Low voltage charging system for high voltage rechargeable energy storage system

Abstract

A low voltage charging system for a high voltage rechargeable energy storage system. A low voltage (LV) charging system for charging a high voltage (HV) rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), such as an HVRESS operable to power a traction motor of an electric vehicle. The LV charging system may include an input configured to receive LV electrical power from an LV source and a distributed converter system configured to charge a plurality of modules of the HVRESS via a plurality of charging circuits. The charging circuit may be configured for individually charging one of the modules with charging electrical power derived from the converted LV electrical power. The LV charging system may further include a controller configured to individually control the charging electrical power provided via each charging circuit.

Description

[0001] introduce

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a charging system suitable for charging a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), such as but not necessarily limited to a low voltage (LV) charging system operable to charge a HV RESS of a vehicle.

[0003] Some vehicles may rely in part or in whole on a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to store and supply electrical power for a traction motor used to propel the vehicle. The RESS may operate at a high voltage (HV) relative to other systems that may operate at a low voltage (LV). For example, some vehicles may employ an HV charging system to charge the RESS, such as via a direct current (DC) fast charge (DCFC), a charging system based on a 120 / 240 alternating current (AC) utility grid, an onboard battery charging module (OBCM), and / or other systems configured to provide HV electrical power or other electrical power at a voltage greater than the voltage typically associated with LV operation. There may be situations whereby the vehicle may be used in such a manner that it may be impractical or impossible to charge the RESS via such an HV charging system, for example, when regenerative braking may not be available, the RESS has been over-discharged, and the vehicle cannot be connected to the utility grid and / or another vehicle. Summary of the invention

[0004] One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure relates to a charging system configured for charging a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) using electrical power provided from a source. The charging system may be configured as a low voltage (LV) charging system operable to charge a high voltage (HV) RESS using LV electrical power provided from a LV source. The LV charging system may be used to charge the RESS and / or provide other jumpstart capabilities when an HV or other charging system that relies on a higher voltage may not be available. For example, the LV charging system may be used to facilitate charging the RESS, jumpstarting a vehicle controller, etc. using LV electrical power derived from a LV battery, such as a 12VDC battery that can be removably connected to the LV charging system via a receptacle included on the vehicle.

[0005] One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure relates to a low voltage (LV) charging system for charging a high voltage (HV) rechargeable energy storage system (RESS). The LV charging system may include an input configured to receive LV electric power from a LV source, a distributed converter system configured to charge a plurality of modules of the HV RESS via a plurality of charging circuits, the plurality of charging circuits configured to charge a single one of the modules using charging electric power derived from converting the LV electric power, and a controller configured to individually control the charging electric power provided via each charging circuit.

[0006] Each charging circuit may include a bidirectional converter configured to convert the LV electric power into the charging electric power.

[0007] The controller may be configured to independently control the charging current output from each bidirectional converter via a charging circuit associated therewith.

[0008] The controller may be configured to control each bidirectional converter to simultaneously output charging current in approximately equal amounts.

[0009] The controller may be configured to control each bidirectional converter to simultaneously output charging current in different amounts.

[0010] The controller may be configured to determine a temperature of each module, determine a temperature threshold for each module, and individually determine a different amount for each charging current based on a difference between the temperature threshold and the temperature of the module associated therewith.

[0011] The controller may be configured to determine a state of charge (SOC) of each module, determine an SOC threshold for each module, and individually determine a different amount of each charging current based on a difference between the SOC threshold and the SOC of the module associated therewith.

[0012] Each module may correspond to a grouping of two or more different battery cells among a plurality of battery cells included as part of the HV RESS.

[0013] The bidirectional converters may be direct current (DC) to DC converters operable to convert LV electric power into charging electric power, optionally wherein the charging electric power of each converter is provided at a voltage greater than the LV electric power and lower than the HV output of the HV RESS.

[0014] The bidirectional converters may be alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converters for converting LV electric power into charging electric power, optionally wherein the charging electric power of each converter is provided at a voltage greater than the LV electric power and lower than the HV output of the HV RESS.

