Vehicle system and method for managing transient load fluctuations

Abstract

Vehicle systems and methods are provided for controlling a converter of a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS). An exemplary method involves identifying an active subset of converters to supply an expected current draw of one or more electrical loads supplied by the RESS, configuring a droop control setting for the active converter based at least in part on the expected current draw, and configuring the backup converter with a respective drop control setting different from the respective drop control setting of the active converter. The droop control setting is configured to achieve a desired distribution of expected current draw across the active converter and activate the backup converter to supply the supplemental current in response to the current demand exceeding an instantaneous fluctuation in the expected current draw.

Description

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD The field relates generally to vehicle systems, and more particularly to methods and systems for managing transient fluctuations or changes caused by electrical loads powered by a distributed converter system. Background Art

[0002] Many modern vehicles contain a rechargeable energy storage system ("RESS"), such as a vehicle battery, which operates high voltage systems (e.g., the vehicle motor) as well as low voltage systems (e.g., the vehicle radio, seat warmers, etc.), and various power converters are typically employed to supply power from the RESS at different voltage levels. For example, a power inverter or other direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) converter may be used to provide AC electrical power to a traction motor at a higher voltage level supported by the RESS, while one or more DC to DC converters may be used to provide DC electrical power from the RESS to other electrical loads associated with the vehicle at a lower voltage level. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved methods and systems for operating power converters to achieve improved efficiency, balance, and / or life of various components of the power converter and / or the RESS. Other desired features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. Summary of the invention

[0003] An apparatus for a vehicle and related methods and a vehicle system including a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a method for controlling a plurality of converters coupled to a plurality of battery cells of the RESS and configured to supply current to one or more electrical loads involves: determining, by a control module coupled to the plurality of converters, an expected current consumption of one or more electrical loads based at least in part on measurement data obtained via one or more sensors, identifying, by the control module, an active subset of the plurality of converters for supplying the expected current consumption based at least in part on the expected current consumption, thereby generating a standby subset of the plurality of converters, wherein the active subset and the standby subset are mutually exclusive, configuring, by the control module, respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the expected current consumption, and configuring, by the control module, respective standby converters of the standby subset using respective droop control settings that are different from the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset.

[0004] In one or more implementations, configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset involves configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset for a droop control voltage set point that is less than a target voltage for an expected current draw. In one embodiment, configuring the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset involves configuring the respective active converters of the active subset with respective droop control voltage set points that are greater than the droop control voltage set points of the respective standby converters of the standby subset to achieve a desired distribution of expected current draw across the respective active converters of the active subset at the target voltage. In one embodiment, configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset involves configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset for a droop control resistance setting that maintains an output voltage greater than a full load voltage of the respective active converters of the active subset.

[0005] In one embodiment, the method further involves operating the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset to supply at least a portion of the current to one or more electrical loads when the current is greater than the expected current consumption. In another embodiment, configuring the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset involves configuring the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset for a droop control voltage set point that prevents the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset from supplying at least a portion of the current to one or more electrical loads when the current is less than the expected current consumption. In another embodiment, configuring the corresponding droop control settings of the corresponding active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the expected current consumption involves determining a desired distribution of the expected current consumption across the corresponding active converters of the active subset based at least in part on battery cell data of the corresponding battery cell groups of a plurality of battery cells associated with the corresponding active converters of the active subset, and configuring the corresponding droop control settings of the corresponding active converters of the active subset to achieve the desired distribution of the expected current consumption, wherein the corresponding droop control setting of at least one of the corresponding active converters of the active subset is different from the corresponding droop control setting of another active converter of the active subset. In another embodiment, configuring corresponding standby converters of a standby subset with corresponding step-down control settings different from corresponding step-down control settings of corresponding active converters involves configuring corresponding standby converters of the standby subset with step-down control resistance setting values ​​that are less than corresponding step-down control resistance setting values ​​for at least one of the corresponding active converters of the active subset so as to disproportionately supply at least a portion of the current to one or more electrical loads via the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset when the current is greater than an expected current consumption.

[0006] In one or more exemplary implementations, an apparatus is provided for a non-transitory computer-readable medium having executable instructions stored or encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to provide one or more services, the one or more services being configurable to determine an expected current draw of one or more electrical loads coupled to a RESS based at least in part on measurement data obtained via one or more sensors, identify an active subset of a plurality of converters coupled to a plurality of battery cells of the RESS and configured to supply the expected current draw to the one or more electrical loads based at least in part on the expected current draw, thereby generating a standby subset of the plurality of converters, wherein the active subset and the standby subset are mutually exclusive, configure respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the expected current draw, and configure respective standby converters of the standby subset with respective droop control settings that are different from respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset.

[0007] In one or more implementations, one or more services may be configured to configure the respective standby converters of the standby subset for a reduced control voltage set point that is less than a target voltage for expected current consumption. In another implementation, one or more services may be configured to configure the respective active converters of the active subset with respective reduced control voltage set points that are greater than the reduced control voltage set points of the respective standby converters of the standby subset to achieve a desired distribution of expected current consumption on the respective active converters of the active subset at the target voltage.

[0008] In another embodiment, when the current is greater than the expected current consumption, the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset are activated to supply at least a portion of the current to one or more electrical loads. In another embodiment, one or more services may be configured to configure the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset for a droop control voltage set point that prevents the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset from supplying at least a portion of the current to one or more electrical loads when the current is less than the expected current consumption. In another embodiment, one or more services may be configured to determine a desired distribution of expected current consumption across the corresponding active converters of the active subset based at least in part on battery cell data of corresponding battery cell groups of a plurality of battery cells associated with the corresponding active converters of the active subset, and configure the corresponding droop control settings of the corresponding active converters of the active subset to achieve the desired distribution of expected current consumption, wherein the corresponding droop control setting of at least one of the corresponding active converters of the active subset is different from the corresponding droop control setting of another active converter of the active subset. In another embodiment, the one or more services may be configured to configure the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset to have a drop control resistance setting value that is less than the corresponding drop control resistance setting value of at least one of the corresponding active converters of the active subset to disproportionately supply at least a portion of the current to the one or more electrical loads via the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset when the current is greater than the expected current consumption.

[0009] Also provided is an apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising an RESS, one or more electrical loads for receiving current from the RESS, and a control system, the RESS comprising a plurality of battery cells and a plurality of converters coupled thereto and configured to supply current. The control system comprises one or more sensors and a processor, the one or more sensors being configured to obtain battery cell data about the plurality of battery cells, the battery cell data comprising a state of charge of each of the plurality of battery cells, the processor being coupled to the one or more sensors and the plurality of converters to provide one or more services, the one or more services being configurable to obtain data indicating an expected current draw of the one or more electrical loads, identify an active subset of the plurality of converters based at least in part on the expected current draw, generate a spare subset of the plurality of converters, wherein the active subset and the spare subset are mutually exclusive, configure respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the expected current draw, and configure respective spare converters of the spare subset with respective droop control settings different from respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset.

