Power processing and energy storage apparatus and methods

Abstract

Power processing and energy storage devices and methods are provided. A power conversion device may perform model reference power processing for a plurality of diverse power nodes. The power conversion apparatus includes interconnects coupling power node connection ports to power converters. The power converters include a dense hierarchy of power converters sized to correct for various power flow levels of a defined portion of a population of power nodes to an interim power flow according to a median value for that portion of power nodes. The median value is provided by a model of power node diversity. The power converter also includes a sparse hierarchy. The sparse hierarchy performs power processing to convert from the interim power flows generated by the dense hierarchy to a uniform model corrected target flow.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Priority] This application claims priority to a U.S. Provisional Application named "Partial Power Processing Conversion Architectures" filed on April 23, 2021, with docket number 010109-21006P and assigned application number 63 / 178,638, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] [Technical Field] The present invention generally relates to power processing and energy storage.

Background Art

[0003] In recent years, green technologies for power generation and storage have been widely adopted. For example, last year, many gigawatts of solar cells were installed in the United States alone. In another example, advanced power storage facilities exceeded the gigawatt threshold in the United States in 2020. Forecasts and current incentive systems indicate that this increasing trend will continue in the future. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for systems to efficiently and cost-effectively connect green technology power nodes (e.g., power sinks and / or power sources) to the grid and efficiently and cost-effectively adapt their power outputs for various other uses. Improvements in power adaptation technologies continue to drive industrial demand.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an exemplary power conversion device. [Figure 2] A diagram showing exemplary power conversion device logic. [Figure 3] A diagram showing exemplary diversity model logic. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an exemplary parallel power conversion device. [Figure 5]This figure shows an exemplary dynamically switching power conversion device. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates an example of switching logic. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates an example of sizing logic. [Figure 8] This figure shows a power conversion device with an exemplary bus voltage regulator. [Figure 9] This is a diagram illustrating an electric vehicle charging plaza. [Figure 10] This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary power conversion device with fault protection. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0005] In various situations, power sources such as power storage devices (e.g., batteries, fuel cells, or other power storage devices), solar cells, wind turbines, chemical processes, or other power sources may output power in a manner that does not match the target output of the system in which they are incorporated (e.g., voltage, wattage, current, DC, AC, or other characteristic metrics). Various situations may also involve inconsistencies between multiple power sinks connected in a unified system (e.g., battery chargers, motors, or other power-consuming devices). In other words, a system may have heterogeneity arising from various power nodes within the system (e.g., power sources and / or power sinks).

[0006] Using batteries as an exemplary example, batteries, which may be uniform or non-diverse (e.g., at the time of manufacture, installation, or other lifecycle points), may degrade at different rates in some cases, including under uniform and / or load-balanced usage conditions. Thus, a uniform set of batteries will degrade first, causing its output to deviate from the system's target output. Furthermore, the deviation from the target (or expected contribution to the target) output by individual batteries in an exemplary set may differ from battery to battery. Different levels of battery technology can result in different degradations; for example, different battery packs may degrade differently, and furthermore, within those pack modules, and / or individual cells, may have different degradations. The term "battery" can refer to any part of battery technology and / or other technologies that behave as a power storage unit. For example, multiple battery packs, modules, cells, chargers, controllers, power converters, or the inside of other batteries connected via virtually any set of electrical interconnections may sometimes be referred to as a single "battery." Furthermore, power storage devices (such as batteries) can behave as a power source, a power sink (e.g., while charging), or other power node in various situations. Solar cell / array power generation can vary as a result of transient and / or spatially varying radiation exposure profiles, cell degradation, cell obfuscation (e.g., via dust or other detritus), or other non-uniform interference with power generation.

[0007] As an exemplary scenario, the second use of retired electric vehicle (EV) battery packs (e.g., as residential power backup or other power backup) may require the installation of battery packs that have already degraded as a result of use. Furthermore, battery packs span a wide range of capacities, ratings, and form factors for a wide range of vehicles. As technologies for faster charging and newer battery chemistry emerge, diversity may increase. This diversity is reflected not only in second-use packs for energy storage but also in the charging of different vehicles at stations. However, in times of such rapid change, the market may resist standardization to some extent, as improvements in battery performance may outweigh the advantages of standardization, thus benefiting producers who can incorporate new technologies.

[0008] A similar trade-off exists between standardization and the integration of new technologies with other power nodes.

[0009] In various embodiments, the system may implement power converters to convert power from power nodes into a state usable at output ports. In various embodiments, full power processing (FPP) may include placing power converters between power nodes and target ports to convert power at power nodes to power at target ports. In some cases, converters may be paired with each node in a group associated with the target ports. The converters can handle all the power from the nodes.

