METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PEER-TO-PEER ENERGY TRANSFER TO REDUCE THERMAL PROPAGATION AND INCREASE THE LIFESPAN OF A RECHARGEABLE ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM (RESS)

Abstract

A system and method comprise receiving an exhaustion request from a host peer connected to a peer communication network, wherein the exhaustion request indicates that the host peer is undergoing a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) event and includes a desired current to be discharged and a duration of discharge. The system and method also comprise identifying one or more receiver peers, each connected to the peer communication network, each receiver peer having availability to accept the discharge, and executing the exhaustion process by instructing the host peer to discharge the current and the one or more receiver peers to accept the discharged current simultaneously, such that zero net current flows through a power grid connected to the host peer and the one or more receiver peers.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The information provided in this section serves the purpose of presenting the context of the disclosure in general. Works of the inventors mentioned herein, insofar as they are described in this section, as well as aspects of the description that may not have been prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor implicitly recognized as prior art with respect to the present disclosure.

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to energy storage and charging systems for electric vehicles. In particular, a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) for an electric vehicle may be at risk of thermal propagation or accelerated degradation, which can permanently damage the RESS and cause significant damage to the vehicle's body and / or its surroundings. Here, the additional energy in a RESS at a high state of charge may accelerate thermal propagation and / or degradation of the RESS more rapidly than in a RESS at a low state of charge.

[0003] In existing systems, when a RESS is highly charged, power can be diverted from the battery storage system (RESS) to other devices in the electric vehicle's home environment or back to a public utility to mitigate the effects of thermal propagation. Here, the RESS is part of an equipment network (e.g., electric vehicles, stationary storage devices, etc.) that forms a peer. For this purpose, the peer can be connected via a single connection (e.g., a smart inverter) to the power grid. In particular, it is desirable and effective to divert power between peers (i.e.,to transfer power between other plant networks connected to the grid via appropriate smart converters), whereby one or more receiving peers can accept, store / use, or discharge the power to the host peer where thermal propagation or accelerated degradation of the RESS is occurring or imminent. Furthermore, the transfer of power between peers can be virtually invisible to the public utility and / or create local power markets between peers. SUMMARY

[0004] One aspect of the disclosure provides a computer-implemented method for peer-to-peer energy transfer to mitigate rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) events and increase the longevity of the RESS. When executed on data processing hardware, this method causes the data processing hardware to perform operations that include receiving an exhaustion request from a host peer connected to a peer communication network. The exhaustion request indicates that the host peer is experiencing a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) event and includes a desired discharge current and discharge duration. The operations also include identifying one or more receiver peers, each connected to the peer communication network, with each receiver peer having availability to accept the desired discharge current.The operations further include performing an exhaustion process by instructing the host peer to discharge the current and the one or more receiver peers to simultaneously receive the discharged current, so that zero (0) net current flows through a power network in association with the host peer and the one or more receiver peers.

[0005] Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some cases, the exhaustion requirement further includes a desired discharge start time. In these implementations, each availability to accept the desired current from one or more receiver peers includes an available period to accept the discharge. Here, the available period to accept the discharge is aligned with the desired discharge start time. In some examples, the RESS event includes either thermal propagation of a host peer's RESS or accelerated degradation of the host peer's RESS.

[0006] In some implementations, each availability to accept the desired current from one or more receiver peers includes a type of availability to receive the discharge. Here, the type of availability to accept current includes a payload and a false load. In these implementations, identifying the one or more receiver peers may involve prioritizing receiver peers with the type of availability for a payload. In some examples, the operations further include, during the execution of the exhaustion process, receiving an error message from one of the one or more receiver peers and halting the execution of the exhaustion process.

[0007] In some implementations, the operations further include receiving a subsequent exhaustion request from an additional host peer that is different from the host peer, and simultaneously executing the exhaustion process and a subsequent exhaustion process. In these implementations, the exhaustion process and the subsequent exhaustion process can share the same receiver peer(s). In some examples, the host peer is a vehicle.

