board.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the operating temperature of the electrochemical cell is at least about 400°

C.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the CPU is powered by the auxiliary power when the electrochemical cell does not provide power to the controller.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the CPU is powered by the auxiliary power when the electrochemical cell is at a voltage of 0 Volts.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the CPU, terminal block and filter are part of an integrated circuit.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the filter transmits the power to the CPU and to one or more other components of the controller at two or more different voltage levels.