[0010] In some cases, partial power processing (PPP) may be implemented. While the number of converters may depend on the number of power nodes (e.g., equal or similar), a PPP converter can process less power than all the power at a node. Instead, processing can be focused on a portion of the power to adjust the power from the power nodes to the output state. In some cases, PPP can reduce the overall power processed. In some cases, PPP operation can be more efficient than FPP because PPP does not process the entire power of the system (even with the same converters). Therefore, the inefficiency per converter is mitigated by the relative size of the process portion. For example, an FPP system processing 100% with a 5% loss loses 5% of the system's power. A PPP configuration processing 10% of the power with the same converters would have a 0.5% loss. Other efficiencies can be obtained, such as reduced internal heating.

[0011] For example, differential power processing (DPP) can operate on portions of power that differ from the target state. In some cases, power nodes may differ only within a given range (e.g., X% to Y%, where Y > X). Therefore, a set of power converters, each capable of individually handling the maximum deviation within the range (e.g., Y%), may be sufficient to support power conversion. In some cases, the cost of power converters may be proportional to the processing capacity of the converters. Thus, a system configured to use PPP and / or DPP may have cost-saving advantages over an FPP system. However, some FPP systems may operate in locations where information about the current / future operating states of the power nodes is unknown. For example, DPP and PPP may have operating tolerances within which a particular output can be delivered. If a set of power nodes is out of range (or degrades to a point that is out of range after installation, for example), the PPP system may fail.

[0012] In some cases, statistical models, empirical models, and / or theoretical models can provide information about the state of power nodes. For example, a battery degradation versus use and / or time model can provide a distribution of the state of a given second-use battery population. Thus, such a model can provide predictive information about sets of batteries drawn from such a population.

[0013] For example, a particular population (or other group) of power nodes may be diverse for one or more reasons, such as degradation, model type, or other diversity factors. Diversity models, including power node characterization, statistical models, or models derived from other models of power node performance, can be used to provide information about the expected characteristics of power nodes selected from that particular population. Furthermore, diversity models can be used to divide the population into defined parts. These defined parts may be statistical parts, such as percentile ranges, individual node assignments, characterization-based assignments, or other groupings. Once divided into parts, the parts can be processed specifically so that the electrical coupling of the parts to the components is specific to the characteristics of that power node part. Thus, systems using diverse power nodes can predict the sizing requirements of power converters. Therefore, since there is uncertainty in the amount of conversion capacity required, power converters with lower conversion capacity may be used.

[0014] Therefore, a system capable of processing a set of power nodes using model-estimated conditions may enable relatively robust performance against blind and / or limited characterization, without requiring detailed characterization of individual power nodes within that set. Furthermore, a system capable of model-reference correction may enable the construction of a more uniform power processing system, rather than relying on interconnects and power converter units specific to high-power node sets.

[0015] In various embodiments, a sparse set of power converters (e.g., a group, a hierarchy (having hierarchical relationships with other sets of power converters), multiple hierarchies within the set itself, or other configurations) may be selected to correct the model reference estimate of power node variation for a set of power nodes. A sparse set may include many power converters that depend on the power node differences estimated by the model. Thus, in some cases, the number of power converters in a sparse set may be less than the number of power nodes served by the power converters. In an exemplary scenario, an exemplary model estimates that a set of nine power nodes (selected by a set of power nodes managed by the model) may be interconnected (on average) with three power converters for coordination between power nodes. In the exemplary scenario, the three power converters may rebalance the outputs / inputs from various power nodes to guarantee a particular power. In some cases, the three power converters may handle inputs over a range to allow for the uncertainty associated with selecting a finite number of power converters from a population. The distribution of a finite number of power converters selected from a population may not necessarily coincide with the distribution of the entire population.

[0016] In some cases, power nodes may be connected to a system and can operate without individual characterization. The model may be a single node for estimating the state of power nodes. The nodes may be assumed to be connected and operating within a certain tolerance range of the model estimates.

[0017] In some cases, characterization can be performed on voltage level output, the specifications of the power node when new, and / or other information that can be measured without changing the power node (or a cost comparable to the cost of the power processing system itself). In some cases, the processing system may include characterization elements such as voltage test capability. In some cases, characterization can be used for system initialization, dynamic configuration, and / or other configurations. Characterization can be used to facilitate the interconnection of power nodes that approximate estimates (e.g., expected values) of power node differences provided by diversity models.

[0018] In some cases, the correction from a diversity model to a uniformly model-corrected target power may be performed in stages. In various embodiments, a sparse set may be implemented as one or more sparse tiers, and power processing may proceed sequentially from tier to tier. In some cases, power processing in a sparse converter may occur after power conversion in one or more high-density sets of power converters, providing faster adjustment (by current flow) in series than other power conversions that may occur (for example, for another power node later connected in series). Thus, tiers may be defined by a local order (e.g., from dense to sparse) which may not necessarily align with the overall current flow of the device.

