Method for operating a plurality of usage units for a wear compensation in an energy supply device, and energy supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11223207-B2
Application number	US-201816624454-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2018
Priority date	Jun 23, 2017
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

A method for operating an electric energy supply device with a plurality of usage units. Each usage unit is designed to generate or buffer electric energy. A control device is designed to control an exchange of energy between the energy supply device on the one hand and at least one device that is connected to the energy supply device on the other hand. For each usage unit it sets a respective setpoint value for at least one electric operating parameter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating an electric energy supply device having a plurality of usage units, wherein each usage unit is designed to generate or buffer or dynamically redistribute electric energy, and wherein a control device is designed to control an exchange of energy between the energy supply device on the one hand and at least one device that is connected to the energy supply device on the other hand, in that for each usage unit it sets a respective setpoint value for at least one electric operating parameter, the method comprising: the control device prior to the exchange of energy and/or in the course of the exchange of energy once or repeatedly:
determines for each usage unit a respective wear value of the usage unit, the wear value indicating a wear of the usage unit calculated as a function of an impedance and/or an internal resistance of the usage unit,
determines for each usage unit the respective setpoint value of the at least one operating parameter based on a wear leveling criterion, the wear leveling criterion providing that by adjusting each setpoint value, at least one usage unit combined perform the exchange of energy in its entirety, thereby maintaining or reducing a difference of the wear of the usage units that was calculated from all wear values, wherein prior to the exchange of energy, restructuring energy is transferred from at least one usage unit to at least one other usage unit, wherein the respective wear value of the at least one usage unit prior to the transmission indicates greater wear than is indicated by the respective wear value of the at least one other usage unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wear leveling criterion provides that those of the usage units that have wear values indicating a lowest degree of wear be used, and that a number of the usage units be used as needed to perform the exchange of energy.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the usage units comprise of at least one battery cell, at least one fuel cell, at least one solar panel and at least one capacitor.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the usage units are adapted to buffer electric energy, and the at least one operating parameter of these usage units comprises one or more of the following: a state of charge SoC, a depth of discharge DoD, a charge current strength, a discharge current strength, and a charging voltage.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein while determining the respective setpoint value by the wear leveling criterion, a certain condition for each usage unit is taken into account, the certain condition providing that
a) each usage unit be operated with a predefined individual operating profile that is specific for a respective technology of the usage unit, and/or
b) a difference with respect to a predefined state of charge is maintained that is less than a predefined maximum difference.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein more usage units are provided in the energy supply device than needed for the exchange of energy, with one usage unit or a subset of the usage units being selected based on a certain criterion to remain unutilized during the exchange of energy.

7. The method d according to claim 1 , wherein some of the usage units are respectively combined to form branch circuits, each branch circuit being connected with a power bar arrangement by a DC/DC converter and at least one galvanically isolatable switch unit, a bypass circuit being provided within each branch circuit for each usage unit, the energy supply device performing the exchange of energy via the power bar arrangement, and the control device for regulating the at least one operating value controlling the DC/DC converter and the at least one switch unit and the bypass circuits of each branch circuit.

8. An energy supply device with multiple usage units, each of which is designed to generate or buffer electric energy,
wherein a control device of the energy supply device is adapted to execute a method according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Hinterberger Michael
• Hellenthal Berthold
• Blum André

Classifications

• H02J2101/30

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H02J2101/24

  Photovoltaics · CPC title

• H02J7/825

  Detection of fully charged condition · CPC title

• H02J7/54

  Passive balancing, e.g. using resistors or parallel MOSFETs · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title