Common mode voltage enumeration in a battery pack

• US 8,076,016 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Baglino, Andrew, Cole, Philip David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ridley, Basia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leong, Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US12/498,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20110004438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 429122-347, 429/90, 429/61, 296231-6235, 700/293, 702/150
• US Class Current: 429/61
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/425 Multimode batteries, batteries with "reserve cells"
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An apparatus and method for these embodiments of the present invention, useful in manufacturing for example, includes a plurality of battery modules serially intercoupled together, each module including a housing with an anode connector and a cathode connector, each housing including a memory for storing a module identifier and wherein an anode connector of a first module is coupled to a cathode connector of a second module; and a processing system, coupled to each the module, for determining a plurality of positional attributes of each the module, one positional attribute associated with each the module of the plurality of modules, the processing system writing an ID into the memory of each particular module responsive to the associated positional attribute for the particular module.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of battery modules serially intercoupled together, each module including a housing with an anode connector and a cathode connector, wherein an anode connector of a first module is coupled to a cathode connector of a second module, and wherein each said module includes a reference developed from a static measurement of a reference positional attribute of said plurality of modules wherein said reference positional attribute of each particular module identifies a particular reference location of said particular module in said serially intercoupled plurality of battery modules relative to other battery modules of said plurality of modules;

a processing system, coupled to each said module, for determining a plurality of current positional attributes for said plurality of battery modules, one current positional attribute associated with each said module of said plurality of modules wherein said current positional attribute of each particular module identifies a particular current location of said particular module in said serially intercoupled plurality of battery modules relative to other battery modules of said plurality of modules;

a comparator, coupled to said processing system, for comparing a reference positional attribute for a particular reference associated with a particular one battery module to said current positional attribute of said particular one battery module; and

a monitor, coupled to said comparator, for flagging said particular one battery module when a predetermined relationship exists between said reference positional attribute and said current positional attribute wherein existence of said predetermined relationship indicates that said particular current location of said particular one module is different from said particular reference location.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said positional attribute includes a common mode voltage associated with each said module.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said reference includes an ID unique among IDs of said plurality of battery modules.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said positional attribute includes a geographic location reference of said particular module in said serial intercoupling.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said geographic location reference is determined based upon an ordering of said associated common mode voltages.

6. A method, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining dynamically a plurality of current positional attributes for each of a plurality of serially intercoupled battery modules wherein said current positional attribute of a particular battery module identifies a particular current location of said particular battery module in said serially intercoupled plurality of battery modules relative to other battery modules of said plurality of modules; and

(b) comparing, for a particular one of said plurality of modules, said current positional attribute with a predetermined reference developed from a dynamic determination of a reference positional attribute of said plurality of modules wherein said reference positional attribute of a particular battery module identifies a particular reference location of said particular battery module in said serially intercoupled plurality of battery modules relative to other battery modules of said plurality of modules; and

(c) flagging said particular one battery module when a predetermined relationship exists between said reference positional attribute and said current positional attribute wherein existence of said predetermined relationship indicates that said particular current location of said particular one module is different from said particular reference location.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said positional attribute includes a common mode voltage associated with each said module.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said reference includes an ID unique among IDs of said plurality of battery modules.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said positional attribute includes a geographic location reference of said particular module in said serial intercoupling.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said geographic location reference is determined based upon an ordering of said associated common mode voltages.

11. A method, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining dynamically a plurality of current positional attributes for each of a plurality of serially intercoupled battery modules after installation into a vehicle wherein said current positional attribute of a particular battery module identifies a particular current location of said particular battery module in said serially intercoupled plurality of battery modules in said vehicle relative to other battery modules of said plurality of modules; and

(b) comparing, for a particular one of modules, said current positional attribute with a predetermined reference developed from a dynamic determination of a reference positional attribute of said plurality of modules wherein said reference positional attribute of a particular battery module identifies a particular reference location of said particular battery module in said serially intercoupled plurality of battery modules relative to other battery modules of said plurality of modules wherein said reference positional attribute was developed before said plurality of serially intercoupled battery modules were installed into said vehicle; and

(c) flagging said particular one battery module when a predetermined relationship exists between said reference positional attribute and said current positional attribute wherein existence of said predetermined relationship indicates that said particular current location of said particular one module is different from said particular reference location.