Battery for a motor vehicle and method for operating a battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11309719-B2
Application number	US-201916353271-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2018
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

A battery for a motor vehicle, having multiple battery cells which include respective battery cell housings with electric terminals via which the battery cells are electrically connected to one another. In the battery cell housings, in each case a cell branch connecting the terminals, with a galvanic cell, is arranged, and in each case several of the battery cells are connected to one another in parallel connection to form respective cell blocks. Each cell branch includes a switching element for opening and closing the cell branch; the battery has a control device which is configured in order to actuate the switching elements of the cell branches for opening or closing the switching elements as a function of a performance requirement of an electric drive of the motor vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of cell blocks, each cell block formed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in parallel,
wherein each battery cell of each plurality of battery cells comprises a battery cell housing with electric terminals by which each plurality of battery cells are electrically connected to one another;
wherein each of the battery cell housings contain therein a galvanic cell and a cell branch which connects the galvanic cell to the electric terminals;
wherein each cell branch has a switching element for opening and closing the cell branch;
wherein the battery has a control device which is configured to actuate the switching elements of the cell branches as a function of a performance requirement of an electric drive of the motor vehicle;
wherein, for each of the plurality of cell blocks, in at least one of the plurality of battery cells, a bypass branch is arranged in the battery cell housing for bridging the galvanic cell, the bypass branch comprising a bridging switching element for opening and closing the bypass branch; and
wherein, for bridging all of the plurality of cell blocks, for each of the plurality of cell blocks, the control device is configured to open all the switching elements and to close the at least one bridging switching element.

2. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to actuate the switching elements of the cell branches as a function of a respective temperature of the pluralities of battery cells.

3. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to actuate the switching elements of the cell branches in such a manner that, in adjacent battery cells of different cell blocks, the switching elements are switched oppositely.

4. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to actuate the switching elements of the cell branches as a function of a respective state of charge of the pluralities of battery cells.

5. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to actuate the switching elements of the cell branches as a function of a state of health of the pluralities of battery cells.

6. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the bypass branch is provided in the battery cell housing of each and every battery cell,
wherein the control device is configured, for bridging all of the plurality of cell blocks, for each of the plurality of cell blocks, to open all the switching elements and to close all of the bridging switching elements.

7. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the each and every battery cell further comprises at least one sensor for the acquisition of at least one operating parameter of the battery cell, which is designed to transmit data concerning the operating parameter to the control device.

8. A method for operating a battery according to claim 1 , comprising:
the control device of the battery, as a function of the performance requirement of the electric drive of the motor vehicle, actuates the switching elements of the cell branches for opening or closing the switching elements.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Hinterberger Michael
• Hellenthal Berthold

Classifications

• H02J2105/37

  exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV] · CPC title

• H02J7/977

  of the battery · CPC title

• H02J7/855

  with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery · CPC title

• H02J7/96

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J2105/16

  being internal to power sources or power generation plants · CPC title