VEHICLE SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING TEMPORARY LOAD FLUCTUATIONS

Abstract

Vehicle systems and methods for controlling converters of a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) are provided. An exemplary method involves identifying an active subset of converters to supply an expected current draw for one or more electrical loads powered by the RESS, configuring droop control settings of active converters at least partially based on the expected current draw, and configuring reserve converters with their own droop control settings, distinct from those of the active converters. The droop control settings are configured to achieve a desired distribution of the expected current draw across the active converters and to activate the reserve converters to supply additional current in response to transient fluctuations where the current demand exceeds the expected current draw.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The technical field relates generally to vehicle systems and, more particularly, to methods and systems for managing transient fluctuations or variations by the one or more electrical loads served by a distributed converter system.

[0002] Many modern vehicles include rechargeable energy storage systems ("RESS"), such as vehicle batteries, that power high-voltage systems (such as a vehicle engine) as well as low-voltage systems (such as a vehicle radio, heated seats, or the like). They typically use various power converters to supply electrical power from the RESS at various voltage levels. For example, a power inverter or other direct current to alternating current (DC / AC) converter may be used to supply AC electrical power to a traction electric motor at a higher voltage level supported by the RESS, while one or more DC / DC converters may be used to supply DC electrical power from the RESS to other electrical loads associated with the vehicle at lower voltage levels.Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved methods and systems for operating power converters to achieve improved efficiency, balance, and / or longevity for the various components of the power converters and / or the RESS. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. SUMMARY

[0003] A device for a vehicle and related methods and vehicle systems having a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) are provided. In one example implementation, a method for controlling a plurality of converters coupled to a plurality of cells of a RESS and configured to supply power to one or more electrical loads includes determining, by a control module coupled to the plurality of converters, an expected power consumption for 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 power consumption based at least in part on the expected power consumption, resulting in a reserve subset of the plurality of converters;wherein the active subset and the reserve subset are mutually exclusive, the control module configuring respective droop control settings (static control settings) of respective active converters of the active subset at least in part based on the expected power consumption, and the control module configuring respective reserve converters of the reserve subset with respective droop control settings that are different from the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset, at least in part based on the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset.

[0004] In one or more implementations, configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset includes configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset for a droop control voltage setpoint that is less than a targeted voltage for the expected power consumption. In one implementation, configuring the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset includes configuring the respective active converters of the active subset with respective droop control voltage setpoints that are greater than the droop control voltage setpoint of the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset to achieve a desired distribution of the expected power consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset at the targeted voltage.In one implementation, configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset includes configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset for a droop control resistor setting that maintains an output voltage greater than a full load voltage of the respective active converters of the active subset.

[0005] In one implementation, the method further includes operating the respective reserve converters of the reserve 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 power consumption. In another implementation, configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset includes configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset for a droop control voltage setpoint that prevents the respective reserve converters of the reserve 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 power consumption.In another implementation, configuring the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the expected power consumption includes determining a desired distribution of expected power consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on cell data for respective cell groups of the plurality of cells associated with the respective active converters of the active subset, and configuring the respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset to achieve the desired distribution of expected power consumption, wherein the respective droop control settings of at least one of the respective active converters of the active subset are different from the respective droop control settings of another active converter of the active subset.In another implementation, configuring the respective backup converters of the backup subset with respective droop control settings that are different from the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters includes configuring the respective backup converters of the backup subset with a droop control resistance setting value that is less than a respective droop control resistance setting value for at least one of the respective active converters of the active subset to supply at least a portion of the current disproportionate to the one or more electrical loads via the respective backup converters of the respective backup subset when the current is greater than the expected power consumption.

[0006] In one or more example implementations, a device 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 configurable to determine an expected power consumption for 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 cells of the RESS and configured to supply the expected power consumption to the one or more electrical loads based at least in part on the expected power consumption, resulting in a reserve subset of the plurality of converters,wherein the active subset and the reserve subset are mutually exclusive, configuring respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset at least in part based on the expected power consumption, and configuring respective reserve converters of the reserve subset with respective droop control settings that are different from the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset, at least in part based on the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset.

[0007] In one or more implementations, the one or more services are configurable to configure the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset for a droop control voltage setpoint that is less than a targeted voltage for the expected power consumption. In another implementation, the one or more services are configurable to configure the respective active converters of the active subset with respective droop control voltage setpoints that are greater than the droop control voltage setpoint of the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset to achieve a desired distribution of the expected power consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset at the targeted voltage.

[0008] In another implementation, the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset are enabled to supply at least a portion of a current to the one or more electrical loads when the current is greater than the expected power consumption. In another implementation, the one or more services are configurable to configure the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset for a droop control voltage setpoint that prevents the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset from supplying at least a portion of a current to the one or more electrical loads when the current is less than the expected power consumption.In another implementation, the one or more services are configurable to determine a desired distribution of expected power consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on cell data for respective cell groups of the plurality of cells associated with the respective active converters of the active subset, and to configure the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset to achieve the desired distribution of expected power consumption, wherein the respective droop control settings of at least one of the respective active converters of the active subset are different from the respective droop control settings of another active converter of the active subset.In another implementation, the one or more services are configurable to configure the respective backup converters of the backup subset with a droop control resistance setting value that is less than a respective droop control resistance setting value for at least one of the respective active converters of the active subset to supply at least a portion of a current disproportionate to the one or more electrical loads via the respective backup converters of the backup subset when the current is greater than the expected power consumption.

[0009] A device for a vehicle is also provided, comprising a RESS comprising a plurality of cells and a plurality of converters coupled thereto and configured to supply power, one or more electrical loads to receive the power from the RESS, and a control system. The control system comprises one or more sensors configured to obtain cell data regarding the plurality of cells, the cell data comprising a state of charge for each of the plurality of cells, and a processor coupled to the one or more sensors and to the plurality of converters to provide one or more services configurable to obtain data indicative of an expected power consumption by the one or more electrical loads, identify an active subset of the plurality of converters based at least in part on the expected power consumption, resulting in a reserve subset of the plurality of converters,wherein the active subset and the reserve subset are mutually exclusive, configuring respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset at least in part based on the expected power consumption, and configuring respective reserve converters of the reserve subset with respective droop control settings that are different from the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset, at least in part based on the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset.

