Flexible battery system for vehicles

Abstract

It provides a new type of battery system and / or architecture that functions within a new vehicle design and / or configuration framework or constraints, improving certain aspects of vehicle utilization and / or management. [Solution] A configuration command is received that is associated with configuring multiple batteries to supply power to multiple motors in a vehicle. The batteries are configured as specified by the configuration command, where the batteries can be configured into multiple configurations, including a first configuration in which at least a portion of the batteries are electrically connected in parallel, and a second configuration in which at least a portion of the batteries are electrically connected in series.

Description

Background Art

[0001] New types of battery-powered vehicles are being developed with new designs and / or configurations. For example, Kitty Hawk has developed a battery-powered multicopter that can take off and / or land on water as needed. There is a desire for a new type of battery system and / or architecture that functions within the framework or constraints of such new vehicle designs and / or configurations and further improves certain aspects of vehicle utilization and / or management.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0002] In the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, various embodiments of the present invention are disclosed.

[0003] [Figure 1A] Perspective view showing one embodiment of a battery-powered vehicle.

[0004] [Figure 1B] Side view showing one embodiment of a battery-powered vehicle.

[0005] [Figure 2] Flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for configuring a plurality of batteries to supply power to a plurality of motors within a vehicle.

[0006] [Figure 3] Diagram showing one embodiment of a flexible battery system.

[0007] [Figure 4] Diagram showing one embodiment of a flexible battery system in which the batteries and motors are in a parallel configuration.

[0008] [Figure 5]A flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the process for configuring multiple batteries, such as by connecting at least several batteries in parallel, in response to a configuration command generated in anticipation of a vehicle's takeoff.

[0009] [Figure 6] A diagram showing one embodiment of a flexible battery system in which batteries are connected in series.

[0010] [Figure 7] A flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the process for configuring multiple batteries, such as by connecting at least some batteries in series, in response to a configuration instruction generated with the expectation of charging multiple batteries.

[0011] [Figure 8] A diagram showing one embodiment of a flexible battery system in which a faulty battery is isolated.

[0012] [Figure 9] A flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the process for configuring multiple batteries by isolating a faulty battery, etc.

[0013] [Figure 10A] This diagram shows one embodiment of a flexible battery system in which one group of batteries is connected in series and another group of batteries is connected in parallel.

[0014] [Figure 10B] A diagram showing one embodiment of a system comprising one or more motors of a first set powered by a first set of batteries, and one or more motors of a second set powered by one or more batteries of a second set.

[0015] [Figure 11]A flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the process for configuring one or more motors in a first set, powered by a first set of batteries, and one or more motors in a second set, powered by one or more batteries in a second set. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The present invention can be implemented in various forms, including processes, apparatus, systems, compositions of materials, computer program products embodied on computer-readable storage media, and / or processors (processors configured to execute instructions stored and / or provided by memory attached to the processor). In this specification, these embodiments or any other forms the invention may take may be referred to as "technologies." Generally, the order of the disclosed processing steps may be modified within the scope of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, components such as processors or memory described as configured to perform a task may be implemented as general components temporarily configured to perform a task at a given time, or as specific components manufactured to perform a task. In this specification, the term "processor" refers to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores configured to process data such as computer program instructions.

[0017] The following provides a detailed description of one or more embodiments of the present invention, with reference to drawings illustrating the principles of the present invention. While the present invention is described in relation to such embodiments, it is not limited to any of these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the claims, and the present invention includes many substitutes, variations, and equivalents. The following description includes many specific details to provide a complete understanding of the present invention. These details are illustrative, and the present invention can be implemented in accordance with the claims without some or all of these specific details. For simplicity, technical matters well known in the art related to the present invention are not described in detail, so as not to complicate the present invention unnecessarily.

[0018] Various embodiments of flexible battery systems for use in or by a vehicle are described herein. In some embodiments, a configuration command is received (e.g., by a battery configuration controller) relating to configuring multiple batteries to power multiple motors in a vehicle. The multiple batteries are configured as specified by the configuration command, where the multiple batteries can be configured in multiple configurations including (1) a first configuration in which at least some of the multiple batteries are electrically connected in parallel, and (2) a second configuration in which at least some of the multiple batteries are electrically connected in series. In some examples, all motors in a vehicle are powered by the entire battery set. Alternatively, motors in one set may be powered by a set of batteries, and motors in another set may be powered by a set of batteries. Various configurations may be useful and / or beneficial in various situations, as will be detailed later.

[0019] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a battery-powered vehicle. In the example of the figure, the multicopter (100a) is a battery-powered vehicle that can take off and land on water as needed. The multicopter has two floats or pontoons (102a), which are hollow and provide sufficient water displacement for the multicopter to float on water due to its positive buoyancy. Alternatively, the multicopter can take off or land on solid ground as needed.

