Modular batteries for electric vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a power source for electric vehicles, which may be used in the transportation industry. An object of the present invention is to reduce the risk of damage to the electronic components of an electric vehicle during operation of a modular battery (100, 200, 300, 400). This object is achieved due to the fact that the modular battery (100, 200, 300, 400) of the electric vehicle enables a control unit (110, 210, 310, 410) to execute traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power source for electric vehicles and may be used in the transportation industry. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional modular battery (MB) for electric vehicles includes several modules, each with a battery pack that can be connected to a switching unit of the power supply circuit of the electric vehicle traction motor inverter [US Patent No. 7,960,943, Publication Date: June 14, 2011, IPC: H02J7 / 00].

[0003] A drawback of this known technical solution is that a possible electrical failure of the battery pack increases the risk of damaging the electronic components of the electric vehicle, making the operation of the modular battery less safe.

[0004] The prototype is a modular battery for electric vehicles comprising several modules, each equipped with a control unit to which a battery pack is connected that can be connected to a switching unit of the power supply circuit of the electric vehicle traction motor inverter, one of the control units ensuring the reception of data on the state of the battery pack, including data on the state of the battery pack from the other control units, and the sharing of this data with the electric vehicle control unit [Canadian Patent Application Publication No. 3044173, Publication date: December 19, 2013, IPC: B60K1 / 04; B60L58 / 26; B60W10 / 26].

[0005] The advantage of the prototype over previous technical solutions is that each module includes a control unit to which the battery packs are connected, and the control unit of one of the modules monitors the battery packs of each individual module for electrical faults by collecting data on the status of the battery packs from the control units of the other modules, thereby improving the safety of the modular battery and therefore reducing the risk of damage to electronic components of the electric vehicle during operation of the modular battery.

[0006] A drawback of the prototype is that due to the inevitable delay in charging the inverter capacitors when starting the traction motor and connecting the modular batteries to the inverter power circuit, arcing can occur between the contactor elements connecting the modular batteries to the inverter, which leads to localized temperature increases and inevitably melting or welding of the contacts together and failure of the contactor or other electronic components of the electric vehicle, thereby still posing a high risk of damaging the electronic components of the electric vehicle, particularly the switching units of the traction motor inverter power circuit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 3723157 [Patent Document 2] Canadian Patent Application Publication No. 3044173 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] An object of the present invention is to reduce the risk of damage to electronic components of an electric vehicle during operation of a modular battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One aspect of the invention is a modular battery for an electric vehicle that includes several modules, each module having a control unit connected to a battery pack that can be connected to a switching unit of a power supply circuit of an inverter for a traction motor of the electric vehicle.

[0010] One of the control units ensures receipt of data regarding the status of the connected battery pack and data regarding the status of the battery pack from the control units of the other modules, and enables execution of the pre-charge logic for the traction motor inverter capacitors.

[0011] Another aspect of the invention is a method for reducing the risk of damage to electronic components of an electric vehicle during operation of a modular battery, the method including having one of the control units of one of the modules of the modular battery receive data regarding the status of a connected battery pack and data regarding the status of the battery packs from the control units of the other modules, and execute traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic taking the data into account. In doing so, the control unit activates a capacitor precharge unit of an electric vehicle traction motor inverter connected to a traction motor inverter power circuit.

[0012] Achieving goals The objective of reducing the risk of damage to electronic components of the electric vehicle during operation of the modular battery is achieved by the fact that the modular battery additionally includes an electric vehicle traction motor inverter capacitor precharge unit connected to the power supply circuit of the traction motor inverter, and the control unit enables precharge logic to be executed by the traction motor inverter capacitor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The modular battery may include a traction motor inverter capacitor pre-charge unit connected to the traction motor inverter power circuit to further reduce the risk of damage to electronic components of the electric vehicle during operation of the modular battery.

[0014] The modular battery may include an additional traction motor inverter capacitor pre-charge unit connected to the traction motor inverter power circuit to further reduce the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components during operation of the modular battery.

[0015] Each module may include a motherboard or other integrated board that may have a capacitor pre-charge unit, contactors connecting each battery module and inverter, and a control unit for each module, further reducing the risk of damage to electronic components of the electric vehicle during operation of the modular battery.

