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-2021284043-A1
Application number	US-202117193469-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 5, 2021
Priority date	Mar 10, 2020
Publication date	Sep 16, 2021
Grant date	—

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

1 . A power plant for an electric vehicle, the power plant comprising:
one or more electrochemical cells having a first charge transfer rate; one or more other electrochemical cells having a second charge transfer rate different from the first charge transfer rate; and a charge transfer element in electrical communication with at least one of the one or more electrochemical cells or at least one of the one or more other electrochemical cells, the charge transfer element being configured to electrically couple the power plant of the electric vehicle to a power plant of another electric vehicle, whereby the charge transfer element can cause an electrical charge to be communicated into or out of the at least one of the one or more electrochemical cells or the at least one of the one or more other electrochemical cells of the electric vehicle.

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

3 . The power plant of claim 2 , wherein the first charge transfer rate is larger than the second charge transfer rate.

4 . The power plant of claim 3 , wherein the charge transfer element is configured to be in electrical communication with the at least one of the one or more electrochemical cells and the at least one of the one or more other electrochemical cells.

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

6 . The power plant of claim 5 , wherein the charge transfer element is configured to cause the replenishing supply of the electrical charge to be communicated from the selected at least one electrochemical cell, through the charge transfer element, to another charge transfer element of the another electric vehicle.

7 . The power plant of claim 6 , 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 other charge transfer element of the other electric vehicle.

8 . The power plant of claim 1 , further comprising:
a battery management system configured to monitor a charge level in the one or more electrochemical cells and the one or more other electrochemical cells, and cause communication of the electrical charge into or out of at least one of the one or more electrochemical cells, at least one of the one or more other electrochemical cells, the power plant of the another electric vehicle, an external charge source, and/or a powertrain of the electric vehicle.

9 . 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, and 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, the method comprising: establishing an electrical connection between the charge transfer element and a other charge transfer element of a charge providing entity; selecting, based at least in part upon a charge rate of the charge providing entity, from among the at least one first electrochemical cell and the at least one second electrochemical cell, at least one electrochemical cell for receiving the electric charge from the charge providing entity; and causing communication of a replenishing supply of the electrical charge from the charge providing entity, through the other charge transfer element, through the charge transfer element, and into the at least one electrochemical cell of the electric vehicle.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one first electrochemical cells are electrically coupled to the at least one second electrochemical cells.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining a charge transfer rate of the charge providing entity; and determining a charge level of the at least one first electrochemical cell and a charge level of the at least one second electrochemical cell.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said selecting is based at least upon one or more of:
a destination and a route of the electric vehicle, a destination and a route of the charge providing entity, in an instance in which the charge providing entity is configured for mobile charge transfer, a discharge rate to the electric vehicle during operation, the charge level of the at least one first electrochemical cell and the at least one second electrochemical cell, the first and second charge transfer rates, the charge transfer rate of the charge providing entity, and a maximum time for which the charge transfer element and the other charge transfer element are able to be electrically coupled.

13 . A method comprising:
receiving, from a plurality of mobile battery-powered entities, battery configuration information, battery charge level information, a current location, a current speed, and a destination; generating, based at least upon the battery charge level, the current location, the current speed, and the destination of the plurality of mobile battery-powered entities, a charge distribution map; designating, based at least upon the current battery charge level and the battery configuration information, one or more mobile battery-powered entities of the plurality of mobile battery-powered entities as charge donors; designating, based at least upon the current battery charge level and the battery configuration information, one or more other mobile battery-powered entities of the plurality of mobile battery-powered entities as charge recipients; determining an optimal route for each of the plurality of mobile battery-powered entities; and generating, based at least upon the optimal route for the plurality of mobile battery-powered entities, the designated charge recipients and the battery configuration information, charge transfer instructions for one or more of the charge donors and/or the charge recipients.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said charge transfer instructions comprise one or more of a current position of the corresponding mobile battery-powered entity, a current charge level for the corresponding mobile battery-powered entity, a charge capacity for the corresponding mobile battery-powered entity, a charge transfer rate capacity for the corresponding mobile battery-powered entity, charging cable configurational information for the corresponding mobile batt

Assignees

• Univ Florida

Inventors

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

Classifications

• Y02T90/16

  Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• Y02T90/167

  Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV] · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• Y02T90/12

  Electric charging stations · CPC title