[0010] In one embodiment, the corresponding droop control voltage set points of the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset are less than the corresponding droop control voltage set points of the corresponding active converters of the active subset. In another embodiment, the corresponding droop control voltage set points of the corresponding active converters of the active subset are configured to achieve a desired distribution of expected current consumption on the corresponding active converters of the active subset. In another embodiment, the corresponding droop control voltage set points of the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset are configured to cause the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset to supply at least a portion of the current to one or more electrical loads when the current is greater than the expected current consumption. In another embodiment, one or more services may be configured to determine the desired distribution of expected current consumption on the corresponding active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the battery cell data of the corresponding battery cell groups of the plurality of battery cells associated with the corresponding active converters of the active subset, and configure the corresponding droop control settings of the corresponding active converters of the active subset to achieve the desired distribution of expected current consumption, wherein the corresponding droop control setting of at least one of the corresponding active converters of the active subset is different from the corresponding droop control setting of another active converter of the active subset. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The present disclosure will be described below in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements, and wherein:

[0012] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle including a RESS and a control system for controlling the same and various other components according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0013] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing a RESS according to an exemplary embodiment, which includes a plurality of battery cell groups and a plurality of DC to DC converters and can be directed to Figure 1 RESS implementation in vehicles;

[0014] Figure 3 According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a method for use with a RESS such as Figure 1 A block diagram of a control module used in conjunction with a RESS;

[0015] Figure 4 is a diagram depicting a system according to one or more exemplary embodiments. Figure 3 One or more services of the control module are configured with different drop control settings Figure 1 Graphs of different relationships between output voltage and output current of a RESS converter; and

[0016] Figure 5is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary converter load management process suitable for implementation by one or more services at a control module associated with a RESS in a vehicle according to one or more implementations described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure or its application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description.

[0018] Figure 1 A vehicle 100 is shown according to an exemplary embodiment. As described in further detail below, the vehicle 100 includes, among other components, a rechargeable energy storage system ("RESS") 101 and a control system 102. In various embodiments, the RESS 101 includes a plurality of battery cell groups 170 and a plurality of direct current to direct current (DC to DC) converters 172, such as Figure 2 In addition, in various embodiments, the control system 102 controls the RESS 101 , including by controlling the operation of the converter 172 to balance the state of charge (SOC) of the battery cell groups 170 to improve efficiency and / or extend the life of the RESS 101 .

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, the RESS 101 and the control system 102 are depicted as part of a vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment. In various embodiments, the vehicle 100 includes an automobile, such as any of many different types of automobiles, such as a sedan, a four-wheeler, a truck, a sport utility vehicle (SUV), etc. In certain embodiments, the vehicle 100 may also include a motorcycle or other vehicle, such as an airplane, a spacecraft, a boat, etc., and / or one or more other types of mobile platforms (e.g., a robot and / or another mobile platform). In other embodiments, the RESS 101 and the control system 102 may alternatively be part of and / or coupled to any number of other types of mobile or non-mobile platforms and / or other systems, such as buildings, infrastructure, and / or other platforms and / or other systems.

[0020] In the depicted embodiment, the vehicle 100 includes a body 104 disposed on a chassis 116. The body 104 substantially surrounds the other components of the vehicle 100. The body 104 and the chassis 116 may together form a frame. The vehicle 100 also includes a plurality of wheels 112. The wheels 112 are each rotationally coupled to the chassis 116 near a respective corner of the body 104 to facilitate movement of the vehicle 100. In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 includes four wheels 112, but this may vary in other implementations (e.g., for trucks, motorcycles, and certain other vehicles).

[0021] The drive system 110 is mounted on a chassis 116 and drives wheels 112, for example, via shafts 114. In certain embodiments, the drive system 110 includes a propulsion system having an electric motor 113. In various embodiments, the drive system 110 including the electric motor 113 receives a high voltage from the RESS 101.

[0022] In various embodiments, in addition to providing high voltage to the motor 113, the RESS 101 also provides low voltage to one or more low voltage systems 111 of the vehicle 100. In various embodiments, the low voltage systems 111 may include, for example, one or more climate control systems, radio systems, seat heating systems, etc.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, in various embodiments, the vehicle also includes a braking system 106 and a steering system 108. In an exemplary embodiment, the braking system 106 controls the braking of the vehicle 100 using braking components that are automatically controlled via input provided by the driver (e.g., via a brake pedal) and / or via a control system (such as the control system 102 and / or one or more other control systems). Also in an exemplary embodiment, the steering system 108 controls the steering of the vehicle 100 via steering components that are controlled via input provided by the driver (e.g., via a steering wheel) and / or automatically controlled via a control system (such as the control system 102 and / or one or more other control systems).

[0024] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the control system 102 is coupled to the RESS 101, receives inputs therefrom, and controls its functions via control of the converter 172. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the control system 102 is coupled to one or more of the braking system 106, the steering system 108, the drive system 110, and / or the low pressure system 111, and in certain embodiments may also receive inputs from and / or control these additional systems.

[0025] Likewise Figure 1As depicted in , in various embodiments, the control system 102 includes a sensor array 120 and a control module 140 (or controller), as described in more detail below.

[0026] In various implementations, the sensor array 120 includes various sensors that obtain sensor data of the vehicle 100 for controlling the RESS 101 (including its converter 172) and other functions. In the depicted embodiment, the sensor array 120 includes one or more voltage sensors 130, current sensors 132, temperature sensors 134, state of charge sensors 136, brake sensors 137, and steering sensors 138.

[0027] In certain embodiments, the voltage sensor 130 measures the voltage of the RESS 101, including the voltages of its various battery cell groups 170. Also in certain embodiments, the current sensor 132 measures the current of the RESS 101, including the current of its battery cell groups 170. In various implementations, the temperature sensor 134 measures the temperature of the RESS 101, including the temperature of its battery cell groups 170. Furthermore, in various embodiments, the state of charge sensor 136 measures the state of charge of the RESS 101, including the state of charge of its battery cell groups 170. Additionally, in various embodiments, the brake sensor 137 measures one or more parameters related to the brake system 106 (e.g., brake input, brake force, etc.), while the steering sensor 138 measures one or more parameters related to the steering system 108 (e.g., steering input, steering angle, etc.).

[0028] In various implementations, the control module 140 is coupled to the sensor array 120 and receives sensor data therefrom. In various implementations, the control module 140 is also coupled to the RESS 101, including a converter 172 for controlling it. In addition, in some embodiments, the control module 140 may also be coupled to one or more other systems of the vehicle 100, such as the braking system 106, the steering system 108, the drive system 110, and / or the low-pressure system, for example, to receive inputs therefrom and / or to control them.