[0008] Another aspect of the disclosure is a peer-to-peer energy transfer system for mitigating RESS events and increasing RESS longevity, comprising data processing hardware and storage hardware in communication with the data processing hardware. The storage hardware stores instructions which, when executed by the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations that include receiving an exhaustion request from a host peer connected to a peer communication network. The exhaustion request indicates that the host peer is experiencing a Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) event and includes a desired discharge current and discharge duration.The operations also include identifying one or more receiver peers, each connected to the peer communication network, with each receiver peer having an availability to accept the desired current for discharge. The operations further include performing an exhaustion process by instructing the host peer to discharge the current and the one or more receiver peers to simultaneously accept the discharged current, such that zero (0) net current flows through a power network connected to the host peer and the one or more receiver peers.

[0009] This aspect can include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the exhaustion requirement also includes a desired discharge start time. In these implementations, each availability to accept the desired current from one or more receiver peers can include an available period to accept the discharge. Here, the available period to accept the discharge is aligned with the desired discharge start time. In some examples, the RESS event includes either thermal propagation of a host peer's RESS or accelerated degradation of the host peer's RESS.

[0010] In some implementations, each availability to accept the desired current from one or more receiver peers includes a type of availability to receive the discharge. Here, the type of availability to accept current includes a payload and a false load. In these implementations, identifying the one or more receiver peers may involve prioritizing receiver peers with the type of availability for a payload. In some examples, the operations further include, during the execution of the exhaustion process, receiving an error message from one of the one or more receiver peers and halting the execution of the exhaustion process.

[0011] In some implementations, the operations further include receiving a subsequent exhaustion request from an additional host peer that is different from the host peer, and simultaneously executing the exhaustion process and a subsequent exhaustion process. In these implementations, the exhaustion process and the subsequent exhaustion process can share the same receiver peer(s). In some examples, the host peer is a vehicle.

[0012] The details of one or more embodiments of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and in the description below. Further aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The drawings described herein serve only to illustrate selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary peer-to-peer energy transfer system for mitigating events in rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS) and increasing RESS longevity. Fig. Figure 2 is a perspective view of exemplary components of the system of Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary arrangement of processes for a peer-to-peer energy transfer method to mitigate thermal propagation and increase RESS longevity.

[0014] The corresponding reference symbols indicate the corresponding parts in all drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Example configurations are now described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Exemplary configurations are provided to ensure that this disclosure is thorough and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Specific details, such as examples of particular components, devices, and processes, are set forth to enable a comprehensive understanding of the configurations of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that specific details need not be used, that exemplary configurations can be implemented in many different forms, and that the specific details and exemplary configurations should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the disclosure.

[0016] The terminology used herein serves only to describe certain exemplary configurations and is not to be understood as restrictive. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" can also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprise," "comprehensive," "contain," and "exhibit" are inclusive and thus specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The procedural steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be interpreted as necessarily being carried out in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless they are expressly identified as a sequence of execution.Additional or alternative steps can be applied.

[0017] When an element or layer is described as being "on" or "interacting with" another element or layer, or as being "connected" or "coupled" or "attached" to the same, it may be directly on or interacting with, connected with, coupled to, or attached to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. However, when an element is described as being "directly on" or "directly interacting with" another element or layer, or as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" or "directly attached" to the same, there must be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted similarly (e.g.,“Between” as opposed to “directly between”, “neighboring” or “adjacent” as opposed to “directly adjacent” or “directly bordering”, etc.). As used herein, the term “and / or” includes all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0018] The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to describe different elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be restricted by these terms. These terms may only be used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms do not imply any sequence or order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.Thus, a first element, a first component, a first area, a first layer or a first section discussed below could be referred to as a second element, second component, second area, second layer or second section, without deviating from the lessons of the exemplary configurations.

[0019] In this application, which includes the following definitions, the term "module" may be replaced by the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit, a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit, a combinational logic circuit, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code, a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by a processor, other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality, or a combination of some or all of the above components, such as in a system-on-a-chip.