[0016] Each module may include a circuit breaker that provides active opening of the electrical circuit between the battery packs, further reducing the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components during repair or maintenance of the modular battery.

[0017] Each module or modular battery may include a lid enclosure and may be equipped with a limit switch that ensures interruption of the traction motor inverter power circuit when the lid is opened, further reducing the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components when repairing or maintaining the modular battery.

[0018] The traction motor inverter capacitor precharge unit may be designed as a series-connected high voltage relay and current limiting resistor to further reduce the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components during modular battery operation.

[0019] When executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, the control unit can query the control units of the other modules for feedback, and if there is no feedback or if the feedback is unavailable, can send a modular battery fault signal to the electric vehicle control unit and disable one of the modules or the entire modular battery, further reducing the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components when the modular battery is operating.

[0020] When executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, the control unit receives data (from the control units of the other modules) regarding the status of the battery pack, including the control units of the other modules, and if these parameters deviate from acceptable values, can send a modular battery fault signal to the control unit of the electric vehicle and / or disable one of the modules or the entire modular battery, further reducing the risk of damage to electronic components of the electric vehicle when the modular battery is in operation.

[0021] When executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, the control unit can send a control signal having a length of 0.3 to 0.8 seconds to the capacitor precharge unit, further reducing the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components during modular battery operation. In this case, the length of the control signal sent by the control unit to the precharge capacitor unit can be at least 0.5 seconds, also further reducing the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components during modular battery operation.

[0022] When executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, the control unit can send a control signal before the current drawn from the battery pack decreases, further reducing the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components during modular battery operation. At the same time, the control signal can be applied until the current reaches 1-2 A, further reducing the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components during modular battery operation.

[0023] The control unit may enable the execution of logic to detect imbalances in the electrical performance of the modules by comparing the values ​​of voltage or current parameters of different modules with each other, which further reduces the risk of damage to electronic components of the electric vehicle during operation of the modular battery if the module with the greatest deviation is turned off.

[0024] If more than one capacitor and / or inverter and / or traction motor is available in an electric vehicle design, the control unit can execute logic for selecting one or all of the capacitors, inverters, or traction motors. Such logic may be executed when the vehicle's drive axle needs to be shifted, when one of the above-mentioned components of the electric vehicle fails, when all of the above-mentioned components need to be activated to provide maximum power, etc. It may also be executed when it is necessary to activate auxiliary capacitors, inverters, or traction motors (if present) for special equipment that uses loads connected separately from the main traction motor for operational reasons.

[0025] The control unit or any controller can accumulate data regarding the state of the battery pack and store this data in an internal memory, which provides the possibility of taking statistics and further reduces the risk of damage to the electronic components of the electric vehicle when the modular battery is in operation.

[0026] The module may include a heater and / or cooler for the battery pack, which also further reduces the risk of damage to the electric vehicle's electronic components during operation of the modular battery.

[0027] The module may include communication tools that transmit battery pack status and battery pack operation statistics to other switching or control units within the vehicle or to external devices (servers, communication hubs, dispatch centers, other vehicles, charging station control units, traffic control units, sensors and other receiving devices, etc.), or use any known communication protocol (optical or laser lines, telephone or coaxial wires, CAN bus, Ethernet, GSM, wireless WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wired and wireless standards including those commonly used in Web 3.0, Web 4.0, IoT) that provides a two-way exchange of meaningful information including commands and instructions and updated software. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a functional diagram of a modular battery connected to the electric motor power supply circuit of an electric vehicle, in which the capacitor pre-charging unit and the power supply circuit switching unit, designed as a contactor, are made as separate elements. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a functional diagram of a modular battery connected to the electric motor power supply circuit of an electric vehicle, where a capacitor pre-charging unit and a power supply circuit switching unit designed as a contactor are integrated into each battery module. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic executed by the master control unit of the electric vehicle's modular battery. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] An embodiment, which may be modified or supplemented in any way, is presented below to demonstrate the feasibility of the present invention and to better understand the essence of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment presented.