[0015] The bidirectional converter may include a ground that is electrically isolated from a ground of the HV RESS.

[0016] The charging electrical power may be operable to jump start the RESS controller associated with each module.

[0017] The LV charging system may include a port protection module configured to electrically interconnect the LV source with the input, the port protection module including a reverse polarity prevention circuit configured to prevent at least one of reverse polarity and overvoltage connection between the LV source and the input.

[0018] The HV RESS, distributed conversion system, input and port protection module may be on a vehicle configured to power a traction motor with HV electric power provided via the HV RESS, and the LV source may be removably connected to the port protection module via a receptacle included on the vehicle.

[0019] One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure relates to a low voltage (LV) charging system for charging a high voltage (HV) rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) included on a vehicle. The RESS can be configured to provide HV electric power to a traction motor to propel the vehicle. The LV charging system can include an input configured to receive LV electric power from a LV source removably connected to a socket included on the vehicle, optionally, wherein the LV source is independent of the LVRESS included as part of the vehicle's LV bus, a distributed converter system configured to charge the HVRESS via a plurality of bidirectional converters, the plurality of bidirectional converters configured to charge a single one of a plurality of modules of the HV RESS using charging electric power derived from converting the LV electric power, and a controller configured to individually control the charging electric power provided via each bidirectional converter.

[0020] The controller can be configured to control each bidirectional converter to simultaneously output charging current in approximately equal amounts to the modules associated therewith when at least one of the state of charge (SOC) and temperature of each module is approximately equal, and to simultaneously output charging current in different amounts when at least one of the SOC and temperature of each module is unequal.

[0021] The bidirectional converter may be configured to convert the HV electric power provided from the HV RESS into direct current (DC) electric power suitable for distribution on the LV bus.

[0022] The bidirectional converter may be configured to convert the HV electric power provided from the HV RESS into at least one of direct current (DC) electric power and alternating current (AC) electric power suitable for distribution offboard via a socket.

[0023] The controller may be configured to control each bidirectional converter to simultaneously output current to the outlet in different amounts.

[0024] One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure relates to a charging assembly for charging a battery pack included on a vehicle. The battery pack may be configured to power a traction motor to propel the vehicle. The charging system may include an input configured to receive input electrical power from a source removably connected to a receptacle of the vehicle, a distributed converter system configured to charge a plurality of modules of the battery pack via a plurality of bidirectional converters, the plurality of bidirectional converters configured to charge a single one of the modules using a charging current derived from converting the input electrical power, and a controller configured to individually control the charging current provided via each bidirectional converter.

[0025] One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure relates to a low voltage (LV) charging system for charging a high voltage (HV) rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), comprising: an input configured to receive LV electric power from a LV source; a distributed converter system configured to charge a plurality of modules of the HV RESS via a plurality of charging circuits, each charging circuit configured to charge an individual one of the modules using charging electric power derived from converting the LV electric power; and a controller configured to individually control the charging electric power provided via each of the charging circuits.

[0026] Each charging circuit includes a bidirectional converter configured to convert the LV electric power into the charging electric power.

[0027] The controller is configured to independently control the charging current output from each of the bidirectional converters via a charging circuit associated therewith.

[0028] The controller is configured to control each of the bidirectional converters to simultaneously output charging current in approximately equal amounts.

[0029] The controller is configured to control each of the bidirectional converters to simultaneously output charging current in different amounts.

[0030] The controller is configured to: determine a temperature of each of the modules; determine a temperature threshold for each of the modules; and individually determine a different amount for each of the charging currents based on a difference between the temperature of the module associated therewith and the temperature threshold.

[0031] The controller is configured to: determine a state of charge (SOC) for each of the modules; determine an SOC threshold for each of the modules; and individually determine a different amount for each of the charging currents based on a difference between the SOC of the module associated therewith and the SOC threshold.