[0020] FIG. 1B is a side view showing one embodiment of a battery-powered vehicle. FIG. 1B continues the example of FIG. 1A. In this example, each float (102b) in the vehicle (100b) is used to hold five batteries (104). (The batteries are housed in the floats (102b) rather than the fuselage (106)) This design choice was made, in part, to enable shortening the electrical connections to the motors (108) distributed at the upper part of the floats (102b) and the distal end of the boom (110). Also, this makes it possible to house a recovery system (e.g., one or more parachutes) behind the cockpit of the fuselage (106).

[0021] The design choice of using multiple small batteries instead of a single large battery is effective even for vehicles with limited access to the interior of the floats. To prevent water from entering the floats (including other water-sensitive electrical components such as the printed circuit board that controls the motors), access to the interior of the floats is limited to three access ports (112) at the upper part of the floats. With these relatively small access ports, it is easier to insert multiple small batteries than a single large battery.

[0022] In older versions of this vehicle, each battery (104) was paired with a corresponding motor (108), so that each battery powered only one other battery, and each motor was powered by only one battery. However, as will be detailed later, a flexible or configurable battery system (e.g., one in which batteries and / or motors can be electrically connected in various ways) may be desirable for charging purposes, safety, better flight performance, etc. The following diagrams illustrate various examples of such flexible battery systems.

[0023] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the process for configuring multiple batteries to power multiple motors in a vehicle. For example, the 10 batteries of the multicopters 100a and 100b in Figures 1A and 1B may be configured in various ways to power 10 motors (e.g., 108 in Figure 1B).

[0024] In step 200, configuration instructions are received that are associated with configuring multiple batteries to power multiple motors within the vehicle. In some embodiments, the configuration instructions are generated based on the state of the vehicle. For example, if the vehicle is being charged, a corresponding configuration instruction (e.g., an instruction that configures the batteries in a manner desirable for charging) is sent to the controller controlling the configurable electrical connector. Alternatively, if the vehicle is being started (e.g., in anticipation of takeoff), a configuration instruction that corresponds to and / or contributes to flight performance may be sent to the controller controlling the configurable electrical connector.

[0025] In step 202, the batteries are configured as specified by the configuration instruction, which can be configured in several configurations, including (1) a first configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in parallel (e.g., electrically), and (2) a second configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in series (e.g., electrically). For example, when at least some of the batteries are connected in parallel, the (first) configuration can improve flight performance when one motor is using significantly more power than the others. An example of this will be described in detail later.

[0026] Figure 3 shows one embodiment of a flexible battery system. For simplicity and ease of explanation, this example and several other examples described herein include only two batteries and two motors. Of course, other embodiments may include different numbers of batteries and / or motors.

[0027] The battery configuration controller (300) receives configuration commands from some other controller, such as a flight controller or a central controller (for example, a controller that knows whether the vehicle is landed and about to be charged, or about to take off, etc.), and configures the electrical connector (302) accordingly.

[0028] The positive and negative connectors (e.g., B1+, B1-, B2+, and B2-) of the batteries (304a and 304b) are connected to a configurable electrical connector (302). For example, the configurable electrical connector may include one or more switches that allow the battery connections (e.g., B1+, B1-, B2+, and B2-) to be connected in various ways (e.g., in parallel or in series). The switches in the configurable electrical connector (302) are controlled by a battery configuration controller (300).

[0029] Similarly, the positive and negative power supplies (e.g., M1PS+, M1PS-, M2PS+, and M2PS-) to the motors (306a and 306b) are connected to a configurable electrical connector (302) and can be configured in various ways using the configurable electrical connector (302). For example, the power supply to the first and second motors (306a and 306b) may be a shared power supply (e.g., B1+ and B2+ are electrically connected, and B1- and B2- are electrically connected), or the power supply to the two motors may be electrically isolated (e.g., B1+ and B2+ are electrically isolated, and B1- and B2- are electrically isolated).

[0030] Returning temporarily to step 202 in Figure 2, the first configuration (at least a portion of the batteries connected in parallel) may be desirable when one motor consumes significantly more power than another during flight. The following diagram shows an example of such a configuration, which may be desirable during flight to improve flight performance.

[0031] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a flexible battery system in which the batteries and motor are configured in parallel. For clarity, the battery configuration controller (300) and configurable electrical connector (302) shown in Figure 3 are not shown in this figure. However, it should be understood that to create the configuration shown here, the controller (e.g., 300 in Figure 3) configures one or more configurable electrical connectors (e.g., 302 in Figure 3) (such as switches). Figure 4 shows an example of a (first) configuration in which at least some of the batteries are electrically connected in parallel (see step 202 in Figure 2).