[0030] Parameters A modular battery for electric vehicles, which may include buses, trucks, or passenger cars, aircraft including spacecraft, tunnel vehicles, surface vehicles (including underwater vehicles), utility vehicles and vocational vehicles including robotic and unmanned vehicles, comprises modules 100, 200, 300, and 400, each of which may be located in its own dedicated or common sealed enclosure, a control unit 110, 210, 310, 410, which may be designed as a chip, controller, or processor, and a battery pack 120, 130, 220, 230, 320, 330, 420, 430, which may be designed as individual elements or cells with a heater or cooler in the form of an electrical element or a heat exchanger with a heat sink unit connected to the control unit 110, 210, 310, 410. Additionally, modules 100, 200, 300, and 400 also include battery pack status sensors such as voltage sensors, current sensors, temperature sensors, and the like.

[0031] Additionally, the modular battery includes a CAN bus 500 or other means for sharing data between electronic components, such as cables or optical fibers, and a pre-charge unit 600 for the electric vehicle's traction motor inverter capacitors, which includes series-connected high-voltage relays or other electrical circuit switches and limiting resistors, and which may be mounted on one of the modules or presented as a separate element.

[0032] The control units 110, 210, 310, and 410 are interconnected and connected (via CAN bus 500) to a capacitor precharge unit 600, a contactor 700, an electric vehicle control unit 800, and an inverter 900, which is connected to an electric vehicle traction motor 1000.

[0033] When an electric vehicle is in operation, control unit 110 is configured as the master by the operator, and the other units are designated as slaves. Units 110, 210, 310, and 410 may also be configured remotely by a control center that generates the appropriate commands, for example, in an automatic mode, without operator involvement. Master / slave switching may be performed mechanically or electronically by setting the appropriate roles in the unit's software. For increased reliability, electronically controlled robotic mechanical relays may be used to change master / slave. However, to prevent more than one master unit from being applied simultaneously, the device may include mechanical or electronic safety interlocks that limit the simultaneous application of multiple master units and limit the application of another master unit when one master unit is already applied.

[0034] Upon user start-up or other activation of the electric vehicle, if the vehicle is connected to a charger in step 1100, a control signal is sent from control unit 800 to control unit 110 to enable execution of traction motor inverter capacitor pre-charge logic. The logic may also be activated when the device "wakes up," for example, during an extended wait in traffic or at a stop, or when the load requires a power save mode. The logic may also be activated when several traction motors 1000 are incorporated into a vehicle, each capable of operating independently.

[0035] When executing this algorithm, unit 110 first performs step 1110, querying the slaves 210, 310, 410 for feedback, and if feedback is not available, in step 1120, unit 110 informs unit 800 that the modular battery has failed and is disabled.

[0036] If the unit 110 successfully queries the slaves 210, 310, 410, a step 1130 is performed in which sensed parameters such as temperature, voltage, current, etc. are received from the slaves and the battery packs 120 and 130.

[0037] Step 1140 then compares the resulting parameter value to the tolerance values ​​stored in internal memory. If the parameter value is outside the parameter value range, unit 110 initiates step 1120, notifying unit 800 of a modular battery failure and the modular battery is disabled.

[0038] If the parameter value is within the acceptable range, the unit 110 initiates step 1150 and sends a signal of at least 0.5 seconds to the capacitor precharge unit 600 to enable closure of the high voltage relay, thereby allowing the battery pack 120, 130, 220, 230, 320, 330, 420, 430 to charge the capacitor of the inverter 900 of the electric vehicle traction motor.

[0039] The control signal is applied by the control unit 110 before the battery packs 120, 130, 220, 230, 320, 330, 420, 430 reduce the current rate to a value between 1 and 2 A. Then, in step 1160, the control unit 110 applies a control signal to the contactor 700 to ensure that the circuit is closed without risking melting and failing the contact elements. Logic-driven data regarding the status of the battery packs 120, 130, 220, 230, 320, 330, 420, 430 is stored in an internal memory by the unit 110 and may further be used to gather statistics regarding the status of the modular battery. [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] The present invention can be fabricated from known materials using known tools, which proves that the invention meets the patentability criterion of "industrial applicability."