[0032] Each of the modules corresponds to a grouping of one or more different battery cells among a plurality of battery cells included as part of the HV RESS.

[0033] The bidirectional converters are direct current (DC) to DC converters operable to convert LV electric power into charging electric power, the charging electric power of each converter being provided at a voltage greater than the LV electric power and lower than the HV output of the HV RESS.

[0034] The bidirectional converter is an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converter for converting LV electric power into charging electric power, each of which is provided at a voltage greater than the LV electric power and lower than the HV output of the HV RESS.

[0035] The bidirectional converter has a ground that is electrically isolated from the ground of the HV RESS.

[0036] The charging electrical power is operable to jump start the RESS controllers associated with each of the modules.

[0037] A port protection module is configured to electrically interconnect the LV source with the input, the port protection module including at least one of a reverse polarity and overvoltage prevention circuit configured to prevent reverse polarity connection between the LV source and the input.

[0038] A HV RESS, a distributed conversion system, an input and a port protection module are on a vehicle configured to power a traction motor using HV electric power provided via the HV RESS; and a LV source is removably connected to the port protection module via a socket included on the vehicle.

[0039] One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure relates to a low voltage (LV) charging system for charging a high voltage (HV) rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) included on a vehicle, the RESS being configured to provide HV electric power to a traction motor to propel the vehicle, the charging system comprising: an input configured to receive LV electric power from a LV source removably connected to a socket included on the vehicle, the LV source being independent of an LV RESS included as part of an LV bus of the vehicle; a distributed converter system configured to charge the HV RESS via a plurality of bidirectional converters, each bidirectional converter being configured to individually charge one of a plurality of modules of the HV RESS using charging electric power derived from converting the LV electric power; and a controller configured to individually control the charging electric power provided via each of the bidirectional converters.

[0040] The controller is configured to control each of the bidirectional converters to simultaneously output charging current in approximately equal amounts to the modules associated therewith when at least one of a state of charge (SOC) and a temperature of each of the modules is approximately equal, and to simultaneously output charging current in different amounts when at least one of the SOC and the temperature of each of the modules is unequal.

[0041] The bidirectional converter is configured to convert the HV electric power provided from the HV RESS into direct current (DC) electric power suitable for distribution on the LV bus.

[0042] The bidirectional converter is configured to convert the HV electric power provided from the HV RESS into at least one of direct current (DC) electric power and alternating current (AC) electric power suitable for distribution outside the vehicle via the outlet.

[0043] The controller is configured to control each of the bidirectional converters to simultaneously output current to the socket in different amounts.

[0044] One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure relates to a charging assembly for charging a battery pack included on a vehicle, the battery pack being configured to power a traction motor to propel the vehicle, the charging assembly comprising: an input configured to receive input electrical power from a source removably connected to a socket of the vehicle; a distributed converter system configured to charge a plurality of modules of the battery pack via a plurality of bidirectional converters, each bidirectional converter being configured to charge an individual one of the modules using a charging current derived from converting the input electrical power; and a controller configured to individually control the charging current provided via each of the bidirectional converters.

[0045] When considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, these features and advantages together with other features and advantages of the present teachings can be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the mode of implementing the present teachings. It should be understood that even though the following figures and embodiments may be described separately, their individual features may be combined into additional embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] The accompanying drawings, which may be incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate implementations of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of a vehicle having a charging system according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0048] Figure 2 A partial schematic diagram of a charging system according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0049] Figure 3 A circuit diagram of a bidirectional converter according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0050] Figure 4 A flow chart for a charging and discharging method according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0051] Figure 5 A diagram illustrating a power supply sequence according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure may be disclosed herein; however, it is understood that the disclosed embodiments may be merely examples of the present disclosure, which may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures may not necessarily be to scale; some features may be enlarged or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may not need to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to adopt the present disclosure in different ways.

