Auxiliary power system mounted in a vehicle

• US 10,432,004 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ox Partners LLC
• Original Assignee: Ox Partners LLC
• Inventors: Rumbaugh, Scott, Den Beste, William, Orzeck, Toren
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/488,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20180301919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 320104, 320107, 320132, 320150
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• 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 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• 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 10/6572 Peltier elements or thermoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/224 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/227 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/244 Secondary casings; Racks; Suspension devices; Carrying devices; Holders characterised by their mounting method
• 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: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 : Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1423 : with multiple batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 : The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/002 : in which a reserve is maintained in an energy source by disconnecting non-critical loads, e.g. maintaining a reserve of charge in a vehicle battery for starting an engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods associated with an auxiliary power system design are disclosed herein. In embodiments, an auxiliary power system may be mounted within a vehicle or integrated into a starter battery of the vehicle. The auxiliary power system may include an auxiliary battery and circuitry coupled to the auxiliary battery and a vehicle electrical system of the vehicle. The vehicle electrical system may be used to start an engine of the vehicle. The circuitry may detect a trigger and couple the auxiliary battery to the vehicle electrical system in response to detection of the trigger. The auxiliary battery may provide power to the vehicle electrical system to start the engine of the vehicle when the auxiliary battery is coupled to the vehicle electrical system. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. An auxiliary power system to be mounted within a vehicle, comprising:

an auxiliary battery; and

circuitry coupled to the auxiliary battery, the circuitry to;

detect a trigger event; and

couple the auxiliary battery to a vehicle electrical system of the vehicle in response to detection of the trigger event, the auxiliary battery to provide power to the vehicle electrical system to start an engine of the vehicle, the vehicle including a starter battery in electrical connection with the vehicle electrical system,

wherein the circuitry is configured to provide power to the vehicle electrical system to start the engine, and to draw power from the vehicle electrical system to charge the auxiliary battery independently from each other.

2. The auxiliary power system of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary power system is mounted to or incorporated into the starter battery.

3. The auxiliary power system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further to:

determine if a voltage of the auxiliary battery or a charge of the auxiliary battery is below a threshold value; and

charge the auxiliary battery from the vehicle electrical system in response to a determination that the voltage of the auxiliary battery or the charge of the auxiliary battery is below the threshold value.

4. The auxiliary power system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further to identify the trigger event based on a wireless communication received from a remote device via wireless communication.

5. The auxiliary power system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further to:

measure one or more characteristics of the vehicle electrical system; and

transmit indications of at least some of the one or more characteristics to a remote device via wireless communication.

7. The auxiliary power system of claim 5, wherein the one or more characteristics include a current draw from the starter battery, wherein the circuitry is further to:

determine whether the current draw is within an expected range; and

transmit, to the remote device via wireless communication, an indication that the current draw is outside of the expected range in response to a determination that the current draw is outside of the expected range.

8. The auxiliary power system of claim 1, further comprising a thermoelectric device coupled to the circuitry, the thermoelectric device to adjust a temperature of the auxiliary battery, wherein the circuitry is further to:

detect the temperature of the auxiliary battery;

determine whether the temperature of the auxiliary battery is within a certain range; and

activate the thermoelectric device to adjust the temperature of the auxiliary battery to be within the certain range in response to a determination that the temperature of the auxiliary battery is outside of the certain range.

9. The auxiliary power system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sealed case that encloses the auxiliary battery and the circuitry, the sealed case to isolate the auxiliary battery and the circuitry from an external environment; and

a mounting mechanism to mount the sealed case to the starter battery, the mounting mechanism to mount the sealed case to a hold-down mechanism for the starter battery.

10. The auxiliary power system of claim 1, wherein the trigger event includes an activation of an on-board trigger switch, a failing start attempt, or a failed start attempt.

11. The auxiliary power system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further coupled to a computer system of the vehicle.

12. The auxiliary power system of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further to,

determine that the engine of the vehicle is operating based on information from the computer system;

determine whether the starter battery is being charged when the engine of the vehicle is operating; and

transmit, to a remote device via wireless communication, an indication that an alternator of the vehicle has failed in response to a determination that the starter battery is not being charged.

6. The auxiliary power system of 5, wherein the one or more characteristics include an internal resistance of the starter battery or a voltage of the starter battery, and wherein the circuitry is further to,

determine whether the internal resistance of the starter battery or the voltage of the starter battery is within an acceptable range;

and

transmit, to the remote device via wireless communication, an indication that the starter battery has been drained, might fail, or should be replaced in response to a determination that the internal resistance of the starter battery or the voltage of the starter battery is outside of the acceptable range.

13. A method, comprising:

detecting, by an auxiliary power system mounted within a vehicle, a trigger event;

coupling, by the auxiliary power system, an auxiliary battery of the auxiliary power system to a vehicle electrical system of the vehicle, the auxiliary battery providing power to the vehicle electrical system for starting an engine of the vehicle, the vehicle including a starter battery in electrical connection with the vehicle electrical system;

providing, from the auxiliary battery, power to the vehicle electrical s stem to start the engine upon detection of the trigger event; and

drawing, independent from providing power to the vehicle electrical system, power from the vehicle electrical system to charge the auxiliary battery.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the auxiliary power system is mounted to or incorporated into the starter battery.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, by the auxiliary power system, if a voltage of the auxiliary battery or a charge of the auxiliary battery is below a threshold value; and

charging, by the auxiliary power system, the auxiliary battery from the vehicle electrical system in response to a determination that the voltage of the auxiliary battery or the charge of the auxiliary battery is below the threshold value.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising detecting, by the auxiliary power system, the trigger event within a wireless communication received from a remote device.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

measuring, by the auxiliary power system, one or more characteristics of the vehicle electrical system; and

transmitting, by the auxiliary power system, indications of at least some of the one or more characteristics to a remote device via a wireless communication, the remote device to display the at least some of the one or more characteristics.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more characteristics includes an internal resistance of the starter battery or a voltage of the starter battery, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by the auxiliary power system, whether the internal resistance of the starter battery or the voltage of the starter battery is within an acceptable range; and

transmitting, by the auxiliary power system, an indication that the starter battery has been drained, might fail, or should be replaced to the remote device within the wireless communication the indication transmitted in response to determining that the internal resistance of the starter battery or the voltage of the starter battery is outside the acceptable range.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more characteristics includes a current draw from the starter battery, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by the auxiliary power system, whether the current draw is within an expected range; and

transmitting, by the auxiliary power system, an indication that the current draw is outside of the expected range to the remote device within the wireless communication, the indication transmitted in response to determining that the current draw is outside of the expected range.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting, by the auxiliary power system, a temperature of the auxiliary battery;

determining, by the auxiliary power system, whether the temperature of the auxiliary battery is within a certain range; and

activating, by the auxiliary power system, a thermoelectric device to adjust the temperature of the auxiliary battery to be within the certain range in response to determining that the temperature of the auxiliary battery is outside of the certain range.