Claims

1. A modular battery (MB) for an electric or hybrid vehicle, comprising: Modules each including a control unit and including at least one battery pack connectable to a power supply circuit switch of an electric vehicle traction motor inverter It contains one of the control units receiving data regarding the status of one or more connected battery packs and data regarding the status of battery packs from other control units and sharing the data with the control unit of the electric vehicle; Execute precharge logic for the traction motor inverter capacitor Modular battery that allows When the control unit executes the precharge logic for the driving motor inverter capacitor, the control unit transmits a control signal for at least 0.3 to 0.8 seconds to the capacitor precharge unit.

2. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, further comprising the capacitor precharge unit of an electric vehicle traction motor inverter connected to a traction motor inverter power circuit.

3. 3. The modular battery of claim 2, wherein each module includes a motherboard or other integrated board on which are mounted a capacitor precharge unit, contactors connecting each battery module and the inverter, and a control unit for each module.

4. 3. The modular battery of claim 2, wherein the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge unit is designed as a series-connected high-voltage relay and current-limiting resistor.

5. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein the control unit is operable to execute logic for selecting one or all of the electric vehicle capacitors and / or inverters and / or traction motors.

6. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein the control unit queries the control units of other modules for feedback when executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, and if no feedback is received, sends a modular battery fault signal to the electric vehicle control unit and / or disables one of the modules or the entire modular battery.

7. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein the control unit, when executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, provides data regarding the status of the battery pack, including from control units of other modules, and if these parameters deviate from acceptable values, sends a modular battery fault signal to the electric vehicle control unit and / or disables one of the modules or the entire modular battery.

8. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein a signal of at least 0.5 seconds is sent by the control unit to the pre-charge capacitor unit.

9. 2. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein the control unit, when executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, sends the control signal until a value of current drawn from the battery pack decreases.

10. 10. The modular battery of claim 9, wherein the control unit transmits the control signal until the current value decreases to a value between 1 and 2 A.

11. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein the control unit is capable of executing logic to detect imbalances in the electrical performance of the modules.

12. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein the module includes a heater and / or a cooler for the battery pack.

13. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein each module includes a power switch that provides active opening of the electrical circuit between the battery packs.

14. 10. The modular battery of claim 1, wherein each module (or the entire modular battery) includes a lid enclosure with a limit switch that ensures opening of the traction motor inverter supply circuit when the lid is opened.

15. 1. A method for reducing a risk of damage to electronic components of an electric vehicle during operation of a modular battery, comprising: one of the control units of one of the modular battery modules receives data regarding the status of the connected battery pack and data regarding the status of the battery packs from the control units of the other modules; A method wherein the electric vehicle traction motor inverter capacitor pre-charge logic is implemented by involving an electric vehicle traction motor inverter capacitor pre-charge unit connected to the traction motor inverter power supply circuit. When the control unit executes the drive motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, the control unit transmits a control signal for at least 0.3 to 0.8 seconds to the capacitor precharge unit.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the control unit queries the control units of other modules for feedback when executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, and if feedback is unavailable, sends a modular battery fault signal to the electric vehicle control unit and / or disables one of the modules or the entire modular battery.

17. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the control unit, when executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, receives data regarding the status of the battery pack, including from control units of other modules, and, if these parameters deviate from acceptable values, sends a signal to the electric vehicle control unit about a modular battery failure and / or disables one of the modules or the entire modular battery.

18. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the signal sent by the control unit to the capacitor precharge unit has a length of at least 0.5 seconds.

19. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the control unit, when executing the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic, applies the control signal until a value of current drawn from a battery pack decreases.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the control unit applies the control signal until the current value decreases to a value between 1 and 2 A.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the control unit executes logic to detect imbalances in the electrical performance of modules.

22. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein if the electric vehicle has more than one capacitor and / or inverter and / or traction motor, the control unit executes logic to select one or all of the capacitors, inverters, or traction motors.

23. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the control unit executes the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic when a modular battery "wakes up."

24. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the control unit executes the traction motor inverter capacitor precharge logic when several traction motors, each operating independently, are installed in the same vehicle.

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