[0032] The configuration shown in this diagram may be desirable when, during the vehicle's flight, one of the motors (in this example, the second motor (406)) is consuming more power than the other motor (in this example, the first motor (404)). For example, the propeller attached to the second motor (406) may be generating greater thrust and / or rotating faster than the propeller attached to the first motor (404).

[0033] In older vehicle models (not shown), the first battery (400) powers only the first motor (404), and the second battery (402) powers only the second motor (406). However, if one of the motors consumes a large amount of its battery power, that motor will be limited or otherwise constrained by the current limit or other capacity or performance limit of that (single) battery, even if the other batteries in the system are not fully utilized. For example, when the vehicle is turning or banking, some motors in the vehicle will be working harder than others, and therefore some batteries will be utilized more fully than others. By connecting the batteries and motors in parallel as shown in the diagram, a motor requiring more power (e.g., 406) can be allowed to exceed the limits of a single battery. For example, if each battery is connected to only one motor, the more powerful motor (406) will be limited to the power tolerance limit or limit of 1 × single battery. In the parallel configuration shown in the diagram, the power tolerance can increase to values ​​significantly greater than those of a single 1x battery (e.g., 1.1x, 1.2x, etc.). In other words, by changing the battery arrangement, assuming the battery capacity of the individual batteries is the same, it is possible to supply greater power to some motors. This is desirable because it improves flight performance (e.g., banking or turning) without significantly increasing weight and / or requiring more expensive batteries.

[0034] In some embodiments, the flexible battery system is transitioned to the configuration shown in the figure (or some other similar configuration) before takeoff. The following figure illustrates this more generally and / or formally in a flowchart.

[0035] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the process for configuring multiple batteries, such as by connecting at least several batteries in parallel, in response to a configuration command generated in anticipation of vehicle takeoff. Similar to the example in Figure 2, in some embodiments, the process is performed by some battery configuration controller (e.g., 300 in Figure 3).

[0036] In step 500, a configuration instruction is received that is associated with configuring multiple batteries to power multiple motors within the vehicle, where the configuration instruction is generated in anticipation of the vehicle taking off.

[0037] For example, there may be a central controller or flight controller that generates configuration commands (for example, commands indicating that the vehicle is about to take off, or that at least some of the batteries should be configured in parallel) and sends those commands to a battery configuration controller when the vehicle is in some pre-flight state (e.g., landing state, preparing for takeoff).

[0038] In step 502, the batteries are configured as specified by the configuration instruction, which can be configured in several configurations, including (1) a first configuration in which at least a portion of the batteries are connected in parallel, and (2) a second configuration in which at least a portion of the batteries are connected in series. In response to receiving a configuration instruction generated in anticipation of the vehicle taking off, the batteries are configured in the first configuration in which at least a portion of the batteries are connected in parallel.

[0039] For example, as described above in Figure 4, configuring the battery in this way can improve flight performance by allowing some motors that require a lot of power (e.g., 406 in Figure 4) to access power exceeding that of a single battery in some cases (e.g., when other motors (such as 404 in Figure 4) are consuming less power and the battery has available capacity or resources).

[0040] Returning temporarily to step 202 in Figure 2, the second configuration (where at least a portion of the batteries are connected in series) may be desirable when the batteries are being charged. The following diagram shows an example of such a configuration, which may be desirable during charging.

[0041] Figure 6 shows one embodiment of a flexible battery system in which batteries are connected in series. For example, the battery configuration controller 300 in Figure 3 may have configured a configurable electrical connector (302) which may have one or more switches to achieve the electrical configuration shown in the figure. As previously stated, the battery configuration controller (e.g., 300 in Figure 3) and at least some of the configurable electrical connectors (e.g., 302 in Figure 3) are not shown for clarity.

[0042] In this configuration, the two batteries (600 and 602) are connected in series. For example, a switch or other configurable electrical connector may be set or configured so that the negative connector of one battery (e.g., B1-) is electrically connected to the positive connector of the other battery (e.g., B2+).

[0043] A charger (604) is connected in parallel to batteries (600 and 602) that are connected in series, and charges the batteries. In this example, switches (610 and 612) in parallel with diodes (614 and 616) are placed between the charger and each motor to prevent any current from the charger (604) to the motors (606 and 608) during charging. In the state shown in the figure, the switches (610 and 612) are open so that the only possible path from the charger to each motor is through the diodes, and the directionality of the diodes prevents any current from going to the motors in this mode.

[0044] In the example in Figure 3, the switches (610 and 612 in Figure 6) and diodes (614 and 616 in Figure 6) are included in the configurable electrical connector (302 in Figure 3). The state of the switches (610 and 612 in Figure 6) (e.g., open and closed) is controlled by the battery configuration controller 300 in Figure 3.

