Dynamic power management system and method

• US 8,742,722 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp. (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Chang, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMADAN, RAMY O
• Application Number:
  US12/807,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20120049801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 320/118, 320/130, 320/132, 307/82
• US Class Current: 320/119
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1582 Buck-boost converters H02M3/1584 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a system configured to provide dynamic power management for a plurality of energy cells comprises an array of energy cells for providing a primary current path to a load, and a respective power stage for each energy cell. The power stages are configured to transfer power to and from each respective energy cell. The system further comprises a temporary energy storage node enabling energy transfer from a first plurality of energy cells comprised by the array of energy cells to a second plurality of energy cells comprised by the array of energy cells. In one embodiment, the system further comprises a feedback system for maintaining the temporary energy storage node at a constant average power.

Claims

1. A dynamic power management system comprising:

an array of energy cells for providing a primary current path to a load;

a respective power stage for each energy cell, each respective power stage including a low side switch and a high side switch, said power stages configured to transfer power to and from each respective energy cell;

a temporary energy storage node enabling energy transfer from a first plurality of energy cells comprised by said array of energy cells to a second plurality of energy cells comprised by said array of energy cells;

said temporary energy storage node coupled to a corresponding terminal of each said high side switch.

2. The dynamic power management system of claim 1, wherein said power stages comprise power stages connected in parallel.

3. The dynamic power management system of claim 1, wherein said power stages comprise power stages connected in series.

4. The dynamic power management system of claim 1, further comprising a feedback system for maintaining said temporary energy storage node at a constant average power.

5. A dynamic power management system including a bi-directional buck/boost array, said bi-directional buck/boost array comprising:

a first bi-directional buck/boost block including a first low side switch and a first high side switch arranged in a half bridge configuration;

at least a second bi-directional buck/boost block including a second low side switch and a second high side switch arranged in a half bridge configuration;

wherein a terminal of said first low side switch and a corresponding terminal of said second low side switch are directly connected to a common ground node;

a storage capacitor coupled between a reference node of said bi-directional buck/boost array and said common ground node, said reference node coupled to a terminal of said first high side switch and a corresponding terminal of said second high side switch.

6. The dynamic power management system of claim 5, said reference node directly connecting said terminal of said first high side switch and said corresponding terminal of said second high side switch.

7. The dynamic power management system of claim 5, further comprising a feedback system for maintaining said storage capacitor within a desired operating voltage range.

8. The dynamic power management system of claim 5, wherein said storage capacitor is configured to serve as a power source for at least one of said first and second high side switches.

9. The dynamic power management system of claim 5, wherein said bi-directional buck/boost array is configured to provide power management for a first energy cell and at least a second energy cell.

10. The dynamic power management system of claim 9, wherein said first energy cell is coupled between an input/output (IO) node of said first bi-directional buck/boost block and said common ground node, and said second energy cell is coupled between an IO node of said second bi-directional buck/boost block and said IO node of said first bi-directional buck/boost block.

11. The dynamic power management system of claim 9, wherein said bi-directional buck/boost array is configured to provide power management for said first and second energy cells during energy discharge from said first and second energy cells and during energy accumulation by said first and second energy cells.

12. The dynamic power management system of claim 11, wherein said dynamic power management results in said energy discharge and said energy accumulation by said first and second energy cells occurring at a substantially uniform state of charge (SOC) for both of said first and second energy cells.

13. The dynamic power management system of claim 9, wherein said first and second energy cells comprise secondary batteries.

14. The dynamic power management system of claim 5, wherein said bi-directional buck/boost array is configured to provide power management for a group of energy cells by withdrawing energy from a first plurality of said group and supplying energy to a second plurality of said group substantially concurrently.

15. The dynamic power management system of claim 14, wherein said withdrawing energy and said supplying energy is performed to establish substantially the same SOC across all energy cells of said group.

16. The dynamic power management system of claim 14, wherein said dynamic power management system is further configured to allow for variation in the SOC across said group of energy cells during peak loads but achieves substantially the same SOC across all energy cells of said group before transition from charge to discharge or discharge to charge.

17. A dynamic power management system configured to provide dynamic power management for a plurality of energy cells, said system comprising:

a bi-directional buck/boost array including at least first and second bi-directional buck/boost blocks sharing a common ground node, said first bi-directional buck/boost block including a first low side switch and a first high side switch, said second bi-directional buck/boost block including a second low side switch and a second high side switch;

a first energy cell coupled between an input/output (IO) node of said first bi-directional buck/boost block and said common ground node;

a second energy cell coupled between an IO node of said second bi-directional buck/boost block and said IO node of said first bi-directional buck/boost block;

a temporary energy storage node coupled to a terminal of said first high side switch and a corresponding terminal of said second high side switch;

wherein said bi-directional buck/boost array is configured to provide dynamic power management for said first and second energy cells during energy discharge from said first and second energy cells and during energy accumulation by said first and second energy cells.

18. The dynamic power management system of claim 17, wherein said dynamic power management results in said energy discharge and said energy accumulation by said first and second energy cells occurring at a substantially uniform state of charge (SOC) for both of said first and second energy cells.

19. The dynamic power management system of claim 17, wherein said first and second energy cells comprise secondary batteries.

20. The dynamic power management system of claim 17, wherein:

said first bi-directional buck/boost block includes said first low side switch and said first high side switch arranged in a half bridge configuration;

said second bi-directional buck/boost block includes said second low side switch and said second high side switch arranged in a half bridge configuration; and

wherein a terminal of said first low side switch and a corresponding terminal of said second low side switch are directly connected to said common ground node.

21. The dynamic power management system of claim 17, wherein said temporary energy storage node comprises a storage capacitor.

22. The dynamic power management system of claim 21, wherein said storage capacitor is configured to serve as a power source for said first and second high side switches.

23. A method for use by a system configured to provide dynamic power management for a plurality of energy cells, said method comprising:

determining an energy transfer rate for said plurality of energy cells;

detecting a characteristic energy transfer rate for each of said plurality of energy cells; and

adjusting an output node energy transfer rate at a respective output node of each of said plurality of energy cells by supplementing or reducing said each output node energy transfer rate such that energy transfer for each of said plurality of energy cells occurs to optimize at least one performance target of said plurality of energy cells;

said adjusting performed using a respective plurality of bi-directional buck/boost blocks of said system;

each of said respective plurality of bi-directional buck/boost blocks including a low side switch and a high side switch, wherein a corresponding terminal of each said high side switch is coupled to a temporary energy storage node of said system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said at least one performance target comprises a substantially uniform state of charge (SOC) across all of said plurality of said plurality of energy cells.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein a sum of all energy supplements and energy reductions made to each said respective output node during said adjusting is substantially equal to zero.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said adjusting of each output node energy transfer rate occurs during energy discharge from said plurality of energy cells and during energy accumulation by said plurality of energy cells.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein

a corresponding terminal of each said low side switch is directly connected to a common ground node.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein

said corresponding terminal of each said high side switch is directly connected to said temporary energy storage node.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said plurality of energy cells comprises a plurality of secondary batteries.