[0029] In various implementations, the control module 140 controls operation of the converter 172 , including with respect to selective charging and discharging of different battery cell groups 170 via the converter 172 in order to optimize balancing of the battery cell groups 170 and / or life of the converter 172 , as well as other potential functions of the vehicle 100 .

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, in various implementations, the control module 140 comprises a computer system and includes a processor 142 , a memory 144 , an interface 146 , a storage device 148 , and a computer bus 150 .

[0031] Processor 142 performs the computational and control functions of control module 140 and may include any type of processor or multiple processors, a single integrated circuit such as a microprocessor, or any suitable number of integrated circuit devices and / or circuit boards that work in concert to accomplish the functions of a processing unit. During operation, processor 142 executes one or more programs 152 contained within memory 144 and, therefore, controls the general operation of control module 140 and the computer system of control module 140, typically while performing the processes described herein (such as Figure 5 ) and is further described below in conjunction therewith.

[0032] The memory 144 can be any type of suitable memory, including various types of non-transitory computer-readable storage media. In some examples, the memory 144 is located and / or co-located on the same computer chip as the processor 142. In the depicted embodiment, the memory 144 stores the above-mentioned program 152 and stored values ​​157 (e.g., lookup tables, thresholds, and / or other values ​​related to the control of the RESS 101).

[0033] The interface 146 allows, for example, communication from a system drive and / or another computer system to the computer system of the control module 140, and may be implemented using any suitable method and apparatus. In one embodiment, the interface 146 obtains various data from the sensor array 120 and other possible data sources. The interface 146 may include one or more network interfaces to communicate with other systems or components. The interface 146 may also include one or more network interfaces for communicating with a technician, and / or one or more storage interfaces for connecting to a storage device such as a storage device 148.

[0034] Storage device 148 may be any suitable type of storage device, including various types of direct access storage and / or other memory devices. In an exemplary embodiment, storage device 148 includes a program product from which memory 144 may receive a program 152 that performs one or more of the one or more processes of the present disclosure, such as Figure 5 The steps of process 500 are described in detail below and are further described in conjunction with the same. In another exemplary embodiment, the program product may be directly stored in and / or otherwise accessed by memory 144 and / or a disk (e.g., disk 156), such as those referenced below.

[0035] The bus 150 is used to transfer programs, data, status and other information or signals between the various components of the computer system of the control module 140. The bus 150 can be any suitable physical or logical means of connecting the computer system and components. This includes but is not limited to direct hard-wired connections, fiber optics, infrared and wireless bus technologies. During operation, the program 152 is stored in the memory 144 and executed by the processor 142.

[0036] It should be understood that while the exemplary embodiment is described in the context of a fully functional computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanisms of the present disclosure can be distributed as a program product having one or more types of non-transitory computer-readable signal-bearing media for storing the program and its instructions and executing its distribution, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium that carries the program and contains computer instructions stored therein for causing a computer processor (e.g., processor 142) to execute and perform the program.

[0037] Figure 2 According to an exemplary embodiment Figure 1 1 is a functional diagram of the RESS 101 , and the RESS 101 includes a plurality of battery cell groups 170 and a DC to DC converter 172 .

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, in various implementations, the RESS 101 includes a plurality of battery cell groups 170, such as a first battery cell group 170(1), a second battery cell group 170(2), and so on, up to an "Nth" battery cell group 170(N). In practice, each battery cell group 170 may include one or more battery cells or other energy storage elements that are electrically connected in series and / or in parallel to provide a desired DC voltage level and / or DC output current. It should be understood that the number and configuration of battery cell groups 170 may vary in different embodiments, and the subject matter described herein is not limited to any particular number, type, or configuration of battery cell groups 170.

[0039] Likewise Figure 2 , and also in various embodiments, a plurality of power converters 172 are coupled to the cell groups 170. In the depicted embodiment, the converters 172 include a first DC-to-DC converter 172(1), a second DC-to-DC converter 172(2), and so on, up to an “Nth” DC-to-DC converter 172(N), wherein each respective DC-to-DC converter 172 is coupled to a respective subset of one or more battery cell groups 170. It should be understood that the number of converters 172 may vary in different embodiments, and the subject matter described herein is not limited to any particular number or configuration of DC-to-DC converters 172 and / or battery cell groups 170.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, in various embodiments, each converter 172 converts a direct current (DC) source from one or more battery cell groups 170 into another DC voltage, which may be different from the cumulative DC voltage of the corresponding battery cell group 170 (or a subset of battery cells). In some embodiments, the current from one or more battery cell groups 170 can be selectively used in a priority order (such as for example, for the current source) based on factors such as the current state of charge and / or other conditions. Figure 1 In some implementations, such as Figure 2 As depicted in FIG. 17, from various converters ... 172 (N) (i.e., respectively "i o N", "i o 2", "i o N") can be aggregated into an aggregate current (i.e., "i s ”) for use by different systems. In addition, in some embodiments, the other current 176 can be stored and / or used for one or more other purposes, such as for rebalancing of the battery cell group 170.

[0041] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the RESS 101 is configured to function as an auxiliary power module (APM), wherein respective battery cell groups 170 are electrically configured in series to effectively provide a high voltage (HV) battery that supplies electrical power within a suitable voltage range (e.g., 350-800 volts) to primarily power the electric motor 113 of the vehicle propulsion system, and a DC to DC converter 172 for converting electrical energy from a voltage level associated with a respective battery cell group 170 of the HV battery to a respective voltage level associated with a lower voltage grid (e.g., a 12 volt grid, a 24 volt grid, a 48 volt grid, etc.) of the vehicle electrical system. For example, in one embodiment, the HV battery is subdivided into respective battery cell groups 170, wherein each battery cell group 170 is capable of functioning as a respective nominal 12 volt power source that can be coupled to the 12 volt grid via a respective DC to DC converter 172 associated with or otherwise allocated to the respective battery cell group 170. In this regard, multiple instances of battery cell group 170 may be selectively configured in parallel with a 12-volt electrical grid to support a desired amount of DC load current on the grid via the outputs of the corresponding DC-to-DC converters 172 that are electrically configured in parallel. Thus, for purposes of explanation, the subject matter may be described herein in the context of operating a DC-to-DC converter 172 to supply power to a 12-volt electrical grid of a vehicle electrical system, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described herein is not limited to such an implementation.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the DC-to-DC converters 172 may be configured to support or otherwise provide droop control, wherein the DC voltage output by the respective DC-to-DC converters 172 varies depending on the amount of DC current to be supplied to the electrical load via the respective DC-to-DC converters 172. In this regard, as the amount of DC current flowing through the respective DC-to-DC converters 172 increases, the output of the respective DC-to-DC converters 172 may decrease linearly according to the droop control setting value. As described in more detail below, in the exemplary embodiments described herein, the control module 140 may be configured to dynamically change the droop control resistance setting value and / or the zero current output voltage setting point of the respective DC-to-DC converters 172 to achieve a desired distribution of current flow across the different DC-to-DC converters 172, so as to balance the state of charge of the battery cell groups 170 while maintaining the desired nominal DC voltage of the 12 volt grid.