[0010] In one implementation, the respective droop control voltage setpoints of the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset are less than respective droop control voltage setpoints of the respective active converters of the active subset. In another implementation, the respective droop control voltage setpoints of the respective active converters of the active subset are configured to achieve a desired distribution of the expected power consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset. In another implementation, the respective droop control voltage setpoints of the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset are configured to cause the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset to supply at least a portion of the power to the one or more electrical loads when the current is greater than the expected power consumption.In another implementation, the one or more services are configurable to determine a desired distribution of expected power consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on the cell data for respective cell groups of the plurality of cells associated with the respective active converters of the active subset, and to configure the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset to achieve the desired distribution of expected power consumption, wherein the respective droop control settings of at least one of the respective active converters of the active subset are different from the respective droop control settings of another active converter of the active subset. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The present disclosure will now be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals designate like elements; Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle including a RESS and a control system for controlling it, among various other components, according to example implementations; Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a RESS comprising multiple cell groups and multiple DC / DC converters, which is suitable for the RESS in the vehicle of Fig. 1 can be implemented according to exemplary implementations; Fig. 3 a block diagram of a control module designed for use with a RESS such as the RESS of Fig. 1 is suitable, according to one or more example implementations; Fig. 4 a graph showing various relationships between the output voltage and the output current for converters of the RESS of Fig. 1, which is provided with various droop control settings by the one or more services of the control module of Fig. 3 is configured according to one or more example implementations; and Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary converter load management process suitable for implementation by one or more

[0012] services to a control module associated with a RESS in a vehicle, according to one or more implementations described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure or the application and uses thereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the foregoing background or the following detailed description.

[0014] Fig. 1 illustrates a vehicle 100 according to an exemplary implementation. As described in more detail below, the vehicle 100 includes, among other components, a rechargeable energy storage system (“RESS”) 101 and a control system 102. In various implementations, the RESS 101 includes a plurality of cell groups 170 and a plurality of direct current (DC / DC) converters 172, such as in Fig. 2 and described in more detail below in connection therewith. In various implementations, the control system 102 also controls the RESS 101, including via controlling the operation of the converters 172, to balance the state of charge (SOC) of the cell groups 170 for efficiency and / or to extend the longevity of the RESS 101.

[0015] As in Fig. 1, the RESS 101 and the control system 102 are depicted as part of the vehicle 100 according to example implementations. In various implementations, the vehicle 100 comprises a motor vehicle, such as any of a number of different types of motor vehicles, such as a sedan, station wagon, truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV), or the like. In certain implementations, the vehicle 100 may also comprise a motorcycle or other vehicle, such as an aircraft, spacecraft, watercraft, and so on, and / or one or more other types of mobile platforms (e.g., a robot and / or other mobile platform). In yet other implementations, the RESS 101 and the control system 102 may instead be part of or coupled to any number of other types of platforms and / or other systems that are moving or non-moving, such asa building, infrastructure and / or other platforms and / or other systems.

[0016] In the illustrated implementation, the vehicle 100 includes a body 104 disposed upon a chassis 116. The body 104 substantially encloses 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 rotatably coupled to the chassis 116 near a respective corner of the body 104 to facilitate movement of the vehicle 100. In one implementation, the vehicle 100 includes four wheels 112, although this may vary in other implementations (e.g., for trucks, motorcycles, and certain other vehicles).

[0017] A drive system 110 is mounted on the chassis 116 and drives the wheels 112, for example, via axles 114. In certain implementations, a drive system 110 includes a propulsion system with an electric motor 113. In various implementations, the drive system 110 with the motor 113 receives a high voltage from the RESS 101.

[0018] In various implementations, in addition to supplying the high voltage to the motor 113, the RESS 101 also supplies a low voltage to one or more low-voltage systems 111 of the vehicle 100. In various implementations, the low-voltage systems 111 may include, for example, one or more climate control systems, radio systems, seat heating systems, and so on.

[0019] As in Fig. 1, in various implementations, the vehicle also includes a braking system 106 and a steering system 108. In example implementations, the braking system 106 controls the braking of the vehicle 100 using braking components controlled via inputs provided by a driver (e.g., via a brake pedal) and / or automatically via a control system (e.g., the control system 102 and / or one or more other control systems). In example implementations, the steering system 108 also controls the steering of the vehicle 100 via steering components controlled via inputs provided by a driver (e.g., via a steering wheel) and / or automatically via a control system (such as the control system 102 and / or one or more other control systems).

[0020] In the Fig. 1, the control system 102 is coupled to the RESS 101, receives inputs therefrom, and controls the functionality thereof via control of the converters 172. Additionally, in certain implementations, the control system 102 is coupled to one or more of the braking system 106, the steering system 108, the propulsion system 110, and / or the low voltage systems 111, and may also receive inputs from and / or control these additional systems in certain implementations.

[0021] As in Fig. 1, the control system 102, in various implementations, includes a sensor assembly 120 and a control module 140 (or controller), as described in more detail below.

[0022] In various implementations, sensor assembly 120 includes various sensors that receive sensor data from vehicle 100 for use in controlling RESS 101, including converters 172 thereof, under different functionality. In the illustrated implementation, sensor assembly 120 includes one or more voltage sensors 130, current sensors 132, temperature sensors 134, charge state sensors 136, brake sensors 137, and steering sensors 138.

[0023] In certain implementations, the voltage sensors 130 measure the voltage of the RESS 101, including the various cell groups 170 thereof. In certain implementations, the current sensors 132 also measure the electrical current of the RESS 101, including the cell groups 170 thereof. In various implementations, the temperature sensors 134 measure the temperature of the RESS 101, including the cell groups 170 thereof. In various implementations, the state of charge sensors 136 also measure the state of charge of the RESS 101, including the cell groups 170 thereof. Additionally, in various implementations, the brake sensors 137 measure one or more parameters related to the brake system 106 (e.g., brake inputs, brake force, or the like), whereas the steering sensors 138 measure one or more parameters related to the steering system 108 (e.g., steering inputs, steering angle, or the like).

[0024] In various implementations, the control module 140 is coupled to the sensor assembly 120 and receives sensor data therefrom. In various implementations, the control module 140 is further coupled to the RESS 101, including the converters 172, for controlling the same. Furthermore, in certain implementations, 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 propulsion system 110, and / or low-voltage systems, for example, for receiving input therefrom and / or controlling the same.