[0020] The term "code," as used above, may include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and / or objects. The term "shared processor" includes a single processor that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor" includes a processor that, in combination with additional processors, executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "shared memory" includes a single memory that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory" includes memory that, in combination with additional memory, stores some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "memory" may be a subset of the term "computer-readable medium."The term "computer-readable medium" excludes transitory electrical and electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium and can therefore be considered tangible, non-transient storage. Non-restrictive examples of non-transient storage include tangible, computer-readable media, including non-volatile memory, magnetic storage, and optical storage.

[0021] The devices and methods described in this application can be implemented in part or in their entirety by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs comprise processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transient, concrete, computer-readable medium. The computer programs may also include and / or be based on stored data.

[0022] A software application (i.e., a software resource) can refer to computer software that causes a computer device to perform a task. In some examples, a software application may be called an "application," "app," or "program." Examples of applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system administration applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications.

[0023] Non-transient memory can be physical devices used for the temporary or permanent storage of programs (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program status information) for use by a computer device. Non-transient memory can be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., typically used for firmware, such as boot programs).Examples of volatile storage include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM), and floppy disks or tapes.

[0024] These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, or code) comprise machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a procedural and / or object-oriented high-level programming language and / or in assembly / machine language. The terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" as used herein refer to any computer program product, non-transient computer-readable medium, device, and / or apparatus (e.g., magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0025] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein may be realized in digital electronic and / or optical circuits, integrated circuits, specially designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system comprising at least one programmable processor, which can be used for special or general purposes and is coupled such that it receives data and instructions from and transmits data and instructions to a storage system, and at least one input device and at least one output device.

[0026] The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be executed by one or more programmable processors, also known as data processing hardware, which run one or more computer programs to perform functions by responding to input data and producing outputs. The processes and logic flows can also be executed by specialized logic circuits, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Processors suitable for executing a computer program include, for example, both general-purpose and specialized microprocessors, as well as one or more processors of any type of digital computer. Generally, a processor receives instructions and data from read-only memory, random-access memory, or both.The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more storage devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer also includes one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic, magneto-optical, or optical disks, or is functionally coupled to them to receive data from or transmit data to them, or both. However, a computer does not necessarily have to have such devices. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and storage devices, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices), magnetic disks (e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks), magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.The processor and memory can be supplemented by special logic circuits or integrated into them.

[0027] To enable interaction with a user, one or more aspects of the revelation can be implemented on a computer that has a display device, such as a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, or touchscreen, for showing information to the user, and optionally a keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, with which the user can input information into the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to enable interaction with the user; for example, the user can receive any form of sensory feedback, such as visual, auditory, or tactile feedback, and user input can be received in any form, including acoustic, verbal, or tactile input.Additionally, a computer can interact with a user by sending and receiving documents to and from a device used by the user, for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on a user's client device in response to requests received from the web browser.

[0028] With reference to Fig. In some implementations, System 100 comprises a multitude of peers 10, 10a-n, which communicate with each other via a peer communication network 40. Additionally, System 100 includes a remote System 60, which communicates with the multitude of peers 10 via the peer communication network 40. Each peer 10 can generally be defined as a group of electrical devices and / or loads that are interconnected (e.g., within a plant network), with a single connection (e.g., a smart inverter 18) that connects the peer 10 to a power grid 70. Electric vehicles or stationary storage devices (e.g., home networks and / or stationary charging devices) may be located within the plant network of the peer 10.

