Dual voltage battery system for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11466656-B2
Application number	US-201815918417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2018
Priority date	Mar 3, 2017
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

A power management system for a vehicle includes a first battery monitoring module configured to monitor a first state of charge (SOC) of a first battery of the vehicle. The first battery has a first nominal voltage. A second battery monitoring module is configured to monitor a second SOC of a second battery of the vehicle. The second battery has a second nominal voltage that is greater than the first nominal voltage. A control module is configured to selectively apply power to a heater of the second battery based on an estimated value of the second SOC of the second battery at a next startup of an engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power management system for a vehicle, comprising:
a first battery monitoring module configured to monitor a first state of charge (SOC) of a first battery of the vehicle,
wherein the first battery has a first nominal voltage;
a second battery monitoring module configured to monitor a second SOC of a second battery of the vehicle,
wherein the second battery has a second nominal voltage that is greater than the first nominal voltage; and
a control module configured to, while an engine is off before a next startup of the engine, selectively apply power to a heater of the second battery from the first battery based on an estimated SOC of the second battery at the next startup of the engine determined based on a temperature when the engine was shut off.

2. The power management system of claim 1 further comprising a starter control module configured to selectively apply power to a starter of the engine from the second battery t the next startup of the engine.

3. The power management system of claim 1 wherein the control module is configured to apply power to the heater of the second battery when the estimated SOC of the second battery at the next startup of the engine is less than a predetermined SOC.

4. The power management system of claim 1 wherein the control module is configured to:
in response to a shutdown of an engine of the vehicle, determine an estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine; and
determine the estimated SOC of the second battery based on the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine.

5. The power management system of claim 4 wherein the control module is configured to set the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on an ambient temperature at the shutdown of the engine.

6. The power management system of claim 4 wherein the control module is configured to set the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on an ambient temperature obtained in response to the shutdown of the engine minus a predetermined temperature.

7. The power management system of claim 4 wherein the control module is configured to determine the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on an average temperature at a location of the vehicle at the next startup of the engine.

8. The power management system of claim 4 wherein the control module is configured to determine the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on a forecast temperature at a location of the vehicle at the next startup of the engine.

9. The power management system of claim 4 wherein the control module is configured to determine the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on a plurality of previous temperatures at previous startups of the engine performed near a location of the vehicle, respectively.

10. The power management system of claim 1 wherein the control module is configured to:
in response to a shutdown of an engine of the vehicle, determine an estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine;
determine an ambient temperature at the next startup of the engine; and
selectively apply power to the heater of the second battery based on a comparison of the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine and the ambient temperature at the next startup of the engine.

11. The power management system of claim 10 wherein the control module is configured to selectively apply power from only the second battery to the heater when the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine is greater than the ambient temperature at the next startup of the engine.

12. The power management system of claim 10 wherein the control module is configured to selectively apply power from both the first battery and the second battery to the heater when the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine is less than the ambient temperature at the next startup of the engine.

13. A power management method for a vehicle, comprising:
monitoring a first state of charge (SOC) of a first battery of the vehicle,
wherein the first battery has a first nominal voltage;
monitoring a second SOC of a second battery of the vehicle,
wherein the second battery has a second nominal voltage that is greater than the first nominal voltage; and
while an engine is off before a next startup of the engine, selectively applying power to a heater of the second battery from the first battery based on an estimated SOC of the second battery at the next startup of the engine determined based on a temperature when the engine was shut off.

14. The power management method of claim 13 further comprising selectively applying power to a starter of the engine from the second battery at the next startup of the engine.

15. The power management method of claim 13 wherein the selectively applying power to the heater includes applying power to the heater of the second battery when the estimated SOC of the second battery at the next startup of the engine is less than a predetermined SOC.

16. The power management method of claim 13 further comprising:
in response to a shutdown of an engine of the vehicle, determining an estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine; and
determining the estimated SOC of the second battery based on the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine.

17. The power management method of claim 16 wherein the determining the estimated temperature includes setting the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on an ambient temperature at the shutdown of the engine.

18. The power management method of claim 16 wherein the determining the estimated temperature includes setting the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on an ambient temperature obtained in response to the shutdown of the engine minus a predetermined temperature.

19. The power management method of claim 16 wherein the determining the estimated temperature includes determining the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on an average temperature at a location of the vehicle at the next startup of the engine.

20. The power management method of claim 16 wherein the determining the estimated temperature includes determining the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on a forecast temperature at a location of the vehicle at the next startup of the engine.

21. The power management method of claim 16 wherein the determining the estimated temperature includes determining the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine based on a plurality of previous temperatures at previous startups of the engine performed near a location of the vehicle, respectively.

22. The power management method of claim 13 further comprising:
in response to a shutdown of an engine of the vehicle, determining an estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine; and
determining an ambient temperature at the next startup of the engine,
wherein the selectively applying power to the heater includes selectively applying power to the heater of the second battery based on a comparison of the estimated temperature at the next startup of the engine and the ambient temperature at the next startup of the engine.

23. The power management method of claim 22 wherein the selectively applying power to the heater includes selectively applying power from only the second battery to the heater w

Assignees

• Gentherm Inc

Inventors

• Ciaccio Michael Peter
• Hughes Timothy

Classifications

• H02J2105/33

  exchanging power with road vehicles · CPC title

• H02J7/585

  Sequential battery discharge in systems with a plurality of batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/975

  in response to temperature · CPC title

• H02J7/855

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

• H02J7/96

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title