Adaptive fan speed control for thermal management of a battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11764426-B2
Application number	US-202017010650-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2020
Priority date	Sep 2, 2020
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A method of controlling a fan speed for a battery unit includes determining power discharge and a current temperature of a battery unit and obtaining a relationship between fan speed for the battery unit and temperature of the battery unit based on the power discharge and the current temperature of the battery unit. The method further includes identifying a minimum fan speed based on the relationship between fan speed and temperature and a maximum operating temperature of the battery unit and controlling the fan by setting the speed of the fan to the minimum fan speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a fan speed for a battery unit, the method comprising:
determining power discharge and a current temperature of the battery unit;
obtaining a relationship between a fan speed of a fan for the battery unit and a temperature of the battery unit based on the power discharge and the current temperature of the battery unit;
determining a remaining time of discharge for the battery unit, and wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed for the battery unit and the temperature of the battery unit is further based on the remaining time of discharge;
identifying, by a processing device, a minimum fan speed based on the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature and a maximum operating temperature of the battery unit to ensure the temperature of the battery unit does not exceed a maximum allowed temperature of the battery unit; and
controlling the fan by setting the fan speed of the fan to the minimum fan speed.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating an amount of energy remaining in the battery unit, and wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed for the battery unit and the temperature of the battery unit is further based on the amount of energy remaining in the battery unit.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature of the battery unit comprises:
obtaining a graph corresponding to the energy remaining in the battery unit, power discharge of the battery unit, and the current temperature of the battery unit, wherein the graph indicates an increase in temperature of the battery unit for a range of fan speeds after full discharge of the energy remaining in the battery unit.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the current temperature is within a threshold range from the maximum allowed temperature of the battery unit;
in response to determining that the current temperature is within the threshold range, identifying a guaranteed fan speed based on a maximum power discharge of the battery unit; and
controlling the fan by setting the fan speed to the guaranteed fan speed.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the battery unit is a battery backup unit of an electronic rack of a data center.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power discharge and the current temperature are determined periodically to update the minimum fan speed.

7. An apparatus for controlling a fan speed for a battery unit, comprising:
a processor,
a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
determining power discharge and a current temperature of the battery unit;
obtaining a relationship between a fan speed of a fan for the battery unit and a temperature of the battery unit based on the power discharge and the current temperature of the battery unit;
determining a remaining time of discharge for the battery unit, and wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed for the battery unit and the temperature of the battery unit is further based on the remaining time of discharge;
identifying, by a processing device, a minimum fan speed based on the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature and a maximum operating temperature of the battery unit to ensure the temperature of the battery unit does not exceed a maximum allowed temperature of the battery unit; and
controlling the fan by setting the fan speed of the fan to the minimum fan speed.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
calculating an amount of energy remaining in the battery unit, and wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed for the battery unit and the temperature of the battery unit is further based on the amount of energy remaining in the battery unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature of the battery unit comprises:
obtaining a graph corresponding to the energy remaining in the battery unit, power discharge of the battery unit, and the current temperature of the battery unit, wherein the graph indicates an increase in temperature of the battery unit for a range of fan speeds after full discharge of the energy remaining in the battery unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining whether the current temperature is within a threshold range from the maximum allowed temperature of the battery unit;
in response to determining that the current temperature is within the threshold range, identifying a guaranteed fan speed based on a maximum power discharge of the battery unit; and
controlling the fan by setting the fan speed to the guaranteed fan speed.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the battery unit is a battery backup unit of an electronic rack of a data center.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the power discharge and the current temperature are determined periodically to update the minimum fan speed.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
a processor,
a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
determining power discharge and a current temperature of a battery unit;
obtaining a relationship between a fan speed of a fan for the battery unit and a temperature of the battery unit based on the power discharge and the current temperature of the battery unit;
determining a remaining time of discharge for the battery unit, and wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed for the battery unit and the temperature of the battery unit is further based on the remaining time of discharge;
identifying, by a processing device, a minimum fan speed based on the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature and a maximum operating temperature of the battery unit to ensure the temperature of the battery unit does not exceed a maximum allowed temperature of the battery unit; and
controlling the fan by setting the fan speed of the fan to the minimum fan speed.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
calculating an amount of energy remaining in the battery unit, and wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed for the battery unit and the temperature of the battery unit is further based on the amount of energy remaining in the battery unit non-transitory machine-readable storage medium.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein obtaining the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature of the battery unit comprises:
obtaining a graph corresponding to the energy remaining in the battery unit, power discharge of the battery unit, and the current temperature of the battery unit, wherein the graph indicates an increase in temperature of the battery unit for a range of fan speeds after full discharge of the energy remaining in the battery unit.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining whether the current temperature is within a threshold range from the maximum allowed temperature of the battery unit;
in response to determining that the current temperature is within th

Assignees

• Baidu Usa Llc

Inventors

• Yang Huawei
• Shao Shuai
• Gao Tianyi

Classifications

• H02J7/65

  against overtemperature · CPC title

• H02J7/977 Primary

  of the battery · CPC title

• H01M10/6563 Primary

  with forced flow, e.g. by blowers · CPC title

• H01M10/633

  characterised by algorithms, flow charts, software details or the like · CPC title

• H01M10/48

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title