Battery system cooling

• US 9,905,893 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proterra Powered LLC
• Original Assignee: Proterra AG
• Inventors: Walker, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mohaddes, Ladan
• Application Number:
  US14/788,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20170005375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/61 Types of temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/63 Control systems charging or discharging in response to temperature H01M10/44 , H01M10/443; measurement of temperature H01M10/48 , H01M10/486
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6567 Liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/485 of mixed oxides or hydroxides for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiTi2O4 or LiTi2OxFy H01M4/505, H01M4/525 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An electric vehicle may include a battery system with a plurality of battery packs electrically connected together. Each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs may include a plurality of battery cells. The electric vehicle may also include a cooling system configured to cool the plurality of battery packs. The electric vehicle may further include a control system configured to selectively operate the cooling system such that at least one battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is maintained at a temperature different from another battery pack of the plurality of battery packs.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a battery system including a plurality of battery packs electrically connected together, wherein the plurality of battery packs includes at least a first battery pack and a second battery pack, and wherein the first and the second battery pack each includes a plurality of battery cells;

a cooling system configured to cool the plurality of battery packs; and

a control system including a first set point temperature for the first battery pack and a second set point temperature for the second battery pack, wherein the first set point temperature is different from the second set point temperature, and wherein the control system is configured to selectively operate the cooling system such that the first battery pack is cooled to maintain substantially the first set point temperature and the second battery pack is cooled to maintain substantially the second set point temperature.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein

the first and second battery packs each includes (a) a separate housing enclosing the plurality of battery cells, (b) a separate liquid-air heat exchanger associated with the housing and circulating a liquid coolant therethrough, and (c) a separate fan circulating air in the housing, and the control system is configured to selectively operate the cooling system by independently controlling at least one of (i) the fan in each housing, and (ii) a liquid coolant flow through the heat exchanger associated with each housing.

3. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is a low-floor electric bus and the first and second battery packs are positioned below a floor of the bus.

4. The electric vehicle of claim 3, wherein the first and second battery packs include Lithium Titanate Oxide.

5. The electric vehicle of claim 3, wherein the first and second battery packs include Nickel Manganese Cobalt.

6. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the control system includes preprogrammed set point temperatures associated with the first and the second battery pack, and the control system is configured to selectively operate the cooling system such that first and second battery packs are cooled to maintain substantially the respective set point temperature of the battery pack.

7. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the cooling system includes a liquid coolant directed to the first and the second battery pack, wherein the control system is configured to selectively operate the cooling system by controlling a flow rate of the liquid coolant directed through the first and the second battery pack.

14. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery packs are connected such that, at a same temperature, the first battery pack has a higher effective impedance than the second battery pack.

15. The electric vehicle of claim 14, wherein the first set point temperature is higher than the second set point temperature.

16. The electric vehicle of claim 14, wherein the first set point temperature is lower than the second set point temperature.

8. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a battery system including a plurality of battery packs, the plurality of battery packs including a first battery pack and a second battery pack electrically connected together such that, at a same temperature, the first battery pack has a first effective impedance and the second battery pack has a second effective impedance different from the first effective impedance, wherein each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs includes a plurality of battery cells;

a cooling system configured to cool the plurality of battery packs; and

a control system including a different preprogrammed set point temperature for each of the first battery pack and the second battery pack, the set point temperature of the first battery pack being based on the first effective impedance and the set point temperature of the second battery pack being based on the second effective impedance, the control system being configured to selectively operate the cooling system such that the first and second battery packs are cooled to maintain substantially the respective set point temperature of the battery pack.

9. The electric vehicle of claim 8, wherein

each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs includes (a) a housing enclosing the plurality of battery cells therein, (b) an air-liquid heat exchanger positioned in the housing, and (c) a fan circulating air in the housing, and

the control system is configured to selectively operate the cooling system by both (i) independently adjusting a speed of the fan in each housing, and (ii) independently controlling a liquid coolant flow through the air-liquid heat exchanger in each housing.

10. The electric vehicle of claim 8, wherein the plurality of battery packs include one of Lithium Titanate Oxide and Nickel Manganese Cobalt.

17. The electric vehicle of claim 8, wherein (a) the first effective impedance is higher than the second effective impedance and (b) the set point temperature of the first battery pack is higher than the set point temperature of the second battery pack.

18. The electric vehicle of claim 8, wherein (a) the first effective impedance is higher than the second effective impedance and (b) the set point temperature of the first battery pack is lower than the set point temperature of the second battery pack.

11. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a battery system including a plurality of battery packs electrically connected together, wherein the plurality of battery packs include at least a first battery pack and a second battery pack, and wherein the first battery pack and the second battery pack each includes (a) a housing enclosing a plurality of battery cells therein, (b) a fan configured to circulate air within the housing, and (c) a liquid-air heat exchanger configured to cool the air circulating in the housing; and

a control system including a first set point temperature for the first battery pack and a second set point temperature for the second battery pack, wherein the first set point temperature is different from the second set point temperature, and wherein the control system is configured to selectively operate the fan and the liquid-air heat exchanger of each of the first and second battery packs such that the first battery pack is cooled to maintain substantially the first set point temperature and the second battery pack is cooled to maintain substantially the second set point temperature.

12. The electric vehicle of claim 11, wherein the electric vehicle is a low-floor electric bus and at the at least two battery packs are positioned below a floor of the bus.

13. The electric vehicle of claim 11, wherein the at least two battery packs include one of Lithium Titanate Oxide and Nickel Manganese Cobalt.

19. The electric vehicle of claim 11, wherein the first battery pack and the second battery pack are electrically connected together such that, at a same temperature, the first battery pack has a higher effective impedance than the second battery pack, and wherein the first set point temperature is higher than the second set point temperature.

20. The electric vehicle of claim 11, wherein the first battery pack and the second battery pack are electrically connected together such that, at a same temperature, the first battery pack has a higher effective impedance than the second battery pack, and wherein the first set point temperature is lower than the second set point temperature.