CN110870157A - Battery grouping charging system - Google Patents

Battery grouping charging system Download PDF

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Publication number
CN110870157A
CN110870157A CN201780091893.7A CN201780091893A CN110870157A CN 110870157 A CN110870157 A CN 110870157A CN 201780091893 A CN201780091893 A CN 201780091893A CN 110870157 A CN110870157 A CN 110870157A
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
battery
charging
power
central controller
packs
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Pending
Application number
CN201780091893.7A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
安德鲁·H·若贝乐
克尔温·M·罗库萨
基斯·A·马林斯
迈克尔·V·谢弗
乔尔·M·雷特
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Pure Watercraft Inc
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Pure Watercraft Inc
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Publication of CN110870157A publication Critical patent/CN110870157A/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L53/00—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
    • B60L53/10—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 characterised by the energy transfer between the charging station and the vehicle
    • B60L53/14—Conductive energy transfer
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L50/00—Electric propulsion with power supplied within the vehicle
    • B60L50/50—Electric propulsion with power supplied within the vehicle using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells
    • B60L50/60—Electric propulsion with power supplied within the vehicle using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells using power supplied by batteries
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L53/00—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
    • B60L53/30—Constructional details of charging stations
    • B60L53/305—Communication interfaces
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L53/00—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
    • B60L53/60—Monitoring or controlling charging stations
    • B60L53/63—Monitoring or controlling charging stations in response to network capacity
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L53/00—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
    • B60L53/60—Monitoring or controlling charging stations
    • B60L53/67—Controlling two or more charging stations
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L58/00—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles
    • B60L58/10—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles for monitoring or controlling batteries
    • B60L58/12—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles for monitoring or controlling batteries responding to state of charge [SoC]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/0013—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/0029—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries with safety or protection devices or circuits
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/0047—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/60—Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
    • Y02T10/70—Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/60—Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
    • Y02T10/7072—Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02T90/10—Technologies relating to charging of electric vehicles
    • Y02T90/12—Electric charging stations
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02T90/10—Technologies relating to charging of electric vehicles
    • Y02T90/14—Plug-in electric vehicles
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02T90/10—Technologies relating to charging of electric vehicles
    • Y02T90/16—Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y04—INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAVING AN IMPACT ON OTHER TECHNOLOGY AREAS
    • Y04S—SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS
    • Y04S10/00—Systems supporting electrical power generation, transmission or distribution
    • Y04S10/12—Monitoring or controlling equipment for energy generation units, e.g. distributed energy generation [DER] or load-side generation
    • Y04S10/126—Monitoring or controlling equipment for energy generation units, e.g. distributed energy generation [DER] or load-side generation the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Charge And Discharge Circuits For Batteries Or The Like (AREA)
  • Secondary Cells (AREA)

Abstract

A battery grouping charging system for simultaneously charging one or more batteries at independently controlled charge rates. The disclosed charging system intelligently distributes the available charging power to multiple battery chargers, either symmetrically or asymmetrically, as specified by a central controller to regulate the power used by each battery charger.