[0053] Figure 1A partial schematic diagram of a vehicle 10 having a charging system 12 according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated. The vehicle 10 may be of a type that relies on a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) 14 to facilitate the storage and supply of electrical power. For example, the RESS 14 may be configured to facilitate the exchange of high voltage (HV) electrical power through an HV bus 18 for the purpose of powering a traction motor 20 configured to propel the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 may include a variety of onboard additional systems to facilitate operations associated with the traction motor 20 and / or other vehicle systems associated with the HV bus 18. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the vehicle 10 may include different systems to facilitate control, management, support, and otherwise direct activities associated with the traction motor 20, the RESS 14, and / or other vehicle systems that depend on exchanging electrical power therewith, which are shown for exemplary purposes to include an automotive performance management (APM) system 22, a traction power inverter module (TPIM) 24, and a battery management system (BMS) and a vehicle controller 26. The vehicle 10 may include a plurality of switches for selectively connecting and disconnecting the RESS 14 from the HV bus 18 , such as to facilitate connecting and disconnecting the RESS 14 from a direct current (DC) fast charging system output 30 and / or the charging system 12 , the APM 22 , the TPIM 24 , etc.

[0054] Figure 1The schematic diagrams shown in are not intended to describe every system that may be operable with the RESS 14, as the present disclosure fully contemplates vehicles 10 that include fewer systems and / or a variety of other systems, connections, controllers, etc. Although not shown, and optionally in addition to or in lieu of the DCFC system 30, the vehicle 10 may include a 120 / 240 alternating current (AC) utility grid-based charging system, an onboard battery charging module (OBCM), and / or other system(s) configured to charge the RESS 14 independently of the charging system 12. For example, such systems may be used to facilitate charging the RESS 14 based on electrical power provided from regenerative braking, a fuel cell, or other onboard generation system, and / or through off-vehicle systems such as DC and / or AC charging stations, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, etc. While the charging system 12 may be advantageous in other applications both onboard and / or offboard of the vehicle 10, such as for other types of vehicles or non-vehicle devices, the charging system 12 is primarily described for use with the vehicle 10 to demonstrate its beneficial capabilities for charging, jump starting, or otherwise enabling operation of the vehicle 10 when some or all of the other charging systems described above may not be available, for example, when situations arise whereby the vehicle 10 may be used in such a manner that it may be impractical or impossible to charge the RESS 14 via other systems operating independently of the charging system 12. Such scenarios may arise when regenerative braking may not be available, the RESS 14 has been over-discharged, and the vehicle 10 cannot be electrically connected to the utility grid and / or another vehicle 10.

[0055] Figure 2A partial schematic diagram of a charging system 12 according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated. The charging system 12 may include an input 40 configured to receive electrical power from a source 42, such as, but not necessarily limited to, receiving low voltage (LV) electrical power from a low voltage (LV) battery removably connected to the vehicle 10 via a plurality of sockets 11a, 11b. At least in this context, i.e., when the LV electrical power originates from a LV source 42, such as from a removable 12VDC battery, the charging system 12 may be characterized as a LV charging system 12. Similarly, when operating with the LV charging system 12, the RESS 14 may be considered an HVRESS 14, because the HV RESS 14 optionally exchanges HV electrical power, such as electrical power with a current and / or voltage greater than the LV electrical power, with the traction motor 20 or other systems on the vehicle 10. The non-limiting purpose of doing so is to distinguish the LV power supply, voltage, current, etc. associated with the LV charging system 12 from the HV power supply, voltage, current, etc. used elsewhere on the vehicle 10, such as through the HV bus 18. The LV charging system 12 may optionally be included as or as part of the APM 22, however, the present disclosure fully contemplates the LV charging system 12 being separate from and / or operable independently of the APM 22. The LV charging system 12 may be connected to a LV bus 46 of the vehicle 10, which in turn and as described in greater detail below may be used to distribute LV DC and / or AC electrical power to other systems onboard and / or offboard the vehicle 10.