[0029] As shown, peers 10 and / or the remote system 60 implement a peer-to-peer energy transfer system 200 ( Fig. 2) out. In short, and as described in more detail below, the peer-to-peer power transfer system 200 is configured to receive an exhaustion request 210 indicating that a host peer 10H is experiencing a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) event, and to execute an exhaustion process 252 by instructing the host peer 10H to discharge the energy and instructing one or more receiver peers 10R to receive the discharged energy simultaneously, so that zero (0) net current flows through a power grid 70 in conjunction with the host peer 10H and the one or more receiver peers 10R. A RESS event may refer to thermal propagation (i.e., imminent catastrophic degradation) of a RESS 16 of the host vehicle 10H or accelerated degradation of the RESS 16 due to a high state of charge (SOC) and / or high temperature of the RESS 16.In particular, the simultaneous discharge and absorption of electricity, so that no net current flows through the power grid 70, allows the exhaustion process 252 to be largely invisible to a utility company operating the power grid 70. By sharing the exhaustion requirement 210 with one or more receiver peers 10R, the host peer 10H has additional pathways available to transfer electricity from the host peer 10H to a larger sink (i.e., formed by one or more receiver peers 10R) in order to minimize damage to the RESS 16 of the host peer 10H through thermal propagation or accelerated degradation.

[0030] In the example shown, each peer 10a-10c comprises a vehicle that includes a corresponding rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) 16a-16c (also referred to as battery 16a-16c) and a corresponding inverter 18a-18c. However, it should be noted that the inverter 18 can also be located outside the vehicle and can serve as the sole gateway to the power grid 70 for the vehicle as well as for additional electrical devices and / or electrical loads. The vehicle can include any electrified propulsion system (e.g., fully electric, hybrid, fuel cell, etc.) and can refer to cars, trucks, agricultural equipment, trains, aircraft, and the like. The inverter 18 can be a smart bidirectional inverter capable of charging and / or storing energy in the RESS 16.While each peer 10 comprises a vehicle, the peer 10 can additionally comprise any computing device equipped with a RESS 16, such as, without limitation, a stationary storage device and / or other devices within a local household of the peer 10. For example, peer 10a comprises a vehicle, a local household 20, and a stationary storage device 30, all of which are in communication with each other. Although... Fig. Figure 1 shows three (3) peers 10a, 10b, 10c, but it should be noted that further peers 10 can be connected to the peer communication network 40. Each of the peers 10a-10c additionally includes corresponding data processing hardware 12a-12c and storage hardware 14a-14c, in which instructions are stored that, when executed on data processing hardware 12, cause the data processing hardware 12 to perform operations. The remote system 60 (e.g., server, cloud computing environment) also includes data processing hardware 62 and storage hardware 64, in which instructions are stored that, when executed on data processing hardware 62, cause the data processing hardware 62 to perform operations. In some examples, the execution of the peer-to-peer energy transfer system 200 is shared by the peers 10 and the remote system 60.In other examples, remote system 60 runs the peer-to-peer power transfer system 200, with remote system 60 acting as the central host / central controller. In further examples, the peer-to-peer power transfer system 200 runs on one or more of the peers 10 (i.e., it is shared by one or more of the peers 10).

[0031] The peer communication network 40 can include a wireless local area network (WLAN) that facilitates communication and interoperability between the peers 10 and the remote system 60. In the example shown, all peers 10 within system 100 communicate with each other and with the remote system 60 via the peer communication network 40. The peer-to-peer power transfer system 200 can communicate with each of the peers 10 and / or the remote system 60 using wireless or wired communication technologies and / or protocols. Thus, the peer communication network can include Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11), Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), or other wireless standards or Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3).System 100 may additionally include one or more access points (APs) (not shown) configured to facilitate wireless communication between peers 10 and / or the remote system 60. Additionally, peers 10 communicate and interoperate with each other via the power grid 70. In some implementations, the power grid 70 is operated and regulated by a public utility.

[0032] With reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 The peer-to-peer power transfer system 200 can execute a peer-to-peer power transfer model 202, which includes an ideal current module 230, an optimal current module 240, and a peer-to-peer request module 250. As shown, the peer-to-peer power transfer model 202 is configured to receive the exhaustion request 210 from a host peer 10H (i.e., peer 10a) connected to the peer communication network 40. The exhaustion request 210 can specify that the host peer 10H is undergoing a RESS event and include a desired discharge current 212 and a discharge duration 214. In some cases, the exhaustion request 210 also includes a desired discharge start time 216.

