System and method for improving a battery management and accumulator system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019353688-A1
Application number	US-201916528985-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 1, 2019
Priority date	Jul 23, 2014
Publication date	Nov 21, 2019
Grant date	—

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 method, comprising:
receiving, by a controller, pressure data for an accumulator system, the pressure data providing an indication of a pressure in an accumulator tank of the accumulator system; receiving, by the controller, energy data, the energy data indicating an availability of free energy for use to charge the accumulator tank; and activating, by the controller, 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.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the controller, that free energy is available based on the energy data and, in response, activating the charging source to charge the accumulator tank.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the activation is until at least one of a maximum allowed pressure of the accumulator tank is reached and the energy data indicates that the free energy is no longer available.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the controller, that the accumulator tank pressure is at or below a minimum pressure setting; determining, by the controller, that free energy is not available; and activating, by the controller, the charging source to charge the accumulator tank up to an accumulator tank pressure setting, wherein the accumulator tank pressure setting is less than a maximum allowed pressure of the accumulator tank.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the controller, that free energy is available; determining, by the controller, that the accumulator tank pressure is at or below a maximum allowed pressure; and activating, by the controller, the charging source to charge the accumulator tank until at least one of the maximum allowed pressure of the accumulator tank is reached and the energy data indicates that free energy is no longer available.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy data includes an indication of at least one of an accelerator pedal position, a vehicle speed, a brake pedal position, and an engine fueling rate.

7 . 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 energy data indicative of an availability of free energy to power the electric compressor to charge the accumulator tank; and
activate the electric compressor to charge the accumulator tank based on at least one of the pressure data and the energy data.

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

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is structured to determine that free energy is available and, in response, activate the electric compressor.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller activates the electric compressor until at least one of a maximum pressure setting of the accumulator tank is reached and a determination by the controller that free energy is no longer available.

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is structured to receive a pressure setting for the accumulator tank.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is structured to determine that the accumulator tank pressure is at or below a minimum pressure setting, determine that free energy is not available, 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.

13 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is structured to determine that free energy is available, determine that the accumulator tank pressure is at or below a 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 free energy is no longer available.

14 . The system 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.

15 . An apparatus, comprising:
an energy generation module operatively coupled to one or more energy generation sources, wherein the energy module is structured to receive energy data indicative of an availability of free energy; and an accumulator module communicably coupled to the energy module, wherein the accumulator module is structured to receive pressure data indicative of a pressure in an accumulator tank of an accumulator system and facilitate charging the accumulator tank based on an indication of free energy relative to the pressure of the accumulator tank.

16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the free energy is provided by a regenerative braking system.

17 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the accumulator module charges the accumulator tank until at least one of a maximum pressure setting of the accumulator tank is reached and the energy data indicates that free energy is no longer available.

18 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein in response to the accumulator tank pressure being at or below a minimum pressure setting and the energy generation module determining that free energy is not available, the accumulator module is structured to facilitate charging the accumulator tank up to the pressure setting.

19 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein in response to the energy generation module determining that free energy is available and the accumulator module determining that the accumulator tank pressure is at or below the maximum allowed pressure, the accumulator module facilitates charging of the accumulator tank until at least one of a maximum allowed pressure of the accumulator tank is reached and the energy data indicates that free energy is no longer available.

20 . The apparatus of claim 15 , 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