Redundant battery management system architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11485238-B2
Application number	US-202117215236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2021
Priority date	Aug 17, 2018
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle can include a battery architecture configured to provide electrical power to motors, accessories, and other components of the vehicle. The architecture can include a controller coupled to multiple battery units. Each battery unit can include a battery and a battery management system. Additionally, each battery unit can be coupled to a controller and to other battery units. Through the use of redundant coupling and redundant data transmitted to and from the controller, battery units, and other components, the architecture can detect a fault and continue to operate while providing an indication of the fault.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, from a first battery unit, first battery data;
receiving, from a second battery unit, second battery data;
determining, based at least in part on the first battery data and the second battery data, aggregate limit data comprising at least one of:
a combination of the first battery data and the second battery data;
a lookup-table entry based at least in part on the first battery data and the second battery data; or
a dynamic limit based at least in part on observed characteristics of the first battery unit or the second battery unit, the observed characteristics comprising at least one of an impedance, a slew rate, or an overshoot;

determining, based at least in part on the aggregate limit data, an operational limit; and
controlling, based at least in part on the operational limit, an electric device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electric device is a motor, the method further comprising:
determining, based on the operational limit, a torque value associated with the motor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electric device is a motor, the method further comprising:
determining that the operational limit does not meet or exceed a threshold value;
determining that a fault condition has occurred; and
controlling the motor to execute a safe stop trajectory for a vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the first battery data does not meet or exceed a threshold value; and
determining that the first battery unit is malfunctioning.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first battery data comprises first limit data and the second battery data comprises second limit data, the method further comprising:
determining that a difference between the first limit data and the second limit data meets or exceeds a difference threshold; and
determining a failure of a first coupling between the first battery unit and a controller or a second coupling between the second battery unit and the controller.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, to the second battery unit, at least a portion of the first battery data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first battery data comprises at least one of:
current limit data;
power limit data;
voltage limit data;
temperature data;
connection data;
a battery operational state;
a system operational state; or
a battery status.

8. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a first battery unit, first battery data;
receiving, from a second battery unit, second battery data;

determining, based at least in part on the first battery data and the second battery-data, aggregate limit data comprising at least one of:
a combination of the first battery data and the second battery data;
a lookup-table entry based at least in part on the first battery data and the second battery data; or
a dynamic limit based at least in part on observed characteristics of the first battery unit or the second battery unit, the observed characteristics comprising at least one of an impedance, a slew rate, or an overshoot;
determining, based at least in part on the aggregate limit data, an operational limit; and
controlling, based at least in part on the operational limit, an electric device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the electric device is a motor, the operations further comprising:
determining, based on the operational limit, a torque value associated with the motor.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the electric device is a motor, the operations further comprising:
determining that the operational limit does not meet or exceed a threshold value;
determining that a fault condition has occurred; and
controlling the motor to execute a safe stop trajectory for a vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first battery data comprises limit data, the operations further comprising:
determining that the limit data does not meet or exceed a threshold value; and
determining that the first battery unit is malfunctioning.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a first battery unit, first battery data;
receiving, from a second battery unit, second battery data;
determining, based at least in part on the first battery data and the second battery-data, aggregate limit data comprising at least one of:
a combination of the first battery data and the second battery data;
a lookup-table entry based at least in part on the first battery data and the second battery data; or
a dynamic limit based at least in part on observed characteristics of the first battery unit or the second battery unit, the observed characteristics comprising at least one of an impedance, a slew rate, or an overshoot;

determining, based at least in part on the aggregate limit data, an operational limit; and
controlling, based at least in part on the operational limit, an electric device.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the electric device is a motor, the operations further comprising:
determining, based on the operational limit, a torque value associated with the motor.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the electric device is a motor, the operations further comprising:
determining that the operational limit does not meet or exceed a threshold value;
determining that a fault condition has occurred; and
controlling the motor to execute a safe stop trajectory for a vehicle.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the first battery data comprises limit data, the operations further comprising:
determining that the limit data does not meet or exceed a threshold value; and
determining that the first battery unit is malfunctioning.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the first battery data comprises first limit data and the second battery data comprises second limit data, the operations further comprising:
determining that a difference between the first limit data and the second limit data meets or exceeds a difference threshold; and
determining a failure of a first coupling between the first battery unit and a controller or a second coupling between the second battery unit and the controller.

Assignees

• Zoox Inc

Inventors

• Foley Kyle Matthew
• Ng Robert Alan
• Boecker Moritz
• Tao Chong Zhang
• Tannahill Vincent Richard
• Cabebe Efren Alonzo
• Redfern Derek

Classifications

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title

• G01R31/3842

  combining voltage and current measurements · CPC title

• B60L3/0092

  with use of redundant elements for safety purposes · CPC title

• B60L58/24

  for controlling the temperature of batteries · CPC title

• B60L58/18

  of two or more battery modules · CPC title