[0043] Figure 3 Describes a suitable Figure 11. An exemplary embodiment of a control module 300 of a control module 140 in a vehicle 100 of an embodiment of the present invention. The control module 300 includes a battery cell balancing service 310, which generally represents software or other logic implemented at the control module 300 that can be configured to determine which DC-to-DC converter 172 should be activated or otherwise enabled to provide current flow from its corresponding battery cell group 170 to meet the expected current demand associated with one or more electrical loads 340 coupled to a grid or voltage bus powered by the DC-to-DC converter 172. The battery cell balancing service 310 is communicatively coupled to the corresponding battery cell group 170 via the sensor array 120 to receive or otherwise obtain battery cell data indicating the corresponding charge state associated with the corresponding battery cell group 170 (e.g., via the state of charge sensor 136), which the battery cell balancing service 310 can in turn utilize to determine which battery cell groups 170 should be preferentially utilized to supply the expected amount of current that the electrical load 340 may need or require. In this regard, the battery cell balancing service 310 can be communicatively coupled to the electrical loads 340 (e.g., via one or more sensors of the sensor array 120, a communication network, etc.) to obtain data or information indicating the current operating state and corresponding current (or power) demand of the corresponding electrical loads 340. Therefore, the battery cell balancing service 310 can determine the number of DC-to-DC converters 172 (or battery cell groups 170) to be activated in parallel to achieve the expected current demand, while keeping the DC-to-DC converters 172 associated with the corresponding battery cell groups 170 with lower states of charge deactivated to balance the states of charge on the different battery cell groups 170. For the purpose of explanation, the DC-to-DC converters 172 designated for activation to power the electrical loads 340 may be referred to herein as active (active) converters, while the DC-to-DC converters 172 designated for deactivation to preserve the states of charge of their corresponding battery cell groups 170 may be referred to herein as standby converters.

[0044] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the cell balancing service 310 determines which DC-to-DC converters 172 will be active (and the corresponding cell groups 170 will be depleted to provide power), and determines a target or desired amount of current to be conducted via the corresponding active converters 172 (or supplied by the corresponding cell groups 170) in a manner that takes into account the relative states of charge on the cell groups 170 and the efficiency of the corresponding active converters 172. In this regard, the efficiency of the DC-to-DC converters 172 may vary depending on the relationship between the output voltage and the output current, so that the cell balancing service 310 determines a target amount of current (or electrical load) for the corresponding active converters 172 that operates the active converters 172 at a desired efficiency (or within a desired efficiency range) to achieve the desired performance of the active converters 172 while achieving a desired current consumption profile on the corresponding cell groups 170. For example, in one embodiment, the predicted load of the converter groups may be determined based on feedback measurements of the current load current and additional information about what loads a user may select (e.g., heated seats, etc.). The amount of current associated with the expected load to be selected by the user (eg, average current, maximum current, etc.) may be added or otherwise combined with the present load current measurement to arrive at a target amount of current to be conducted via the corresponding active converter 172 .

[0045] The control module 300 includes a converter configuration service 320, which generally represents software or other logic implemented at the control module 300 that may be configured to receive indicia of desired active and standby converters 172 from the converter configuration service 320, and then calculate or otherwise determine respective droop control settings for respective converters 172 to achieve desired operation of the converters 172 and corresponding power distribution across the active converters 172. In this regard, as described in greater detail below, for the active converters 172, the converter configuration service 320 may calculate or otherwise determine droop control settings that include a zero current (or open circuit or no load) droop control output voltage set point for the respective active converter 172 and a corresponding droop resistance that indicates a relationship between an output voltage of the respective active converter 172 and a corresponding output current supplied by the respective active converter 172 at the respective output voltage. Thus, for the active converter 172, the droop control output voltage set point may be set to a DC voltage value that is greater than or equal to a target DC voltage or a nominal DC voltage for a DC voltage bus coupled between the output of the converter 172 and the electrical load 340. For example, for a nominal 12 volt grid, the converter configuration service 320 may determine that the droop control output voltage set point should be greater than or equal to 12 volts (e.g., 12.5 volts). In an exemplary embodiment, the converter configuration service 320 utilizes the target current of the corresponding active converter 172 provided by the battery cell balancing service 310 to configure the droop control output voltage set point and the droop control resistance setting of the corresponding active converter 172 to achieve the target efficiency and current distribution on the active converter 172.

[0046] For example, once the baseline droop control settings of the converters 172 are determined, the droop control settings may be adjusted based on the current load characteristics, the desired current of each converter 172 for cell balancing, and the efficiency of the converters 172. For example, for a battery cell group 170 that is an outlier with a relatively high state of charge, the droop control settings of its associated converter 172 may be configured to draw more current from the battery cell group 170 by increasing the zero current droop control output voltage set point and reducing the droop resistance to raise and flatten the droop voltage curve, so that the converter 172 associated with the battery cell group 170 supports most of the load before other converters 172 become active. In this regard, the droop control resistance setting may be configured to cause the converter 172 associated with the higher SOC battery cell group 170 to operate at full current or near full current at a point in time when the output voltage drops below the zero current droop control output voltage set point associated with the second group of active converters 172 to supplement the output current to the load. For example, the zero current droop control output voltage set point and droop control resistance set value for the second group of active converters 172 can be configured to consistently operate at approximately 20% of their respective output current capacities with the higher SOC active converters 172 operating closer to 100% when providing the target current amount for the expected load amount so as to facilitate rebalancing the SOC across the battery cell groups 170 associated with those active converters 172 (e.g., by reducing the SOC of the higher SOC battery cell group 170 to be closer to the SOC of the other battery cell groups 170).