[0025] In various implementations, the control module 140 controls the operation of the converters 172, including with respect to the selective charging and discharging of the various cell groups 170 across the converters 172, to optimize balance for the cell groups 170 and / or longevity for the converters 172, among other potential functionality for the vehicle 100.

[0026] As in Fig. 1, the control module 140, in various implementations, comprises a computer system and includes a processor 142, a memory 144, an interface 146, a storage device 148, and a computer bus 150.

[0027] The processor 142 performs the computation and control functions of the control module 140 and may include any type of processor or multiple processors, individual integrated circuits such as a microprocessor, or any suitable number of integrated circuit devices and / or circuit boards working in cooperation to perform the functions of a processing unit. During operation, the processor 142 executes one or more programs 152 contained within the memory 144 and, in turn, controls the general operation of the control module 140 and the computer system of the control module 140 in general in executing the processes described herein, such as the process 500 of Fig. 5, which is further described below in connection therewith.

[0028] Memory 144 may be any suitable type of memory, including various types of non-transitory computer-readable storage media. In certain examples, memory 144 is located on the same computer chip as and / or co-located with processor 142. In the illustrated implementation, memory 144 stores the aforementioned program 152 along with stored values ​​157 (e.g., lookup tables, thresholds, and / or other values ​​related to controlling RESS 101).

[0029] The interface 146 enables communication with the computer system of the control module 140, for example, from a system driver and / or another computer system, and may be implemented using any suitable method and means. In one implementation, the interface 146 receives the various data from the sensor assembly 120, among 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 to communicate with technicians and / or one or more storage interfaces to connect to storage devices, such as the storage device 148.

[0030] The storage device 148 may be any suitable type of storage device, including various different types of random access memory and / or other memory devices. In an exemplary implementation, the storage device 148 includes a program product from which the memory 144 can receive a program 152 that executes one or more implementations of one or more processes of the present disclosure, such as the steps of process 500 of Fig. 5, which is further described below in connection therewith. In another exemplary implementation, the program product may be stored directly in and / or otherwise accessed through memory 144 and / or a disk (e.g., disk 156), such as the one noted below.

[0031] Bus 150 is used to transfer programs, data, status, and other information or signals between the various components of the computer system of control module 140. Bus 150 may be any suitable physical or logical means for connecting computer systems and components. This includes, but is not limited to, direct hard-wired connections, fiber optics, infrared, and wireless bus technologies. During operation, program 152 is stored in memory 144 and executed by processor 142.

[0032] It should be appreciated that, although this example implementation is described in the context of a fully functioning computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanisms of the present disclosure may be distributed as a program product having one or more types of non-transitory computer-readable signal carrying media used to store the program and instructions thereof and to carry out the distribution thereof, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying the program and having computer instructions stored therein for causing a computer processor (such as processor 142) to execute and perform the program.

[0033] Fig. 2 is a functional diagram of the RESS 101 from Fig. 1, including multiple cell groups 170 and DC / DC converters 172, according to example implementations.

[0034] As in Fig. 2, in various implementations, the RESS 101 includes a number of cell groups 170, such as a first cell group 170(1), a second cell group 170(2), and so on, up to an "nth" cell group 170(N). In practice, each cell group 170 may include one or more battery cells or other energy storage elements electrically configured in series and / or parallel to provide a desired DC voltage level and / or DC output current. It should be appreciated that the number and configuration of the cell groups 170 may vary in various implementations, and the subject matter described herein is not limited to any particular number, type, or configuration of cell groups 170.

[0035] As in Fig. 2, and also in various implementations, a number of power converters 172 are coupled to the cell groups 170. In the illustrated implementation, the converters 172 include a first DC / DC converter 172(1), a second DC / DC converter 172(2), and so on up to an "nth" DC / DC converter 172(N), with each respective DC / DC converter 172 coupled to a respective subset of one or more of the cell groups 170. It should be appreciated that the number of converters 172 may vary in various implementations, and the subject matter described herein is not limited to any particular number or configuration of DC / DC converters 172 and / or cell groups 170.

[0036] As in Fig. 2, in various implementations, each converter 172 converts a source of direct current (DC) from one or more cell groups 170 from one DC voltage to another DC voltage, which may be different from the cumulative DC voltage of the respective cell group 170 (or subset of cells). In certain implementations, the current from one or more cell groups 170 may be selectively used for the operation of different systems (such as the vehicle 100 from Fig. 1) be used in a prioritized order based on factors such as current charge levels and / or other conditions. In certain implementations, such as in Fig. 2, the current from various converters 172(1), 172(2), ... 172(N) (namely “i0N”, “i02”, ... “i0N”) can be used as aggregate current (namely “i s") for use by the various systems. In certain implementations, other electrical current 176 may also be stored and / or used for one or more other purposes, such as rebalancing the cell groups 170.

[0037] In one or more example implementations, the RESS 101 is configured to function as an auxiliary power module (APM), wherein the respective cell groups 170 are electrically configured in series to effectively provide the high voltage (HV) battery that provides electrical power in a suitable voltage range (e.g., 350-800 volts) to primarily supply power to the electric motor 113 of the vehicle propulsion system, while the DC / DC converters 172 are used to transform electrical energy from the voltage level associated with the respective cell group 170 of the HV battery to a respective voltage level associated with a lower voltage grid of the vehicle electrical system, such as a 12 volt grid, a 24 volt grid, a 48 volt grid, and / or the like.For example, in one implementation, the HV battery is divided into respective cell groups 170, with each cell group 170 capable of functioning as a respective nominal 12-volt power supply that can be coupled to the 12-volt grid via the respective DC / DC converter 172 associated or otherwise assigned to that respective cell group 170. In this regard, multiple instances of cell groups 170 can be selectively configured in parallel with the 12-volt grid to support the desired amount of DC load current in the grid via the outputs of the respective DC / DC converters 172 that are electrically configured in parallel.Accordingly, for purposes of explanation, the subject matter herein may be described in the context of DC / DC converters 172 operating to supply electrical power to a 12-volt network of a vehicle electrical system, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein is not limited to such an implementation.