[0019] In some cases, between one or more sparse tiers and power nodes, the system may include a dense set of power converters (which may include one or more dense tiers). In some cases, dense tiers can be used to compensate for the uncertainty from the deviation of individual power nodes to the central value (or other target value) of a particular portion of the power node population. For example, a particular group of batteries (power nodes) may have secondary-use batteries that are less degraded than expected for that particular portion of the population, while others are more degraded than expected. In addition, the state of all these batteries can continue to change over time during this second-use installation. A dense set of power converters can be used to adjust the power from the batteries to more closely match the central value that would be predicted by the model. The sparse set of power converters can then be used to compensate for the model distribution to a uniform, model-corrected target power. In some cases, the dense set may include a number of power converters proportional to the total number of power nodes (e.g., less than one, or equal to another number, directly depending on the number of power nodes).

[0020] In various embodiments, the deviation of an individual battery from the model estimate may be (on average) smaller than the correction from the model to the target power. Thus, the processing capacity of the power converters in the dense set may be less than that in the sparse set. In some cases, the cost of the power converters may be proportional to the power processing capacity. Thus, in various embodiments, a hierarchical system with a dense set of power converters and a sparse set of power converters may have more power converters than a PPP system (as described above). The number of power converters in the dense set is the same as the total number of power converters in the PPP system. However, in some cases, the individual processing capacity of the converters in the dense set may be less than that of the individual power converters in the PPP system. For example, the capacity of an individual power converter in the PPP system may be more similar to the power processing capacity of the converters in the sparse set. Thus, despite having more power converters, the hierarchical system may still be less costly than a similarly implemented PPP system (which is already less costly than a similarly implemented FPP system).

[0021] In various embodiments where a diversity model is used to subdivide a group of power nodes into parts, sparse tiers may be specifically constructed and used to generate a uniform model-corrected target power by correcting from a central value (or other intermediate value produced by dense tier correction). Dense tier power converters may be specifically selected to correct for variations involving a defined portion of the population of power nodes. For example, a device may include several different power node connection ports coupled to a dense tier power converter. Each connection port may be coupled to one or more dense tier power converters specifically selected to correct for expected changes within a defined portion of the population of power nodes. Furthermore, the number of connection ports dedicated to each portion of the population (e.g., across one or more multi-port devices) may be scaled with respect to the relative size of that portion within the population. For example, a portion covering half of a population of power nodes may have half the total number of ports in a device that uses power nodes from the portion configured to correct for changes within that portion. In some cases, a defined portion may be selected to facilitate such a decision. As an illustrative example, a set of power conversion devices may be designed to have 12 ports, each configurable to support a specific portion of a group of power nodes. The group can then be divided into 12 distinct portions of at least approximately equal size. In some cases, the defined portions may overlap (or partially overlap). Thus, a particular power node may fall within the definition of two or more distinct portions. A diversity model can provide an expected range of distinct supported power flows for a given portion.

[0022] Referring here to Figure 1, an exemplary power conversion device (PCD) 100 is shown. See also Figure 2, which shows PCD logic 200 that can manage the operation of PCD 100. The exemplary PCD 100 includes several power node connection ports 111-119. Each of the connection ports may be configured to support power conversion for a defined portion of a power node group of power nodes.

[0023] The diversity model can provide characteristics of different parts. For example, the diversity model can provide a central value of the expected power flow (such as an average value, a median value, a selected value for facilitating transformation in combination with other central values, or other values). For instance, the diversity model can give an expected range of power flow for a defined part. In some cases, the defined part can be defined based on power flow values. However, other characteristics may be used. For example, the age of a power node, the operating voltage of a power node, the internal resistance of a power node (such as battery resistance or other internal resistance), the charge / discharge cycle count of power storage, the power node current, or other characteristics. In some cases, a group can be statistically defined (for example, a percentile based on an expected distribution according to the age of a power node, the number of cycles, or other factors). Therefore, the membership of a particular power node within any specific part of a group may not be fully distinguishable. Thus, in some cases, ports can be configured for different parts, and then power nodes can be coupled to specific ports based on best guess and / or best-fit membership assignment. As an illustrative example, a particular PCD can have four ports tuned to different quartiles of a total group of power nodes. When the PCD is placed in an operating state, power nodes may be partially characterized, for example, the operating voltage of each power node may be measured. Then, based on the partial characterization, the power nodes can be assigned based on the ranking of the characterized values. For example, in a best-fit port assignment scheme, it can be assumed that the measured lowest operating voltage is best placed in the lowest quartile port, including situations where the measured lowest operating voltage may suggest membership in another quartile. In a best-guess scheme, the measured characteristics can be used to estimate membership. For example, the lowest measured operating voltage can be assigned to the quartile most strongly indicated by the actual measured voltage value without considering its ranking in relation to other power nodes characterized with it at the time of its installation.