[0047] For the standby converters 172, the converter configuration service 320 sets the droop control output voltage set point to a DC voltage value less than the droop control output voltage set point of the active converter 172, so that the standby converter 172 is deactivated or otherwise maintained in a zero output current state until the current voltage of the DC voltage bus coupled to the output of the corresponding standby converter 172 drops below the droop control output voltage set point. In this regard, the converter configuration service 320 can be configured to calculate or otherwise determine the corresponding droop control output voltage set point value to provide a desired degree of separation between the active and standby converters 172, thereby accounting for changes in the converters 172 in a manner that may maintain the standby converters 172 deactivated. In addition, based on the number of converters 172 designated as active and the expected current demand, the converter configuration service 320 can be configured to calculate or otherwise determine the corresponding droop control resistance setting value of the active converter 172 to provide a desired slope or desired relationship between the output current and the output voltage of the active converter 172, so as to operate at a desired efficiency while providing an expected amount of current to the electrical load 340. At the same time, the converter configuration service 320 calculates or otherwise determines the respective droop control resistance setting values ​​for the active and standby converters 172 to provide a desired slope or desired relationship between the output current and the output voltage of the standby converter 172, thereby enabling the standby converter 172 to automatically activate in response to a transient increase in current demand from the electrical load 340 to supplement the output current provided by the active converter 172 and maintain the voltage of the DC voltage bus at or above the target nominal bus (or grid) voltage. For example, for a 12 volt bus, the converter configuration service 320 may configure the standby converter 172 for a droop control output voltage set point value slightly greater than the target or nominal 12 volt DC bus voltage (e.g., 12.1 volts), but with a respective droop control resistance setting value that ensures that the standby converter 172 begins operating to supply current to the electrical load 340 before the output voltage across the active converter 172 drops below 12 volts to support or otherwise maintain the 12 volt DC bus voltage regardless of current fluctuations at the electrical load 340. In an exemplary embodiment, the droop control output voltage set point value of the standby converter 172 is also greater than the full load voltage of the active converter 172 (e.g., at maximum output current capability), where the droop control resistance set value is configured to preferentially supply transient load current from the standby converter 172 to maintain the active converter 172 at or below the full load voltage.

[0048] Figure 4 An exemplary graph 400 is depicted that depicts the relationship between output voltage and output current of a pair of active DC-to-DC converters and a standby DC-to-DC converter in an exemplary embodiment. In this regard, Figure 4 Depicting a scenario in which a first active DC-to-DC converter is configured for a zero current drop control output voltage set point value of 12.5 volts and a drop control resistance setting value, the drop control resistance setting value indicating the slope of a corresponding line 402 depicting the relationship between the output voltage and the output current of the corresponding active DC-to-DC converter. A second active DC-to-DC converter is configured for a zero current drop control output voltage set point value of 12.49 volts and a drop control resistance setting value, the drop control resistance setting value indicating the slope of a corresponding line 404 depicting the relationship between the output voltage and the output current of the corresponding active DC-to-DC converter. In this regard, the active DC-to-DC converters can be configured for the same drop control resistance setting value so that the lines 402, 404 depicting the relationship between the output voltage and the output current are substantially parallel and do not intersect. For example, Figure 4 May correspond to an embodiment configured to provide a target amount of output current of 40 amps at a bus voltage of 12.435 volts, resulting in the first active DC-to-DC converter providing an output current of 22 amps at a bus voltage of 12.435 volts, and the second active DC-to-DC converter providing an output current of 18 amps at a bus voltage of 12.435 volts. In this regard, when the bus voltage at the output of the converter is equal to 12.435 volts, the standby DC-to-DC converter having a relationship between the output voltage and the output current corresponding to line 406 does not supply output current to the bus.

[0049] exist Figure 4 In the example of FIG. 4 , the standby DC-to-DC converter is configured for a zero current droop control output voltage set point value of 12.4 volts such that the standby DC-to-DC converter does not conduct current until the voltage supplied to the electrical load coupled to the output of the standby DC-to-DC converter drops below 12.4 volts. The droop control resistance setting value indicating the slope of the line 406 depicting the relationship between the output voltage and the output current of the corresponding standby DC-to-DC converter may be different from the active DC-to-DC converter to enable the standby DC-to-DC converter to conduct an increased amount of current to support maintaining a higher DC voltage output across the parallel DC-to-DC converters. In this regard, the line 406 depicting the relationship between the output voltage and the output current of the standby DC-to-DC converter may be transverse to or otherwise intersect the lines 402, 404 depicting the relationship between the output voltage and the output current of the active DC-to-DC converter. For example, for the illustrated embodiment, the combination of the zero current droop control output voltage set point and the droop control resistance set value of the active DC to DC converter can be configured to maintain the voltage of the DC voltage bus coupled to its respective output at or above 12.4 volts until the output current exceeds 63 amperes (e.g., in response to a transient load fluctuation on the bus), as shown. Figure 4 shown.

[0050] In the example shown, Figure 4 A line 408 is depicted, which corresponds to an operating state of the DC-to-DC converter when the current demand of the electrical load coupled to the DC voltage bus reaches 88 amperes, causing the output voltage at the DC-to-DC converter to drop to 12.375 volts, wherein the first active DC-to-DC converter conducts 42 amperes of current, the second active DC-to-DC converter conducts 38 amperes, and the standby DC-to-DC converter conducts 8 amperes to help support or otherwise maintain the voltage of the DC voltage bus closer to 12. For example, to ensure that the DC bus voltage remains at or above 12 volts, the standby DC-to-DC converter may be configured with a zero current drop control output voltage set point value closer to 12 volts, but with a relatively flatter slope to conduct more and more current as the voltage of the bus approaches 12 volts to maintain the voltage of the 12 volt bus above 12 volts, while the zero current drop control output voltage set points and resistance values ​​of the active DC-DC converters are tailored to achieve a desired current distribution across their respective battery cell groups 170 while operating the active DC-to-DC converters at a desired efficiency or performance. In this way, the active DC-to-DC converter can be tuned or otherwise configured to support the expected electrical loads on the DC voltage bus while achieving the desired state of charge or load balancing of the battery cell groups 170, while the standby DC-to-DC converter is tuned or otherwise configured to absorb transient load fluctuations and withstand the bus voltage.

[0051] Reference again Figure 3 In an exemplary embodiment, the control module 300 includes a set point control service 330, which generally represents software or other logic implemented at the control module 300 that may be configured to program, instruct, configure, or execute or otherwise operate the DC to DC converters 172 according to corresponding droop control settings and provide closed-loop control to dynamically adjust one or more of the corresponding droop control settings for one or more of the active DC to DC converters 172 based on deviations between the observed operation of the corresponding active DC to DC converters 172 relative to the droop control settings provided by the converter configuration service 320. For example, due to component variations, manufacturing tolerances, and / or other variables, the performance of the corresponding active DC to DC converters 172 may deviate from the expected performance given a particular set of input droop control setting values. For example, referring to Figure 4, in one scenario, the second active DC-to-DC converter may be commanded, indicated, or otherwise configured for a zero current droop control output voltage set point value of 12.5 volts, but in response to the 12.5 volt droop control output voltage set point command, the second active DC-to-DC converter may alternatively achieve a relationship between output voltage and output current corresponding to line 404 instead of line 402. In this regard, the set point control service 330 may be communicatively coupled to the outputs of the DC-to-DC converters 172 via the sensor array 120 to receive or otherwise obtain battery cell data indicative of the output voltage and / or output current of the respective DC-to-DC converters 172, which in turn may be utilized by the set point control service 330 to provide closed-loop control of the droop control settings input to the DC-to-DC converters 172 to achieve the desired relationship between the output voltage and output current of the respective active DC-to-DC converters 172.

