METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHARGING MULTIPLE ENERGY STORAGE DEVICES

• US 20150183328A1
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kusch, Ruediger Soeren, King, Robert Dean
• Granted Patent: US 9,821,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/526 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• 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 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• 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: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/25 by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An electric vehicle includes a controller configured to receive sensor feedback from a high voltage storage device and from a low voltage storage device, compare the sensor feedback to operating limits of the respective high and low voltage storage device, determine, based on the comparison a total charging current to the high voltage storage device and to the low voltage storage device and a power split factor of the total charging current to the high voltage device and to the low voltage device, and regulate the total power to the low voltage storage device and the high voltage storage device based on the determination.

Claims

1. An energy storage and management system (ESMS) comprising:

a plurality of energy ports comprising a first energy port, a second energy port, a third energy port and a fourth energy port, each of the plurality of energy ports being connectable to a charging device or an energy storage device;

a plurality of DC electrical conversion devices selectively connected to the plurality of energy ports and configured to step up and to step down a DC voltage, the plurality of DC electrical conversion devices comprising a first DC electrical conversion device, a second DC electrical conversion device, and a third DC electrical conversion device; and

a plurality of contactors each selectively engaged or disengaged to control a charging power provided to one or more of the plurality of energy ports, so as to provide a controlled charging of one or more energy storage devices connected to the respective energy ports.

2. The ESMS of claim 1 wherein the first DC electrical conversion device, second DC electrical conversion device, and third DC electrical conversion device comprise a first buck-boost module, a second buck-boost module, and a third buck-boost module, with each of the first, second and third buck-boost modules operable in a standby mode, a buck mode, a boost mode, and a permanent conducting mode.

3. The ESMS of claim 2 further comprising a controller configured to selectively control operation of the first, second, and third buck-boost modules and selectively control operation of the plurality of contactors.

4. The ESMS of claim 3 wherein the first energy port comprises a high voltage port couplable to a boosted voltage side of each of the buck-boost modules;

wherein the second eneregy port is a low voltage port couplable to a bucked voltage side of each of the buck-boost modules; and

wherein at least one of the third and fourth energy ports is coupleable to a charging device.

5. The ESMS of claim 4 wherein the controller is configured to:

receive sensor feedback from a high voltage storage device coupled to the first energy port and from a low voltage storage device connected to the second energy port;

compare the sensor feedback to operating limits of the respective high and low voltage storage device;

determine, based on the comparison;

a total charging current to the high voltage storage device and to the low voltage storage device; and

a power split factor of the total charging current to the high voltage storage device and to the low voltage storage device; and

regulate the total power to the low voltage storage device and the high voltage storage device based on the determination.

6. The ESMS of claim 5 wherein the controller is configured to cause each of the plurality of contactors to be selectively engaged or disengaged based on the determined total charging current and power split factor.

7. The ESMS of claim 5 wherein the controller is configured to:

determine a voltage of each of the plurality of energy ports;

determine the power split factor based on the determined voltages of each respective energy port.

8. The ESMS of claim 5 wherein the controller is configured to:

continuously receive the sensor feedback from the high and from the low voltage storage devices;

compare the continuously received sensor feedback to the operating limits of the respective high and low voltage storage devices;

revise the determined total charging current and the power split factor; and

regulate power to the low voltage storage device and the high voltage storage device based on the revised determination.

9. The ESMS of claim 5 wherein the controller is configured to determine the power split factor such that, when regulating power to the high voltage and to the low voltage energy storage devices, power is directed to only one of the high and low voltage energy storage devices.

10. The ESMS of claim 5 wherein the operating limits of the respective high and low voltage storage devices are comprised of at least one of an electrical current limit and a maximum temperature corresponding to each of the respective high and low voltage storage devices.

11. The ESMS of claim 3 wherein the controller is configured to:

receive sensor feedback from each energy storage device coupled to the plurality of energy ports;

receive sensor feedback from each charging device coupled to the plurality of energy ports;

compare the sensor feedback from each energy storage device to the sensor feedback from each charging device; and

control operation of the first, second, and third buck-boost modules and of the plurality of contactors based on the comparison.

12. A vehicle propulsion system comprising:

an electric motor;

an energy storage system configured to provide power to the electric motor, the energy storage system comprising a plurality of energy storage devices;

a charger interface coupleable to a charging device to receive charging power therefrom for recharging the energy storage system; and

an energy storage and management system (ESMS) coupled to the energy storage system and the charger interface to selectively transfer the charging power from the charger interface to the energy storage system;

wherein the ESMS comprises;

a plurality of energy ports each connectable to a respective one of the plurality of energy storage devices or the charger interface;

a plurality of buck-boost converters in operable communication with the plurality of energy ports and configured to step up and to step down a DC voltage; and

a plurality of contactors each selectively engaged or disengaged to control a charging power provided to one or more of the plurality of energy ports, so as to provide a controlled charging of one or more energy storage devices connected to the respective energy ports.

13. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 12 wherein the plurality of energy storage system comprises a low voltage energy storage device, a high voltage energy storage device, and an ultracapacitor.

14. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13 wherein the plurality of energy ports comprises a first energy port, a second energy port, a third energy port and a fourth energy port, and wherein the plurality of buck-boost converters comprise a first buck-boost converter, a second buck-boost converter, and a third buck-boost converter;

wherein the high voltage storage device is coupled to the first energy port, the low voltage storage device is coupled to the second energy port, the charger interface is coupled to the third energy port, and the ultracapacitor is coupled to the fourth energy port.

15. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 14 further comprising a controller configured to selectively control operation of the first, second, and third buck-boost modules and selectively control operation of the plurality of contactors.

16. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 15 wherein the controller is configured to:

receive sensor feedback from the high voltage storage device coupled to the first energy port and from a low voltage storage device connected to the second energy port;

compare the sensor feedback to operating limits of the respective high and low voltage storage devices, the operating limits comprised of at least one of an electrical current limit and a maximum temperature corresponding to each of the respective high and low voltage storage devices;

determine, based on the comparison;

a total charging current to the high voltage storage device and to the low voltage storage device; and

a power split factor of the total charging current to the high voltage storage device and to the low voltage storage device; and

regulate the total power to the low voltage storage device and the high voltage storage device based on the determination.

17. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 16 wherein the controller is configured to cause each of the plurality of contactors to be selectively engaged or disengaged based on the determined total charging current and power split factor.

18. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 16 wherein the controller is configured to determine the power split factor such that, when regulating power to the high voltage and to the low voltage energy storage devices, power is directed to only one of the high and low voltage energy storage devices.

19. The vehicle propulsion system of claim 15 wherein the controller is configured to:

receive sensor feedback from each energy storage device coupled to the plurality of energy ports;

receive sensor feedback from each charging device coupled to the plurality of energy ports;

compare the sensor feedback from each energy storage device to the sensor feedback from each charging device; and

control operation of the first, second, and third buck-boost modules and of the plurality of contactors based on the comparison.