Battery management system including cloud server to schedule batteries for use and related methods

• US 10,763,679 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2018
• Issued: 09/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Charging Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Charging Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Kutkut, Nasser, Shreah, Thikrallah
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M'Baye
• Application Number:
  US15/952,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20180331546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 320106
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/14 Preventing excessive discharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• 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: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 : for collecting sensor information
• 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 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A battery management system for batteries at a geographical location may include wireless battery chargers at the geographical location for charging the batteries and wireless battery monitors at the geographical location and carried by associated ones of the batteries. The battery management system may also include a battery management cloud server for communicating with the wireless battery chargers and the wireless battery monitors to remotely collect battery charging status data from the wireless battery chargers based upon charging of the batteries and to remotely collect battery status data for the batteries from the wireless battery monitors. The battery management cloud server may also remotely process the battery and charger status data to schedule the batteries for use based upon the battery and charger status data.

Claims

1. A battery management system for a plurality of batteries at a geographical location, the battery management system comprising:

a plurality of wireless battery chargers at the geographical location for charging the plurality of batteries;

a plurality of wireless battery monitors at the geographical location and carried by associated ones of the plurality of batteries; and

a battery management cloud server for communicating with the wireless battery chargers and the wireless battery monitors to

remotely collect battery charging status data from the plurality of wireless battery chargers based upon charging of the batteries,

remotely collect battery status data for the batteries from the wireless battery monitors, and

remotely process the battery and charger status data to schedule the batteries for use based upon the battery and charger status data.

2. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein the battery management cloud server is configured to remotely process the battery and charger status data to determine when charging faults and battery faults occur with respective batteries and schedule the batteries for use when no charging faults or battery faults are associated therewith.

3. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein the battery management cloud server is configured to rank the scheduled batteries for use based upon the battery and charger status data.

4. The battery management system of claim 3 wherein the battery management cloud server is configured to communicate to a remote device, a next battery for use from the ranked batteries.

5. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein the battery management cloud server is configured to rank the batteries based upon an order that the batteries have been successfully charged.

6. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein the battery status data comprises at least one of battery utilization and battery usage.

7. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein each battery is associated with a battery-operated vehicle, and wherein the battery management cloud server is configured to rank the batteries based upon a type of the battery-operated vehicle.

8. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein the wireless battery monitors are configured to communicate the battery status data for the batteries based upon connection of the batteries to the wireless battery chargers.

9. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein the battery charging status data comprises at least one of charger-connected-to-battery and charging, charger-connected- to-battery and cooling, charger-connected-to-battery and reporting a fault, charge cycle completed, charge cycle terminated, and charger-disconnected-from-battery.

10. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein the battery status data comprises at least one of battery type, battery temperature, battery water level, historical battery usage, battery amp-hour usage, battery life, and battery size.

11. The battery management system of claim 1 wherein the battery management cloud server is further configured to generate and send alerts to a remote device based upon the battery status data.

12. The battery management system of claim 11 wherein the alerts comprise error indications corresponding to charging faults and the battery faults.

13. A battery management method for a battery management system for a plurality of batteries at a geographical location, the method comprising:

using a battery management cloud server for communicating with a plurality of wireless battery chargers at the geographical location for charging the plurality of batteries and a plurality of wireless battery monitors at the geographical location and carried by associated ones of the plurality of batteries, the battery management cloud server being used to

remotely collect battery charging status data from the plurality of wireless battery chargers based upon charging of the batteries,

remotely collect battery status data for the batteries from the wireless battery monitors, and

remotely process the battery and charger status data to schedule the batteries for use based upon the battery and charger status data.

14. The battery management method of claim 13 wherein using the battery management cloud server comprises using the battery management cloud server to remotely process the battery and charger status data to determine when charging faults and battery faults occur with respective batteries and schedule the batteries for use when no charging faults or battery faults are associated therewith.

15. The battery management method of claim 13 wherein using the battery management cloud server comprises using the battery management cloud server to rank the scheduled batteries for use based upon the battery and charger status data.

16. The battery management method of claim 13 wherein using the battery management cloud server comprises using the battery management cloud server to rank the batteries based upon an order that the batteries have been successfully charged.

17. The battery management method of claim 13 wherein the battery status data comprises at least one of battery utilization and battery usage.

18. The battery management method of claim 13 wherein the battery charging status data comprises at least one of charger-connected-to-battery and charging, charger-connected-to-battery and cooling, charger-connected-to-battery and reporting a fault, charge cycle completed, charge cycle terminated, and charger-disconnected-from-battery.

19. The battery management method of claim 13 wherein the battery status data comprises at least one of battery type, battery temperature, battery water level, historical battery usage, battery amp-hour usage, battery life, and battery size.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium for a battery management cloud server of a battery management system for a plurality of batteries at a geographical location, the battery management cloud server for communicating with a plurality of wireless battery chargers at the geographical location for charging the plurality of batteries and a plurality of wireless battery monitors at the geographical location and carried by associated ones of the plurality of batteries, the non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor of the battery management cloud server cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

remotely collecting battery charging status data from the plurality of wireless battery chargers based upon charging of the batteries,

remotely collecting battery status data for the batteries from the wireless battery monitors, and

remotely processing the battery and charger status data to schedule the batteries for use based upon the battery and charger status data.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein the operations comprise remotely processing the battery and charger status data to determine when charging faults and battery faults occur with respective batteries and schedule the batteries for use when no charging faults or battery faults are associated therewith.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein the operations comprise ranking the scheduled batteries for use based upon the battery and charger status data.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein the operations comprise ranking the batteries based upon an order that the batteries have been successfully charged.