[0052] For example, when a 12.5 volt droop control output voltage set point command causes an active DC to DC converter 172 to provide output current at a specific output voltage (e.g., line 404) indicating a zero current output voltage below 12.5 volts, the set point control service 330 can dynamically increase the commanded droop control output voltage set point value provided to the active DC to DC converter 172 until the desired combination of output voltage and output current is achieved. In a similar manner, when component variations, manufacturing tolerances, and / or other variables cause the active DC to DC converter 172 to supply more or less output current than desired for a specific output voltage, the set point control service 330 can dynamically adjust the droop control resistance set value of one or more of the active DC to DC converters 172. In this regard, the set point control service 330 can be configurable to provide closed-loop control of the droop control output voltage set point and the droop control resistance set point for the active DC to DC converter 172 to achieve a desired distribution of the output load current across the respective battery cell groups 170 associated with the active DC to DC converter 172.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 3Each of the services 310, 320, 330 depicted in the examples is encoded or otherwise stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as executable programming instructions for execution by the control module 300 to generate or otherwise facilitate the corresponding service 310, 320, 330. In this regard, according to embodiments, the control module 300 may include or be implemented as any custom or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the control module 300, a semiconductor-based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chipset), a macroprocessor, any combination thereof, or any device generally used to execute instructions to provide the services 310, 320, 330. Furthermore, although Figure 3 The services 310, 320, 330 are depicted as separate and distinct, but in practice, one or more of the services 310, 320, 330 may be integrated or otherwise combined into a single service. In other implementations, the services 310, 320, 330 may be implemented in a distributed manner on different instances of the control module, and the subject matter described herein is not intended to be limited to any particular implementation or configuration.

[0054] Figure 5 An exemplary converter load management process 500 suitable for implementation by one or more services associated with a control module that controls the operation of a group of electrically parallel power converters of a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to achieve target performance while absorbing transient load fluctuations is depicted. For illustrative purposes, the following description may refer to the above combined Figures 1 to 4 Although portions of the converter load management process 500 may be performed by different elements of a vehicle system, for purposes of explanation, the subject matter may be described herein primarily in the context of the converter load management process 500 being primarily performed by one or more services 310 , 320 , 330 implemented at a control module 140 , 300 associated with a set of parallel DC-to-DC converters 172 .

[0055] The converter load management process 500 begins by identifying or otherwise determining an expected current draw of electrical loads to be supplied by the RESS at 502. In this regard, the battery cell balancing service 310 at the control module 140, 300 may be communicatively coupled to one or more electrical loads 340 connected to a DC voltage bus supported by the RESS 101, directly or indirectly (e.g., by measuring the current draw of the electrical loads 340 via the sensor array 120) to receive or otherwise obtain data or information indicating the amount of current that the respective electrical loads 340 are expected to consume or demand during an upcoming period of time (e.g., by measuring the current draw of the electrical loads 340 via the sensor array 120). The expected current draws associated with the respective electrical loads 340 may be aggregated or otherwise combined to arrive at a cumulative expected current to be supplied by the RESS 101 during the next control cycle.

[0056] The converter load management process 500 continues by identifying or otherwise determining, at 504, the number of converters associated with the RESS to be active in supplying the expected current draw based on one or more electrical characteristics associated with the respective battery cell groups of the RESS. In this regard, based on the relative state of charge measurements, voltage measurements, etc. obtained for the respective battery cell groups 170 of the RESS 101 via the sensor array 120, the battery cell balancing service 310 can determine the specific number of battery cell groups 170 to be used to supply the expected current draw, and identify which battery cell groups 170 should be utilized to supply the expected current draw during the next control cycle. For example, in one embodiment, the battery cell balancing service 310 identifies a subset of the battery cell groups 170 with the highest state of charge as the battery cell groups 170 to be utilized, and then identifies the corresponding DC to DC converters 172 associated with those cell groups 170 with the highest state of charge as the active DC to DC converters 172 for providing the expected current draw during the next control cycle. In practice, the number of active DC-to-DC converters 172 (and corresponding cell groups 170) to be included in the subset of active DC-to-DC converters 172 may be determined by dividing the expected load current by the output current of the DC-to-DC converter 172 that optimizes or maximizes the efficiency of the DC-to-DC converter 172. For example, if the expected load current is 150 amps and the peak efficiency of the DC-to-DC converter 172 is between 15 amps and 25 amps, the battery cell balancing service 310 may determine that 6 to 10 DC-to-DC converters 172 should be active, and arrive at a specific number of active converters between 6 and 10 based on the SOC of the battery cell groups 170 and other factors. For example, the battery cell balancing service 310 may determine to activate 8 DC-to-DC converters 172, and identify the DC-to-DC converters 172 associated with the 8 battery cell groups 170 with the highest SOC values ​​as the active set of DC-to-DC converters 172.

[0057] After identifying the subset of active converters, the converter load management process 500 continues at 506 by calculating or otherwise determining one or more performance targets for the active converters and then calculating or otherwise determining corresponding droop control settings for the active converters based on the performance targets at 508. In this regard, in an exemplary embodiment, based at least in part on the expected current consumption, the current state of charge of the active cell groups 170 associated with the active DC-to-DC converters 172, performance characteristics associated with the DC-to-DC converters 172, and / or potentially other factors, the converter configuration service 320 may determine a desired distribution of current consumptions at the respective active DC-to-DC converters 172 and corresponding output voltage targets for the active DC-to-DC converters 172 at the current consumption levels. Based on the target current consumption of a particular active DC-to-DC converter 172 at the target output voltage, the converter configuration service 320 may calculate or otherwise determine a corresponding combination of a zero current droop control output voltage set point and a droop control resistance value that is expected to achieve the target current consumption at the target output voltage of the respective active DC-to-DC converter 172. For example, continuing with the example of the battery cell balancing service 310 determining to activate eight DC to DC converters 172 and identifying the DC to DC converters 172 associated with the eight battery cell groups 170 having the highest SOC values. The converter configuration service 320 can configure the droop control settings of the corresponding DC to DC converters 172 of the active set to each supply 18.75 amps to achieve a total expected output current of 150 amps while operating the active DC to DC converters 172 associated with the highest SOC cell group 170 within a peak efficiency output current range between 15 amps and 25 amps. Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, converter configuration service 320 may determine droop control settings for respective active converters corresponding to lines 402, 404 to achieve an expected current draw of 40 amps at a target output voltage of 12.435 volts, as described above.

