Control of load distribution in a distributed power supply system

Abstract

This application relates to control of load distribution for a distributed power system. Specifically, a system includes a plurality of power modules connected in parallel to a common bus, and a controller configured to individually control each power module. The controller is configured to receive a desired load power, estimate a first power level for each power module based on an equal distribution of the desired load power, determine a peak system power, the peak system power equal to a sum of peak power levels for each power module, and compare the peak system power to the desired load power. The controller is further configured to determine, based on the desired load power being less than the peak system power, a subset of the plurality of power modules, the subset of the plurality of power modules each operable at a respective optimal power level without exceeding the desired load power, and operate each of the subset at the respective optimal power level to supply energy to a load.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This subject matter relates to energy or electricity storage and transmission, and more specifically to distributed power systems, such as vehicle electrical systems with multiple power modules connected in parallel. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicles, including gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles, as well as electric and hybrid vehicles, are characterized by battery storage for purposes such as powering electric motors, electronics, and other vehicle subsystems. Battery systems provide power to a variety of loads, including electric motors for propulsion, as well as accessories and components such as power control modules, heaters, and cooling systems. Some vehicle electrical systems include distributed power systems, in which multiple power sources and / or conversion devices are connected in parallel. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one exemplary embodiment, a system for controlling power transmission includes a plurality of power modules connected in parallel to a common bus, and a controller configured to individually control each of the plurality of power modules. The controller is configured to receive a desired load power of a load connected to the common bus, estimate a first power level of each of the plurality of power modules based on an equal distribution of the desired load power, determine a peak system power equal to the sum of the peak power levels of each power module, and compare the peak system power with the desired load power. The controller is further configured to determine a subset of the plurality of power modules based on the condition that the desired load power is less than the peak system power, each subset of the plurality of power modules being operable at a corresponding optimal power level without exceeding the desired load power, the optimal power level of the power module being a power level that maximizes efficiency, and to operate each of the subsets of the plurality of power modules at the corresponding optimal power level to supply electrical energy to the load.

[0004] In addition to one or more features described herein, the controller is configured to operate multiple power modules according to an equal distribution based on the expected load power being greater than or equal to the peak system power.

[0005] In addition to one or more features described herein, the controller is configured to calculate a remaining power amount based on the expected load power being less than the peak power level, the remaining power amount being equal to the difference between the power output from a subset of the plurality of power modules and the expected load power.

[0006] In addition to one or more features described herein, the controller is configured to operate each of the subset of the plurality of power modules at a corresponding optimal power level based on the expected load power being less than the peak system power, and to operate additional power modules at a selected power level corresponding to the amount of remaining power.

[0007] In addition to one or more features described herein, the controller is configured to estimate a first power loss associated with the equal distribution, based on the expected load power being less than the peak system power, and to estimate a second power loss associated with each of the subsets of the plurality of power modules operating at the corresponding optimal power level and with an additional power module operating at a selected power level corresponding to the remaining power amount.

[0008] In addition to one or more features described herein, the controller is configured to operate each of a subset of the plurality of power modules at a corresponding optimal power level, and to operate the additional power module based on a first power loss being greater than a second power loss.

[0009] In addition to one or more features described herein, the controller is configured to operate the plurality of power modules according to the equal allocation based on a first power loss amount being less than or equal to a second power loss amount.

[0010] In addition to one or more features described herein, when one or more of the multiple power modules are activated consecutively, a subset of the multiple power modules is determined in real time based on the power availability of each of the multiple power modules.

[0011] In addition to one or more features described herein, each of the plurality of power modules is selected from at least one of batteries and conversion devices.

[0012] In addition to one or more features described herein, each of the plurality of power modules is selected from one of the following: a battery connected to a DC-DC converter, a stage of a charging module, and a battery system connected to an inverter.