[0056] The LV charging system 12 may include a distributed conversion system 50 configured to charge and / or discharge the HV RESS 14. The HV RESS 14 may correspond to a wide variety of systems that can be charged and discharged for the purpose of storing and supplying electrical power, which in the exemplary illustration may correspond to storing and supplying HV electrical power to power the traction motor 20 and / or loads connected to the LV bus 46. One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure relates to the HV RESS 14 being configured as a battery pack composed of a plurality of individual battery cells, such as the type of battery packs commonly employed by electric vehicles. A battery cell may be an electrochemical device having an individual housing or canister, with suitable anodes, cathodes, electrolytic materials, etc. that cooperate to store and supply electrical power. The individual battery cells may be grouped in series and / or in parallel into separate modules 52a, 52b, 52n, optionally with each module associated with a selectable portion of the battery cells. The modules 52a, 52b, 52n may be electrically interconnected in series and / or in parallel to facilitate providing the HV voltage output 54 to the HV bus 18 or other features on the vehicle 10. While the present disclosure fully contemplates grouping the battery cells according to different methods, the use of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n may be beneficial in providing discrete groupings of battery cells that can be charged individually, the outputs of which are combined to provide the HV output 54.

[0057] In the illustrated configuration, the modules 52a, 52b, 52n are shown connected in series so that the HV DC output 54 of the HV RESS 14 can correspond to the sum of the voltages across each individual module 52a, 52b, 52n. At least in this regard, the modules 52a, 52b, 52n can be considered to have an intermediate power or operating level, for example, such as being operable to obtain (source) and / or supply intermediate electric power at a level greater than LV electric power and less than HV electric power, that is, at an intermediate level therebetween. References herein to LV, HV and intermediate electric power, voltages, currents, etc. are presented for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope and intent of the present disclosure. The charging system 12 and / or other systems on the vehicle 10, etc., need not be limited to any particular voltage difference depicted in terms of LV, HV, and / or intermediate values. For example, and where HV electrical power is defined as being provided at 200, 400, and / or 800 VDC and the RESS 14 includes 10 modules 52a, 52b, 52n, it may be desirable that each of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n provide intermediate electrical power at 20, 40, and / or 80 VDC, respectively. To simplify presentation, the charging system 12 may be configured to provide the desired intermediate and HV electrical power from LV electrical power, such as 12 VDC-based electrical power provided from the LV source 42, respectively.

[0058] A port protection module 60 may be provided between the outlets 11A, 11B and the distributed conversion system 50 and include a reverse polarity prevention circuit (not shown) configured to prevent reverse polarity connection and / or over voltage between the LV source 42 and the input. The distributed conversion system 50 may be configured to charge the modules 52a, 52b, 52n via a plurality of charging circuits 64a, 64b, 64n. The charging circuits 64a, 64b, 64n may be configured to individually charge a corresponding one of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n with charging electrical power derived from converting LV electrical power provided via the LV source 42. The controller 66 may be configured to control, generate instructions, provide signals, such as pulse width modulation (PDM signals), and otherwise provide operations for controlling the charging system 12 to generate charging electrical power, and otherwise perform operations contemplated herein. The controller 66 may include a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of non-transitory instructions that, when executed with one or more processors, may be operable to facilitate the charging circuit and otherwise enable or direct the operations and processes described herein. The charging circuits 64a, 64b, 64n may include components suitable for facilitating the electrical power conversion contemplated herein, and as such, the charging circuits are not necessarily intended to be limited to a particular configuration. One non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure contemplates that the charging circuits 64a, 64b, 64n are configured as or include bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n. The bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n may be configured as DC to DC, AC to AC, AC to DC, DC to AC, and / or other suitable types of converters 64a, 64b, 64n.