Description

Battery grouping charging system
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a battery charging system, and more particularly, to a system for charging a plurality of batteries.
Background
Existing battery charging systems are designed for charging individual batteries or battery packs, typically using a constant charge rate. If multiple battery packs need to be charged, multiple charging systems are required, or one battery pack must be charged at a time, even if there is excess charging power. Thus, a consist operator who owns multiple rechargeable electrical devices must purchase and operate multiple charging systems. These systems typically operate independently, regardless of the total available charging power, and regardless of how other charging systems charge the battery. As a result, charging systems may overload an existing available power source with little flexibility as to how power is directed to multiple batteries for charging.
In view of these problems presented, there is a need to establish a charging system that enables an operator to flexibly control the manner in which devices in their fleet are charged and to efficiently utilize the total charging power available.
Disclosure of Invention
To address the above and other potential problems, the present technology relates to a battery charging system that simultaneously charges a plurality of battery packs using a plurality of channels at independently controlled charging rates. The central controller intelligently instructs each channel to deliver selectable power to charge the batteries in the channel. In one example, the central controller instructs the battery charger associated with each channel to transmit all or nearly all of the charging power available from the power supply to charge the battery.
In one example, the system includes a power supply rated to provide a maximum amount of charging power available to charge a plurality of batteries arranged in different lanes. A plurality of battery chargers associated with different channels individually controllably charge one or more batteries with selectable power. The central controller receives information from the batteries to be charged and directs the battery chargers in the channels to charge the batteries at selectable powers. In one example, the central controller controls the power delivered by each battery charger such that the total power delivered is equal or nearly equal to the maximum charging power available from the power supply.
Drawings
FIG. 1 illustrates a battery charging system according to an example of the present technology;
FIG. 2 depicts a central controller and a single battery charger in a channel in accordance with an example of the present technology;
FIG. 3 illustrates several electrical connections of a rechargeable battery to a battery charger in accordance with an example of the present technology; and
fig. 4 illustrates a pair of diodes connecting a separate set of battery cells to a power line for improved safety, in accordance with an example of the present technique.
Specific examples
As described above, the present invention relates to a battery charging system that can be used to charge a fleet of vehicles. In the examples discussed below, the vehicle is an electric boat powered by one or more rechargeable batteries. Nevertheless, it is understood that other vehicles or devices having rechargeable batteries may be so charged, such as automobiles, motorcycles, lawn mowers or other devices, drones, and the like.
Fig. 1 illustrates a representative environment for a charging system that may be used in the present technique. In the above example, a consist operator has several B1-B3 electric boats powered by rechargeable batteries. The power supply 50 typically includes an AC to DC converter that converts commercial AC power from the power grid to a variable DC voltage. The generated dc voltage is usually uncontrolled and fluctuates with the instantaneous load on the commercial power grid. The maximum rated power of the power supply 50 is 1.5KW, 6KW, 10KW, or the like. The power supply 50 provides the power required for charging the batteries of each boat.
The charging system of the present technology uses a central controller 100 to variably control the power used by the battery chargers in each of a plurality of different channels, rather than allocating a rated amount of power from the power supply 50 to the plurality of battery chargers charging the battery packs of each ship. For example, the batteries of ship B2 and ship B3 may already be near full charge, while the batteries of ship B1 may be nearly depleted. Thus, the central controller 100 may direct the battery charger 110a associated with the ship B1 to use more of the capacity of the power supply 50 than the battery chargers 110B and 110c use to charge the batteries of the ship B2 and the ship B3, respectively.
In one example, each battery charger 110 for a different vessel is controllable, and its respective battery may be charged using 0-100% of the capacity of the power supply 50. For example, if power supply 50 is rated at 6kW, the three channel 110a-110c battery chargers may each use 0-6kW of charging power as their respective battery loads. Of course, the total power used by the battery chargers of all channels cannot exceed the maximum power rating of the power supply 50, and the battery charger of each channel should not charge its associated battery at a rate that exceeds the battery charging capacity. Continuing with the above example, if the battery of ship B1 requires rapid charging, then the 110a battery charger may be directed to use 4KW of charging power, with the remaining 2KW being evenly distributed across the battery chargers of the other two channels. Alternatively, the battery charger 110a may be controlled to use all 6KW of charging power, and to turn off the other two channels of battery chargers. Thus, the central controller 100 can distribute the power used by the battery chargers on each channel as needed.
In one example of the invention, the central controller 100 controls the battery chargers in each channel such that the total power used is equal to (or nearly equal to) the maximum power rating of the power supply 50.
In one example, the central controller 100 is a microcontroller-based system that is programmable to control how much power is used by the battery chargers in each channel. The microcontroller is programmed to receive information from each battery pack to be charged and may be programmed to implement one of a plurality of different charging routines or schedules. For example, the battery chargers of each channel may be controlled so that the battery packs of all of the vehicles in the consist are fully charged within a specified time. Alternatively, the microcontroller 100 may be programmed to control the battery chargers in the channels so that the lowest voltage battery pack receives more power than the battery packs associated with the other battery chargers. When all battery packs reach a certain nominal charge level, the available power can be evenly distributed among the battery chargers.
In one example, the central controller 100 has an input mechanism 102 for changing a program that determines how the central controller distributes charging power among the battery chargers of each lane. Such input mechanisms 102 may include a keyboard or keypad and may also include an associated display 104, which display 104 may be used by an operator to input commands to alter the programming of the central controller. In another example, the central controller includes one or more ports 106(USB, ethernet, serial, parallel, or the like) that receive programming commands for the microcontroller. In another example, the central controller includes a wireless communication chipset (WiFi, bluetooth, cell phone, satellite, etc.) that allows the central controller to be wirelessly programmed from a remote computer.