[0013] In another exemplary embodiment, a method of controlling power transmission includes receiving, by a controller, a desired load power to be supplied to a load from a power system comprising a plurality of power modules connected in parallel to a common bus, the controller being configured to individually control each of the plurality of power modules. The method further includes estimating a first power level of each of the plurality of power modules based on an equal distribution of the desired load power; determining a peak system power equal to the sum of the peak power levels of each of the plurality of power modules; and comparing the peak system power with the desired load power. The method further includes: determining a subset of the plurality of power modules based on the fact that the desired load power is less than the peak system power, each subset of the plurality of power modules being operable at a corresponding optimal power level without exceeding the desired load power, the optimal power level of the power modules being a power level that maximizes efficiency; and operating each of the subsets of power modules at the corresponding optimal power level to supply electrical energy to the load.

[0014] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method also includes operating multiple power modules according to equal distribution based on the expected load power being greater than or equal to the peak system power.

[0015] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method further includes calculating a residual power amount based on the expectation load power being less than the peak system power, the residual power amount being equal to the difference between the power output from a subset of the plurality of power modules and the expectation load power.

[0016] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method further includes operating each of a subset of the plurality of power modules at a corresponding optimal power level based on the expected load power being less than the peak system power, and operating an additional power module at a selected power level corresponding to the amount of remaining power.

[0017] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method further includes estimating a first power loss associated with the equal allocation based on the expected load power being less than the peak system power, estimating a second power loss associated with each of a subset of the plurality of power modules operating at a corresponding optimal power level, and operating an additional power module at a selected power level corresponding to the remaining power amount.

[0018] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method further includes operating each of a subset of the plurality of power modules at the optimal power level, operating the additional power module based on a first power loss being greater than a second power loss, and operating the plurality of power modules according to the equal allocation based on a first power loss being less than or equal to a second power loss.

[0019] In addition to one or more features described herein, a subset of multiple power modules is determined in real time when one or more power modules are continuously activated.

[0020] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the vehicle system includes a memory having computer-readable instructions and a processing device for executing the computer-readable instructions, which control the processing device to perform a method. The method includes receiving, by a controller, a desired load power to be supplied to a load from a power system comprising a plurality of power modules connected in parallel to a common bus, the controller being configured to individually control each of the plurality of power modules. The method further includes estimating a first power level of each of the plurality of power modules based on an equal distribution of the desired load power; determining a peak system power equal to the sum of the peak power levels of each of the plurality of power modules; and comparing the peak system power with the desired load power. The method further includes determining a subset of the plurality of power modules, each of the plurality of power modules being operable at a corresponding optimal power level without exceeding the desired load power, based on the fact that the desired load power is less than the peak system power; the corresponding optimal power level of the power modules being a power level that maximizes efficiency; and operating each of the subset of the plurality of power modules at the corresponding optimal power level to supply electrical energy to the load.

[0021] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method also includes operating multiple power modules according to equal distribution based on the expected load power being greater than or equal to the peak system power.

[0022] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method further includes calculating a residual power amount based on the expectation load power being less than the peak system power, the residual power amount being equal to the difference between the power output from a subset of the plurality of power modules and the expectation load power.

[0023] The above-described features and advantages, as well as other features and advantages, of this disclosure will become apparent when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Other features, advantages, and details appear only as examples in the following detailed description, which is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a top view of a motor vehicle including a distributed power system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0026] Figure 2 An example of a distributed power system is described;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a flowchart depicting various aspects of a method for controlling power transmission according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a flowchart depicting various aspects of a method for controlling power transmission according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a flowchart depicting various aspects of a method for controlling power transmission according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0030] Figure 6 Depicting based on Figure 3 The system efficiency curves of the method are shown in various aspects.

[0031] Figure 7 Depicting based on Figure 4 The system efficiency curves of the method are shown in various aspects.

[0032] Figure 8 Depicting based on Figure 5 Efficiency curves for various aspects of the system efficiency of the method; and

[0033] Figure 9 A computer system according to an exemplary embodiment is described. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The following description is exemplary in nature only and is not intended to limit this disclosure, its application, or use. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts and features. As used herein, the term module refers to processing circuitry that may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuitry, processor (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and memory executing one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.