[0059] Figure 3A circuit diagram of a bidirectional converter 64 according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated. The bidirectional converter 64 may be configured as a buck-boost type converter configured to output a charging current 70 to one of the battery modules 52a, 52b, 52n when controlled according to a charging mode, and to output a discharging current 72 to the LV bus 46 when controlled according to a discharging mode. The charging electric power provided to each module 52a, 52b, 52n from the bidirectional converter 64a, 64b, 64n may be proportional to the charging current 70 and / or the voltage output therefrom, and the discharging electric power provided to the LV bus 46 and / or the socket from the bidirectional converter 64a, 64b, 64n may be proportional to the discharging current 72 and / or the voltage. The buck-boost configuration of the bidirectional converter 64 may correspond to a configuration commonly employed in the art, with respect to including a plurality of switches S operable in response to a PWM signal from the controller 66 to selectively buck and boost the electric power across the transformer 76. The use of such a bidirectional converter 64, i.e., a converter having circuit components electrically isolated from each other via the transformer 76, may be beneficial in enabling electrical power exchange between the HV bus 18 / RESS 14 and the LV bus 46 without using a common ground, i.e., the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n may have a ground electrically isolated from the ground of the RESS 14. Although not specifically identified by reference numerals, the buck-boost converter 64 may include additional circuit components such as, but not necessarily limited to, resistors R, capacitors C, inductors I, etc., arranged according to selectable design parameters.

[0060] Figure 4A flow chart of a method 80 for charging and discharging the HV RESS 14 using the LV charging system 12 is illustrated in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure. Block 82 involves the controller 66 or other device on the vehicle 10 performing a power supply assessment to determine if there is a need to use the LV charging system 12 to facilitate charging and / or discharging of the HV RESS 14. One aspect of the present disclosure contemplates using the LV charging system 12 when a need arises to charge the HV RESS 14 or jump start the modules 52a, 52b, 52n (or controllers included thereon) or other devices associated with the HV bus 18, and when a need arises to discharge the HV RESS 14 to power devices connected to the LV bus 46 and / or to power devices via the receptacles 11a, 11b. Block 84 involves the controller 66 performing strategic operations associated with determining a desired control mode or sequence of control modes for the LV charging system 12 to facilitate charging, discharging, or shutting down / idling the HV RESS 14. Block 86 relates to a power execution process whereby the controller 66 may selectively direct the LV charging system 12 between charging, discharging, and / or idle modes to meet power needs and depending on a variety of vehicle 10 power supply limitations, requirements, etc. The controller 66 may be configured in this manner to selectively adjust the operation of the LV charging system 12 to meet the power supply needs of the vehicle 10 , which may include switching the LV charging system 12 between various operating modes.

[0061] Figure 5A diagram of a power supply sequence 90 according to one non-limiting aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated. The diagram shows a vertical axis 92 representing current in amperes (A) and a horizontal axis 94 representing time in milliseconds (msec). The use of amperes and milliseconds is intended as an exemplary indicator for representing charging, discharging, and idling of electrical power between the HV RESS 14, the LV charging system 12, the HV bus 18, the LV bus 46, and the receptacles 11a, 11b. The vertical axis 92 may represent voltage or power, and the horizontal axis 94 may represent a larger time interval, a triggering event, etc. The power supply sequence 90 may represent how the controller 66 may selectively direct the operation of the LV charging system 12 to facilitate charging, discharging, and idling of the HV RESS 14, which may correspond to the illustrated charging mode 98, the idle mode 100, and the LV load support mode 102, respectively. The charging, idle, and LV load support modes 98, 100, 102 are illustrated as occurring sequentially, however, the controller 66 may be operable to switch between the modes 98, 100, 102 according to a different sequence, mode, etc. The charging mode 98 may correspond to controlling the LV charging system 12 to provide charging electrical power to the HVRESS 14. The idle mode 100 may correspond to the LV charging system 12 monitoring conditions without correspondingly charging electrical power or discharging electrical power to / from the HV RESS 14. The LV load support mode 102 may correspond to controlling the LV charging system 12 to draw power from the HV RESS 14 and based thereon provide DC or AC electrical power to the LV bus 46 and / or the receptacles 11a, 11b.

