Common mode voltage enumeration in a battery pack

• US 8,765,276 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• 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): Leong, Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US12/498,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20110003183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 429122-347, 429/64, 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 battery module including a housing with an anode connector and a cathode connector and each battery module further including a processing sub-system having a memory and an identifier stored in said memory and used as a unique address among the plurality of battery modules, wherein an anode connector of a first module is coupled to a cathode connector of a second module;

a ground common to said plurality of battery modules;

a battery management system;

a network coupling said battery management system to each battery module of said plurality of battery modules;

a common-mode measurement system coupled to each battery module and to said ground producing a common-mode voltage relative to said ground for each said battery module; and

wherein said identifier for each particular battery module is responsive to said common-mode voltage of said particular battery module; and

a variable power-up delay system, coupled to each said battery module and responsive to a powering of said plurality of battery modules and responsive to said common-mode voltages, said variable power-up delay system delaying a power up of each particular battery module as a function of said common-mode voltage of said particular battery module.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each said identifier implies a particular commonmode voltage.

3. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of battery modules serially intercoupled together in a serial chain, each battery module including a housing with an anode connector and a cathode connector and each battery module further including a processing sub-system having a memory and an identifier stored in said memory and used as a unique address among the plurality of battery modules, wherein an anode connector of a first module is coupled to a cathode connector of a second module;

a reference common to said plurality of battery modules;

a battery management system;

a network coupling said battery management system to each battery module of said plurality of battery modules;

a positional measurement system coupled to each battery module and to said reference producing a positional parameter relative to said reference for each said battery module wherein said positional parameter identifies a relative location in said serial chain for a specific battery module associated with a specific positional parameter; and

wherein said identifier for each particular battery module is responsive to said positional parameter of said particular battery module;

a variable power-up delay system, coupled to each said battery module and responsive to a powering of said plurality of battery modules and responsive to said positional parameter, said variable power-up delay system delaying a power up of each particular battery module as a function of said positional parameter of said particular battery module.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each said identifier implies a particular commonmode voltage.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said positional parameter includes a common-mode voltage and wherein said reference includes a ground common to said plurality of battery modules.