[0035] According to exemplary embodiments, methods, apparatus, and systems for controlling load distribution among power modules are provided. The power modules are connected in parallel to a common bus and / or a common load. "Power module" refers to any parallel-connected device or stage (e.g., conversion device, charging module stage, parallel-connected battery to an inverter, etc.) that provides power to a load. In one embodiment, the power module is part of the vehicle's electrical system.

[0036] A method is provided for controlling power modules to improve or maximize system efficiency (e.g., compared to equal power distribution among power modules). Embodiments of the method include receiving a desired load power and evaluating each power module to determine the amount of power supplied if each power module operates at optimal efficiency. If the power supply exceeds the desired load power, a subset of power modules is selected to operate at peak efficiency. Additional power is supplied by operating additional power modules. In one embodiment, the method includes estimating the amount of losses associated with operating the power modules with equal power distribution.

[0037] Embodiments of the method include continuously or periodically monitoring system efficiency as each power module is activated. When each power module is activated, the current system power loss is estimated, and the number of power modules that minimize system power loss is determined. The determined power modules operate at optimal efficiency.

[0038] The system and method described in this paper ensure that load distribution among parallel-connected power modules results in higher power conversion efficiency compared to equal load distribution among power modules. The method can be implemented on embedded controls for real-time processing or for determining pre-calculated thresholds stored, for example, in a lookup table.

[0039] The embodiments described herein present numerous advantages and technical effects. For example, in parallel-connected converter systems, the load is shared equally among the parallel stages (converter devices and associated power supplies). This equal load sharing can lead to lower overall system efficiency. The embodiments address this limitation by providing a system approach that distributes the load across parallel stages to achieve improved or optimal efficiency.

[0040] The embodiments are not limited to use with any particular vehicle and can be applied to a variety of contexts. For example, the embodiments can be used with automobiles, microgrid power systems, trucks, aircraft, construction equipment, farm equipment, automated factory equipment, and / or any other equipment or system that may require additional thermal control to enhance the existing thermal control capabilities or features of the equipment or system.

[0041] Figure 1An embodiment of a motor vehicle 10 is shown, which includes a body 12 that at least partially defines a passenger compartment 14. The body 12 also supports various vehicle subsystems, including a propulsion system 16 and other subsystems to support the functions of the propulsion system 16 and other vehicle components, such as a braking subsystem, a suspension system, a steering subsystem, and, if the vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle, a fuel injection subsystem, an exhaust subsystem, etc.

[0042] Vehicle 10 may be an internal combustion engine vehicle, an electric vehicle (EV), or a hybrid vehicle. In one embodiment, vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine system 18 and at least one electric motor assembly. In one embodiment, propulsion system 16 includes an electric motor 20, and may include one or more additional motors located at various positions. Vehicle 10 may be a fully electric vehicle having one or more electric motors.

[0043] Vehicle 10 includes a battery system 22, which may be electrically connected to motor 20 and / or other components, such as vehicle electronics. Battery system 22 may be configured as a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS). In one embodiment, battery system 22 includes battery components, such as a high-voltage battery pack 24 having multiple battery modules 26. Battery system 22 may also include a monitoring unit 28 (e.g., a battery management system or BMS controller), which includes components such as processors, memory, interfaces, buses, and / or other suitable components.

[0044] In one embodiment, the battery system 22 includes multiple different battery components. For example, the HV battery pack 24 is divided into two separate battery packs 24a and 24b, which are connected in parallel to a bus and a DC-DC converter 30. The battery system 22 is connected to the motor 20 via an inverter 32 (e.g., a traction power inverter module or TPIM), which converts the DC power from the battery system 22 into multiphase alternating current (AC) power (e.g., three-phase, six-phase, etc.) to drive the motor 20.

