Apparatus for storing and releasing electrical energy using a flywheel and a plurality of electrochemical accumulators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9748776-B2
Application number	US-201314427643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2013
Priority date	Sep 13, 2012
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for transferring energy from cell to cell of a battery, wherein each cell is connected to its individual electrical motor/alternator through an electronic module, and wherein each motor/alternator is mechanically connected to a common flywheel. The electrical motor/alternator preferably is an electrical motor that provides rotational work and generates power when being driven by an external source of rotational kinetic energy or by an external source of rotational power. The common flywheel stores rotational kinetic energy. Cells of the battery provide various torque on the flywheel or on the shaft driving the flywheel. Cells with higher than average output current will provide higher than average torque, thus providing higher than average kinetic energy input to the flywheel, while cells with lower than average output current will provide lower than average torque, or will provide negative torque, the motor/alternator acting then as an alternator recharging the cell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for storing and releasing electrical energy, comprising:
a plurality of charging unit sub-assemblies, each of said charging unit sub-assemblies comprising:
at least one electrochemical accumulator adapted to store electrical energy;
an electronic module connected to said at least one electrochemical accumulator;
a motor, having a rotor and a stator, said motor being electrically connected to said electronic module,

a flywheel, said flywheel being one of
mechanically coupled to said rotor of said motor of each charging unit sub-assembly of said plurality; and
formed by an interconnection of said rotor of said motor of said plurality of charging unit sub-assemblies;

at least two external electrical connectors electrically connected to at least one of said charging unit sub-assemblies to allow charging and discharging of said electrical energy from said apparatus; and
a power management unit individually setting a charge current and a discharge current for each of said at least one electrochemical accumulator by controlling said electronic module using a set of parameters of said at least one electrochemical accumulator selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a capacity, a state of charge, a charging rate, a discharge rate, a temperature and an internal resistance value;
said motor being adapted to:
provide positive torque to said flywheel when being supplied by inputted electrical current from said electronic module; and
supply outputted electrical current to said electronic module, when being provided with torque from said flywheel,

said electronic module being adapted to:
discharge said at least one electrochemical accumulator when supplying said inputted electrical current by receiving said discharge current from said electrochemical accumulator; and
charge said electrochemical accumulator when being supplied by said outputted electrical current by supplying said electrochemical accumulator with said charge current.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said power management unit individually limits said electrical energy in each of said at least one electrochemical accumulator to at least one of a maximum level of energy and a minimum level of energy, said maximum level of energy being set to a maximum to maintain safe operation of the device, said minimum level of energy being set to a minimum to prevent over-discharge of each of said at least one electrochemical accumulator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one thermometer to measure temperature of each said at least one electrochemical accumulator, said at least one thermometer being connected to said power management unit, wherein said power management unit controls energy transfers to and from each said electrochemical accumulator to avoid overheating each of said electrochemical accumulator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of said charging unit sub-assemblies provides torque to said flywheel as a monotonic function of said electrical energy stored in said at least one electrochemical accumulator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said at least one electrochemical accumulator in each of said plurality of charging unit sub-assemblies are electrically interconnected in a serial fashion, forming a battery of electrochemical accumulators.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said battery has a negative terminal and a positive terminal, wherein one of said at least two external electrical connectors is electrically connected to said negative terminal and one other of said at least two external electrical connectors is electrically connected to said positive terminal of said battery of electrochemical accumulators.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said discharge current is a direct discharge current and said inputted electrical current is an alternating inputted electrical current and wherein said electronic module converts said direct discharge current from said at least one electrochemical accumulator into said alternating inputted electrical current supplied to said electrical motor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said discharge current is a direct discharge current at a first voltage and said inputted electrical current is a direct inputted electrical current at a second voltage, said first voltage being different from said second voltage and wherein said electronic module transforms said direct discharge current coming from said at least one electrochemical accumulator into said direct inputted electrical current supplied to said electrical motor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said at least one electrochemical accumulator is a rechargeable battery comprising a plurality of electrochemical cells connected in one of a series and a parallel fashion.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said at least one electrochemical accumulator is selected from the group consisting of lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium ion batteries and energy accumulating capacitors.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said flywheel is mechanically coupled to said rotor by a mechanical coupling system selected from a group consisting of shafts, gears, chains, belts and pulleys.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said flywheel is mechanically coupled to said rotor and wherein said flywheel further consists of a plurality of mechanically coupled rotating bodies.

13. The use of the apparatus of claim 1 to store external electrical energy from an external system by applying an external electrical current through said external connectors of the apparatus, thereby supplying said external electrical current to said electronic module and charging said apparatus.

14. The use of the apparatus of claim 13 ,
wherein said apparatus comprises a plurality of electrochemical accumulators,
wherein said power management unit is adapted to
detect that a defective electrochemical accumulator of said plurality is defective;
disconnect said defective electrochemical accumulator from said electronic module;

whereby said external electrical current is supplied to said electronic module regardless of said detection of said defective electrochemical accumulator.

15. The use of the apparatus of claim 1 to release said electrical energy to an external system by draining an outputted electrical current from said external connectors of the apparatus, thereby discharging said apparatus.

16. The use of the apparatus of claim 15 ,
wherein said apparatus comprises a plurality of electrochemical accumulators,
wherein said power management unit is adapted to
detect that a defective electrochemical accumulator of said plurality is defective;
disconnect said defective electrochemical accumulator from said electronic module;
maintain said outputted electrical current by controlling said electronic module;

whereby said outputted electrical current is supplied to said external system regardless of said detection of said defective electrochemical accumulator.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said said interconnection of said rotor of said said motor of each charging unit sub-assemblies is provided by a single rotor common to all said charging unit sub-assemblies and wherein said stator of each charging unit sub-assemblies is an individual electrical winding embedded in a single electromagnetic body for all said charging unit sub-assemblies.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said electronic module is adapted for measuring at least one electrical characteristic of said at least one electrochemic

Assignees

• Socpra Sciences Et Génie S E C
• Socpra Sciences Et Genie Sec

Inventors

• Dubois Maxime
• Beauchamp Philippe
• Jarjour Rami

Classifications

• H02J7/1423

  with multiple batteries · CPC title

• H02J15/30

  using storage of inertial or mechanical energy, e.g. using flywheels · CPC title

• H02J7/52

  for charge balancing, e.g. equalisation of charge between batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/56

  Active balancing, e.g. using capacitor-based, inductor-based or DC-DC converters · CPC title

• F03G3/08

  using flywheels · CPC title