[0024] The PCD100 further includes node interconnects 140 between multiple power node connection ports 111-119. The node interconnects 140 may be configured to connect the power node connection portions 111-119 in parallel or series configuration. In some cases, one or more sets of ports may be connected in parallel to other individual ports. The PCD100 further includes interconnects 130 between the multiple power node connection ports 111-119 and a sparse set of power converters 141, 142, 144. The sparse set functions to adjust power at different points in order to ensure the final uniform model-corrected power at port 150.

[0025] As described below, the interconnection may include dynamic switching to support the reconfiguration of the connection over time. Switching may, for example, allow the power converter-power supply connection to be changed after initial setup as a result of uneven degradation between power supplies. In some cases, dynamic reconfiguration may be applied in response to different operating conditions. For example, ports 111-119 may be switched to be coupled in series when power flows outward from the ports. For example, this may correspond to a coupled battery that discharges during operation. However, ports 111-119 may be switched to be coupled in parallel when power flows inward towards the ports. For example, this may correspond to a coupled battery charging.

[0026] The hierarchical interconnection 130 may include a set of high-density power converters 131-139 for first-stage adjustment (e.g., partial power processing of model deviation power) of power node connection ports 111-119 according to the center values ​​provided by the model. In some cases, such adjustment may include differences and / or partial transformations to provisional values ​​that are selected by referencing the center values ​​from the diversity model but are different from the reference center values. For example, provisional values ​​may include values ​​corresponding to multiple center values ​​added together, the difference between two center values, or other target values ​​that refer to the center values. In some cases, the provisional values ​​may be the center values ​​from the diversity model. Model deviation power may include portions of power that deviate from the center values ​​provided by the diversity model. The high-density power converter sets 131-139 may be connected in one or more hierarchies (below the sparse sets 141, 142, 144 in the hierarchy). The total number of hierarchies in the power converter hierarchy may include the number of hierarchies of the sparse set of power converters plus the number of hierarchies of the high-density set of power converters 131-139.

[0027] The hierarchical interconnection 130 further includes passive connections (e.g., parallel, series, capacitive, inductive, power conversion, and / or other interconnections) to assist in coordination. Therefore, the hierarchical interconnection 130 does not necessarily have to connect power node connection ports one-to-one with high-density hierarchical power converters. For example, multiple series connection nodes can be used to estimate the desired operating voltage before connecting to a power converter. Thus, power from multiple node connection ports can be handled by a single converter (transformer). In some cases, for the sake of simplicity of analysis and / or presentation, a complex electrical system may be referred to, illustrated, or reduced (via circuit equivalents) as a single node and / or a single node connection port. In various embodiments, connection ports may be permanently wired to specific power nodes. Thus, ports may include power interfaces for power flow to and from power nodes, regardless of the permanent or temporary nature of the interface connection.

[0028] In various embodiments, sparse sets 141, 142, and 144 may be powered by the interconnect 130 (and a dense set of power converters). The sparse sets may provide partial power handling (204) to adjust the power from model reference provisional values ​​(e.g., approximated by adjustments via the interconnect 130) to ensure uniform model-corrected target power at the target port 150 (206). In other words, the sparse sets of power converters provide partial power handling of the power (e.g., using taps as various points in the PCD) to obtain the power format used by the system being powered by the power supply.

[0029] Figure 3 shows an exemplary diversity model logic 300. The exemplary diversity model logic 300 stores the distribution 302 of the power node population. The exemplary diversity model logic 300 divides the power node population into defined portions 310. For each of the defined portions 310, the exemplary diversity model logic 300 provides a central value 312 and a predicted power flow range 314. The exemplary diversity model logic 300 maps each of those populations to one or more power node connection ports 320 in the PCD structure.

[0030] Figure 4 shows an exemplary parallel PCD 400. In this exemplary parallel PCD 400, power node connection ports 411-419 are coupled in parallel to the target port 450 and various sparse tier converters 441, 442, and 444. High-density tier converters 431-438 can be coupled between the power node connection ports 411-419 and the sparse tier converters 441, 442, and 444 using parallel and / or series connections.

[0031] In various exemplary parallel partial power processing architectures, a virtual hierarchy of power converters 441–449 may be used to enable circuit duality-based analysis. The virtual hierarchy of power converters 441–449 may allow power nodes to be treated as equal "current sources" rather than "voltage sources" for the purposes of circuit analysis. Thus, a series circuit may be reconfigured as a parallel circuit with such power converters added. However, rather than providing physical converters to offer this "zero" stage conversion, the contribution of this virtual hierarchy of power converters 441–449 may be incorporated into the operation of the high-density hierarchical converters 431–438. In some embodiments, the use of circuit duality may facilitate dual-mode implementation. Thus, a PCD operating in series in one mode may be converted to a parallel circuit using the virtual hierarchy of power converters 441–449 when operating in a second mode. Therefore, adjustments to the operation of the high-density hierarchical converters 431–438 may be determined based on the virtual power conversion requirements when dynamically switching between series and parallel operation. Therefore, in some cases, such virtualization can simplify dual-mode operation.