[0045] Battery system 22 can be a hybrid chemistry battery system in which battery packs 24a and 24b have different chemical properties. For example, one of battery packs 24a and 24b includes a battery cell with a high energy density chemical, such as a lithium metal battery cell (e.g., an LMB battery cell), a Si anode battery cell (a lithium-ion battery cell with a silicon-based anode), etc. The other of battery packs 24a and 24b can have a nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NCM) chemical.

[0046] Vehicle 10 may include a low-voltage power distribution system 40 configured to supply power to one or more low-voltage loads 42. “Low voltage” may refer to a voltage less than 110V (e.g., 12V, 48V, etc.), or any other desired voltage level. Examples of low-voltage loads 42 include electric motors, lights, infotainment devices, electronic control units, climate control systems, and combinations thereof.

[0047] The low-voltage power distribution system 40 receives power from multiple power sources connected in parallel, which may be battery packs 24a and 24b. The system 40 is not limited to this, as any type and number of sources can be present (e.g., more than two battery packs, auxiliary batteries, supplementary battery packs, etc.).

[0048] Vehicle 10 also includes a charging system that can be used to charge battery packs 24a and 24b, as well as any other batteries or energy storage devices in vehicle 10. The charging system can also be configured to supply power to external devices or systems. For example, the charging system enables vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) charging. The charging system includes one or more conversion devices for controlling aspects of charging and / or discharging. For example, at least one conversion device provides conversion between AC and DC current and / or voltage control. The conversion device can be a bidirectional conversion device, allowing the charging port to be used for either charging or discharging.

[0049] In one embodiment, the charging system includes a charging control device 50, such as an on-board charging module (OBCM). The charging control device 50 includes conversion devices in the form of a charger (charging circuit), which include devices for AC-DC conversion and DC-DC conversion. The charging control device 50 connects the battery system 22 to a charging port 52 for charging the vehicle battery system and / or providing power to an external storage system.

[0050] The charging control device 50 may include multiple power modules or stages 54 connected in parallel to a single output. Each power module or stage 54 may include a corresponding power factor correction and rectification stage.

[0051] Various controllers or control modules may be included in vehicle 10. For example, vehicle controller 56 may be included to control aspects of the operation of vehicle 10, such as driving electric motor 20, controlling power supply to various components, and controlling charging / discharging through OBCM. In one embodiment, vehicle controller 56 controls aspects of load distribution described herein.

[0052] Vehicle 10 also includes a computer system 60, which includes one or more processing devices 62 and a user interface 64. The various processing devices and units can communicate with each other via communication devices or systems such as Controller Area Network (CAN) or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) bus.

[0053] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an example of a power distribution system 70 for supplying power to a load 72. System 70 includes multiple power sources 74 connected in parallel to a common bus 76. Bus 76 is further connected to the input of the load 72. Each power source 74 is connected to bus 76 via a conversion device 78. For example, the conversion device includes DC-DC converters 78a-78n.

[0054] The power source 74 can be a battery or a battery assembly. For example, each power source 74 is a battery assembly, denoted as battery 74a-74n. Each battery comprises any number of battery cells. For example, a battery can be a battery pack (e.g., battery pack 24a or 24b), a group of battery cells, or a battery module (e.g., module 26).

[0055] The DC-DC converters 78a-78n described in this article can be, for example, by... Figure 1 The vehicle controller 56 controls various aspects (e.g., current and / or voltage) of the power supplied by each DC-DC converter 78a-78n. In one embodiment, the controller 56 or other processing device is a centralized controller that can individually instruct or command each DC-DC converter 78a-78n to output a specific power level.

[0056] Processing devices such as vehicle controller 56 are configured to execute a power management method that includes individually controlling conversion devices connected to a parallel power supply. As described herein, the conversion devices are controlled to maximize or optimize efficiency across various power levels.

[0057] Power loss affects efficiency under various conditions. For example, the power loss P in a vehicle power system from a power converter. loss Including conduction loss P i Drive loss P drive Auxiliary loss P aux and switching loss P sw A well-designed power conversion system consists of conduction losses P i Dominate.

[0058] The efficiency η can be evaluated for a single converter as follows:

[0059] ,

[0060] Peak efficiency occurs at P optPlace.

