Split electric vehicle (EV) battery including both a replaceable and fixed portion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10076971-B2
Application number	US-201615283953-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2016
Priority date	Jul 5, 2016
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

A battery for a vehicle having a fixed battery pack and a replaceable battery pack. The replaceable battery pack has electronic or mechanical locks to semi-temporarily hold the replaceable battery pack in place. The fixed battery pack is held in place via permanent or semi-permanent fasteners such as bolts. A battery controller controls the replaceable battery pack to power motors of the vehicle before controlling the fixed battery pack to power motors of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery system, comprising:
a fixed battery pack;
a replaceable battery pack; and
a battery controller configured to:
detect electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack,
detect electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack,
compare the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack with the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack to determine a charge state of the replaceable battery pack and the fixed battery pack relative to a predetermined charging threshold, and
control either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack to power one or more motors based on the comparison between the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack and the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack.

2. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein:
the fixed battery pack has bolts fastened to an enclosure.

3. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein:
the replaceable battery pack has electrically or mechanically activated locks.

4. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein comparing the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack with the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack comprises:
determining whether the replaceable battery pack or the fixed battery pack are discharged below the charging threshold.

5. The battery system of claim 4 , wherein controlling either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack further comprises:
responsive to determining that neither the replaceable battery pack nor the fixed battery pack are discharged below the charging threshold, controlling the replaceable battery pack, but not the fixed battery pack, to power a motor of a vehicle.

6. The battery system of claim 4 , wherein controlling either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack further comprises:
responsive to determining that the replaceable battery pack is discharged below the charging threshold, but that the fixed battery pack is not discharged below the charging threshold, controlling the fixed battery pack, but not the replaceable battery pack, to power a motor of a vehicle.

7. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein comparing the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack with the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack comprises:
detecting that both the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack are charged above the charging threshold.

8. The battery system of claim 7 , wherein controlling either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack further comprises:
responsive to detecting that both the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack are charged above the charging threshold, causing the fixed battery pack to power a first motor of a vehicle and the replaceable battery pack to power a second motor of the vehicle.

9. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein the battery controller is configured to:
cause the fixed battery pack to be recharged before the replaceable battery pack.

10. A method for controlling a battery system including a fixed battery pack, a replaceable battery pack, and a battery controller, the method comprising:
detecting, by the battery controller, electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack,
detecting, by the battery controller, electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack,
comparing, by the battery controller, the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack with the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack to determine a charge state of the replaceable battery pack and the fixed battery pack relative to a predetermined charging threshold, and
controlling, by the battery controller, either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack to power one or more motors based on the comparison between the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack and the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein comparing the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack with the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack comprises:
determining, by the battery controller, whether the replaceable battery pack or the fixed battery pack are discharged below the charging threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack further comprises:
responsive to determining that neither the replaceable battery pack nor the fixed battery pack are discharged below the charging threshold, controlling, by the battery controller, the replaceable battery pack, but not the fixed battery pack, to power a motor of a vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack further comprises:
responsive to determining that the replaceable battery pack is discharged below the charging threshold, but that the fixed battery pack is not discharged below the charging threshold, controlling by the battery controller, the fixed battery pack, but not the replaceable battery pack, to power a motor of a vehicle.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein comparing the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack with the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack comprises:
detecting, by the battery controller, that both the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack are charged above the charging threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein controlling either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack further comprises:
responsive to detecting that both the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack are charged above the charging threshold, causing, by the battery controller, the fixed battery pack to power a first motor of a vehicle and the replaceable battery pack to power a second motor of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
causing, by the battery controller, the fixed battery pack to be recharged before the replaceable battery pack.

17. A vehicle comprising:
a first motor configured to power a first set of wheels; and
a battery system, comprising:
a fixed battery pack;
a replaceable battery pack; and
a battery controller configured to:
detect electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack,
detect electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack,
compare the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack with the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack to determine a charge state of the replaceable battery pack and the fixed battery pack relative to a predetermined charging threshold, and
control either or both of the fixed battery pack and the replaceable battery pack to power one or more motors based on the comparison between the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack and the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack.

18. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein:
the fixed battery pack has bolts fastened to an enclosure.

19. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein:
the replaceable battery pack has electrically or mechanically activated locks.

20. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein comparing the electrical characteristics of the fixed battery pack with the electrical characteristics of the replaceable battery pack comprises:
determining whether the replaceable battery pack or the fixed battery

Assignees

• Nio Nextev Ltd

Inventors

• Huang Chendong
• Fang Jie
• Zhao Wenpeng
• Jiang Yaping
• Deng Xiaojia

Classifications

• H02J7/342

  The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68) · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• B60K2001/0455

  Removal or replacement of the energy storages · CPC title

• B60L2220/42

  with use of more than one motor · CPC title

• H01M10/425

  Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00) · CPC title