Redundant low-voltage battery system operation in electric vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019391577-A1
Application number	US-201816013731-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 20, 2018
Priority date	Jun 20, 2018
Publication date	Dec 26, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

In one aspect, a power system comprises a power bus, a plurality of energy-storage modules, and a controller. Each energy-storage module is coupled to the power bus and comprises an energy-storage device configured to store energy, an electrical circuit safety device configured to detect safe power conditions in the energy-storage module and break an electrical circuit within the energy-storage module based on a detection of unsafe power conditions in the energy-storage module, and a switch configured to selectively couple the energy-storage device to the power bus. The controller is configured to monitor a state of each of the plurality of energy-storage modules and control a state of the power system based on the state of each of the plurality of energy-storage modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A power system comprising:
a power bus; a plurality of energy-storage modules, each energy-storage module coupled to the power bus and comprising:
an energy-storage device configured to store energy,
an electrical circuit safety device configured to:
detect safe power conditions in the energy-storage module, and
break an electrical circuit within the energy-storage module based on a detection of unsafe power conditions in the energy-storage module, and

a switch configured to selectively couple the energy-storage device to the power bus; and
a controller configured to:
monitor a state of each of the plurality of energy-storage modules, and
control a state of the power system based on the state of each of the plurality of energy-storage modules.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control operation of the switch of particular ones of the plurality of energy-storage modules based on a condition of the respective electrical circuit safety device.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the state of a particular energy-storage module of the plurality of energy-storage modules is based on a state of charge of the respective energy-storage device and whether the particular energy-storage module is in a faulted condition, and wherein the faulted condition of the particular energy-storage module is based on at least a state of the electrical circuit safety device of the respective energy-storage device.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the particular energy-storage module is in the faulted condition when the electrical circuit safety device detects the unsafe power conditions.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the state of the particular energy-storage module is “normal operation” when the state of charge of the respective energy-storage device is greater than or equal to a threshold value and when the respective energy-storage module is not in the faulted condition, wherein the state of the particular energy-storage module is “faulted” when the particular energy-storage module is in the faulted condition, and wherein the state of the particular energy-storage modules is “fully discharged” when the state of charge of the respective energy-storage device is less than the threshold value and when the particular energy-storage module is not in the faulted condition.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the state of the power system is “normal operation” when the state of each of the plurality of energy-storage modules is “normal operation” and wherein the state of the power system is “faulted” if any of the plurality of energy-storage modules is in the faulted condition.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of energy-storage modules comprises a first energy-storage module and a second energy-storage module and wherein the power bus comprises a first power bus leg coupled to the first energy-storage module and a second power bus leg coupled to the second energy-storage module.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of energy-storage modules further comprises a trickle charge circuit configured to provide a low current voltage to the respective energy-storage device.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of energy-storage modules further comprises a current sensor configured to determine a current flow within the respective energy-storage module and wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the switch of each of the plurality of energy-storage modules based on the state of the energy-storage module based on the respective current flow in each of the energy-storage modules.

10 . A power system comprising:
a power bus; a first energy-storage module coupled to the power bus and comprising:
a first energy-storage device configured to store energy,
a first electrical circuit safety device configured to:
detect safe power conditions in the first energy-storage module, and
break an electrical circuit within the first energy-storage module based on a detection of unsafe power conditions in the first energy-storage module, and

a first switch configured to selectively couple the first energy-storage device to the power bus;
a second energy-storage module coupled to the power bus and comprising:
a second energy-storage device configured to store energy,
a second electrical circuit safety device configured to:
detect safe power conditions in the second energy-storage module, and
break an electrical circuit within the second energy-storage module based on a detection of unsafe power conditions in the second energy-storage module, and

a second switch configured to selectively couple the second energy-storage device to the power bus; and
a controller configured to:
monitor a state of each of the first and second energy-storage modules, and
control a state of the power system based on the state of each of the first and second energy-storage modules.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to control operation of the first switch of the first energy-storage module based on a condition of the first electrical circuit safety device and control operation of the second switch of the second energy-storage module based on a condition of the second electrical circuit safety device.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the state of the first energy-storage module is based on a state of charge of the first energy-storage device and whether the first energy-storage module is in a faulted condition, wherein the faulted condition of the first energy-storage module is based on at least a state of the first electrical circuit safety device, wherein the state of the second energy-storage module is based on a state of charge of the second energy-storage device and whether the second energy-storage module is in a faulted condition, and wherein the faulted condition of the second energy-storage module is based on at least a state of the second electrical circuit safety device.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first energy-storage module is in the faulted condition when the first electrical circuit safety device detects the unsafe power conditions in the first energy-storage module and wherein the second energy-storage module is in the faulted condition when the second electrical circuit safety device detects the unsafe power conditions in the second energy-storage module.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the state of the first energy-storage module is “normal operation” when the state of charge of the first energy-storage device is greater than or equal to a threshold value and when the first energy-storage module is not in the faulted condition, wherein the state of the first energy-storage module is “faulted” when the first energy-storage module is in the faulted condition, wherein the state of the first energy-storage modules is “fully discharged” when the state of charge of the first energy-storage device is less than the threshold value and when the first energy-storage module is not in the faulted condition, wherein the state of the second energy-storage module is “normal operation” when the state of charge of the second energy-storage device is greater than or equal to a threshold value and when the second energy-storage module is not in the faulted condition, wherein the state of the second energy-storage module is “faulted” when the second energy-storage module is in the faulted condition, and wherein the state of the second energy-storage modules is “fully discharged” when the state of charge of the second energy

Assignees

• Faraday&Future Inc

Inventors

• Uppalapati Dheemanth
• Weicker Phillip John
• Yan Xu
• Sikaria Mayank

Classifications

• H02J2105/37

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

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/60

  including safety or protection arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/342

  The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68) · CPC title

• B60L53/30

  Constructional details of charging stations · CPC title