Battery life prediction and monitoring

• US 10,562,377 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Corporation LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Vehr, Shawn W., Rozsnaki, Joseph James, Marcinkiewicz, Joseph G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Landrum, Edward F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Chang H.
• Application Number:
  US15/635,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20180001744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/005 Regenerative cooling means, e.g. cold accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3205 Control means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3211 for increasing the efficiency of a vehicle refrigeration cycle
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3226 Self-contained devices, i.e. including own drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3266 related to the operation of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3272 to control the revolving speed of a compressor
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3275 to control the volume of a compressor
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3277 to control the air flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3292 Compressor drive is electric only
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/13 Economisers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/111 of condenser fans
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/112 of evaporator fans
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2509 Economiser valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2513 : Expansion valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/1931 : Discharge pressures
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/1933 : Suction pressures
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2104 : of an indoor room or compartment
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2106 : of fresh outdoor air
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21151 : at the suction side of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21171 : of the fluid cooled by the evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 47/02 : Defrosting cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/006 : with cold storage accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 16/00 : Devices using a combination of a cooling mode associated with refrigerating machinery with a cooling mode not associated with refrigerating machinery
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/003 : for movable devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 : Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• 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 10/88 : Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses
• 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

Abstract

A refrigeration system for a vehicle includes a compressor in fluid communication with a condenser and an evaporator. The compressor includes a variable speed motor and employs capacity modulation using refrigerant injection. The condenser and the evaporator include variable speed fans. The refrigeration system includes a battery to supply power to the refrigeration system. The battery is charged by one or more sources of power including the vehicle. The refrigeration system includes a control module configured to monitor one or more characteristics of the battery and to control one or more operating parameters of one or more of the compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator based on the one or more characteristics of the battery.

Claims

1. A method for operating a refrigeration system for a vehicle including a compressor in fluid communication with a condenser and an evaporator, the compressor including a variable speed motor and employing capacity modulation using refrigerant injection, and the condenser and the evaporator including variable speed fans, the method comprising:

monitoring one or more characteristics of a battery supplying power to the refrigeration system, the battery being charged by one or more sources of power including the vehicle;

controlling one or more operating parameters of one or more of the compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator based on the one or more characteristics of the battery;

monitoring voltage of the battery and current supplied by the battery when the refrigeration system is operating;

estimating an internal resistance of the battery based on the voltage and the current;

comparing the voltage and the internal resistance to respective values measured when the compressor is turned off and to respective values measured when the compressor is operating at full capacity;

predicting a state of charge of the battery based on the comparisons; and

adjusting the one or more operating parameters based on the state of charge of the battery.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the one or more characteristics of the battery include a voltage of the battery, a current supplied by the battery, an internal resistance of the battery, and a state of charge of the battery; and

the one or more operating parameters include a speed of the motor of the compressor, use of refrigerant injection by the compressor, a speed of a condenser fan, and a speed of an evaporator fan.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising reducing the speed of the motor of the compressor based on the one or more characteristics of the battery.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising reducing a speed of a condenser fan based on the one or more characteristics of the battery.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising stopping use of refrigerant injection by the compressor based on the one or more characteristics of the battery.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising sequentially turning off the compressor and a condenser fan and then reducing a speed of an evaporator fan based on the one or more characteristics of the battery.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising in response to the one or more characteristics of the battery being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, sequentially reducing a speed of the motor of the compressor, reducing a speed of a condenser fan, stopping use of refrigerant injection by the compressor, and reducing a speed of an evaporator fan after turning off the compressor and the condenser fan.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a state of charge of the battery; and

in response to the state of charge being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, sequentially reducing a speed of the motor of the compressor, reducing a speed of a condenser fan, stopping use of refrigerant injection by the compressor, and reducing a speed of an evaporator fan after turning off the compressor and the condenser fan.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring voltage and current supplied by the battery;

estimating an internal resistance of the battery based on the voltage and current;

estimating a state of charge of the battery based on the voltage and the internal resistance; and

in response to the state of charge being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, sequentially reducing a speed of the motor of the compressor, reducing a speed of a condenser fan, stopping use of refrigerant injection by the compressor, and reducing a speed of an evaporator fan after turning off the compressor and the condenser fan.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring a voltage of the battery;

estimating an internal resistance of the battery; and

indicating whether to service or replace the battery based on the voltage and the internal resistance of the battery.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring voltage of the battery when the compressor is off; and

adjusting one or more of the operating parameters in response to the voltage of the battery being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring voltage of the battery and current supplied by the battery when the refrigeration system is operating;

estimating an internal resistance of the battery based on the voltage and the current;

comparing the voltage and the internal resistance to respective values stored during prior operations of the refrigeration system; and

indicating whether to service or replace the battery based on the comparison.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising indicating that the battery needs servicing or replacing in response to the internal resistance increasing or the voltage decreasing by respective predetermined amounts relative to the stored values.