[0032] Figure 5 shows an exemplary dynamically switchable PCD500. Referring to Figure 6, an exemplary switching logic 600 that can be implemented on the meter circuit 502 and the switching circuit 504 is shown.

[0033] An exemplary dynamically switchable PCD500 may include a meter circuit 502 that can perform characterization at power node connection ports 111-119 (602). For example, the meter circuit can characterize voltage, power storage capacity (e.g., via charge-discharge cycle voltage pattern, power flow over charge-discharge cycles, or other cycle measurements), internal resistance, power flow, current flow, cycle count, power node age, or other power node behavior.

[0034] The switching circuit 504 may include processing hardware for determining when a switching condition occurs (604). The switching condition may include predetermined conditions under which a particular interconnection layout is assigned. For example, the switching condition may include one or more thresholds for one or more characterized values. In an exemplary example, the switching condition may include a PCD exceeding a certain charge cycle count and / or age from a reference point (such as initial installation). The switching condition may include a change in operating mode. For example, the switching condition may include a reversal of power flow from power node connection ports 111-119 (or other indication of a change from discharge mode to charge mode). For example, the switching condition may include a determination that power node connection ports 111-119 have transitioned from an initial non-diversified state to a diversity state (e.g., an initial uniform power node now exhibiting different behavior, such as a degraded state).

[0035] When it is determined that a switching condition has occurred, the switching circuit 504 can switch the interconnects 130 and 140 to match the interconnect layout that matches the determined switching condition (606).

[0036] For example, the switching circuit 504 can reconnect the power node connection ports. For instance, in a device interconnecting multiple batteries, aging batteries may degrade at different rates. One or more of the power node connection ports may be coupled to a power converter sized to accommodate more significant degradation than the others. Thus, the switching circuit can reconnect the ports to dedicate a specific-sized converter to the battery that has suffered the most significant degradation based on measurements from the meter circuit 502. Similarly, batteries that have suffered the least significant degradation may be switched to power converters specifically sized for those with less degradation. Initially, the non-diverse states of the batteries may allow any of the batteries to function equally well through any of the power node connection ports, despite the different sizes of their coupled power converters.

[0037] In another embodiment, the switching circuit 504 may determine that the power flow of the PCD 500 has reversed (or immediately reverses by indicating that the PCD is plugged into or unplugged from the charger). The switching circuit 504 may switch the interconnects 130, 140 from a charging layout to a discharging layout, or vice versa. In an exemplary example, the switching circuit 504 may switch between a parallel interconnect layout during charging and a direct interconnect layout during discharging. In some cases, the switching circuit 504 may also cause the dense hierarchical converters 131-139 to perform (or suspend) virtual hierarchical power processing to support circuit dual conversion from series operation to parallel operation (or vice versa).

[0038] [Example Embodiments] The following exemplary embodiments are included as examples of the general techniques and architectures described above. Any of the features or any grouping of features described in relation to the exemplary embodiments may or may not exist in other embodiments.

[0039] Figure 7 shows an exemplary sizing logic 700 for determining a power converter sizing distribution based on the distribution of power nodes. The sizing logic 700 can determine the distribution of power nodes (702). Based on this distribution, the sizing logic 700 can select an initial PCD layout. The logic can characterize a sample of the population (704). If the sample includes the entire population, the sizing logic 700 can estimate / calculate the power node energy for each power node (706), sort the power nodes into parts (708), and optimize the layout of the PCD interconnects (710). If the sample is less than the entire population, the sizing logic 700 can estimate / calculate the power node energy for each power node (726), sort the power nodes into parts (728), optimize the layout of the PCD interconnects (730), and apply a simulation (such as a Monte Carlo simulation) to determine the average performance based on the population. Using a sample smaller than the entire population, the sizing logic 700 can iterate through test-simulation cycles until the average performance (or other measure of performance variance) reaches a threshold level.

[0040] The sizing logic 600 iteratively optimizes the PCD interconnect layout by power converter hierarchy, while also optimizing the layout from the lowest (densest) hierarchy to the highest (sparsest) hierarchy. In some cases, convex programming and / or linear programming can be used to optimize the hierarchy.

[0041] Referring here to Figure 8, an exemplary PCD800 with a bus voltage regulator 802 is shown. A bus voltage regulator may be used to ensure a constant voltage target and to eliminate power conversion-induced noise.