[0033] As used herein, a RESS event refers to a safety issue with the RESS 16 of peer 10. For example, one or more cells in the RESS 16 may catch fire, causing neighboring cells in the RESS 16 to also catch fire. Here, the first cell to catch fire could be due to a manufacturing defect, such as an internal short circuit, or to overheating above a cell's intended temperature limit. If the first cell catches fire and no remedial action is taken to mitigate the ignition chain from cell to cell (i.e., thermal propagation), this can cause the entire RESS 16 to catch fire. One such remedial action involves depleting the RESS 16 below a state of charge at which thermal propagation ceases. A RESS 16 with a lower state of charge has less stored energy and therefore less energy to promote thermal propagation.Thus, a RESS 16 with a high state of charge may catch fire more quickly than a RESS 16 with a lower state of charge. In some implementations, the host peer 10H may generate the exhaustion request 210 in response to gas detection (e.g., indicating that hydrogen is being expelled from a cell) and / or faulty cell voltage readings. In another example, the RESS 16 may be at risk of accelerated degradation. A RESS 16 may generally have a certain tolerance for voltage, state of charge (SOC), and temperature. In this case, the RESS 16 may experience greater capacity degradation at higher SOC values ​​and / or higher temperatures. One remedy to avoid this accelerated degradation is to operate the RESS 16 below a state of charge where accelerated degradation is minimized or eliminated.In some implementations, RESS 16 exhaustion occurs when the RESS 16 takes a long time to cool down and / or lacks active cooling components to protect the RESS 16 from high temperatures.

[0034] In some implementations, the ideal current module 230 receives as input the exhaustion request 210, including the desired current 212, the discharge duration 214, and the desired start time 216, and produces as output an ideal current 232 of the exhaustion request 210. The desired current 212 can represent a difference between the current state of energy (SOE) of the RESS 16 and a safe SOE of the RESS 16. The discharge duration 214 can represent a period (e.g., 15 minutes) that the host peer 10H requires to discharge the energy. The desired start time 216 generally refers to a time (e.g., 4:00 PM EST) at which the current discharge to the power grid 70 should occur. The ideal current 232 of the exhaustion request 210 can be expressed as follows: (SOE initial - SOE safe) * Total battery energy (kWh) Discharge time = Ideal current

[0035] Whereby SOE anfänglichthe current SOE value of the RESS 16 and SOE sicher This refers to a security threshold of RESS 16, below which RESS 16 reacts less strongly to RESS events. In some implementations, the SOE sicher equal to zero (0). Additionally, the total battery energy denotes the total kWh of the RESS 16, where multiplying the total battery energy by the change in SOE represents the desired energy for discharge. Dividing the desired energy by the discharge duration 214 yields the ideal current 232, expressed as the ideal current draw rate from the RESS 16, to reliably attenuate the RESS event.

[0036] The optimal current module 240 receives the ideal current 232 output by the ideal current module 230 and generates an optimal current 242 as output for the system 100. In this case, instead of the ideal current 232, the optimal current 242 can be shared / sent via the peer communication network 40 with the other peers 10 that are in communication with the host peer 10H. The optimal current module 240 also receives as input the vehicle data 218 of the host peer 10H, such as, among other things, the discharge capacity of the RESS 16, the discharge capacity of the inverter 18 connected to the RESS 16, the current capacity of an inverter connected to the power grid 70, and / or all consumers in the household of the host peer 10 that are operated with electricity supplied by a utility company. In the Fig. In the example shown, the host peer 10H is connected to the local household 20 and the stationary storage device 30. The local household 20 can communicate a household load 22 (e.g., water heater, HVAC system, and / or other appliances), while the stationary storage device 30 can communicate a household load 32, which specifies a capacity to absorb discharged electricity. Here, the optimal current 242 can be expressed as follows: Optimal current = min(inverter current limit, (min(ideal current,RESS discharge current limit) − house loads), 0), where the inverter current limit denotes the discharge capacity of inverter 18, the RESS discharge current limit the discharge capacity of RESS 16, and the household loads denote the respective household loads 22, 32 of the local household 20 and the stationary storage device 30. Here, the optimal current 242 modulates the ideal current 232 by balancing the ideal current 232 required to make RESS 16 safe with the capabilities of inverter 18, the discharge capabilities of RESS 16, and the payloads and continuous loads (e.g., the local household 20 and / or the stationary storage device 30) within a host peer 10H network. In some implementations, the optimal current 242 disregards the household loads and instead attempts to discharge the current to the receiver peers 10, who may pay a premium for the discharged current.

