System and method for improving a battery management and accumulator system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11493541-B2
Application number	US-201916528985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2019
Priority date	Jul 23, 2014
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

Various systems, methods, and apparatuses disclosed herein provide for receiving pressure data for an accumulator system, the pressure data providing an indication of a pressure in an accumulator tank of the accumulator system; receiving energy data, the energy data indicating an availability of free energy for use to charge the accumulator tank; and activating a charging source of the accumulator tank to charge the accumulator tank based on at least one of the pressure data and the energy data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
an accumulator system including an accumulator tank and an electric compressor structured to charge the accumulator tank; and
a controller operatively and communicably coupled to the accumulator system, the controller structured to:
receive pressure data indicative of a pressure in the accumulator tank;
receive a pressure setting for the accumulator tank;
receive energy data indicative of an availability of free energy to power the electric compressor to charge the accumulator tank;

determine that the pressure in the accumulator tank is at or below a minimum pressure setting using the pressure data, and that free energy is not available using the energy data; and
activate the electric compressor to charge the accumulator tank up to the pressure setting, wherein the pressure setting is less than a maximum allowed pressure of the accumulator tank.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the free energy is provided by a regenerative braking system.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is structured to determine that the free energy is available and, in response, activate the electric compressor.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller activates the electric compressor until a maximum pressure setting of the accumulator tank is reached.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is structured to determine that the free energy is available, determine that the pressure in the accumulator tank is at or below the maximum allowed pressure, and activate the electric compressor until at least one of the maximum allowed pressure of the accumulator tank is reached and the energy data indicates that the free energy is no longer available.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the accumulator system includes a dryer operatively coupled to a governor, wherein the dryer is structured to remove moisture from a medium compressed by the electric compressor prior to the medium being directed to the accumulator tank, and wherein the governor facilitates an accumulated pressure release in at least one of the dryer and the accumulator tank.

7. An apparatus, comprising:
a processing circuit operatively coupled to one or more energy generation sources and including a processor and a memory storing executable instructions, the executable instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
receive pressure data indicative of a pressure of an accumulator tank of an accumulator system;
receive a pressure setting for the accumulator tank;
receive energy data indicative of an availability of free energy to power an electric compressor to charge the accumulator tank;
determine that the pressure in the accumulator tank is at or below a minimum pressure setting using the pressure data, and that free energy is not available using the energy data; and
activate the electric compressor to charge the accumulator tank up to the pressure setting, wherein the pressure setting is less than a maximum allowed pressure of the accumulator tank.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the free energy is provided by a regenerative braking system.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the accumulator tank to charge until maximum pressure setting of the accumulator tank is reached.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein in response to determining that the free energy is available and determining that the pressure in the accumulator tank is at or below the maximum allowed pressure, the processor is configured to cause the accumulator tank to charge until at least one of the maximum allowed pressure of the accumulator tank is reached or the energy data indicates that the free energy is no longer available.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the accumulator system includes a dryer operatively coupled to a governor, wherein the dryer is structured to remove moisture from a medium compressed by the electric compressor prior to the medium being directed to the accumulator tank, and wherein the governor facilitates an accumulated pressure release in at least one of the dryer and the accumulator tank.

Assignees

• Cummins Inc

Inventors

• Books Martin T
• Calmer Craig M
• Dziuba Robert
• Madurai-Kumar Mahesh
• Muralidhar Praveen Chitradurga
• O'Brien John P
• Paquette Joseph E
• Parker Gary L
• Perfetto Anthony K
• Rauch Jeffrey S
• Schwab Zachary
• Wardlow Jon S

Classifications

• B60R16/03 Primary

  for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} · CPC title

• G01R19/0092 Primary

  Measuring current only · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title