Multi-level battery systems for battery-operated entities, methods for rapid charge transfer therebetween, and methods for optimizing entity routing and network charge distribution

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12049151-B2
Application number	US-202117193469-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2021
Priority date	Mar 10, 2020
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods described herein relate generally to on-the-go entity-to-entity charging for multi-level battery-powered entities in transportation systems. A method can include determining charge levels, current positions, battery configuration, and transport speeds for an electric vehicle (EV), identifying one or more EVs in need of charging, and mobilizing a nearby EV for on-the-go peer-to-peer charging. A processor, with a memory including computer program code, can be configured to receive current charge level data for mobile battery-powered entities, identify one or more EVs to be charged and one or more other EVs that have excess charge to transfer, and send charging instructions to the EVs. A routing and charge transaction scheduling algorithm can be used to optimize the route of one or more battery-powered entities and to schedule charge transactions between EVs and/or a charging entity. A heuristic battery architecture compiler can be used to optimize battery architecture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power plant for an electric vehicle, the power plant comprising:
one or more first electrochemical cells having a first charge transfer rate and a first charge capacity;
one or more second electrochemical cells having a second charge transfer rate less than the first charge transfer rate and a second charge capacity different from the first charge capacity;
a charge transfer element in electrical communication with the one or more first electrochemical cells and the one or more second electrochemical cells, the charge transfer element being configured to electrically couple the power plant of the electric vehicle to a second power plant of a second electric vehicle, whereby the charge transfer element is configured to cause an electrical charge to be communicated into or out of at least one of the one or more first electrochemical cells or at least one of the one or more second electrochemical cells of the electric vehicle; and
a battery management system configured to
determine a current charge level in the one or more first electrochemical cells and the one or more second electrochemical cells,
determine a charge requirement of the electric vehicle based on the current charge level in the one or more first electrochemical cells and the one or more second electrochemical cells and a projected route to a destination associated with the electric vehicle,
receive route information associated with the second electric vehicle,
determine, based at least on the charge requirement of the electric vehicle and the route information associated with the second electric vehicle, an available inter-vehicle charge duration,
in an instance in which the available inter-vehicle charge duration is less than a predetermined threshold, cause communication of the electrical charge from the second power plant in the second electric vehicle into the one or more second electrochemical cells, and
in an instance in which the available inter-vehicle charge duration is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, cause communication of the electrical charge from the second power plant in the second electric vehicle into the one or more first electrochemical cells.

2. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein the one or more second electrochemical cells are electrically coupled to the one or more first electrochemical cells.

3. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein the charge transfer element is configured to be in electrical communication with the one or more first electrochemical cells and the one or more second electrochemical cells.

4. The power plant of claim 3 , wherein the charge transfer element is configured to:
establish an electrical connection between the charge transfer element and a second charge transfer element of the second electric vehicle,
receive, from the second electric vehicle, a recharge request,
select, based at least upon one or more characteristics of the second power plant of the second electric vehicle, at least one of the one or more first electrochemical cells or at least one of the one or more second electrochemical cells to provide a replenishing supply of the electrical charge to the second power plant of the second electric vehicle, and
cause establishment of an electrical communication between the selected at least one electrochemical cell of the electric vehicle and the second charge transfer element of the second electric vehicle via the charge transfer element of the electric vehicle.

5. The power plant of claim 4 , wherein the power plant of the electric vehicle is configured to cause a further replenishing supply of the electrical charge to be communicated from a non-selected at least one electrochemical cell, through the selected at least one electrochemical cell, through the charge transfer element, and to the second charge transfer element of the second electric vehicle.

6. A method for charging a power plant of an electric vehicle, the power plant comprising:
at least one first electrochemical cell having a first charge transfer rate,
at least one second electrochemical cell electrically coupled to the at least one first electrochemical cell, the at least one second electrochemical cell having a second charge transfer rate less than the first charge transfer rate,
a charge transfer element electrically coupled to the at least one first electrochemical cell, the first charge transfer element being configured to select one of the at least one first electrochemical cell or the at least one second electrochemical cell into which to communicate an electrical charge or from which to discharge the electrical charge, and
a battery management system in operable communication with the charge transfer element, the method comprising:
determining a current charge level in the at least one first electrochemical cell and the at least one second electrochemical cell,
determining a charge requirement of the electric vehicle based on the current charge level in the at least one first electrochemical cell and the at least one second electrochemical cell and a projected route to a destination associated with the electric vehicle,
receiving route information associated with a second electric vehicle within a predetermined distance of the electric vehicle,
determining, based at least on the charge requirement of the electric vehicle and the route information associated with the second electric vehicle, an available inter-vehicle charge duration,
in an instance in which the available inter-vehicle charge duration is less than a predetermined threshold, causing communication of the electrical charge from a second power plant in the second electric vehicle into the at least one second electrochemical cell via the charge transfer element, and
in an instance in which the available inter-vehicle charge duration is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, causing communication of the electrical charge from the second power plant in the second electric vehicle into the at least one first electrochemical cell via the charge transfer element.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one first electrochemical cells are electrically coupled to the at least one second electrochemical cells.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
determining a charge transfer rate of a second power plant in the second electric vehicle; and
determining a charge capacity of the at least one first electrochemical cell and a charge capacity of the at least one second electrochemical cell.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said determining the charge requirement is based at least upon one or more of:
the destination and the route of the electric vehicle,
a destination and a route of the second electric vehicle,
a discharge rate from the power plant to the electric vehicle during operation of the electric vehicle,
the charge level of the at least one first electrochemical cell and the charge level of the at least one second electrochemical cell,
a first charge transfer rate associated with the at least one first electrochemical cell and a second charge transfer rate associated with the at least one second electrochemical cell,
the charge transfer rate of the second power plant in the second electric vehicle, or
the available inter-vehicle charge duration, wherein the available inter-vehicle charge duration is a maximum duration of time for which the second electric vehicle can be electrically coupled to the charge transfer element of the electric vehicle.

Assignees

• Univ Florida

Inventors

• Wang Shuo
• Bhunia Swarup
• Chakraborty Prabuddha
• Parker Robert
• Kalavakonda Rohan Reddy

Classifications

• B60L53/62

  in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge · CPC title

• B60L53/67

  Controlling two or more charging stations · CPC title

• B60L53/66

  Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles · CPC title

• B60L2240/72

  Charging station selection relying on external data · CPC title

• B60L58/20

  having different nominal voltages · CPC title