[0045] In the example in Figure 4, the battery configuration controller may close the switches (610 and 612 in Figure 6) so that the batteries (400 and 402 in Figure 4) can supply power to the motors (404 and 406 in Figure 4) during flight.

[0046] As shown in this diagram, arranging the batteries in series is beneficial during charging because it reduces the cost of chargers and increases the number of commercially available chargers that can be used. For example, in the older, fixed arrangement described above, where each battery powers only its corresponding motor (and the configuration cannot be changed), charging can be performed with a single charger, but there are few commercially available options, and those that do exist are expensive. When the flexible battery system described above is arranged in series during charging (see, for example, Figure 6), this increases the number of "consumer-grade" charging options.

[0047] Similarly, even if a single charger is available to charge the parallel configuration shown in Figure 4, the higher current required will significantly increase the heat generated from the wiring and connections. This means that such a charger would require more heat-resistant (and costly) components to accommodate this. Also, the higher current required at a lower voltage will have a substantial impact on the weight of the wiring on the vehicle (for example, to accommodate the higher current expected to pass through the wiring) and on the thermal performance components of many propulsion systems (for example, requiring more expensive components as they need to be able to handle more heat). In contrast, if the flexible battery system is in a series configuration (see, for example, Figure 6), the battery system can be charged at a higher voltage using a lower current, which is more desirable for a variety of reasons (e.g., reduced wiring weight, cheaper thermal components, etc.).

[0048] In some embodiments, the configuration instructions for setting the battery to this configuration may be generated in anticipation of charging. The following diagram illustrates an example of this in a more formal and / or general flowchart.

[0049] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a process for configuring multiple batteries, such as by connecting at least some batteries in series, in response to a configuration command generated in anticipation of charging multiple batteries. In some embodiments, the process is performed by some battery configuration controller (e.g., 300 in Figure 3).

[0050] In step 700, a configuration instruction is received that is associated with configuring multiple batteries to power multiple motors in the vehicle, where the configuration instruction is generated with the expectation of charging multiple batteries.

[0051] For example, a configuration instruction may be generated in response to detection that any cap or cover covering the charging port has been removed, or in response to the charger's (e.g., male) connector being connected to or inserted into the vehicle's (e.g., female) charging port.

[0052] In step 702, the batteries are configured as specified by a configuration instruction, which can be configured in several configurations, including (1) a first configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in parallel, and (2) a second configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in series. In response to receiving a configuration instruction generated in anticipation of charging the batteries, the batteries are configured in the second configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in series.

[0053] For example, see the configuration shown in Figure 6. In some embodiments, as shown in the example in Figure 6, a battery configuration controller (e.g., 300 in Figure 3) sets one or more switches (e.g., 610 and 612 in Figure 6) at some connection or input to the motor (e.g., 606 and 608 in Figure 6) so that power is not supplied to a motor that is stopped during charging.

[0054] In some cases, the battery configuration controller modifies switches and / or configurable electrical connectors to electrically isolate a faulty or defective battery. An example of this is shown in the following diagram.

[0055] Figure 8 shows an embodiment of a flexible battery system in which a faulty battery is isolated. In the example shown, the vehicle is in flight. Prior to the state shown in this figure, the batteries and motors were in the configuration shown in Figure 4. In this example, during flight, the second battery (802) malfunctions. If the second battery remained electrically connected to the rest of the system, the low voltage of the faulty battery would cause the healthy first battery (800) to supply current to the faulty second battery (802). However, further current to the faulty second battery (802) would simply further degrade it (e.g., cause it to overheat). To avoid this (or at least mitigate the damage), the battery configuration controller modifies the settings of the switches and / or configurable electrical connections so that the second battery is electrically isolated (i.e., no longer connected) from the rest of the system as shown in the figure. The first battery (800) remains connected to both motors (804 and 806) so that they can be used for landing the vehicle.

[0056] Furthermore, the configuration shown in this diagram is useful because all motors still have access to the battery. In older, fixed configurations where each battery powers only a single corresponding motor (and the connection cannot be reconfigured), a faulty battery results in a "motor-disabled" state, as the corresponding motor (propeller) loses its battery. (For example) Instead of having 10 operational motors (propellers), only 9 motors (propellers) become operational. In contrast, the flexible battery system described herein allows for the isolation of a faulty battery without losing motors (propellers).

[0057] Another advantage of this example is that it can isolate a faulty battery faster than other systems. For example, other systems might attempt to electrically isolate a faulty battery using passive components (such as fuses, e.g., a fuse in series with each battery). When the current flowing through the fuse and battery becomes too large, the fuse blows, electrically isolating the battery. However, in this example, a faulty battery is detected or flagged in other ways if a voltage sensor (e.g., a sensor that measures the battery voltage) detects that a given battery has a voltage below a certain voltage threshold, or if a temperature sensor records a temperature above a certain temperature threshold.