[0058] Reference again Figure 5In an exemplary embodiment, after determining the droop control setting for the active converter, the converter load management process 500 continues at 510 by calculating or otherwise determining, based on the configuration of the active converter, a droop control setting for enabling the standby converter to handle transient load fluctuations. In this regard, the converter configuration service 320 determines a droop control setting for the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 that is configured to cause the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 to begin conducting or otherwise supplying current to one or more of the electrical load(s) 340 when the current draw of the electrical load(s) 340 is greater than the expected current draw determined at 502. For example, the converter configuration service 320 may configure the zero current droop control output voltage set point value of the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 to be less than a target output voltage of the active DC-to-DC converter 172 determined based on the expected current draw, such that the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 begins supplying current to the electrical load 340 only when the output voltage drops below the target output voltage of the active DC-to-DC converter 172. Reference Figure 4 , the converter configuration service 320 can determine that the zero current drop control output voltage set point value of the standby converter corresponding to line 406 is equal to 12.4 volts, so that the standby converter starts to supply current only when the current consumption of the electrical load exceeds 63 amperes, and causes the output voltage of the active converter to drop to a target output voltage below 12.4 volts.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the converter load management process 500 also calculates or otherwise determines a droop control resistance value for the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 to cause the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 to disproportionately supply more current to the electrical load 340 when the real-time current consumption exceeds the expected current consumption (e.g., from 502) to cause the output voltage on the DC-to-DC converter 172 to drop below the target output voltage of the active DC-to-DC converter 172. In this manner, by configuring the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 to have a larger droop control resistance value relative to the droop control resistance value of the active DC-to-DC converter 172 to provide a relatively flatter relationship between a drop in output voltage and an increase in output current, the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 can preferentially and disproportionately absorb transient fluctuations in current consumption or demand of the electrical load(s) 340 to support or otherwise maintain the DC bus voltage in the presence of load fluctuations while still maintaining operation of the active DC-to-DC converter 172 closer to the performance target to improve the operating efficiency of the active DC-to-DC converter 172.

[0060] By configuring the step-down control voltage set point of the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 to be at or within a threshold below the target full load voltage of the active DC-to-DC converter 172, the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 will not actively convert or supply load current for most of the load range of the active DC-to-DC converter 172, where the current draw is at or below the expected load current. However, if a large current demand is applied to the DC voltage bus coupled to the outputs of the parallel DC-to-DC converters 172, the bus voltage will drop to a level that will engage the standby DC-to-DC converter 172 due to the relatively fast internal control loops associated with the DC-to-DC converters 172 internally regulating their performance according to the input step-down control settings provided by the control modules 140, 308 without requiring any intervention from the relatively slow supervisory control modules 140, 308 to manage the sudden load spike. Instead, the supervisory control module 140, 308 measures the current or electrical load (e.g., via the sensor array 120) and updates the expected electrical load at 502 upon the next iteration of the converter load management process 500 and assigns a greater number of DC-to-DC converters 172 to the active subset and / or moves the reduced control voltage set point of the currently active DC-to-DC converters 172 to a higher voltage level to appropriately rebalance the load among the DC-to-DC converters 172 during the next control cycle.

[0061] Reference again Figure 5In an exemplary embodiment, after determining and configuring the active converter and the standby converter for the desired droop control settings, at 512, the converter load management process 500 continues by monitoring the performance of the converters (e.g., output voltage and current) and dynamically adjusting the droop control settings of one or more of the converters based on the difference between the observed performance of the corresponding converter and the target performance of the corresponding converter. For example, for the active DC to DC converter 172, the set point control service 330 may continuously monitor (via the sensor array 120) the measured output current and the measured output voltage (or DC bus voltage) associated with the corresponding active DC to DC converter 172 to detect or otherwise identify a difference between the target output current for the output voltage corresponding to the droop control setting of the corresponding active DC to DC converter 172. In this regard, when the current consumption of the active DC to DC converter 172 is less than expected for the measured output voltage, the set point control service 330 may increase the zero current droop control output voltage set point value and / or reduce the droop control resistance value to increase the current provided by the corresponding active DC to DC converter 172 for the same output DC bus voltage. On the other hand, when the current consumption of the active DC to DC converter 172 is greater than the expected current consumption of the measured output voltage, the set point control service 330 can reduce the zero current droop control output voltage set point value and / or increase the droop control resistance value so that the current provided by the corresponding active DC to DC converter 172 is reduced for the same output DC bus voltage.

[0062] In a similar manner, if the standby DC to DC converter 172 supplies current at a measured output DC bus voltage that is greater than the zero current drop control output voltage set point value provided to the standby DC to DC converter 172, the set point control service 330 may reduce the commanded zero current drop control output voltage set point value provided to the standby DC to DC converter 172 to prevent the standby DC to DC converter 172 from supplying current that is expected or intended to be supplied by the active DC to DC converter 172 for battery cell balancing purposes. In this manner, the set point control service 330 helps achieve desired battery cell balancing across the battery cell group 170 of the RESS 101 by reducing the likelihood that the standby DC to DC converter 172 will inadvertently supply current to the active DC to DC converter 172 at the target output voltage while maintaining the availability of the standby DC to DC converter 172 to quickly respond to transient load fluctuations.

[0063] It should be appreciated that the converter load management process 500 may be continuously repeated throughout operation of the vehicle 100 to achieve a desired balance of battery cells across the battery cell groups 170 of the RESS 101 to extend the life of the RESS 101 while also operating the DC to DC converters 172 in a manner that achieves a target performance or efficiency, thereby further extending the availability of the RESS 101. In this regard, the converter load management process 500 may dynamically change which battery cell groups 170 and converters 172 are active during any particular control cycle to achieve a desired balance of utilization across the battery cell groups 170 while allowing temporarily inactive backup battery cell groups 170 and converters 172 to dynamically respond to transient load fluctuations to supplement the active battery cell groups 170 and converters 172 in substantially real time.

[0064] By means of the subject matter described herein, the efficiency of a vehicle electrical system having multiple DC-to-DC converters in a parallel electrical configuration can be increased by operating a subset of active DC-to-DC converters with respective loads (e.g., combinations of output voltage and current) close to the optimal or peak efficiency point of the respective converter (or within a threshold range thereof) using different droop control settings. In this regard, in order to maximize the efficiency of those active converters, another mutually exclusive subset of DC-to-DC converters can be configured as standby converters that are not intended for active conversion given an expected electrical load. That is, the droop control settings of the standby converters can be configured so that the standby converters are temporarily activated in response to a transient or unexpected increase in electrical load to support or otherwise maintain the voltage of a DC voltage bus coupled to the output of the DC-to-DC converters, while maintaining the ability to effectively operate the active subset of DC-to-DC converters in the event or when the current demand subsides.