[0037] The peer-to-peer request module 250 receives the optimal current 242 generated by the module 240, identifies one or more of the peers 10 in the peer communication network 40 as receiver peers 10R, and initiates the exhaustion process 252, which instructs the host peer 10H to discharge its current and the one or more identified receiver peers 10R to simultaneously accept the current discharged by the host peer 10H. Furthermore, the peer-to-peer request module 250 can receive from the peers 10 in the peer communication network 40 the respective availabilities 220 to accept the requested current 212 (i.e., the optimal current 242). The availability 220 can include the available power and the time period to accept the desired power 212 and / or a type of availability of peer 10.In some examples, the peer-to-peer request module 250 identifies one or more receiver peers 10R if the availability 220 of each peer 10 includes an available period to accept the discharge that is aligned with the desired discharge start time 216. The type of availability of peer 10 can include a payload (e.g., charging a RESS or diverting power that would otherwise be drawn from a utility) or a misload (e.g., the unnecessary operation of electrical devices that radiate heat into the atmosphere). In some implementations, only one peer 10 is identified as a receiver peer 10R for the exhaustion request 210, with energy transfer being one-to-one. In other implementations, more than one peer 10 is identified as a receiver peer 10R for the exhaustion request 210, with energy transfer being a one-to-many process.

[0038] When generating the exhaustion process 252, the peer-to-peer request module 250 can identify receiver peers 10R that have availabilities 220 for a payload, taking into account any remaining current to be transferred / discharged for receiver peers 10R that include availabilities for a false load. In other words, the peer-to-peer request module 250 can prioritize peers 10 with the type of availability 220 of a payload. Specifically, the exhaustion process 252 can be defined as follows: Actual requirement = min(Optimal current, ∑i=1n receiver − Peeri(payloads + false loads)) where n is the number of identified receiver peers 10R and payloads and false loads denote the respective availabilities of the receiver peers 10R. The depletion process 252, executed by the peer-to-peer power transfer model 202, instructs the host peer 10H to discharge the power and the identified receiver peers 10R to simultaneously receive the discharged power. Here, the sum of the power fed into and drawn from the power grid 70 at any given time during the discharge period 214 is zero (0).

[0039] In some implementations, after initiating the execution of the exhaustion process 252, the peer-to-peer energy transfer model 202 receives an error message 254 from one of the receiving peers 10R. Here, the error message 254 can indicate that the receiving peer 10R cannot meet its agreed-upon power transfer (e.g., as specified in the exhaustion process 252). For example, the receiving peer 10R can measure its actual load compared to an agreed-upon load in the exhaustion process 252 and communicate via the peer communication network 40 that the receiving peer 10R is not meeting the required power transfer. In response to receiving error message 254, the peer-to-peer power transfer model 202 can take immediate corrective action by interrupting the power transfer between the host peer 10H and the one or more receiver peers 10R.