[0058] Similarly, in some embodiments, the system may be configured to (quickly) create an open circuit around a motor having a certain type of fault and / or electrically isolate that motor in response to fault detection (e.g., in a motor controller, propulsion unit, etc.). Note that this may be achieved without electrically isolating any batteries if necessary.

[0059] In some embodiments, there are multiple temperature sensors, including one or more external temperature sensors 810 adjacent to the (metal) case or container of the battery (for example, effective in detecting when a faulty cell is one of the outermost cells near the case) and one or more internal temperature sensors 812 located between the layers of cells (for example, effective in detecting when a faulty cell is one of the innermost cells near the center of the layer).

[0060] When a battery failure is detected (for example, using temperature and / or voltage thresholds), an appropriate configuration command is generated and sent to the battery configuration controller, and switches or other configurable electrical connectors are configured accordingly (i.e., configured to isolate the faulty battery).

[0061] The following diagram illustrates this more formally and / or generally as a flowchart.

[0062] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a process for configuring multiple batteries, such as by isolating a faulty battery. In some embodiments, this process is performed by a battery configuration controller (e.g., 300 in Figure 3).

[0063] In step 900, a configuration instruction is received that is associated with configuring multiple batteries to power multiple motors in the vehicle, where the configuration instruction is generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery among the multiple batteries.

[0064] For example, a faulty battery may be detected in step 900 using one or more of the voltage threshold or temperature threshold (as described above). In some embodiments, each battery in a plurality of batteries comprises an internal temperature sensor (e.g., located inside the battery container, between the layers of cells) and an external temperature sensor (e.g., located outside the battery container).

[0065] In step 902, the batteries are configured as specified by the configuration instruction, which can be configured in several configurations, including (1) a first configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in parallel, and (2) a second configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in series, and in response to receiving a configuration instruction generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery, the batteries are configured in a third configuration in which the faulty battery is isolated from the other batteries in the batteries. See, for example, Figure 8.

[0066] Returning briefly to Figures 1A and 1B, the design choices or constraints associated with the multicopter examples shown in those figures are that the propellers are at a fixed angle and cannot be tilted. As a result, when the multicopter hovers in the air for extended periods, this places a heavy load on the two frontmost motors, considering the vehicle's center of gravity, propeller distribution, propeller angles, etc. Conversely, during continuous high-speed forward flight of the vehicle in the figures, the rearmost motors bear the greatest load. In some embodiments, a flexible battery system is configured to provide power to the batteries and motors, as described in the manner shown in the following figures, to better facilitate long-duration forward flight (or hovering using a slightly different configuration).

[0067] Figure 10A shows an embodiment of a flexible battery system in which one group of batteries is connected in series and another group of batteries is connected in parallel. As mentioned above, if the multicopter shown in this figure flies forward at high speed for an extended period, this puts a strain on the rearmost motor (only one of which is visible in this figure (e.g., 1000a)). In this example, to address this, a battery configuration controller (not shown for clarity in the figure) configures one or more switches and / or configurable electrical connectors (likewise not shown for clarity) to achieve the configuration shown in this figure. In some embodiments, the decision to set the system to this configuration, and the configuration change itself, is performed before takeoff (for example, because changing the battery configuration during flight can be difficult).

[0068] The first group of batteries (1002a and 1004a) are connected in series to produce a higher voltage battery (in this case, twice the voltage of a single battery). The series battery is then used to power the rearmost motor (1002a) (for example, the left or right motor), which receives power from twice the voltage of a single battery.

[0069] The remaining batteries (1006a, 1008a, and 1010a) are used to collectively power the four motors (1012a, 1014a, 1016a, and 1018a) located at the front of the vehicle on that side. Since this group of batteries is connected in parallel, the voltage supplied to these four motors is 1x, not 2x, the voltage of a single battery.

[0070] Returning temporarily to Figure 3, note that the power supply lines (e.g., M1PS+, M1PS-, M2PS+, and M2PS-) to the motors (306a and 306b) exit from the configurable electrical connector (302). This allows the system to have one set of motors (1000a in Figure 10A) powered by one set of batteries (e.g., series-connected batteries 1002a and 1004a in Figure 10A) and another set of motors (e.g., 1012a, 1014a, 1016a, and 1018a in Figure 10A) powered by another set of batteries (e.g., parallel-connected batteries 1006a, 1008a, and 1010a in Figure 10A).

[0071] The following diagram shows the electrical connections more clearly.