[0038] In example implementations, the DC / DC converters 172 are configurable to support or otherwise provide droop control, wherein the DC voltage output by the respective DC / DC converter 172 varies depending on the amount of DC current to be supplied to the one or more electrical loads via the respective DC / DC converter 172. In this regard, as the amount of DC current flowing through the respective DC / DC converter 172 increases, the output of the respective DC / DC converter 172 may decrease linearly according to a droop control setting value.As described in more detail below, in example implementations described herein, the control module 140 is configurable to dynamically change the droop control resistor setting value and / or the zero current output voltage setpoint of the respective DC / DC converter 172 to achieve the desired distribution of current flow across the various DC / DC converters 172 to facilitate balancing the state of charge of the cell groups 170 while maintaining the desired nominal DC voltage of the grid at 12 volts.

[0039] Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary implementation of a control module 300 adapted for use as control module 140 in the vehicle 100 of Fig. 1. The control module 300 includes a cell balancing service 310, which generally represents software or other logic implemented at the control module 300 that is configurable to determine which of the DC / DC converters 172 should be activated or otherwise enabled to provide current flow from their respective cell groups 170 to meet the expected current demand associated with the one or more electrical loads 340 coupled to the electrical grid or voltage bus served by the DC / DC converters 172. The cell balancing service 310 is communicatively coupled to the respective cell groups 170 via the sensor array 120 to receive or otherwise obtain cell data indicative of the respective state of charge (e.g.,via state-of-charge sensors 136) associated with the respective cell groups 170, which in turn can be used by the cell balancing service 310 to determine which cell groups 170 should preferably be used to supply the expected amount of power likely needed or demanded by the electrical loads 340. In this regard, the 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 communications network, and / or the like) to obtain data or information indicative of the current operating state and corresponding power (or power) needs of the respective electrical loads 340.Consequently, the cell balancing service 310 may determine the number of DC / DC converters 172 (or cell groups 170) that should be activated in parallel to achieve the expected power requirements, while keeping the DC / DC converters 172 associated with the respective cell groups 170 with lower charge levels deactivated to balance the charge level across the various cell groups 170. For illustrative purposes, the DC / DC converters 172 that are set for activation to supply power to the electrical loads 340 may be referred to herein as active converters, while the DC / DC converters 172 that are set for deactivation to preserve the charge level of their respective cell groups 170 may be referred to herein as backup converters.

[0040] In one or more example implementations, the cell balancing service 310 determines which of the DC / DC converters 172 should be active (and corresponding cell groups 170 to be drained to provide power), along with determining a targeted or desired amount of current to be passed through the respective active converters 172 (or supplied by the respective cell groups 170), in a manner that takes into account the relative charge states across the cell groups 170 and the efficiency of the respective active converters 172.In this regard, the efficiency of the DC / DC converters 172 may vary depending on the relationship between the output voltage and the output current, such that the cell balancing service 310 determines a targeted amount of current (or electrical load) for the respective active converters 172 that operates the active converters 172 at a desired efficiency (or within a desired efficiency range) to achieve a desired performance of the active converters 172 while simultaneously achieving a desired distribution of power consumption across the respective cell groups 170. In one implementation, for example, a predicted load for the converter set could be determined based on feedback measurements of the current load current along with additional information about which loads a user may select (e.g., seat heating or the like).An amount of electrical current associated with the user-selected expected loads (e.g., average current, maximum current, and / or the like) may be added to or otherwise combined with the current load current measurement to arrive at the targeted amount of current to be passed through the respective active converters 172.

[0041] The control module 300 includes a droop configuration service 320, which generally represents software or other logic implemented at the control module 300 that is configurable to receive indications of the desired active and standby converters 172 from the converter configuration service 320, and then calculates or otherwise determines the respective droop control settings for the respective converters 172 to achieve the desired operation of the converters 172 and the corresponding power distribution across the active converters 172.In this regard, as described in more detail below, for the active converters 172, the converter configuration service 320 may calculate or otherwise determine droop control settings, including a zero-current (or idle, or no-load) droop control output voltage setpoint for the respective active converters 172, along with a corresponding droop resistor that dictates the relationship between the output voltage of the respective active converters 172 and the corresponding output current supplied by the respective active converter 172 at the respective output voltage. Accordingly, for the active converters 172, the droop control output voltage setpoint may be set to a DC voltage value greater than or equal to the targeted DC voltage or nominal DC voltage for the DC voltage bus coupled between the output of the converters 172 and the electrical loads 340.For example, for a nominal 12-volt electrical grid, the converter configuration service 320 may determine that the droop control output voltage setpoint should be greater than or equal to 12 volts (e.g., 12.5 volts). In example implementations, the converter configuration service 320 uses the targeted current for the respective active converters 172 provided by the cell balancing service 310 to configure the droop control output voltage setpoint and the droop control resistance setting for the respective active converters 172 to achieve the targeted efficiency and current distribution across the active converters 172.

[0042] For example, once the baseline droop control settings for the converters 172 are determined, the droop control settings may be adjusted based on the current load characteristics, the desired current for each converter 172 for cell balancing, and the efficiency of the converters 172. For example, for a cell group 170 that is an outlier with a relatively higher state of charge, the droop control settings of its associated converter 172 may be configured to draw more current from that cell group 170 by increasing the zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint and decreasing the droop resistance to raise and flatten the droop voltage curve so that the converter 172 associated with that cell group 170 supports most of the load before other converters 172 are active.In this regard, the droop control resistor setting may be configured such that the converter 172 associated with the higher SOC cell group 170 operates at or near full current until the output voltage drops below the zero current droop control output voltage setpoint associated with a second set of active converters 172 that becomes active to supplement the output current to the load.For example, the zero current droop control output voltage setpoint and droop control resistance setting values ​​for the second set of active converters 172 may be configured to operate at approximately 20% of their respective output current capacity in accordance with the higher SOC active converter 172 operating closer to 100% when providing the targeted amount of current for the expected amount of load, to facilitate rebalancing the SOC across the cell groups 170 associated with those active converters 172 (e.g., by lowering the SOC of the higher SOC cell group 170 to an SOC closer to other ones of the cell groups 170).