[0061] Combination Figure 3-5 Examples of the methods are discussed. These methods are described in conjunction with a power system comprising multiple power modules connected in parallel to a common load. The power modules may be conversion devices (e.g., DC-DC converters, AC-DC converters, transformers, etc.) or combinations thereof connected in parallel. However, it should be understood that the method can be applied to any suitable electrical system comprising multiple devices or power stages connected in parallel to a common source and / or load.

[0062] For example, this method can be applied to motor-inverter systems, such as... Figure 1 The propulsion system 16. In this example, each power module is a battery module or a group of battery cells connected in parallel to the motor (common load). In this example, a set of switches in the inverter acts as a DC-DC converter for each group of battery cells.

[0063] In another example, the method can be applied to a charging module with multiple stages connected in parallel. The common load in this example can be the battery system in the vehicle or an external system (e.g., another vehicle or the power grid).

[0064] Various aspects of the method can be executed by one or more processors (such as vehicle controller 56) arranged in the vehicle. Note that the method is not limited to this, and can be executed by any suitable processing device or system or combination of processing devices.

[0065] Figure 3 An embodiment of a method 100 for transferring power from a parallel-connected power source is depicted. Method 100 includes multiple steps or stages represented by blocks 101-110. Method 100 is not limited to the number or order of the steps therein, because some steps represented by blocks 101-110 may be performed in a different order than that described below, or fewer than all steps may be performed.

[0066] At box 101, the processing device starts up a power system comprising multiple power modules (e.g., DC-DC converters 78a-78n) connected in parallel to the load. At this stage, the power modules are enabled for the base load.

[0067] At box 102, the processing device calculates or determines the desired load power P. load The desired load power can be determined by the processing equipment based on the type and requirements of a given load (e.g., lamps, etc.).

[0068] At box 103, the processing device determines the number N of power modules to be used to provide power to the load. The number N is determined, for example, based on the number of power modules that can be utilized.

[0069] Then, the power modules are evaluated based on the assumption of uniform power distribution (i.e., each power module outputs the same power). The expected load power P is... load Divide by the quantity N to calculate the amount of power P that will be output equally by each of the N power modules. equal .

[0070] At box 104, the processing device determines the power level P of each power module. peak P peak This equals the maximum power that can be provided by a specific power module. Calculate the peak system power level, which is the peak power P of each power module. peak The sum of . In one embodiment, each power module has substantially the same peak power, and the peak system power is equal to N. P peak Then the peak system power is compared with the desired load power P. load Compare them.

[0071] At box 105, if the desired load power P load If the power is greater than or equal to the peak system power, then N power modules are activated to provide an equal amount of power to the load. Each power module is adjusted so that P... equal This is the target power for each power module. In other words, power is supplied in an equal distribution among the power modules.

[0072] At box 106, if the desired load power P load If the system power is less than the peak power, then calculate the threshold number P. threshold It is based on the fact that it can be done without exceeding the expected load power P load The number of power modules that operate at optimal power under optimal conditions. This can be achieved by adjusting P... load Divide by the optimal power of a set of power modules (P) load / P opt ) to calculate the number of thresholds.

[0073] At box 107, the processor determines that it can operate within the expected load power P. load The subset of power modules that operate optimally under the given conditions (i.e., the number F of power modules). F power modules provide optimal power (F... P opt (This refers to a portion of the required load power provided by the load.)

[0074] At box 108, the remaining power P is calculated as follows. rem :

[0075] P rem =P threshold -F P opt .

[0076] At box 109, based on the optimal power P for each module opt To activate and regulate F power modules. Each of the F power modules operates at its optimal power P. opt It is operated as a regulation target.

[0077] At box 110, the additional power module is activated and P rem It is regulated as the adjustment target. In this way, all power modules except one power module operate at their optimal power, with the auxiliary power module operating at a power lower than its optimal power P. opt Horizontal power supply.