[0042] Referring here to Figure 9, an exemplary electric vehicle (EV) charging plaza 900 is shown. Chargers 902 (which may be Level I, II, III, or other EV charging standards) may be supplied by one or more PCDs 904 (which may include a second use battery as a power storage device) and maintained at the plaza site. PCDs 904 may be used to buffer power draws from the grid 906. In some cases, PCDs 904 may be charged when power can be generated via renewable sources (e.g., during solar or wind hours at the power generation site). Other times for PCD charging may be selected, such as timing based on power cost, timing based on peak usage avoidance, or other power generation factors. A PCD management system 908 may receive data from grid control 910 regarding the timing of PCD charging. The PCD management system 908 may coordinate with a charging management system 912 to control when power should be drawn from the PCDs 904 and when power should be drawn from the grid for charging.

[0043] Referring here to Figure 10, an exemplary PCD1000 with fault protection is shown. The addition of fault protection can assist in the fault situation of the power node, which may be expected to increase in frequency as the age of the power node increases.

[0044] Various exemplary embodiments are included for illustrative purposes. Other embodiments are also possible. [Table 2: Examples] [E1] Multiple power storage connection ports, A high-density converter hierarchy connected to the aforementioned multiple power storage ports, A device comprising a sparse converter hierarchy connected to the plurality of power storage connection ports via the high-density converter hierarchy, The aforementioned multiple power storage connection ports are A first connection port to support the range of the first power flow, Including a second connection port to support a second range of power flow, The range of the first power flow described above spans one or more first expected power flow levels for a first defined portion of the group of power storage units, The range of the second power flow described above spans one or more second expected power flow levels for a second defined portion of the group of power storage units, The aforementioned high-density converter hierarchy is A first high-density hierarchical power converter connected to at least the first connection port, Includes at least a second high-density hierarchical power converter connected to the second connection port, The first high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert from the range of the first power flow to a first provisional power flow, the level of the first provisional power flow being selected based on a diversity model for a group of power storages. The second high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert from the range of the second power flow to a second provisional power flow, the level of the second provisional power flow being selected based on a diversity model for the power storage group. The sparse converter hierarchy is configured to convert a coupled power flow into a uniform, model-corrected target, wherein the coupled power flow includes at least a portion of each of the first and second provisional power flows, and the apparatus optionally follows or is implemented by other embodiments of this table. [E2] The first high-density hierarchical power converter is coupled to multiple connection ports among multiple power storage connection ports, The apparatus of any embodiment of this table, wherein the first high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert differential power flows from multiple of a plurality of power storage connection ports into a first provisional power flow, thereby converting from within the range of the first power flow to the first provisional power flow. [E3] The aforementioned multiple power storage connection ports are connected in parallel to the target port, as in any embodiment of the device in this table. [E4] The apparatus of Embodiment 3 or other embodiments of this Table, wherein at least one of the plurality of power storage connection ports is configured to support coupling to a series of power storage as a single power storage unit coupled in parallel with the other power storage connection ports to the target port. [E5] The diversity model includes the apparatus of any embodiment in this table, including the power storage degradation model. [E6] The aforementioned power storage degradation model is, Energy storage age, Power storage type, Power charge-discharge cycle count, or Any of the above groups, Apparatus of Example 5 of this Table or any other example, including a degradation model based on [the specified method]. [E7] The apparatus of Example 5 of this Table or any other example, wherein the first and second defined portions include portions of the power storage unit group corresponding to the expected distribution of degradation levels of the power storage unit group according to the diversity model. [E8] The apparatus of Embodiment 7 of this Table or any other embodiment, wherein the first and second defined portions are selected such that the expected distribution results in an equal number of power storages in each of the first and second defined portions. [E9] The actual distribution of degradation levels in the group of power storage devices deviates from the expected distribution. The first and second specified parts of the apparatus of Embodiment 8 of this Table or any other embodiment include a number of power storage units different from the group of power storage units. [E10] The first and second defined parts of the apparatus of Example 5 of this Table or any other embodiment include a diversity model and a portion of the group of power storage corresponding to the distribution of degradation levels based on at least some characterization of the power storage group. [E11] The apparatus of Embodiment 5 of this Table or any other embodiment, wherein the first and second defined parts include parts of the power storage group corresponding to the individual allocation of each power storage in the power storage group to the corresponding parts. [E12] The group of power storage units includes a group of batteries, as in any embodiment of the apparatus in this table. [E13] The system includes multiple power storage connection ports configured to support coupling to multiple power storage units while the multiple power storage units degrade from a non-diversity state to a degraded state, and the diversity model provides an expected degradation distribution for the multiple power storage units in a degraded state. Furthermore, it includes a high-density converter hierarchy dynamically coupled to the plurality of power storage connection ports, The aforementioned high-density converter hierarchy is A first high-density hierarchical power converter dynamically connected to the plurality of power storage connection ports, Includes a second high-density hierarchical power converter dynamically connected to the plurality of power storage connection ports, The first high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert from a range of first power flows to a first provisional power flow, the level of the first provisional power flow being determined based on the diversity model. The second high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert from a range of second power flows to a second provisional power flow, the level of the second provisional power flow being determined based on the diversity model. Furthermore, it includes a sparse converter hierarchy connected to the multiple power sparse connection ports via the high-density converter hierarchy, The sparse converter hierarchy is configured to convert a coupled power flow into a uniform, model-corrected target, wherein the coupled power flow comprises at least a portion of each of the first and second provisional power flows, and optionally follows or is implemented by any other embodiment of this Table. [E14] An apparatus of any embodiment of this Table further includes a meter circuit configured to characterize the current degradation level from one or more of the aforementioned multiple power storage connection ports. [E15] The meter circuit described above is Voltage in one or more of the multiple power storage connection ports, Power storage capacity for power storage coupled to one or more of multiple power storage connection ports, Current flow in one or more of the multiple power storage connection ports, The internal resistance of a power storage device coupled to one or more of its multiple power storage connection ports, or Any of the above groups, The apparatus of Example 14 of this table or any other embodiment is configured to characterize the current degradation level by measuring [a specific value]. [E16] The apparatus of Embodiment 14 of this Table or any other embodiment further includes a switching circuit configured to dynamically couple the high-density converter hierarchy to the plurality of power storage connection ports based on the characterization of the current degradation level. [E17] The aforementioned non-diversity state includes the device of any embodiment in this table, including the new installation state. [E18] A method for multiple power storage connection ports, The aforementioned multiple power storage connection ports are A first connection port for supporting a first range of power flow, wherein the first range of power flow spans one or more first expected power flow levels for a first defined portion of a group of power storage units, A second connection port for supporting a second range of power flow, the second range of power flow including the second connection port, which spans one or more second expected power flow levels for a second defined portion of a group of power storage units, The method comprises performing a first stage of power processing in a high-density converter hierarchy connected to a plurality of power storage connection ports, The aforementioned power processing is, In a first high-density hierarchical power converter coupled to at least the first connection port and converting from within the range of the first power flow to a first provisional power flow, the level of the first provisional power flow is selected based on a diversity model for the group of power storage units, and In a second high-density hierarchical power converter coupled to at least the second connection port and converting from within the range of the second power flow to a second provisional power flow, the level of the second provisional power flow is selected based on a diversity model for the group of power storage units, This is done by, The method further comprises performing a second stage of power processing in sparse converters coupled to the plurality of power storage connection ports via the high-density converter hierarchy, The second stage of power processing is performed by converting the combined power flow into a uniform model-corrected target, wherein the combined power flow includes at least a portion of each of the first and second provisional power flows, and the method is optionally performed according to or by any other embodiment of this Table. [E19] Performing the first and second stages of power processing is a method of any embodiment of this Table, which includes partially processing the power from the plurality of power storage connection ports. [E20] The first power flow range is defined as the deviation of the expected power flow level as the central power flow value for the first defined portion of the power storage group provided by the diversity model, The conversion from the range of the first power flow to the first provisional power flow is a method of any embodiment of this Table, which includes partially processing a portion of the power flow from the first connection port to produce a deviation from the central power flow value.