[0043] For the backup converters 172, the converter configuration service 320 sets the droop control output voltage setpoint to a DC voltage value that is less than the droop control output voltage setpoint of the active converters 172, such that the backup converters 172 are disabled or otherwise maintained in the zero output current state until the current voltage of the DC voltage bus coupled to the output of the respective backup converters 172 falls below this droop control output voltage setpoint. In this regard, the converter configuration service 320 may be configured to calculate or otherwise determine the respective droop control output voltage setpoints to provide a desired degree of separation between the active and backup converters 172 to account for variations across the converters 172 in a manner likely to keep the backup converters 172 disabled.Additionally, based on the number of converters 172 designated as active and the expected power requirements, the converter configuration service 320 may be configured to calculate or otherwise determine the respective droop control resistor setting values ​​for the active converters 172 to provide the desired slope or relationship between the output current and output voltage of the active converters 172 to operate them at a desired efficiency when delivering the expected amount of power to the electrical loads 340.Concurrently, the converter configuration service 320 calculates or otherwise determines the respective droop control resistor setting values ​​for the active and standby converters 172 to provide the desired slope or relationship between the output current and output voltage of the standby converters 172 to enable the standby converters 172 to be automatically activated in response to a temporary increase in power demand from the electrical loads 340 to supplement the output current provided by the active converters 172 and maintain the DC voltage bus voltage at or above the targeted nominal bus (or grid) voltage. For example, for a 12-volt bus, the converter configuration service 320 may configure the standby converters 172 for droop control output voltage setpoints slightly greater than the targeted or nominal DC bus voltage of 12 volts (e.g.,12.1 volts), but with respective droop control resistor setting values ​​that ensure that the backup converters 172 begin operation to supply power to the electrical loads 340 before the output voltage across the active converters 172 falls below 12 volts, to support or otherwise maintain the 12 volt DC bus voltage regardless of power fluctuations at the electrical loads 340. In example implementations, the droop control output voltage setpoints for the backup converters 172 are also greater than the full load voltage (e.g., at the maximum output current capability) of the active converters 172, with the droop control resistor setting values ​​configured to preferably supply a temporary load current from the backup converters 172 to maintain the active converters 172 at or below the full load voltage.

[0044] Fig. Figure 4 illustrates an example graph 400 illustrating the relationship between the output voltage and the output current for a pair of active DC / DC converters and a backup DC / DC converter in an example implementation. In this regard, Fig. 4 illustrates a scenario in which a first active DC / DC converter is configured for a zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint of 12.5 volts and a droop control resistance setting value that specifies the slope of a corresponding line 402 representing the relationship between the output voltage and the output current for the respective active DC / DC converter. A second active DC / DC converter is configured for a zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint of 12.49 volts and a droop control resistance setting value that specifies the slope of a corresponding line 404 representing the relationship between the output voltage and the output current for the respective active DC / DC converter.In this regard, the active DC / DC converters may be configured for the same droop control resistor setting value such that the lines 402, 404 representing the relationship between the output voltage and the output current are substantially parallel and do not intersect. Fig. For example, Figure 4 may correspond to an implementation configured to deliver a targeted amount of 40 amps of output current at a bus voltage of 12.435 volts, resulting in the first active DC / DC converter delivering 22 amps of output current and the second active DC / DC converter delivering 18 amps of output current at a bus voltage of 12.435 volts. In this regard, when the bus voltage at the output of the converters is equal to 12.435 volts, the backup DC / DC converter, with an output voltage-to-output current relationship corresponding to line 406, delivers no output current to the bus.

[0045] In the example in Fig. 4, the backup DC / DC converter is configured for a zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint of 12.4 volts, so that the backup DC / DC converter will not conduct any current until the voltage supplied to the electrical loads coupled to the backup DC / DC converter output falls below 12.4 volts. The droop control resistor setting value, which dictates the slope of line 406 representing the relationship between the output voltage and output current for the respective backup DC / DC converter, may be different from the active DC / DC converters to allow the backup DC / DC converter to conduct increasing amounts of current to assist in maintaining a higher DC voltage output across parallel DC / DC converters.In this regard, line 406, which represents the relationship between the output voltage and output current for the backup DC / DC converter, may be transverse to or otherwise intersect lines 402, 404, which represent the relationship between the output voltage and output current for the active DC / DC converters. For the illustrated embodiment, the combination of the zero-current droop control output voltage setpoints and the droop control resistor setting values ​​for the active DC / DC converters may be configured to maintain the voltage of a DC voltage bus coupled to their respective outputs at or above 12.4 volts until the output current exceeds 63 amperes (e.g., in response to a transient load variation on the bus), as shown in FIG. Fig. 4 shown.

[0046] In the example shown, Fig. 4 illustrates a line 408 corresponding to an operating condition of the DC / DC converters when the current demand by the one or more electrical loads coupled to the DC voltage bus reaches 88 amperes, causing the output voltage at the DC / DC converters to drop to 12.375 volts, with the first active DC / DC converter conducting 42 amperes of current, the second active DC / DC converter conducting 38 amperes, and the standby DC / DC converter conducting 8 amperes to help support or more closely maintain the DC voltage bus voltage.For example, to ensure that the DC bus voltage is maintained at or above 12 volts, the backup DC / DC converters may be configured for a zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint closer to 12 volts, but with a relatively shallower slope to increasingly conduct current as the bus voltage approaches 12 volts to maintain the 12 volt bus voltage above 12 volts, while the zero-current droop control output voltage setpoints and resistance values ​​for the active DC / DC converters are tailored to achieve a desired current distribution across their respective cell groups 170 while operating the active DC / DC converters at the desired efficiency or performance.In this manner, the active DC / DC converters may 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 cell groups 170, while the backup DC / DC converters are tuned or otherwise configured to absorb transient load fluctuations and substantiate the bus voltage.

[0047] With further reference to Fig. 3, in example implementations, the control module 300 includes a setpoint control service 330, which generally represents software or other logic implemented at the control module 300 that is configurable to program, instruct, configure, or otherwise operate the DC / DC converters 172 according to the respective droop control settings and to provide feedback control to dynamically adjust one or more of the respective droop control settings for one or more of the active DC / DC converters 172 based on deviations between the observed operation of the respective active DC / DC converters 172 with respect 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 respective active DC / DC converters 172 may vary from the expected performance given a particular set of input droop control setting values. Referring to FIG. Fig. 4, for example, in one scenario, the second active DC / DC converter may be commanded, instructed, or otherwise configured to have a zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint of 12.5 volts, but in response to the 12.5 volt droop control output voltage setpoint command, the second active DC / DC converter may instead achieve an output voltage to output current relationship corresponding to line 404 rather than line 402.In this regard, the setpoint control service 330 may be communicatively coupled to the output of the DC / DC converters 172 via the sensor assembly 120 to receive or otherwise obtain cell data indicative of the output voltage and / or output current of the respective DC / DC converters 172, which in turn may be used by the setpoint control service 330 to provide closed-loop control of the droop control settings input to the DC / DC converters 172 to achieve the desired output voltage and output current relationship for the respective active DC / DC converters 172.