[0072] Figure 10B shows one embodiment of a first set of one or more motors powered by a first set of batteries and a second set of one or more motors powered by a second set of one or more batteries. Figure 10B is a continuation of the example in Figure 10A and shows the electrical connections in Figure 10A more clearly.

[0073] As described above, the two batteries (1002b and 1004b) are configured in series with each other, and the series-connected batteries are used to power the rearmost motor (1000b) when the multicopter is in high-speed forward flight mode for extended periods. The advantage of this arrangement is that, as a result of the higher voltage of the series-connected batteries (1002b and 1004b), less current needs to be supplied to the motor (1000b), and consequently, less heat is generated by the motor.

[0074] The other three batteries (1006b, ..., 1010b) are connected in parallel in a separate, electrically independent part of the system. These batteries power the other four motors (1012b, ..., 1018b).

[0075] In some embodiments, the motor (1000b), motor controller, and / or propeller are designed to benefit from a series-connected battery (1002b and 1004b). More specifically, a static motor-and-propeller combination (i.e., not designed to utilize voltage steps from 1x to 2x) does not benefit in terms of current draw. The required thrust determines the required torque (through the propeller design), and the torque requirement determines the required current (through the motor design). Thus, the three-phase current supplied to the motor (with phases of 0°, 120°, and 240°) remains the same, but the current in the DC line supplying the motor controller decreases proportionally to the increase in voltage.

[0076] In contrast, in combinations of dynamic motors and / or configurable motors with motor controllers, the motor's torque constant can be dynamically changed. For example, this can be done with a 6-phase motor (e.g., 0°, 60°, 120°, ...) and a motor controller with an appropriate control strategy. This reduces current and consequently thermal stress on the DC line, motor controller, and 3-phase line.

[0077] In one application example, the flexible battery system is configured to be in the state shown in Figure 4. For example, when the vehicle is in operation, transient or temporary surges from the motor (e.g., surges when the vehicle performs banking or other operations) can be better satisfied by the configuration shown in Figure 4, in which all the batteries and motors are in parallel with each other within a single electrical group.

[0078] In contrast, the configurations shown in Figures 10A and 10B may be more appropriate when the demand on a single motor is sustained. In one example, it is known in advance that in strong winds, a particular motor will work more intensely to maintain a stationary position during hovering, and the vehicle will hover more during subsequent flights. The multicopter example collects real-time conditions (e.g., wind speed) and compares them to the intended direction and / or speed (e.g., if the flight is autonomous). Depending on the predicted load under live conditions, the system may be configured (e.g., before flight) so that the motor with the highest predicted load has a series battery.

[0079] In some other embodiments, switches or configuration changes are made during flight. As previously described, real-time conditions such as wind speed, as well as / or desired vehicle speed, altitude, and / or thrust, may be measured, and the model may use this information to predict which motor will require more power (for example, considering a sustained strong wind) and reconfigure the system accordingly before reaching the maximum power draw from that motor.

[0080] The following diagram illustrates the above example in a more general and / or formal flowchart format.

[0081] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the process for configuring one or more motors in a first set, powered by a first set of batteries, and one or more motors in a second set, powered by one or more batteries in a second set. Similar to the example above, the process described below may be performed by a battery configuration controller.

[0082] In step 1100, a configuration command is received that is associated with configuring multiple batteries to power multiple motors within the vehicle. For example, this configuration shown in Figures 10A and 10B may be useful when a multicopter is attempting to hover in the air for an extended period of time. In some embodiments, an appropriate configuration command is generated when the vehicle has been hovering for longer than a certain amount of time (i.e., a threshold time).

[0083] In step 1102, the batteries are configured as specified by the configuration instruction, where the batteries can be configured into several configurations, including (1) a first configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in parallel, and (2) a second configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in series.

[0084] For example, since the positive and negative battery connectors (e.g., B1+, B1-, B2+, and B2-) are connected to the configurable electrical connector 302 in Figure 3, switches or other connectors within that block can be set or configured to achieve the desired series and / or parallel battery connections.

[0085] In step 1104, the multiple motors are configured as specified by the configuration instruction, where the multiple motors can be configured such that one or more motors of the first set of the multiple motors are powered by one or more batteries of the first set of the multiple batteries, and one or more motors of a second non-overlapping set of the multiple motors are powered by one or more batteries of a second non-overlapping set of the multiple batteries.

[0086] As described above, in some embodiments, the first set of batteries (which power the first set of motors) is a first configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in parallel in step 1104. See, for example, parallel batteries 1006b to 1010b in Figure 10B. The second set of batteries (which power the second set of motors) may similarly be a second configuration in which at least some of the batteries are connected in series. See, for example, series batteries 1002b and 1004b in Figure 10B.