[0045] This disclosure is intended to be illustrative and is written with reference to specific embodiments not intended to limit this disclosure. The embodiments may be modified, added to, and / or deleted without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0046] The above explanation is provided solely to clarify understanding, and no unnecessary limitations should be assumed from it.

Claims

1. Multiple power storage connection ports, A high-density converter hierarchy connected to the aforementioned multiple power storage connection ports, A device comprising a sparse converter hierarchy connected to the plurality of power storage connection ports via the high-density converter hierarchy, The aforementioned multiple power storage connection ports are A first connection port to support the range of the first power flow, Including a second connection port for supporting a second range of power flow, The range of the first power flow described above spans one or more first expected power flow levels for a first defined portion of the group of power storage units, The range of the second power flow described above spans one or more second expected power flow levels for a second defined portion of the group of power storage units, The aforementioned high-density converter hierarchy is A first high-density hierarchical power converter connected to at least the first connection port, It includes at least a second high-density hierarchical power converter connected to the second connection port, The first high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert from the range of the first power flow to a first provisional power flow, the level of the first provisional power flow being selected based on a diversity model for a group of power storages. The second high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert from the range of the second power flow to a second provisional power flow, the level of the second provisional power flow being selected based on a diversity model for the power storage group. The sparse converter hierarchy is configured to convert a coupled power flow into a uniform, model-corrected target, wherein the coupled power flow includes at least a portion of each of the first and second provisional power flows.