[0040] Although the implementations described herein refer to a single host peer 10H (i.e., peer 10a) performing the exhaustion process 252, it is understood that the peer-to-peer energy transfer system 200 can handle multiple exhaustion requests 210 and exhaustion processes 252 simultaneously. For example, one host peer 10H to one receiver peer 10R, one host peer 10H to many receiver peers 10R, many host peers 10H to many receiver peers 10R, and / or many host peers 10H to one receiver peer 10R. In some implementations, the peer-to-peer energy transfer model 202 receives a subsequent exhaustion request 210 from an additional host peer 10H that is different from the host peer 10H and executes the exhaustion process 252 and a subsequent exhaustion process 252 simultaneously.Here, the exhaustion process 252 and the subsequent exhaustion process 252 can identify and involve the same recipient peers 10R.

[0041] Fig. Section 3 includes a flowchart of an exemplary sequence of operations for a peer-to-peer energy transfer method 300 for event mitigation in rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS) and for increasing RESS longevity. The method 300 can be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 will be described. The data processing hardware (e.g., the data processing hardware 12a-12c, 62 of Fig. 1) can execute instructions directed to the memory hardware (e.g., memory hardware 14a-14c, 64 of Fig. 1) are stored to carry out the exemplary arrangement of operations for procedure 300.

[0042] In Operation 302, Procedure 300 includes receiving an exhaustion request 210 from a host peer 10H connected to a peer communication network 40. The exhaustion request 210 indicates that the host peer 10H is undergoing a RESS event and includes a requested discharge current 212 and a discharge duration 214. In Operation 304, Procedure 300 also includes identifying one or more receiver peers 10R, each connected to the peer communication network 40. Here, each receiver peer 10R has an availability 220 to receive the requested discharge current 212.Procedure 300 also includes, in process 306, performing an exhaustion process 252 by instructing the host peer 10H to discharge the current and the one or more receiver peers 10R to simultaneously receive the discharged current, so that zero (0) net current flows through a power network 70 in conjunction with the host peer 10H and the one or more receiver peers 10R.

[0043] Several implementations have been described. It is understood, however, that various modifications can be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the revelation. Accordingly, other implementations also fall within the scope of the following claims.

[0044] The foregoing description is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes only. It makes no claim to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not restricted to that particular configuration but are optionally interchangeable and may be used in a selected configuration even if not specifically shown or described. They may also be modified in many ways. Such modifications are not to be considered a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

[1] A computer-implemented method which, when executed on data processing hardware, causes the data processing hardware to perform operations which include: Receiving an exhaustion request from a host peer connected to a peer communication network, wherein the exhaustion request indicates that the host peer is going through a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) event and includes a desired discharge current and discharge duration; Identifying one or more receiver peers, each connected to the peer communication network, with each receiver peer having an availability to accept the desired current for discharge; Performing an exhaustion process by instructing the host peer to discharge the current and the one or more receiver peers to simultaneously receive the discharged current, such that zero (0) net current flows through a power network in association with the host peer and the one or more receiver peers. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the exhaustion requirement further includes a desired start time of the discharge. [3] Method according to claim 2, wherein each respective availability to accept the desired current of one or more receiver peers comprises an available period to accept the discharge, wherein the available period to accept the discharge is matched to the desired start time of the discharge. [4] Method according to claim 1, wherein the RESS event comprises either thermal propagation of a RESS of the host peer or accelerated degradation of the RESS of the host peer. [5] Method according to claim 1, wherein each respective availability to receive the desired current of one or more receiver peers comprises a type of availability to receive the discharge, wherein the type of availability to receive current comprises a payload and a false load. [6] Method according to claim 5, wherein identifying the one or more receiver peers includes prioritizing receiver peers with the type of availability for a payload. [7] Method according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise during the execution of the exhaustion process: Receiving an error message from one of the one or more receiver peers; and Halting the execution of the exhaustion process. [8] The method of claim 1, wherein the processes further comprise: Receiving a subsequent exhaustion request from an additional host peer that is different from the host peer; and Simultaneous execution of the exhaustion process and a subsequent exhaustion process. [9] Method according to claim 8, wherein the exhaustion process and the subsequent exhaustion process share the same recipient peers. [10] Method according to claim 1, wherein the host peer comprises a vehicle.

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