Distributed charge controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10411499-B2
Application number	US-201715588233-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2017
Priority date	May 5, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A distributed charge controller that matches a charging and power profile of each individual battery cell within a bank of batteries with one or more strings of photovoltaic (PV) cells in order to maintain battery health and performance. The charge controller further optimizes the performance of a solar module by allowing active unshaded strings of cells to operate independently of other strings within the module that may be shaded. Strings of PV cells are selectively matched to one or more battery cells as required.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A distributed charge control system comprising:
one or more photovoltaic (PV) modules producing a current, each PV module comprising one or more strings of PV cells connected in series;
a charge controller comprising a processor, memory and control electronics;
a battery bank comprising a plurality of battery cells connected in series;
wherein the charge controller selectively connects each string of the one or more strings of PV cells to selectively charge one or more of the battery cells based on predefined logic;
wherein the charge controller determines from sensor inputs, non-productive strings of the one or more strings of PV cells which are damaged or non-productive, and isolates the non-productive strings from the system; and
wherein the charge controller monitors and controls the use of each battery cell based on a scheduled health and maintenance profile stored in the memory, maintaining and updating the health and maintenance profile related to each individual battery cell.

2. The control system of claim 1 , wherein each string of the one or more strings of PV cells is connected to a specific battery cell, the charge controller matching the voltage and current charging specifications of the specific battery cell.

3. The control system of claim 1 , wherein two or more strings of the PV cells are connected to a first battery cell, the charge controller matching the voltage and current charging specifications of the first battery cell for a first period of time until the first cell is fully charged, whereupon the charge controller then switches charging to a second battery cell for a second period of time.

4. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the charge controller further comprises maximum power point tracking logic and electronics.

5. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the predefined logic comprises logic pre-programmed at a manufacturer; user defined logic; logic based on calculations from sensor inputs; and logic based on calculations from charts and lookup tables stored in the memory.

6. The control system of claim 5 , wherein the sensor inputs are received from sensors both within the control system and outside of the control system comprising sensors that sense voltage; current; temperature; deformation of battery cells; increase in internal pressure inside battery cells; state of charge of individual battery cells; charge rate of cells; and discharge rate of cells.

7. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the battery cells comprise lithium iron phosphate chemistry.

8. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor inputs further comprise identifying inputs from sensors that indicate battery chemistry type.

9. The control system of claim 8 , wherein the control system adjusts charging current, and charging rate based on the identifying inputs indicating battery type.

10. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor inputs indicate a time period during which an unproductive string of PV cells are not producing minimum voltage and current levels because they are shaded or obstructed, whereupon the charge controller switches charging to a productive string of PV cells.

11. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the charge controller connects multiple strings of the two or more strings of PV cells in one or more PV modules in series in order to increase the voltage output.

12. The control system of claim 11 , wherein the charge controller of a first PV module is in communication with one or more charge controllers of one or more additional PV modules allowing the extension of all of the functions of a single distributed charge control system to a combined system of PV modules.

13. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the charge controller selectively connects two or more strings of PV cells from two or more PV modules to selectively charge one or more of the battery cells based on the predefined logic.

14. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more strings of PV cells are arranged in one of horizontal, vertical, circular, and diagonal clusters, or a combination thereof.

15. A distributed charge control system comprising:
one or more photovoltaic (PV) modules producing a current, each PV module comprising one or more strings of PV cells connected in series;
a charge controller comprising a processor, memory and control electronics;
a battery bank comprising a plurality of battery cells connected in series;
wherein the charge controller selectively connects each string of the one or more strings of PV cells to selectively charge one or more of the battery cells based on predefined logic; and
wherein the charge controller determines from sensor inputs, non-productive strings of the one or more strings of PV cells which are damaged or non-productive, and isolates the non-productive strings from the system; and
wherein the charge controller adjusts a unique battery cell specific charging profile and discharge profile for each individual battery cell according to the health and maintenance profile for that unique battery cell.

16. A distributed charge control system comprising:
one or more photovoltaic (PV) modules producing a current, each PV module comprising one or more strings of PV cells connected in series;
a charge controller comprising a processor, memory and control electronics;
a battery bank comprising a plurality of battery cells connected in series;
wherein the charge controller selectively connects each string of the one or more strings of PV cells to selectively charge one or more of the battery cells based on predefined logic; and
wherein the charge controller determines from sensor inputs, non-productive strings of the one or more strings of PV cells which are damaged or non-productive, and isolates the non-productive strings from the system; and
wherein the charge controller calculates a target power based on a charging profile of the battery cell, and adjusts the charging and discharging of the battery cell based on the target power.

17. A distributed charge control system comprising:
one or more photovoltaic (PV) modules producing a current, each PV module comprising one or more strings of PV cells connected in series;
a charge controller comprising a processor, memory and control electronics;
a battery bank comprising a plurality of battery cells connected in series;
wherein the charge controller selectively connects each string of the one or more strings of PV cells to selectively charge one or more of the battery cells based on predefined logic; and
wherein the charge controller determines from sensor inputs, non-productive strings of the one or more strings of PV cells which are damaged or non-productive, and isolates the non-productive strings from the system; and
wherein the charge controller calculates a target group power based on a charging profile of a specific group of battery cells, and adjusts the charging and discharging of the specific group of battery cells based on the target group power.

18. The control system of claim 17 , wherein the charge controller selectively combines power outputs of one or more strings of PV cells and one or more battery cells to meet an electrical load based on power requirements of the electrical load, the target power of the battery cells, and the power available from the one or more strings of PV cells.

Assignees

• Hall David R
• Myer Seth
• Fox Joe

Inventors

• Hall David R
• Myer Seth
• Fox Joe

Classifications

• H02J7/485

  with provisions for charging different types of batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/445

  in response to measured battery parameters, e.g. voltage, current or temperature profile · CPC title

• H02J7/84

  Control of state of health [SOH] · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/56

  Active balancing, e.g. using capacitor-based, inductor-based or DC-DC converters · CPC title