2. The first high-density hierarchical power converter is coupled to multiple connection ports among multiple power storage connection ports, The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert differential power flows from multiple of the multiple power storage connection ports into a first provisional power flow, thereby converting from within the range of the first power flow to the first provisional power flow.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of power storage connection ports are connected in parallel to the target port.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of power storage connection ports is configured to support coupling to a series of power storage as a single power storage unit coupled in parallel with the target port and the other power storage connection ports.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diversity model includes a power storage degradation model.

6. The aforementioned power storage degradation model is, Energy storage age, Power storage type, Power charge-discharge cycle count, or Any of the above groups, The apparatus according to claim 5, including a degradation model based on the following.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first and second defined portions include portions of the power storage unit group corresponding to the expected distribution of degradation levels of the power storage unit group according to the diversity model.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first and second defined portions are selected such that the expected distribution results in an equal number of power storages in each of the first and second defined portions.

9. The actual distribution of degradation levels in the group of power storage devices deviates from the expected distribution. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first and second defined portions include a number of power storage units different from the group of power storage units.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first and second defined portions include a diversity model and portions of the group of power storages corresponding to a distribution of degradation levels based on at least some characterizations of the power storage groups.

11. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first and second defined portions include portions of the power storage group corresponding to the individual allocation of each power storage in the power storage group to the corresponding portion.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group of power storage units includes a group of batteries.

13. The system includes multiple power storage connection ports configured to support coupling to multiple power storage units while the multiple power storage units degrade from a non-diversity state to a degraded state, and the diversity model provides an expected degradation distribution for the multiple power storage units in a degraded state. Furthermore, it includes a high-density converter hierarchy dynamically coupled to the plurality of power storage connection ports, The aforementioned high-density converter hierarchy is A first high-density hierarchical power converter dynamically connected to the plurality of power storage connection ports, It includes a second high-density hierarchical power converter dynamically connected to the plurality of power storage connection ports, The first high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert from a range of first power flows to a first provisional power flow, the level of the first provisional power flow being determined based on the diversity model. The second high-density hierarchical power converter is configured to convert from within the range of the second power flow to a second provisional power flow, the level of the second provisional power flow being determined based on the diversity model. Furthermore, it includes a sparse converter hierarchy connected to the multiple power storage connection ports via the high-density converter hierarchy, The sparse converter hierarchy is configured to convert a coupled power flow into a uniform, model-corrected target, wherein the coupled power flow includes at least a portion of each of the first and second provisional power flows.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a meter circuit configured to characterize the current degradation level from one or more of the plurality of power storage connection ports.

15. The meter circuit described above is Voltage in one or more of the multiple power storage connection ports, Power storage capacity for power storage coupled to one or more of multiple power storage connection ports, Current flow in one or more of the multiple power storage connection ports, The internal resistance of a power storage device coupled to one or more of its multiple power storage connection ports, or Any of the above groups, The apparatus according to claim 14, configured to characterize the current degradation level by measuring a certain value.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a switching circuit configured to dynamically couple the high-density converter hierarchy to the plurality of power storage connection ports based on the characterization of the current degradation level.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the non-diversity state includes a new installation state.

18. A method for multiple power storage connection ports, The aforementioned multiple power storage connection ports are A first connection port for supporting a first range of power flow, wherein the first range of power flow spans one or more first expected power flow levels for a first defined portion of a group of power storage units, A second connection port for supporting a second range of power flow, the second range of power flow including the second connection port, which spans one or more second expected power flow levels for a second defined portion of a group of power storage units, The method comprises performing a first stage of power processing in a high-density converter hierarchy connected to a plurality of power storage connection ports, The aforementioned power processing is, In a first high-density hierarchical power converter coupled to at least the first connection port and converting from within the range of the first power flow to a first provisional power flow, the level of the first provisional power flow is selected based on a diversity model for the group of power storage units, and In a second high-density hierarchical power converter coupled to at least the second connection port and converting from within the range of the second power flow to a second provisional power flow, the level of the second provisional power flow is selected based on a diversity model for the group of power storage units, This is done by, The method further comprises performing a second stage of power processing in sparse converters coupled to the plurality of power storage connection ports via the high-density converter hierarchy, The method wherein the second stage of power processing is performed by converting the coupled power flow into a uniform model-corrected target, the coupled power flow comprising at least a portion of each of the first and second provisional power flows.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein performing the first and second stages of power processing includes partially processing the power from the plurality of power storage connection ports.

20. The first power flow range is defined as the deviation of the expected power flow level as the central power flow value for a first defined portion of the power storage group provided by the diversity model. The method according to claim 18, wherein the conversion from the range of the first power flow to the first provisional power flow includes partially processing a portion of the power flow from the first connection port to produce a deviation from the central power flow value.

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