[0048] For example, if a droop control output voltage setpoint command of 12.5 V results in an active DC / DC converter 172 providing an output current at a particular output voltage indicating a zero-current output voltage below 12.5 volts (e.g., line 404), the setpoint control service 330 may dynamically increase the commanded droop control output voltage setpoint provided to that active DC / DC converter 172 until the desired combination of output voltage and output current is achieved. Similarly, the setpoint control service 330 may dynamically adjust the droop control resistor setting values ​​for one or more of the active DC / DC converters 172 if component variations, manufacturing tolerances, and / or other variables cause the active DC / DC converter 172 to provide more or less output current than desired for a particular output voltage.In this regard, the setpoint control service 330 may be configurable to provide closed-loop control of the droop control output voltage setpoints and droop control resistance setpoints for the active DC / DC converters 172 to achieve the desired distribution of the output load current across the respective cell groups 170 associated with the active DC / DC converters 172.

[0049] In exemplary implementations, each of the services 310, 320, 330 included in Fig. 3 are 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 respective services 310, 320, 330. In this regard, depending on the implementation, the control module 300 may include or be implemented as any custom-made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an auxiliary processor among multiple 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 generally any device for executing instructions to provide the services 310, 320, 330. Although Fig. 3 depicts services 310, 320, 330 as separate and distinct, in practice, one or more of services 310, 320, 330 may be integrated into a unified service or otherwise combined. In still other implementations, services 310, 320, 330 may be implemented in a distributed manner across various instances of control modules, and the subject matter described herein is not intended to be limited to any particular implementation or configuration.

[0050] Fig. 5 illustrates 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 set of electrically parallel power converters of a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to achieve a targeted performance while absorbing transient load fluctuations. For illustrative purposes, the following description may refer to elements described above in connection with Fig. 1-4. Although portions of the converter load management process 500 may be performed by various elements of a vehicle system, for explanatory purposes, the subject matter herein may be described primarily in the context of the converter load management process 500 performed primarily by one or more services 310, 320, 330 implemented at a control module 140, 300 associated with a set of parallel DC / DC converters 172.

[0051] The converter load management process 500 begins by identifying or otherwise determining the expected electrical power consumption by electrical loads to be served by the RESS at 502. In this regard, a cell balancing service 310 at a 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, either directly or indirectly (e.g., via the sensor assembly 120 that measures the power consumption by the electrical loads 340), to receive or otherwise obtain data or information indicative of the amount of power that the respective electrical loads 340 are expected to consume or demand over an upcoming period of time (e.g., the duration of the next control cycle before the next iteration of the converter load management process 500).The expected power consumption associated with the respective electrical loads 340 may be aggregated or otherwise combined to arrive at a cumulative expected power to be supplied by the RESS 101 over the next control cycle.

[0052] The converter load management process 500 proceeds to identify or otherwise determine a number of converters associated with the RESS that should be active in supplying the expected power consumption based on one or more electrical properties associated with respective battery cell groups of the RESS at 504. In this regard, based on the relative state of charge measurements, voltage measurements, and / or the like obtained for the respective cell groups 170 of the RESS 101 via the sensor array 120, the cell balancing service 310 may determine a specific number of cell groups 170 to be used to supply the expected power consumption and identify which cell groups 170 should be used to supply the expected power consumption over the next control cycle.For example, in one implementation, the cell balancing service 310 identifies a subset of cell groups 170 with the highest state of charge as the cell groups 170 to be used, and then identifies the respective DC / DC converters 172 associated with these cell groups 170 with the highest state of charge as the active DC / DC converters 172 for supplying the expected power consumption over the next control cycle. In practice, the number of active DC / DC converters 172 (and corresponding cell groups 170) to be included in the subset of active DC / DC converters 172 may be determined by dividing the expected load current by the output current of the DC / DC converters 172, which optimizes or maximizes the efficiency of the DC / DC converters 172.For example, if the expected load current is 150 amps and the peak efficiency of the DC / DC converters 172 is between 15 amps and 25 amps, the cell balancing service 310 may determine that between 6 and 10 DC / 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 cell groups 170 and other factors. For example, the cell balancing service 310 may determine to activate 8 DC / DC converters 172 and identify the DC / DC converters 172 associated with the 8 cell groups 170 with the highest SOC values ​​as the active set of DC / DC converters 172.

[0053] After identifying the subset of active converters, the converter load management process 500 proceeds at 506 to calculate or otherwise determine one or more performance targets for the active converters and then calculate or otherwise determine corresponding droop control settings for the active converters based on the performance targets at 508.In this regard, in example implementations, based at least in part on the expected power consumption, the current state of charge of the active cell groups 170 associated with the active DC / DC converters 172, the performance characteristics associated with the DC / DC converters 172, and / or potentially other factors, a converter configuration service 320 may determine the desired distribution of power consumption across the respective active DC / DC converters 172 and a corresponding output voltage target for the active DC / DC converters 172 at that level of power consumption.Based on the targeted power consumption for particular active DC / DC converters 172 at a targeted output voltage, the converter configuration service 320 may calculate or otherwise determine a corresponding combination of zero-current droop control output voltage setpoints and droop control resistance values ​​that are expected to achieve that targeted power consumption at the targeted output voltage for that particular active DC / DC converter 172.Continuing the example, where the cell balancing service 310 determines, for example, to activate 8 DC / DC converters 172 and identifies the DC / DC converters 172 associated with the 8 cell groups 170 with the highest SOC values, the converter configuration service 320 may configure the droop control settings of the respective DC / DC converters 172 of the active set to supply 18.75 amps each to achieve the total expected output current of 150 amps, while the active DC / DC converters 172 associated with the cell groups 170 with the highest SOC operate within the peak efficiency output current range between 15 amps and 25 amps. With reference to FIG. Fig. 4, in the illustrated implementation, the converter configuration service 320 may determine droop control settings for the respective active converters corresponding to lines 402, 404 to achieve an expected current consumption of 40 amperes at a targeted output voltage of 12.435 volts, as described above.