[0087] In some embodiments, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the time associated with the vehicle being in hovering mode exceeding a time threshold, the battery configuration controller configures a number of batteries in step 1104 in Figure 11 such that a first set of motors are powered by a first set of batteries, and a non-overlapping second set of motors are powered by a non-overlapping second set of batteries.

[0088] Similarly, in some embodiments, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the time associated with the vehicle being in forward flight mode with the vehicle speed exceeding a speed threshold exceeding a time threshold (for example, the vehicle flying longer than the time threshold and faster than the speed threshold), the battery configuration controller configures a number of batteries in step 1104 in Figure 11 such that a first set of motors are powered by a first set of batteries and a non-overlapping second set of batteries are powered by a non-overlapping second set of batteries.

[0089] Although the embodiments described above have been explained in some detail for the sake of clarity, the present invention is not limited to the details provided. Many alternative methods exist for carrying out the present invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and not intended to be limiting.

Claims

1. It is a system, Multiple batteries that supply power to multiple motors within the vehicle, Battery configuration controller, Equipped with, The aforementioned battery configuration controller is Receiving a configuration command associated with configuring the aforementioned plurality of batteries, The plurality of batteries are configured as specified by the configuration instruction, The system can be configured in multiple configurations, including (1) a first configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are electrically connected in parallel, and (2) a second configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are electrically connected in series.

2. The system according to claim 1, The aforementioned configuration instruction is generated in anticipation of the vehicle taking off, The battery configuration controller is a system that, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in anticipation of the vehicle's takeoff, configures the plurality of batteries so that at least some of the plurality of batteries are connected in parallel to form a first configuration.

3. The system according to claim 1, The configuration instruction is generated with the expectation of charging the plurality of batteries, A system in which the battery configuration controller, in response to receiving the configuration command generated in anticipation of charging the plurality of batteries, configures the plurality of batteries so that at least some of the plurality of batteries are connected in series to form a second configuration.

4. The system according to claim 1, The aforementioned configuration instruction is generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery among the plurality of batteries, A system in which the battery configuration controller, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery, configures the plurality of batteries such that the faulty battery is isolated from the other batteries among the plurality of batteries in a third configuration.

5. The system according to claim 1, The aforementioned configuration instruction is generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery among the plurality of batteries, The faulty battery is detected using one or more of the following: voltage threshold or temperature threshold. A system in which the battery configuration controller, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery, configures the plurality of batteries such that the faulty battery is isolated from the other batteries among the plurality of batteries in a third configuration.

6. The system according to claim 1, The aforementioned configuration instruction is generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery among the plurality of batteries, The faulty battery is detected using one or more of the following: voltage threshold or temperature threshold. Each of the aforementioned batteries is equipped with an internal temperature sensor and an external temperature sensor. A system in which the battery configuration controller, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery, configures the plurality of batteries such that the faulty battery is isolated from the other batteries among the plurality of batteries in a third configuration.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the battery configuration controller is further configured to configure the plurality of motors as specified by the configuration command, and the plurality of motors can be configured such that one or more motors of a first set of the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries of a first set of the plurality of batteries, and one or more motors of a second non-overlapping set of the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries of a second non-overlapping set of the plurality of batteries.

8. The system according to claim 1, The battery configuration controller is further configured to configure the plurality of motors as specified by the configuration command, and the plurality of motors can be configured such that one or more motors of a first set of the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries of a first set of the plurality of batteries, and one or more motors of a second set of non-overlapping motors are powered by one or more batteries of a second set of non-overlapping batteries. The first set of batteries that supply power to the first set of motors has a first configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are connected in parallel. The system is configured such that the second set of batteries supplying power to the second set of motors is configured such that at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are connected in series.

9. The system according to claim 1, The battery configuration controller is further configured to configure the plurality of motors as specified by the configuration command, and the plurality of motors can be configured such that one or more motors of a first set of the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries of a first set of the plurality of batteries, and one or more motors of a second set of non-overlapping motors are powered by one or more batteries of a second set of non-overlapping batteries. A system in which, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the vehicle being in hovering mode for a period of time exceeding a time threshold, the battery configuration controller configures the plurality of batteries into the configuration in which the first set of motors are powered by the first set of batteries and the non-overlapping second set of batteries are powered by the non-overlapping second set of batteries.

10. The system according to claim 1, The battery configuration controller is further configured to configure the plurality of motors as specified by the configuration command, and the plurality of motors can be configured such that one or more motors of a first set of the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries of a first set of the plurality of batteries, and one or more motors of a second set of non-overlapping motors are powered by one or more batteries of a second set of non-overlapping batteries. A system in which, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the time associated with the vehicle being in forward flight mode with the vehicle speed exceeding a speed threshold exceeding a time threshold, the battery configuration controller configures the plurality of batteries in the configuration in which the first set of motors are powered by the first set of batteries and the non-overlapping second set of batteries are powered by the non-overlapping second set of batteries.