[0062] The charging mode 98 may correspond to the controller 66 independently controlling the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n to each provide a charging current output to one of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n. The controller 66 may be configured to control the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n so that the charging current output therefrom may be selectively determined based on the charging needs, configuration, etc. of the HVRESS 14. In the case where the HVRESS 14 is configured as a battery pack, in some cases, it may be desirable to charge each battery cell associated with each of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n with a charging electrical power having an approximately equal amount of charging current, voltage, or power, and in other cases, it may be desirable to charge one or more of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n with a charging electrical power having a different amount of charging current, voltage, or power. In other words, the charging mode 98 may include providing a common or identical amount of charging current from the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n to each module 52a, 52b, 52n, or providing uncommon or different amounts of charging current from one or more bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n to corresponding one or more modules 52a, 52b, 52n.

[0063] Portions 106, 108, 110, 112 of the graph corresponding to a singular line may be used to indicate when charging current is provided in approximately equal amounts. The amount of charging current or charging power may be selected during the charging mode 98, and the amount of charging current or charging power may be variable depending on the state of charge (SOC), temperature, or other variables selectable for the HV RESS 14 or for the modules 52a, 52b, 52n individually, such as based on the difference between the SOC and / or temperature and the corresponding SOC and temperature thresholds. Portions 116, 118 of the graph corresponding to multiple lines may be used to indicate different amounts of charging current provided to the modules 52a, 52b, 52n, respectively, from different ones of the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n. The amount of charging current or charging power provided to each module 52a, 52b, 52n may be variable on a module-by-module basis, such as based on the difference between the SOC and / or temperature and the corresponding SOC and temperature thresholds set for each module 52a, 52b, 52n. This ability to selectively control charging current and power may be beneficial in enabling the modules 52a, 52b, 52n to be powered equally and / or unequally. The ability to unequally or selectively power each of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n is beneficial in accounting for performance differences, different battery cell degradation, temperature variance, and a wide range of other variables that may cause the modules 52a, 52b, 52n to operate differently. Charging the modules 52a, 52b, 52n with different amounts of current may enable each module to achieve approximately equal charge, SOC, temperature, etc., which may be desirable for operating the modules 52a, 52b, 52n in a more cohesive or common manner.

[0064] The LV load support mode 102 may correspond to the controller 66 independently controlling the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n to each provide a discharge DC or AC current to the LV bus 46 and / or the outlets 11a, 11b based on the electrical power provided from the modules 52a, 52b, 52n associated therewith. It may be desirable to discharge each of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n with an approximately equal amount of discharge current, voltage, or power, and in other cases, it may be desirable to discharge one or more of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n with a discharge electrical power having a different amount of charging current, voltage, or power. In other words, the discharge LV support mode 102 may include providing a common or same amount of discharge current from the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n to the LV bus 46 and / or the outlets 11a, 11b, and providing a non-common or different amount of charging current from one or more of the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n to a corresponding one or more of the modules 52a, 52b, 52n. The discharge current in the LV power mode 102 may be selectively determined in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the charging current and power. The idle mode 110 may correspond to the operation of the controller 66 and / or the HV RESS 14 of the LV charging system 12 monitoring for instructions to take action, such that the charging current associated with the bidirectional converters 64a, 64b, 64n may be zero, i.e., idle.

[0065] As supported above, the present disclosure relates to a charging system based on LV charging operable for an HV battery system such as via an APM or a distributed APM. The charging system includes a bidirectional power converter to transfer power from a 12V charger to a battery module and / or as a jumper system at startup, and supports control and protection enablement. For situations where there is no LV battery, the charging system can utilize a jumper charging port that is protected against reverse polarity and overvoltage and is accessed in a safe place such as within or adjacent to a normal charging port. The charging system may be beneficial in minimizing EV range anxiety due to the ability to charge an EV using a LV source such as a portable battery via a jumper to another vehicle LV battery or using other sources that may be more readily available or more mobile. The LV charging system may provide a solution to eliminate the need for certain types of HV charging systems that may otherwise be employed by the vehicle. Therefore, the proposed system can be used to apply charging power to an LV grid of batteries, which can undergo power conversion in an isolated bidirectional DC-DC converter and converted to multiple battery modules, each of which can receive charging power.