Fig. 2 illustrates in further detail the battery charger 110 associated with a single channel and its connection to the central controller 100. The battery chargers associated with the other channels are configured in a similar manner. In one example, each battery charger has the same maximum power that can be used to charge the battery packs in its channel. However, some battery chargers may have a greater power capacity than other battery chargers. The central controller 100 grasps the maximum power capacity of the battery charger of each channel.
In the example shown, the battery charger 110 includes a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) battery charging circuit 150, directed by signals sent by the central controller 100, which may operate in a Constant Current (CC) or Constant Voltage (CV) mode. An enable line from the central controller 100 to the PWM battery charging circuit 150 allows the central controller to open and close the battery charging circuit. The 12V power supply 154 provides power to the circuitry of the battery pack that needs to be charged, such as a battery management system. As will be described below, the signal conditioning circuits 156 and 158 condition and provide isolation for communication signals and interlock signals transmitted to and from the charged battery packs.
In some examples, the battery charger 110 also includes a feedback circuit 160, the feedback circuit 160 monitoring the output charging voltage and output current generated by the PWM battery charging circuit 150. Signals representative of the output voltage and current are fed back to the input (e.g., a/D converter) of the central controller 100. The central controller 100 estimates the power delivered by the battery charger 110 by multiplying the output voltage and the output current of the PWM battery charging circuit 150.
In one example, the central controller 100 sends one or more PWM signals with a duty cycle proportional to the power that the battery charger 110 should use. For example, a pulse having a duty cycle of 50% of the pulse's maximum duty cycle is interpreted to mean that the battery charger will be operating at 50% of its maximum rated power, and so on. Other methods of signaling the battery charger 110 may also be used, such as by providing an analog voltage or current or by providing a digital signal (e.g., 0-255), etc.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art of battery charging, the PWM battery charging circuit 150 may be programmed to deliver a specified charging current while varying the voltage required to generate such current. Alternatively, the battery charging circuit 150 may be programmed to deliver a specified voltage regardless of the current required to generate such voltage. Most modern rechargeable batteries are charged by supplying a constant current specified by the manufacturer. The optimal rate may be reported by the battery management system to the central controller 100, as described below. Once the battery reaches a particular voltage value, certain battery chemistries require the battery to be charged at a constant voltage (and variable current) until the battery is fully charged. Other charging schemes are possible depending on the type of battery to be charged and the programming of the central controller 100.
In the example shown, the central controller 100 provides a variable value signal to the PWM battery charging circuit 150 that represents a value between 0 and 100% of the power supply 50 to be used to charge the batteries of that channel. Alternatively, the number may represent that the PWM battery charger 150 may deliver 0-100% of the total power (which may be different from the total power available from the power supply). For example, if the PWM battery charging circuit 150 can deliver up to 4KW of charging power, even if the total power available from the power supply is 6KW, a value of 50% may represent 2KW and a value of 100% may represent 4 KW.
In one example, the battery management system associated with each battery pack to be charged reports the voltage of the battery pack to the central controller 100 over a communication link (e.g., a CAN communication link). The central controller 100 determines whether the battery pack should be charged with a constant current or a constant voltage. Assuming a constant current is used, a current is selected such that the power used by the battery charger is less than or equal to the maximum power that the battery charger should use and that the maximum power is within the safe charging range of the battery to be charged. If a constant voltage is to be used to charge the battery pack, a voltage is selected such that the power used by the battery charger is less than or equal to the maximum power that the battery charger 110 should use, i.e., within the safe charging range of the battery to be charged.
Fig. 3 illustrates some internal components of a battery pack 300 to be charged by a charging system according to an example of the inventive technique. The configuration of the batteries in the battery pack may vary, but in one example, each battery pack 300 includes six series-connected modules consisting of 80 rechargeable cells 310, for a total of 480 cells per battery pack. A vehicle such as an electric boat may include a plurality of battery packs connected in parallel to provide sufficient current to drive the vehicle.
In the example shown, battery pack 300 has an input port I and an output port ○, these names are assigned merely for convenience because the ports are functionally equivalent, the input port I receives a cable connector whose wires are connected to a charging receptacle of the vehicle and a power bus cable that the vehicle uses to draw power during operation the battery pack interior provides an internal connection between the input port I and the output port ○ so that certain contacts in the input port are connected in parallel with contacts in the output port so that multiple batteries can be daisy chained together (e.g., by connecting a cable from the input port of one battery pack to the output port of another battery pack.) the battery management system 320 in the battery pack is used to monitor and report the condition of one or more batteries, such as, but not limited to, the internal temperature of the batteries, the charging or discharging current from the battery cell pack 310, the voltage of the battery cell pack, the number of times the battery pack is recharged, the charging/discharging rate C of the grouping of battery cell packs 310.
The battery management system 320 controls the position of a plurality of switches S1 and S2 that connect the positive and negative terminals of the group of battery cells 310 to power lines within the vehicle. If the battery management system detects that the battery is overheated, the present output current is too high, or other abnormality occurs in the battery, the battery management system may independently operate the opening switches S1 and S2 and disconnect the cable from the battery pack.
As described above, the battery management system communicates information to and from the central controller 100 using a communication bus, such as a set of CAN (controller area network) buses typically used in electric vehicles, internal connections within the battery pack 300 connect the connectors of the CAN bus in parallel between the input port I and the output port ○ so that the CAN bus of each daisy-chained battery in the vehicle is connected in parallel.
A12 volt line and a ground are connected to input port I to provide power to the battery management system 320. when a 12 volt signal is applied with switch S3 open, the battery management system 320 reports to the central controller that information is included about the settings of the battery cell stack 310. such battery information may include the serial number of the battery pack, the number of charge cycles applicable to the battery pack, the maximum charge current and maximum charge voltage of the batteries in the battery pack, etc.