11. It is a method, A configuration command is received that is associated with configuring multiple batteries to supply power to multiple motors in a vehicle. The configuration includes configuring the plurality of batteries as specified by the configuration instruction, Equipped with, A method wherein the plurality of batteries can be configured in a plurality of configurations, including (1) a first configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are electrically connected in parallel, and (2) a second configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are electrically connected in series.

12. The method according to claim 11, The aforementioned configuration instruction is generated in anticipation of the vehicle taking off, A method wherein, in response to receiving the configuration command generated in anticipation of the vehicle taking off, the plurality of batteries are configured in a first configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are connected in parallel.

13. The method according to claim 11, The configuration instruction is generated with the expectation of charging the plurality of batteries, A method in which, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in anticipation of charging the plurality of batteries, the plurality of batteries are configured in a second configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are connected in series.

14. The method according to claim 11, The aforementioned configuration instruction is generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery among the plurality of batteries, A method wherein, in response to receiving the configuration command generated in response to the detection of the faulty battery, the plurality of batteries are configured in a third configuration in which the faulty battery is isolated from the other batteries among the plurality of batteries.

15. The method according to claim 11, The aforementioned configuration instruction is generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery among the plurality of batteries, The faulty battery is detected using one or more of the following: voltage threshold or temperature threshold. A method wherein, in response to receiving the configuration command generated in response to the detection of the faulty battery, the plurality of batteries are configured in a third configuration in which the faulty battery is isolated from the other batteries among the plurality of batteries.

16. The method according to claim 11, The aforementioned configuration instruction is generated in response to the detection of a faulty battery among the plurality of batteries, The faulty battery is detected using one or more of the following: voltage threshold or temperature threshold. Each of the aforementioned batteries is equipped with an internal temperature sensor and an external temperature sensor. A method wherein, in response to receiving the configuration command generated in response to the detection of the faulty battery, the plurality of batteries are configured in a third configuration in which the faulty battery is isolated from the other batteries among the plurality of batteries.

17. A method according to claim 11, further comprising configuring the plurality of motors as specified by the configuration command, A method in which the plurality of motors can be configured such that one or more motors of a first set among the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries of a first set among the plurality of batteries, and one or more motors of a second set of non-overlapping motors among the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries of a second set of non-overlapping batteries.

18. The method according to claim 11, The method further comprises configuring the plurality of motors as specified by the configuration instruction, The plurality of motors can be configured such that one or more motors in a first set of the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries in a first set of the plurality of batteries, and one or more motors in a second set of non-overlapping motors are powered by one or more batteries in a second set of non-overlapping batteries. The first set of batteries that supply power to the first set of motors has a first configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are connected in parallel. The method wherein the second set of batteries that supply power to the second set of motors has a second configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are connected in series.

19. The method according to claim 11, The method further comprises configuring the plurality of motors as specified by the configuration instruction, The plurality of motors can be configured such that one or more motors in a first set of the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries in a first set of the plurality of batteries, and one or more motors in a second set of non-overlapping motors are powered by one or more batteries in a second set of non-overlapping batteries. A method in which, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the vehicle being in hovering mode for a period of time exceeding a time threshold, the plurality of batteries are configured in the configuration in which the first set of motors are powered by the first set of batteries and the non-overlapping second set of motors are powered by the non-overlapping second set of batteries.

20. The method according to claim 11, The method further comprises configuring the plurality of motors as specified by the configuration instruction, The plurality of motors can be configured such that one or more motors in a first set of the plurality of motors are powered by one or more batteries in a first set of the plurality of batteries, and one or more motors in a second set of non-overlapping motors are powered by one or more batteries in a second set of non-overlapping batteries. A method in which, in response to receiving a configuration command generated in response to the time associated with the vehicle being in forward flight mode with the vehicle speed exceeding a speed threshold exceeding a time threshold, the plurality of batteries are configured in the configuration in which the first set of motors are powered by the first set of batteries and the non-overlapping second set of batteries are powered by the non-overlapping second set of batteries.

21. A computer program product, embodied in a persistent computer-readable storage medium, Computer instructions for receiving configuration instructions associated with configuring multiple batteries that supply power to multiple motors within a vehicle, Computer instructions for configuring the plurality of batteries as specified by the above configuration instructions, Equipped with, A computer program product in which the plurality of batteries can be configured in a plurality of configurations, including (1) a first configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are electrically connected in parallel, and (2) a second configuration in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries are electrically connected in series.

Images