[0078] Figure 4 An embodiment of a method 200 for transferring power from a parallel-connected power source is described. Method 200 is similar to method 100, except that the determination of power loss is added.

[0079] Method 200 includes multiple steps or stages represented by boxes 201-213. Method 200 is not limited to the number or order of the steps, because some steps represented by boxes 201-213 may be performed in a different order than that described below, or fewer than all steps may be performed.

[0080] At box 201, the processing device starts a power system comprising multiple power modules (e.g., DC-DC converters 78a-78n) connected in parallel to the load. At box 202, the processing device calculates or determines the desired load power P. load .

[0081] At box 203, the processing device determines the number N of power modules to be used to provide power to the load, and evaluates the power modules based on the assumption of equal power distribution. The desired load power P is... load Divide by N to calculate (P) equal ).

[0082] At box 204, the processing device determines the power level P of each power module. peak Calculate the peak system power level, which is the peak power P of each converter. peak The sum of these, and the sum that can equal N. P peak Then the peak system power is compared with the desired load power P. load Compare them.

[0083] At box 205, if the desired load power P loadIf the power is greater than or equal to the peak system power, then N power modules are activated to provide an equal amount of power to the load. Each power module is adjusted so that P... equal This is the target power for each power module.

[0084] At box 206, if the desired load power P load If the system power is less than the peak power, then calculate the threshold number P. threshold It is based on the fact that it can be done without exceeding the expected load power P load The number of power modules that operate at optimal power under optimal conditions. This can be achieved by adjusting P... load Divide by the optimal power of a set of power modules (P) load / P opt ) to calculate the threshold number.

[0085] At box 207, the processor determines that it can operate at a power not exceeding the desired load power P. load The optimal number of power modules, F, for optimal operation. F power modules provide optimal power (e.g., F0). P opt (This refers to a portion of the expected load power provided.)

[0086] At box 208, the remaining power P is calculated as follows. rem :

[0087] P rem =P threshold -F P opt .

[0088] At box 209, the processing device estimates the losses (P) that will occur if the power is evenly distributed among the N power modules. loss,eq At box 210, the processing device also estimates if operating the power modules causes each of the F power modules to operate at optimal power P. opt Operate and operate the additional power module to provide the remaining power, which will result in power loss (P). loss,m2 ).

[0089] At box 211, P loss,eq With P loss,m2 Compare. If P loss,eq Less than or equal to Ploss,m2 Then method 200 proceeds to block 205, and N power modules are operated according to the equal distribution of power.

[0090] At box 212, if P loss,eq Greater than P loss,m2 Then based on P opt Activate and adjust F power modules.

[0091] At box 213, the additional power module is activated and P rem It is regulated as a regulatory target.

[0092] Figure 5 An embodiment of a method 300 for transferring power from parallel-connected power sources is described. As each power module is successively activated, method 300 is executed in real time, enabling loss determination, and loss determination is used to determine when (or at what system power level) subsequent power modules are activated.

[0093] Method 300 includes multiple steps or stages represented by boxes 301-309. Method 300 is not limited to the number or order of the steps, because some steps represented by boxes 301-309 may be performed in a different order than that described below, or fewer than all steps may be performed.

[0094] At box 301, the processing device starts a power system comprising multiple power modules (e.g., DC-DC converters 78a-78n) connected in parallel to the load. At box 302, the processing device calculates or determines the desired load power P. load Assume or determine the minimum number x of power modules, which can be one or more based on the configuration and requirements of the power system (e.g., one or more power modules are active for the power controller).

[0095] At box 303, the processing device determines the number N of power modules to be used to provide power to the load, and evaluates the power modules based on the assumption of equal power distribution. The desired load power P is... load Divide by the quantity N to calculate P equal .

[0096] At box 304, the processing device determines the power level P of each power module. peak Calculate the peak system power level, which is the peak power P of each converter. peak The sum of these, and the sum that can equal N. P peak Then the peak system power is compared with the desired load power P. load Compare them.