In the example shown, the battery pack 300 is connected to interlock lines running in series from the input port to the output port. The interlock circuit returns from the last connected battery pack to the central controller 100 through the signal conditioning circuitry 158 in the battery charger 110, forming a continuous electrical path through each battery pack to be charged. If the interlock line is broken by disconnecting one of the battery packs from the circuit, the central controller will receive an alarm and can take appropriate action, such as disabling its output.
As described above, each of the plurality of battery cell groups 310 is connected to the power supply line through the pair of switches S1 and S2. The switch is controlled by the battery management system 320. The battery management system may disconnect the battery cell stack from the power supply line upon detection of a battery failure or occurrence of an unsafe condition. Alternatively, the battery management system may close the switches S1 and S2 according to an instruction of the central controller to connect the battery cell group with the power line.
As understood by those skilled in the art, when cell sets of different cell sets in a vehicle are to be charged, they may be at different voltages. In one example, to avoid connecting two battery packs having unequal voltages in parallel, the central controller 100 instructs the battery management system 320 to connect the battery of the battery pack having the lowest voltage to the power cable, thereby causing the lowest charged battery pack to be charged preferentially. Once the voltage of the battery pack rises to the battery voltage in another battery pack, the batteries are then connected to a power cable for charging. This process may continue until all battery cell packs are connected in parallel with the battery chargers of the channel. The battery may be charged with a constant current or a constant voltage depending on the particular state of charge of the battery. The central controller 100 may direct the PWM charging circuit to adjust the current or voltage according to the number of battery packs to be charged, the maximum current or voltage that may be delivered to the connected battery packs, and the total power delivered by the charging circuit.
When an additional battery pack in a particular channel is connected to the battery charger, the central controller 100 reads the voltage and current generated by the PWM charging circuit 150 to obtain how much power the battery charger is delivering. The central controller may then adjust the amount of power the battery charger uses for a particular channel so that the total power is less than or equal to the sum of the available charging power available from the power supply, so that the charging power delivered is within the safe operating range of the batteries in the channel.
In one example, the central controller 100 commands each battery charger in each channel to use an amount of power such that the total power used is equal to (or nearly equal to) the maximum power that can be provided by the power supply 50. Thus, the central controller 100 can independently control the power delivered by the battery chargers of each channel.
In one example, the voltage and current outputs of the PWM battery charging circuit 150 are used to determine when to switch from the constant current charging mode to the constant voltage charging mode. In another example, the battery management system 320 of each battery pack periodically reports the voltage of its batteries, and these values are used by the central controller to determine how to charge the batteries.
The electronics of the charging system also continuously perform safety checks during operation to monitor for possible hazardous conditions in the system. If a dangerous situation is found, it is recorded and appropriate measures are taken to prevent the occurrence of a harmful situation on the user.
Fig. 4 illustrates additional functionality that may be added to each battery cell stack. Adding two diodes on the cell stack positive and a Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) switch can be used to prevent current from flowing between the cell stacks at different voltages. For example, during discharge, the SPDT switch is connected to the diode 2, and allows current to flow out from the battery cell group when the voltage of the battery cell group is greater than the voltage of the high-voltage side terminal, but prevents current from flowing in the reverse direction when the voltage of the high-voltage side terminal is greater than the voltage of the battery cell group. Similarly, during charging, the SPDT switch is connected to the diode 1, allowing current to flow into the battery cell stack when the voltage at the high voltage side terminal is greater than the battery cell stack voltage, but preventing current from flowing in the reverse direction when the voltage of the battery cell stack is greater than the voltage at the high voltage side terminal.
Another safety feature is that the default switch position is already connected to the diode 1 (i.e. when the battery pack is not in use), which ensures that no current flows from the cell terminals. This is a redundant safety feature because there is typically a default position of the other switch (the low side contact in fig. 4) as an open circuit condition, which also prevents current from flowing out of the cell terminals when not in use.
There are other benefits to independently controlling the battery pack contactors. For example, if one battery cell stack exhibits a fault, the central controller may request that its contactors be opened, which may suspend charging of that battery stack while continuing to charge other battery stacks connected to the same channel. This capability also allows additional battery packs to be connected to one channel at any time, regardless of its output, the charger will evaluate its state of charge and take steps to balance its voltage with the other battery cell packs.
The disclosed charging systems have been designed with sophisticated safety protocols to ensure the safety of the user, of the battery being charged, and of the charging system itself. As shown in the figure, each charging channel requires communication between the battery and the central controller and certain conditions must be met before charging can begin. Once all conditions are met, the central controller sends a request to the battery pack to close an internal electronically controlled switch (contactor) to establish an electrically conductive path connector between an energy storage device (e.g., a battery cell pack) within the battery pack and an external battery. Likewise, the charging system will close its own internal electronically controlled switch to power the external connector. Further, if communication between the charging system and the battery pack indicates an unsafe condition, or if communication is lost, the electronically controlled switch will revert to an open circuit state to stop charging. The safety protocol also reduces the risk of electric shock when the external connectors are unmated.
Potential uses for the disclosed technology include applications in which multiple batteries need to be charged simultaneously. This may include all types of electric vehicle charging, battery powered consumer electronics, battery powered tools, and the like. The invention provides the greatest value for maintaining the configuration of multi-cell powered articles.
While the invention has been described with specific examples, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more examples are contemplated without departing from the intended scope and coverage of the invention. The scope of the invention is further defined in the claims.