[0066] The terms "comprise", "include" and "have" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of the features, steps, operations, elements or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements or components. When possible, the order of steps, processes and operations can be changed, and additional or alternative steps can be adopted. As used in this specification, the term "or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items. The term "any of which" is understood to include any possible combination of the referenced items, including "any one" of the referenced items. "One", "an", "the", "at least one" and "one or more" are used interchangeably to indicate that at least one of the items exists. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, there may be multiple such items. Unless clearly or clearly indicated in view of the context including the attached claims, the values ​​of all parameters (e.g., quantities or conditions) will be understood to be modified by the term "approximately" in all instances, regardless of whether "approximately" actually appears before the value. The component that is "configured to" perform the specified function is able to perform the specified function without change, rather than just having the potential to perform the specified function after further modification. In other words, the described hardware, when expressly configured to perform the specified functions, is specifically selected, created, implemented, utilized, programmed, and / or designed for the purpose of performing the specified functions.

[0067] Although various embodiments have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary rather than restrictive, and it will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the embodiments. Unless specifically limited, any feature of any embodiment may be used in combination with or in place of any other feature or element in any other embodiment. Therefore, the embodiments are not limited except in accordance with the appended claims and their equivalents. In addition, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims. Although several modes for implementing many aspects of this teaching have been described in detail, those skilled in the art who are familiar with the fields to which these teachings are related will recognize various alternative aspects for practicing this teaching within the scope of the appended claims. It is intended that all content contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and exemplary of the entire scope of alternative embodiments, and those of ordinary skill will recognize that these alternative embodiments are implied by the included content, structurally and / or functionally equivalent to the included content, or otherwise become clear based on the included content, and are not limited to those embodiments that are explicitly depicted and / or described.

Claims

1. A low voltage (LV) charging system for charging a high voltage (HV) rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), comprising: an input configured to receive LV electrical power from a LV source; a distributed converter system configured to charge a plurality of modules of the HV RESS via a plurality of charging circuits, each charging circuit configured to charge an individual one of the modules with charging electric power derived from converting the LV electric power; and A controller is configured to individually control the charging electric power provided via each of the charging circuits.

2. The LV charging system according to claim 1, wherein: Each charging circuit includes a bidirectional converter configured to convert the LV electric power into the charging electric power.

3. The LV charging system according to claim 2, wherein: The controller is configured to independently control the charging current output from each of the bidirectional converters via a charging circuit associated therewith.

4. The LV charging system according to claim 3, wherein: The controller is configured to control each of the bidirectional converters to simultaneously output charging current in approximately equal amounts.

5. The LV charging system according to claim 3, wherein: The controller is configured to control each of the bidirectional converters to simultaneously output charging current in different amounts.

6. The LV charging system according to claim 5, wherein: The controller is configured to: determining a temperature of each of the modules; determining a temperature threshold for each of the modules; and A different amount is determined individually for each of the charging currents based on a difference between the temperature of the module associated therewith and a temperature threshold.

7. The LV charging system according to claim 5, wherein: The controller is configured to: determining a state of charge (SOC) of each of the modules; determining an SOC threshold for each of the modules; and A different amount is determined individually for each of the charging currents based on a difference between the SOC of the module with which it is associated and the SOC threshold.

8. The LV charging system according to claim 7, wherein: Each of the modules corresponds to a grouping of one or more different battery cells among a plurality of battery cells included as part of the HV RESS.

9. The LV charging system according to claim 2, wherein: The bidirectional converters are direct current (DC) to DC converters operable to convert LV electric power into charging electric power, the charging electric power of each converter being provided at a voltage greater than the LV electric power and lower than the HV output of the HV RESS.

10. The LV charging system according to claim 2, wherein: The bidirectional converter is an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converter for converting LV electric power into charging electric power, each of which is provided at a voltage greater than the LV electric power and lower than the HV output of the HV RESS.

Images