Battery Charging Control via DC Bus Power Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery charging systems face inefficiencies and increased costs due to long discharging paths, which result from releasing power back into the grid and then recharging it, leading to power loss and lithium plating issues in lithium-ion batteries.
Innovation Solution
A charging and discharging control method that automatically determines the discharging path for a battery based on the charging and discharging parameters of connected batteries, ensuring that power is directly transferred between batteries via a DC bus when possible, thereby shortening the discharging path and improving charging efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If small-rate discharging is added to the large-rate charging process to solve lithium plating, then lithium plating is prevented, but the discharging path becomes long and charging efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a DC bus as an intermediary component that enables direct power transfer between batteries. When a battery needs discharging to prevent lithium plating, the power is transmitted through the DC bus to another battery needing charging, rather than returning to the power grid. This intermediary DC bus infrastructure creates a direct peer-to-peer energy transfer path that maintains safety while improving efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the discharging function with the charging function by enabling batteries to serve dual purposes. A battery that needs discharging to prevent lithium plating during charging becomes both a consumer and provider of power simultaneously. The system combines multiple battery operations into a unified energy management framework where power flows directly between batteries through the DC bus, eliminating the need for separate grid interaction cycles.
2Ease of operation
If power is released back into the power grid and then recharged from the grid, then discharging is achieved, but the current path becomes long resulting in power loss and increased charging cost
Solution Approach 1:
The DC bus serves as a local intermediary that replaces the power grid for intra-system power transfer. Instead of power flowing from battery→grid→charger→battery (long path with multiple conversion stages), the DC bus enables direct battery→DC bus→battery transfer (short path with minimal conversions). This intermediary infrastructure eliminates the need for grid interaction when power can be transferred locally between connected batteries.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables batteries to serve each other directly through the DC bus infrastructure. When one battery needs discharging, another battery needing charging receives the power directly, creating a self-sufficient energy exchange within the system. This self-service mechanism eliminates dependency on external grid infrastructure for internal power redistribution, reducing energy losses and operational costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A charging and discharging control method and apparatus, a device, and a storage medium are disclosed. The method is applied to a charging system, the charging system comprising at least two charging devices that are separately connected to batteries. The method comprises: determining, when at least one of the at least two batteries requests to be discharged, a discharging path for the battery requesting to be discharged according to charging and discharging parameters of batteries currently connected. The method autonomously controls the discharging path based on the charging and discharging parameters of the batteries, which helps to shorten the discharging path so that the power discharged from batteries requesting to be discharged at the same moment can be directly charged through the DC bus into the batteries requesting to be charged, thus enabling the conversion path for that part of power to be very short and improving the charging efficiency.