Claims (14)

1. A battery grouping charging system comprising:
a AC/DC power stage configured to provide charging power to charge the battery pack in two or more channels;
a battery charger for each channel configured to deliver an amount of charging power to the battery packs in the channel; and
a central controller configured to control the power delivered by each battery charger symmetrically or asymmetrically.
2. The battery grouping charging system of claim 1, wherein the central controller is configured to direct the battery management system in each battery pack to selectively connect or disconnect batteries of the battery pack to be charged from the charging power source.
3. The battery grouping charging system of claim 1, wherein each battery charger uses pulse width modulation.
4. The battery grouping charging system of claim 3, wherein the central controller receives feedback of the voltage and current provided by each battery charger.
5. The battery grouping charging system of claim 4, wherein the central controller is programmable to implement different charging programs.
6. The battery grouping charging system of claim 1, wherein each channel includes two or more battery packs, each battery pack including a group of battery cell packs having a positive terminal, two diodes at the positive terminal, and a Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) switch operated by the battery management system to avoid current draw between the two or more battery packs within the channel at different voltages.
7. The battery grouping charging system of claim 1, further comprising a communication link between the battery to be charged and the central controller.
8. A method of simultaneously charging two or more battery packs in a battery pack charging system at independently controlled charge rates and intelligently allocating available charging power between the two or more battery packs to achieve maximum charging power, symmetrically or asymmetrically, comprising the steps of:
a) monitoring the states of two or more battery packs in different channels;
b) acquiring alternating current from a power grid and converting the alternating current into direct current; and
c) and guiding the battery charging circuit of each channel to provide direct current power by using the central controller so as to charge the battery pack in the channel, wherein the sum of the direct current power provided by each battery charging circuit is equal to the maximum charging power.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling the dc power provided by each battery charging circuit using a pulse width modulated signal from a central controller.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising monitoring the output voltage and charging current of each battery charging circuit in real time at the central controller to adjust the pulse width modulated signal.
11. The method of claim 8, further comprising requesting a voltage of two or more battery packs in a channel and charging the battery packs at a lower voltage before the two or more battery packs are connected in parallel for charging.
12. The method of claim 8, further comprising ongoing safety checks including receiving communications from each battery pack at the central controller during charging.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending a request to two or more battery packs to close an internal electronically controlled switch or contactor once a predetermined condition is met, thereby establishing a conductive path between a battery in the battery pack and an external connector.
14. The method of claim 8, further comprising communicating a wired or wireless data exchange between the battery pack and the central controller.
CN201780091893.7A 2017-04-10 2017-04-10 Battery grouping charging system Pending CN110870157A (en)

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