Method for determining characteristics of battery segments for operating a battery pack with modules of different chemical makeup field

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10173548-B2
Application number	US-201715608330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2017
Priority date	May 30, 2017
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A method of adjusting battery control software for a battery having a plurality of battery sections includes connecting the battery to a charging system and a discharging system. A charging operation or a discharging operation is then initiated while monitoring a voltage response of each battery segment during the charging operation or the discharging operation. The voltage response is then correlated to a calibration database for selecting a control algorithm for each battery segment from the calibration database.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of adjusting battery control software for a battery having a plurality of battery segments, at least one battery segment of said plurality of battery segments having a different chemistry than other battery segments of said plurality of battery segments, the method comprising:
monitoring, by a controller, a voltage response of each battery segment of the plurality of battery segments;
associating, by the controller, the voltage response of said each battery segment to a calibration database and selecting, by the controller, a control algorithm for said each battery segment from the calibration database; and
discharging or charging the plurality of battery segments during operation in a vehicle, by the controller, according to the selected control algorithm for said each battery segment.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the battery is connected to a charging system.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the associating is performed during a charging operation.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring a voltage response includes measuring a voltage of the battery over time during a charging operation.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring a voltage response includes measuring a state of charge of the battery over time during a charging operation.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising discharging the battery to a sufficiently low state of charge prior to initiating the charging operation.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising determining, by the controller, whether a voltage of the battery is at equilibrium prior to initiating the charging operation.

8. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising recording, by the controller, a voltage for each battery segment prior to initiating the charging operation.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the battery is connected to a discharging system.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the associating is performed during a discharging operation.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the monitoring a voltage response includes measuring a voltage of the battery over time during the discharging operation.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the monitoring a voltage response includes measuring a state of charge of the battery over time during the discharging operation.

13. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising charging the battery to a sufficiently high state of charge prior to initiating the discharging operation.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising determining, by the controller, whether a voltage of the battery is at equilibrium prior to initiating the discharging operation.

15. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising recording, by the controller, a voltage for each battery segment prior to initiating the discharging operation.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Frost Patrick E
• Fraga Rory B
• Suttman Alexander K

Classifications

• H02J7/485

  with provisions for charging different types of batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M10/482

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• B60L53/14

  Conductive energy transfer · CPC title