[0054] With further reference to Fig. 5, in example implementations, after determining the droop control settings for the active converters, the converter load management process 500 proceeds at 510 to calculate or otherwise determine droop control settings for enabling the backup converters to handle transient load fluctuations based on the configuration of the active converters. In this regard, the converter configuration service 320 determines droop control settings for the backup DC / DC converters 172 that are configured to cause the backup DC / DC converters 172 to begin conducting or otherwise supplying power to one or more of the electrical loads 340 when the power consumption by the one or more electrical loads 340 is greater than the expected electrical power consumption determined at 502.For example, the converter configuration service 320 may configure the zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint for the backup DC / DC converters 172 to be less than the targeted output voltage for the active DC / DC converters 172, which is determined based on the expected power consumption, such that the backup DC / DC converters 172 do not begin supplying power to the one or more electrical loads 340 until the output voltage falls below the targeted output voltage for the active DC / DC converters 172. With reference to FIG. Fig. 4, the converter configuration service 320 may determine the zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint for the backup converter, corresponding to line 406, to be equal to 12.4 volts, so that the backup converter will not begin supplying current until the current consumption by the electrical loads exceeds 63 amperes and causes the output voltage of the active converters to fall below the targeted output voltage of 12.4 volts.

[0055] In example implementations, the converter load management process 500 also calculates or otherwise determines the droop control resistor values ​​for the backup DC / DC converters 172 to cause the backup DC / DC converters 172 to disproportionately supply more power to the one or more electrical loads 340 when the real-time power consumption exceeds the expected power consumption (e.g., from 502) to cause the output voltage across the parallel DC / DC converters 172 to fall below the targeted output voltage for the active DC / DC converters 172.In this manner, by configuring the backup DC / DC converters 172 for a larger droop control resistance value relative to the droop control resistance value for the active DC / DC converters 172 to provide a relatively flatter relationship between the drop in output voltage and the increase in output current, the backup DC / DC converters 172 may preferentially and disproportionately absorb transient fluctuations in power consumption or needs by the one or more electrical loads 340 to underpin, support, or otherwise maintain the DC bus voltage in the presence of load fluctuations, while still maintaining the operation of the active DC / DC converters 172 closer to performance targets to improve the efficiency of operation of the active DC / DC converters 172.

[0056] By configuring the droop control voltage setpoint for the backup DC / DC converters 172 at or below a threshold below the targeted full load voltage of the active DC / DC converters 172, the backup DC / DC converters 172 do not actively convert or source the load current for most of the load range of the active DC / DC converters 172, with the current consumption at or below the expected load current.However, if a large current demand is applied to the DC voltage bus coupled to the output of the parallel DC / DC converters 172, the bus voltage drops to a level that would turn on the backup DC / DC converters 172 through the relatively fast internal control loops associated with the DC / DC converters 172, which internally regulate their performance according to the input droop control settings provided by the control module 140, 308, without requiring any intervention from the relatively slower supervisory control module 140, 308 to manage the sudden load spike. Rather, 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 during the next iteration of the converter load management process 500 and assigns a larger number of DC / DC converters 172 to the active subset and / or moves the droop control voltage setpoint of the currently active DC / DC converters 172 to a higher voltage level to appropriately rebalance the load among the DC / DC converters 172 over the next control cycle.

[0057] With further reference to Fig.5, in example implementations, after determining and configuring the active and standby converters for the desired droop control settings, the converter load management process 500 proceeds to monitor the performance of the converters (e.g., the output voltage and output current) and dynamically adjust the droop control settings for one or more of the converters based on a difference between the observed performance of the one or more respective converters and the targeted performance for the one or more respective converters at 512.For an active DC / DC converter 172, for example, a setpoint control service 330 may continuously monitor the measured output current (via sensor assembly 120) associated with the respective active DC / DC converter 172 and the measured output voltage (or DC bus voltage) to detect or otherwise identify a difference between a targeted output current for that output voltage corresponding to the droop control settings for that respective active DC / DC converter 172. In this regard, if the current consumption by the active DC / DC converter 172 is less than expected for the measured output voltage, the setpoint control service 330 may increase the zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint and / or decrease the droop control resistance value to cause the current delivered by the respective active DC / DC converter 172 to increase for the same output DC bus voltage.On the other hand, if the current consumption by the active DC / DC converter 172 is greater than expected for the measured output voltage, the setpoint control service 330 may decrease the zero current droop control output voltage setpoint and / or increase the droop control resistance value to cause the current supplied by the respective active DC / DC converter 172 to decrease for the same output DC bus voltage.

[0058] In a similar manner, if a backup DC / DC converter 172 is supplying current at a measured output DC bus voltage that is greater than the zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint supplied to that backup DC / DC converter 172, the setpoint control service 330 may decrease the commanded zero-current droop control output voltage setpoint supplied to that backup DC / DC converter 172 for cell balancing purposes to prevent the backup DC / DC converter 172 from supplying current that was expected or intended to be supplied by the active DC / DC converters 172.In this manner, the setpoint control service 330 helps achieve the desired cell balancing across cell groups 170 of the RESS 101 by reducing the likelihood that the backup DC / DC converters 172 will inadvertently supply current at the targeted output voltage for the active DC / DC converters 172, while maintaining the availability of the backup DC / DC converters 172 to quickly respond to transient load fluctuations.

[0059] It should be appreciated that the converter load management process 500 may repeat continuously throughout the operation of the vehicle 100 to achieve the desired cell balance across cell groups 170 of the RESS 101 to extend the longevity of the RESS 101, while also operating the DC / DC converters 172 in a manner that achieves a targeted 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 cell groups 170 and converters 172 are active during any particular control cycle to achieve the desired balance of usage across the cell groups 170, while allowing the temporarily inactive reserve cell groups 170 and reserve converters 172 to dynamically respond to transient load fluctuations to supplement the active cell groups 170 and converters 172 substantially in real time.

[0060] The subject matter described herein may increase the efficiency of a vehicle electrical system having multiple DC / DC converters configured electrically in parallel using various droop control settings to operate a subset of active DC / DC converters with a respective load (e.g., combination of output voltage and output current) that is close to (or within a threshold range of) an optimal peak efficiency point of the respective converters. In this regard, to maximize the efficiency of these active converters, another mutually exclusive subset of the DC / DC converters may be configured as backup converters that are not intended to actively convert given the expected electrical load.Furthermore, the droop control settings of the backup converters can be configured to temporarily activate the backup converters in response to a temporary or unexpected increase in electrical load to support or otherwise maintain the voltage of the DC voltage bus coupled to the outputs of the DC / DC converters, while maintaining the ability to efficiently operate the active subset of DC / DC converters if or when the power demand decreases.