[0065] As described above, the droop control output voltage set point can be configured for the active DC-to-DC converters to achieve a desired load sharing on the active DC-to-DC converters (e.g., to achieve a desired balance of the state of charge of the corresponding battery cell groups or other energy sources supplying input power to the active DC-to-DC converters), while the droop control output voltage set point can be configured for the standby DC-to-DC converters to support a sudden transient increase in electrical load that occurs before the DC-to-DC converters can be reconfigured and / or reallocated to the active subset. In this way, the droop control setting can be utilized to regulate the output voltage and handle load fluctuations while also ensuring load sharing and balancing the load on the input-side energy sources.

[0066] For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to vehicle electrical systems, RESS, power converters, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. In addition, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and / or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may exist in embodiments of the present subject matter.

[0067] As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Therefore, any implementation described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All implementations described herein are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the invention, rather than to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims.

[0068] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or a combination of the two. Some implementations are described above in terms of functions and / or logic block components (or modules) and various processing steps. However, it should be understood that such block components (or modules) can be implemented by any number of hardware, software and / or firmware components configured to perform a specified function. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps have been generally described above with respect to their functionality. Whether this function is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but this implementation decision should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the invention.

[0069] When implemented in software or firmware, the various elements of the system described herein are basically code segments or instructions that perform various tasks. A program or code segment can be stored in a processor-readable medium, or transmitted by a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave through a transmission medium or a communication path. "Computer-readable medium", "processor-readable medium" or "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information. Examples of processor-readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory devices, ROMs, flash memory devices, erasable ROMs (EROMs), floppy disks, CD-ROMs, optical disks, hard disks, optical fiber media, radio frequency (RF) links, etc. Computer data signals may include any signal that can be propagated through a transmission medium (such as an electronic network channel, optical fiber, air, electromagnetic path or RF link). Code segments may be downloaded via computer networks such as the Internet, intranets, LANs, etc.

[0070] In this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc. may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinals such as "first," "second," "third," etc. simply represent different singles out of a plurality, and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language. The order of the text in any claim does not mean that the processing steps must be performed in a temporal or logical order according to such order, unless it is specifically defined by the language of the claim. The processing steps may be interchanged in any order without departing from the scope of the invention, as long as such interchange does not contradict the claim language and is logically consistent.

[0071] In addition, the foregoing description may refer to an element or node or feature that is "coupled" together. As used herein, unless otherwise expressly stated, "coupling" means that an element / node / feature is directly or indirectly connected to another element / node / feature (or is directly or indirectly communicated with another element / node / feature), and is not necessarily mechanically connected. For example, two elements can be coupled to each other physically, electronically, logically or in any other way by one or more additional elements. Therefore, although the accompanying drawings can depict an exemplary arrangement of elements directly connected to each other, additional intermediate elements, devices, features or parts may be present in the embodiment of the depicted theme. In addition, some terms may also be used only for reference purposes in this article, and are therefore not intended to be restrictive.

[0072] Although at least one exemplary aspect has been presented in the foregoing specific embodiments, it should be understood that there are a large number of variations. It should also be understood that one or more exemplary aspects are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. On the contrary, the foregoing detailed description will provide a convenient roadmap for those skilled in the art to implement one or more exemplary aspects. It should be understood that various changes may be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the attached claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a plurality of converters coupled to a plurality of battery cells of a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and configured to supply current to one or more electrical loads, the method comprising: determining, by a control module coupled to the plurality of converters, an expected current draw of the one or more electrical loads based at least in part on measurement data obtained via one or more sensors; identifying, by the control module, an active subset of the plurality of converters to supply the expected current consumption based at least in part on the expected current consumption, thereby generating a standby subset of the plurality of converters, wherein the active subset and the standby subset are mutually exclusive; configuring, by the control module, respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the expected current draw; as well as Respective standby converters of the standby subset are configured, by the control module, based at least in part on the respective step-down control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset with respective step-down control settings that are different than the respective step-down control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset comprises configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset for a reduced control voltage set point that is less than a target voltage for the expected current consumption.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein configuring the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset comprises: The respective active converters of the active subset are configured to have respective step-down control voltage set points greater than the step-down control voltage set points of the respective standby converters of the standby subset to achieve a desired distribution of the expected current consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset at the target voltage.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset comprises configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset for a drop control resistance setting that maintains an output voltage greater than a full load voltage of the respective active converters of the active subset. 5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating corresponding standby converters of the standby subset to supply at least a portion of the current to the one or more electrical loads when the current is greater than the expected current draw.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein configuring the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset comprises configuring the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset for a decreasing control voltage set point, the decreasing control voltage set point preventing the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset from supplying at least a portion of the current to the one or more electrical loads when the current is less than the expected current consumption.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein configuring the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the expected current consumption comprises: determining a desired distribution of the expected current draws across the respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on battery cell data for respective groups of battery cells of the plurality of battery cells associated with the respective active converters of the active subset; as well as The respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset are configured to achieve the desired distribution of the expected current consumption, wherein the respective droop control setting of at least one of the respective active converters of the active subset is different from the respective droop control setting of another active converter of the active subset.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein configuring the respective standby converters of the standby subset with respective step-down control settings different from the respective step-down control settings of the respective active converters comprises: The corresponding standby converters of the standby subset are configured with a drop control resistance setting value that is less than a corresponding drop control resistance setting value for at least one of the corresponding active converters of the active subset to disproportionately supply at least a portion of the current to the one or more electrical loads via the corresponding standby converters of the standby subset when the current is greater than the expected current consumption.

9. A vehicle comprising: a rechargeable energy (RESS) comprising a plurality of battery cells and a plurality of converters coupled to the plurality of battery cells and configured to supply current; one or more electrical loads for receiving the current from the RESS; as well as Control system, including: one or more sensors configured to obtain battery cell data about the plurality of battery cells, the battery cell data including a state of charge of each of the plurality of battery cells; and a processor coupled to the one or more sensors and the plurality of transducers to provide one or more services, the one or more services being configurable to: obtaining data indicative of an expected current draw of the one or more electrical loads; identifying an active subset of the plurality of converters based at least in part on the expected current consumption, thereby generating a standby subset of the plurality of converters, wherein the active subset and the standby subset are mutually exclusive; configuring respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the expected current consumption; and Based at least in part on the respective step-down control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset, respective standby converters of the standby subset are configured with respective step-down control settings that are different than the respective step-down control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein respective step-down control voltage set points of the respective standby converters of the standby subset are less than respective step-down control voltage set points of the respective active converters of the active subset.

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