Independent Battery Control in Series Strings
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Solution Overview
Problem
In battery energy storage systems, the replacement of one battery with a new one in a series connection leads to discrepancies in charge/discharge rates, resulting in reduced lifetime and suboptimal performance, as current control systems treat the series connection uniformly without accounting for individual battery performance.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow independent control of each battery in a series connection, using a battery monitor and controller to create and adjust battery models based on charge/discharge curves, enabling optimized charging and discharging operations to maintain performance as batteries age.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If batteries are connected in series and one battery is replaced with a new battery, then the system can restore some capacity, but the charge/discharge rates become mismatched causing reduced lifetime and suboptimal performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the series-connected battery system into individually controllable segments. Each battery is equipped with its own control circuit that can independently monitor and adjust charge/discharge parameters, allowing mismatched batteries to operate at their respective optimal rates rather than being constrained by the weakest link.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different charge/discharge control strategies to different batteries based on their individual characteristics. Each battery receives customized charging parameters (current, voltage, time) tailored to its specific capacity, age, and health status, rather than applying a uniform charging regime to all batteries in series.
2Device complexity
If uniform charging control is applied to all batteries in series, then the control system is simple, but the performance is limited by the worst-performing battery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic charge/discharge control where charging parameters are continuously adjusted based on real-time monitoring of each battery's state. The system can modify current, voltage, and charging duration for individual batteries during the charging process to optimize performance while maintaining manageable control complexity through modular architecture.
3Reliability
If individual battery control is implemented, then performance and lifetime are improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional hardware for each battery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs universal control modules that can be applied to any battery in the series connection. Each control unit performs multiple functions including monitoring, charging control, and communication, allowing standardized hardware to manage individual battery optimization without requiring completely separate systems for each battery.
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided control systems and methods for charging batteries. For instance, there is provided a system for charging at least two batteries. The system can include a set of hardware associated with the at least two batteries, and the at least two batteries can be connected in series. Each battery from the at least two batteries can be associated with a subset of the set of hardware, and one subset of the set of hardware can be configured to control an associated battery independently from another subset of the set of hardware and its associated battery.