[0097] At box 305, if the desired load power P load If the power is greater than or equal to the peak system power, then N power modules are activated to provide an equal amount of power to the load. Each power module is adjusted so that P... equal This is the target power for each power module.

[0098] If the expected load power is less than the peak system power, then boxes 306-309 are executed iteratively as each power module is activated. In the following text, k refers to the number of power modules currently being evaluated in a given iteration. k is an integer between 1 and N, and k is greater than or equal to x, where x is the minimum number (e.g., 1) of power modules that need to be activated to run the system.

[0099] At box 306, for a given number of k power modules currently being evaluated, the power quantity P equalk Calculated as P load / k. P equalk This represents the power output of each of the k power modules under equal distribution.

[0100] At box 307, the processing device estimates the amount of power loss (P) that would occur if the power were evenly distributed among the k power modules. loss,eq The total power output from the k power modules is represented as P. load,current It can be less than the desired load power P. load Boxes 306 and 307 can be repeated.

[0101] At box 308, the processor determines the number K of power modules that minimize power loss. For example, the power loss in the system can be calculated at different current levels, and the number K can be determined based on the power loss at known voltage and power.

[0102] At box 309, use P load / K is used as the target to activate and regulate K power modules.

[0103] Figures 6 to 8 Each includes an efficiency graph 400 illustrating an example of converter regulation using the methods described herein. In these examples, graph 400 represents the efficiency E (as a percentage) as a function of system power P (in watts). Graph 400 includes a curve 402 showing the maximum efficiency of the power distribution system.

[0104] Figure 6 This includes curve 404 representing the power level of each power module determined according to method 100, and showing the system efficiency when each power module is activated to supply power to the load. Each peak in curve 404 corresponds to the activation of the corresponding power module. Peaks 406a-406g represent the activation and operation of a subset of power modules (K power modules) at peak power. Peak 408 represents the efficiency used to supply surplus power (P... rem Activation and operation of the additional power module.

[0105] exist Figure 7In the diagram, curve 404 represents the power level of each power module determined according to method 200, and shows the system efficiency when each power module is activated to supply power to the load. As shown, method 200 improves efficiency under higher loads by evaluating losses as described above.

[0106] exist Figure 8 In the diagram, curve 410 represents the power level and activation point of each power module determined according to method 300, and shows the system efficiency when each power module is activated to supply power to the load. Point 412 represents the system voltage level when each power module is activated. As shown, by evaluating losses when each converter is activated, overall efficiency is improved by eliminating some efficiency losses that would otherwise occur when each power module is activated. For example, compared to curve 404, the efficiency drop due to power module activation is significantly reduced.

[0107] Figure 9 Various aspects of an embodiment of a computer system 140 capable of performing various aspects of the embodiments described herein are illustrated. The computer system 140 includes at least one processing device 142, which typically includes one or more processors for performing various aspects of the image acquisition and analysis methods described herein.

[0108] The components of computer system 140 include processing device 142 (such as one or more processors or processing units), memory 144, and bus 146, which connects various system components, including system memory 144, to processing device 142. System memory 144 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and may include various computer system-readable media. Such media may be any available media accessible by processing device 142, including volatile and non-volatile media, as well as removable and non-removable media.

[0109] For example, system memory 144 includes non-volatile memory 148 such as a hard disk drive, and may also include volatile memory 150, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. Computer system 140 may also include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media.

[0110] System memory 144 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules configured to perform the functions of the embodiments described herein. For example, system memory 144 stores various program modules that typically perform the functions and / or methods of the embodiments described herein. One or more modules 152 may be included to perform functions related to the control of power transmission as discussed herein. System 140 is not limited thereto, as other modules may be included. As used herein, the term "module" means processing circuitry that may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuitry, processor (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and memory executing one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functions.

[0111] The processing device 142 can also communicate with one or more external devices 156, which may be a keyboard, a pointing device, and / or any device that enables the processing device 142 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., a network interface card, a modem, etc.). Communication with various devices may occur via input / output (I / O) interfaces 164 and 165.

