BATTERY PACK MANAGER UNIT AND METHOD FOR USING SAME TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF A BATTERY PACK

• US 20120112685A1
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Myers Motors, LLC, University of Akron
• Original Assignee: Myers Motors, LLC, University of Akron
• Inventors: Hartley, Thomas T., Magistro, Benjamin W., Gras, Courtney A., Clester, Rick, Faulstick, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,214,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/106
• 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 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0038 relating to sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• 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

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a device and method for the management of a collection of battery cells. In one embodiment, the present invention permits the management of a collection of battery cells composed of an overall battery pack manager unit, individual cell manager units, and wireless communication links between these units. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a device and method for the management of a collection of battery cells in the field of rechargeable batteries, such as batteries based on lithium-based chemistries, nickel-based chemistries, and lead-acid chemistries. In still another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method that permits the maximization of battery pack capacity during a charge-discharge cycle and/or permits the maximization of the total number of charge-discharge cycles.

Claims

1. A battery pack manager unit comprising:

a pack identifier block;

a pack sensor block that comprises pack current sensors, pack voltage sensors and pack temperature sensors;

a pack current control block that comprises a block that uses signals from a pack performance coordinator block to control the pack current;

a pack informational display block that displays one or more of a pack voltage, a pack current, a pack temperature, a pack state-of-charge, a pack state-of-life, a pack state-of-health, and/or individual cell information, where the individual cell information includes one or more of a cell voltage, a cell current, a cell temperature, cell model parameters, cell damage rates, a cell state-of-charge, a cell state-of-life, a cell state-of-health, cell faults and/or cell manager unit failures.

a pack performance coordinator block which has the ability to change the pack charging or discharging current to coordinate with the individual cells so as to achieve specific performance objectives, such as minimizing individual cell damage rates, minimizing charging time, or maximizing the energy out of the pack;

the parameters of which are highly dependent on cell chemistry, where pack performance coordinator block comprises;

a pack current control block;

a cell-pack-current coordination block, wherein this block coordinates pack charging currents with cell bypass currents;

a pack performance objective coordinator block;

a real-time pack capacity estimator block;

a real-time pack state-of-charge estimator block;

a real-time pack state-of-life estimator block;

a real-time pack state-of-health estimator block;

a real-time charge-exchange coordinator block;

a communication block;

a communication failure detection and estimator block that is designed to accommodate and coordinate; and

a pack fault detection and estimator block in combination with an emergency disconnect block; and

a wireless communication block including a wireless link with every individual cell manager unit;

a wireless link with any load control unit, such as a vehicle controller;

a wireless link with any battery charging unit, such as a power supply; and

a wireless link with the Internet for remote monitoring.

2. The battery pack manager unit of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage batteries having lithium-based chemistries, nickel-based chemistries, and lead-acid chemistries.

3. The battery pack manager unit of claim 2, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage batteries having lithium-based chemistries.

4. The battery pack manager unit of claim 2, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage batteries having nickel-based chemistries.

5. The battery pack manager unit of claim 2, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage batteries having lead-acid chemistries.

6. The battery pack manager unit of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage a battery pack having up to about 10 battery cells.

7. The battery pack manager unit of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage a battery pack having up to about 25 battery cells.

8. The battery pack manager unit of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage a battery pack having up to about 50 battery cells.

9. The battery pack manager unit of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage a battery pack having up to about 100 battery cells.

10. The battery pack manager unit of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage a battery pack having about 250 or more battery cells.

11. The battery pack manager unit of claim 1, wherein the battery pack manager unit further comprises at least one individual cell manager unit comprising:

a cell and pack identifier block that is a unit for assigning an identification code to each individual cell manager unit and recognizing the overall battery pack unit identification code;

a cell sensor block including one or more of cell current sensors, cell voltage sensors, cell temperature sensors, and/or cell bypass current sensors;

a cell overvoltage protection block including a pseudo-passive overvoltage protection unit to accommodate failures in the microcontroller block;

a cell under-voltage protection block having a passive unit to accommodate cell failures and microcontroller block failures during discharge;

a cell microcontroller block comprising;

a performance objective coordinator block;

a real-time cell model parameter identification block;

a real-time cell capacity estimator block;

a real-time cell state observer block for estimating cell dynamic variables;

a real-time state-of-charge estimator block;

a real-time damage rate sensor block;

a real-time state-of-life estimator block;

a real-time state-of-health estimator block;

a real-time cell fault detection and estimator block;

a real-time component failure detection and estimator block;

a real-time cell life-extending charging-current-profile shaping block;

a communication block;

a real-time wireless communication failure detection and estimator block; and

a sleep-mode manager block for the individual cell manager units;

a wireless communication block containing a wireless transceiver block for allowing the microcontroller block to communicate individual cell information to the overall pack manager unit and to the other individual cell manager units; and

a charge exchange block.

12. The battery pack manager unit of claim 11, wherein the charge exchange block comprises a collection of magnetic cores into which individual cell control units can place energy from their specific cells, and from which individual cell control units can extract energy to be placed into their specific cells, the process of the exchange being wirelessly coordinated by the overall pack manager unit, and requiring local microcontroller block control of individual cell manager unit switches to control the exchange of energy with the magnetic cores.

13. The battery pack manager unit of claim 11, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage batteries having lithium-based chemistries, nickel-based chemistries, and lead-acid chemistries.

14. The battery pack manager unit of claim 13, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage batteries having lithium-based chemistries.

15. The battery pack manager unit of claim 13, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage batteries having nickel-based chemistries.

16. The battery pack manager unit of claim 13, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage batteries having lead-acid chemistries.

17. The battery pack manager unit of claim 11, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage a battery pack having up to about 10 battery cells.

18. The battery pack manager unit of claim 11, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage a battery pack having up to about 25 battery cells.

19. The battery pack manager unit of claim 11, wherein the battery pack manager unit is designed to manage a battery pack having up to about 50 battery cells.

20. A method of extending the life of a battery pack, the method comprising the steps of:

utilizing a battery pack manager according to claim 1 to manage the charging and discharging cycles of at least one battery pack.