Switching architecture of battery cell packs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11646589-B2
Application number	US-202117373139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2021
Priority date	Jul 13, 2020
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

A battery system includes a plurality of battery cell packs arranged in layers selectively connected in series and parallel by a control system controlling a plurality of switches. Each of the battery cell packs includes a plurality of battery cells. A plurality of first switches and a plurality of second switches are controlled by a control system to connect the battery cell packs in response to a desired current output of the battery system and/or a desired voltage output of the battery system irrespective of individual battery cell or battery cell pack voltages or currents associated with state of charge or operational performance. The control system controls the switches to selectively connect the battery cell pack(s) to the output connections in parallel and/or series to provide redundancy and reduce output voltage/current fluctuation otherwise associated with state of charge or underperforming battery cells/packs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery system comprising:
a plurality of battery cell packs each having a first plurality of battery cells, the battery cell packs arranged in a first plurality of layers connectable to output connections of the battery system;
a plurality of first switches each selectively connecting a battery cell pack to either another battery cell pack within a layer, or to an output connection of the battery system;
a plurality of second switches each selectively connecting two of the layers; and
a control system coupled to the first switches and the second switches, wherein the control system controls the first switches and the second switches to selectively connect one or more of the plurality of battery cell packs in parallel and one or more of the battery cell packs in series based on a desired voltage and desired current provided to the outputs of the battery system, wherein the battery cell packs of an outer layer of the plurality of layers are combined in one of a first group and a second group, and the battery cell packs of an inner layer of the plurality of layers are in each case divided into a first inner group and a second inner group, wherein each layer includes the same number of battery cell packs.

2. The battery system of claim 1 wherein each of the second switches is arranged between groups of two adjacent layers such that in each case a first group of a first layer is selectively connected in series to a second group in a second layer by an associated second switch, and each of the first switches is arranged between groups of an inner layer such that a first inner group of an inner layer is selectively connected in series to a second group of the inner layer.

3. The battery system of claim 2 wherein the number of the battery cell packs in the first group of a layer is different for each of the layers.

4. The battery system of claim 3 wherein the outputs of the battery system comprise at least three outputs with at least one of the outputs connected between two battery cell packs of a single layer.

5. The battery system of claim 4 wherein the control system is configured to measure voltage across each group of battery cell packs.

6. The battery system of claim 5 wherein at least one of the layers includes only one group of battery cell packs.

7. The battery system of claim 6 wherein each group of battery cell packs includes a plurality of battery cell packs, each of the plurality of battery cell packs permanently connected in series to at least one other battery cell pack.

8. A battery system comprising:
a first layer of at least three battery cell packs each including at least two battery cells, the battery cell packs of the first layer arranged with at least two of the at least three battery cell packs permanently connected in series and selectively connected in series by a first switch to either at least one battery cell pack of the at least three battery cell packs or a battery system output;
a second layer of at least three battery cell packs each including at least two battery cells, the battery cell packs of the second layer arranged with at least two of the at least three battery cell packs permanently connected in series and selectively connected in series by a second switch to either at least one battery cell pack of the at least three battery cell packs of the second layer or a battery system output;
a third switch selectively connecting the first layer and the second layer; and
a controller configured to control the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch.

9. The battery system of claim 8 wherein the first layer and the second layer include an equal number of battery cell packs.

10. The battery system of claim 8 wherein the first layer battery cell packs are all permanently connected in series and selectively connected by the first switch to the battery system output.

11. The battery system of claim 8 further comprising at least three battery system outputs, wherein at least one of the at least three battery system outputs is connected between the battery cell packs of the second layer and the second switch.

12. The battery system of claim 8 further comprising a switch selectively connecting each layer, the switch in communication with the controller.

13. The battery system of claim 8 further comprising:
a third layer of at least three battery cell packs each including at least two battery cells; and
a fourth switch in communication with the controller and selectively connecting one of the third layer battery cell packs to one of either the battery system output, or another of the third layer battery cell packs.

14. The battery system of claim 13 wherein the third layer battery cell packs are all permanently connected in series and selectively connected by the fourth switch to the battery system output.

15. The battery system of claim 13 further comprising a fifth switch in communication with the controller and selectively connecting the third layer to the second layer.

16. The battery system of claim 15 wherein the fifth switch is connected between two of the third layer battery cell packs, and wherein at least two of the third layer battery cell packs are permanently connected in series.

17. A battery system comprising:
a first outer layer of at least three battery cell packs each including at least two battery cells, the at least three battery cell packs of the first outer layer permanently connected in series relative to one another and selectively connected by a first switch to one of a plurality of battery system outputs;
a second outer layer of at least three battery cell packs each including at least two battery cells, the at least three battery cell packs of the second outer layer permanently connected in series relative to one another and selectively connected by a second switch to one of the plurality of battery system outputs;
at least one inner layer of at least three battery cell packs each including at least two battery cells, at least two of the at least three battery cell packs permanently connected in series and selectively connected in series by a third switch to at least one of the at least three battery cell packs;
a fourth switch selectively connecting the first outer layer to the at least one inner layer;
a fifth switch selectively connecting the at least one inner layer to the second outer layer; and
a controller configured to control the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth switches.

18. The battery system of claim 17 wherein the first switch selectively connects the first outer layer to a first one of the plurality of battery system outputs, and the second switch selectively connects the second outer layer to a second one of the plurality of battery system outputs.

19. The battery system of claim 18 wherein the plurality of battery system outputs includes a third battery system output connected between at least two of
the battery call packs of the at least one inner layer.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Stauss Philip
• Kirchhoffer Johann
• Schneider Sebastian

Classifications

• H02J7/575 Primary

  Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit · CPC title

• H02J2105/37

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

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/441

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M10/425

  Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00) · CPC title