[0112] Processing device 142 can also communicate via network adapter 168 with one or more networks 166, such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), a bus network, and / or a public network (e.g., the Internet). It should be understood that, although not shown, other hardware and / or software components may be used in conjunction with computer system 140. Examples include, but are not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, and data archiving storage systems.

[0113] The terms “a” and “an” do not indicate a limitation of quantity, but rather that at least one of the referenced items is present. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term “or” means “and / or”. Throughout the specification, the reference to “aspect” means that a particular element described in connection with that aspect (e.g., a feature, structure, step, or characteristic) is included in at least one aspect described herein, and may or may not be present in other aspects. Furthermore, it should be understood that the described elements may be combined in any suitable manner in the aspects.

[0114] When an element, such as a layer, film, region, or substrate, is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element, or there may be intermediate elements present. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being “directly” on another element, there are no intermediate elements present.

[0115] Unless otherwise stated herein, all test standards are the most recent standards in force as of the filing date of this application, or, if priority is claimed, the filing date of the earliest priority application in which a test standard appears.

[0116] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0117] While the foregoing disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes can be made and elements can be substituted with equivalents without departing from its scope. Furthermore, many modifications can be made to adapt particular situations or materials to the teachings of this disclosure without departing from the basic scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is intended to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but will include all embodiments falling within its scope.

Claims

1. A system for controlling power transmission, comprising: Multiple power modules are connected in parallel to a common bus; and A controller configured to individually control each of the plurality of power modules, the controller being configured to: Receive the desired load power for the load to be connected to the common bus; The first power level of each of the plurality of power modules is estimated based on the equal distribution of the expected load power. Determine the peak system power, which is equal to the sum of the peak power levels of each power module; Compare the peak system power with the expected load power; Based on the fact that the expected load power is less than the peak system power, a subset of the plurality of power modules is determined, each of the plurality of power modules being able to operate at a corresponding optimal power level without exceeding the expected load power, the optimal power level of the power module being the power level that maximizes efficiency, and each of the plurality of power modules in the subset being operated at the corresponding optimal power level to supply power to the load.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the plurality of power modules according to the equal allocation based on the expected load power being greater than or equal to the peak system power.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate a remaining power amount based on the expectation load power being less than the peak power level, the remaining power amount being equal to the difference between the power output from a subset of the plurality of power modules and the expectation load power.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to operate each of a subset of the plurality of power modules at a corresponding optimal power level based on the expected load power being less than the peak system power, and to operate an additional power module at a selected power level corresponding to the amount of remaining power.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to estimate a first power loss associated with the equal distribution based on the expected load power being less than the peak system power, and to estimate a second power loss associated with each of a subset of the plurality of power modules operating at a corresponding optimal power level and with an additional power module operating at a selected power level corresponding to the remaining power amount.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to operate each of a subset of the plurality of power modules at a corresponding optimal power level, and to operate the additional power module based on a first power loss being greater than a second power loss.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to operate the plurality of power modules according to the equal allocation based on a first power loss amount being less than or equal to a second power loss amount.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein when one or more of the plurality of power modules are continuously activated, a subset of the plurality of power modules is determined in real time based on the power availability of each of the one or more power modules.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of power modules is selected from at least one of a battery and a conversion device.

10. A method for controlling power transmission, comprising: The controller receives the desired load power to be supplied to the load from the power system, which includes multiple power modules connected in parallel to a common bus, and the controller is configured to control each of the multiple power modules individually. The first power level of each of the plurality of power modules is estimated based on the equal distribution of the expected load power. Determine the peak system power, which is equal to the sum of the peak power levels of each of the plurality of power modules; Compare peak system power with expected load power; and Based on the fact that the expected load power is less than the peak system power: A subset of the plurality of power modules is determined, each subset of the power modules being capable of operating at a corresponding optimal power level without exceeding the desired load power, the optimal power level of the power module being the power level that maximizes efficiency; and Each of the subset of power modules is operated at the corresponding optimal power level to supply electrical energy to the load.

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