[0061] As described above, the droop control output voltage setpoint for the active DC / DC converters can be configured to achieve the desired load sharing across the active DC / DC converters (e.g., to achieve the desired state of charge balance across the respective battery cell groups or other energy sources supplying input power to the active DC / DC converters), while the droop control output voltage setpoint for the backup DC / DC converters can be configured to support sudden transient increases in electrical load that occur before the DC / DC converters can be reconfigured and / or reallocated to the active subset. In this way, the droop control settings can be used to regulate the output voltage and handle load fluctuations while also ensuring load sharing and load balancing at the input-side energy sources.

[0062] For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to vehicle electrical systems, RESSs, power converters, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail here. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures included 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 an implementation of the subject matter.

[0063] As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Accordingly, any implementation described herein as "exemplary" should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All implementations described herein are exemplary implementations provided to enable one skilled in the art to make or use the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims.

[0064] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Some of the implementations are described above in terms of functional and / or logic block components (or modules) and various processing steps. However, it should be recognized that such block components (or modules) may be implemented by any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality.Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

[0065] When implemented in software or firmware, various elements of the systems described herein are essentially the code segments or instructions that perform the various tasks. The program or code segments may be stored in a processor-readable medium or transmitted by a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave over a transmission medium or communication path. The "computer-readable medium," "processor-readable medium," or "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information. Examples of the processor-readable medium include an electronic circuit, a semiconductor memory device, a read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable read-only memory (EROM), a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, an optical disk, a hard disk, a fiber-optic medium, a radio frequency (RF) link, or the like.The computer data signal may comprise any signal capable of propagating over a transmission medium, such as electronic network channels, optical fibers, air, electromagnetic paths, or RF links. The code segments may be downloaded over computer networks such as the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, or the like.

[0066] In this document, relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used only to distinguish one entity or act from another entity or act, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or acts. Numerical ordinals such as "first," "second," "third," etc., simply denote various individuals of a plurality and do not imply an order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language. The sequence of text in any of the claims does not imply that process steps must be performed in a temporal or logical order according to such sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language.The process steps may be swapped in any order without departing from the scope of the invention, as long as such swapping does not contradict the claim language and is logically consistent.

[0067] Furthermore, the foregoing description may refer to elements or nodes or features that are "coupled" to one another. As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, "coupled" means that one element / node / feature is directly or indirectly connected to (or communicates directly or indirectly with) another element / node / feature, and not necessarily mechanically. For example, two elements may be coupled to one another physically, electronically, logically, or in some other way through one or more additional elements. Accordingly, although the drawings may depict an exemplary arrangement of elements directly connected to one another, additional intervening elements, devices, features, or components may be present in an implementation of the depicted subject matter.Furthermore, certain terminology may be used herein only for the purpose of reference and is therefore not intended to be limiting.

[0068] Although at least one exemplary aspect has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be recognized that a tremendous number of variations exist. It should also be recognized that the exemplary aspect(s) are merely examples and are in no way intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the foregoing detailed description provides those skilled in the art with a convenient guide for implementing the exemplary aspect(s). It should be understood that various changes in the function and arrangement of elements may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.

Claims

[1] A method for controlling a plurality of converters coupled to a plurality of cells of a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and configured to supply power to one or more electrical loads, the method comprising: determining, by a control module coupled to the plurality of converters, an expected power consumption for 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 power consumption based at least in part on the expected power consumption, resulting in a reserve subset of the plurality of converters, the active subset and the reserve subset being 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 power consumption; and Configuring, by the control module, respective reserve converters of the reserve subset with 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. [2] The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset comprises configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset for a droop control voltage setpoint that is less than a targeted voltage for the expected power consumption. [3] The method of claim 2, wherein configuring the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters of the active subset comprises configuring the respective active converters of the active subset with respective droop control voltage setpoints that are greater than the droop control voltage setpoint of the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset to achieve a desired distribution of expected power consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset at the targeted voltage. [4] The method of claim 2, wherein configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset comprises configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve 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. [5] The method of claim 1, further comprising operating the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset to supply at least a portion of the power to the one or more electrical loads when the current is greater than the expected power consumption. [6] The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset comprises configuring the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset for a droop control voltage setpoint that prevents the respective reserve converters of the reserve 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 power 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 power consumption comprises: Determining a desired distribution of expected power consumption across the respective active converters of the active subset based at least in part on cell data for respective cell groups of the plurality of cells associated with the respective active converters of the active subset; and Configuring the respective droop control settings of respective active converters of the active subset to achieve the desired distribution of expected power consumption, wherein the respective droop control settings of at least one of the respective active converters of the active subset are different from the respective droop control settings of another active converter of the active subset. [8] The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the respective backup converters of the backup subset with respective droop control settings that are different from the respective droop control settings of the respective active converters comprises configuring the respective backup converters of the backup subset with a droop control resistance setting value that is less than a respective droop control resistance setting value for at least one of the respective active converters of the active subset to supply at least a portion of the current disproportionate to the one or more electrical loads via the respective backup converters of the backup subset when the current is greater than the expected power consumption. [9] Vehicle that includes: a rechargeable energy storage unit (RESS) comprising a plurality of cells and a plurality of converters coupled thereto and configured to supply power; one or more electrical loads to receive the power from the RESS; and a tax system that includes: one or more sensors configured to obtain cell data regarding the plurality of cells, the cell data comprising a state of charge for each of the plurality of cells; and a processor coupled to the one or more sensors and to the plurality of transducers to provide one or more services configured to: to obtain data indicating an expected power consumption by the one or more electrical loads; identify an active subset of the plurality of converters based at least in part on the expected power consumption, resulting in a reserve subset of the plurality of converters, wherein the active subset and the reserve 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 power consumption; and configure respective reserve converters of the reserve subset with 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. [10] The vehicle of claim 9, wherein respective droop control voltage setpoints of the respective reserve converters of the reserve subset are less than respective droop control voltage setpoints of the respective active converters of the active subset.

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