Battery Module Power Transfer Using Coupled Energy Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric cars may fail to start or function properly during power cuts or charging station failures, even when the battery module's residual power has not reached the minimum discharging voltage, as existing solutions do not effectively manage energy transfer between battery units.
Innovation Solution
A battery module comprising a battery unit, an energy storage element, a switch, a functional circuit, and a control unit, which allows for controlled charging and discharging by coupling and decoupling the energy storage element with the battery unit, forming a discharge path under the control of the functional circuit and switch, enabling power exchange between modules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery is connected to a high voltage grid of a charging station to charge the battery, then the electric power of the battery can be replenished, but when power cut occurs or when the charging station fails, the electric car cannot be started or the power consuming functions cannot be activated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the energy storage function from the external charging station dependency and implements it within the battery module itself through the energy storage element (capacitor). This allows the system to maintain operation during charging station failures by utilizing the locally stored energy in the capacitor, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability to external power sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The energy storage element (capacitor) is pre-charged during normal operation from the battery unit before any power failure occurs. When the charging station fails or power is cut, this pre-stored energy in the capacitor immediately provides the necessary power for starting or activating power-consuming functions, eliminating the need to wait for external charging and thus resolving the reliability-adaptability contradiction.
2Reliability
If the battery module includes only a battery unit without additional energy storage elements, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to maintain functionality during charging failures is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The energy storage element (capacitor) acts as an intermediary between the battery unit and the load. It receives energy from the battery unit during normal operation and releases it during charging failures, providing a buffer that maintains operation continuity. This intermediary component resolves the contradiction by enabling reliability improvement with minimal additional complexity, as the capacitor is a well-understood and relatively simple component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic switching between different power sources (battery unit and external charging station) through control circuits. The system can dynamically transition to using the energy storage element when external charging fails, providing operational continuity. This dynamic power management capability resolves the contradiction between reliability and device complexity by allowing flexible adaptation to charging conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the electric car to maintain functionality by allowing power transfer between battery modules, ensuring continued operation even when the primary charging source is unavailable, by effectively managing energy storage and distribution within the battery module.
Implementation Method 1
coupling an energy storage element of the battery module to a battery unit of the battery module to cause the battery unit charges the energy storage element
Implementation Method 2
decoupling the energy storage element with the battery unit, and controlling a switch of the battery module to be conducted to form a discharge path
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a battery module and a power arrangement method. The battery module includes a battery unit, an energy storage element, a switch, a functional circuit and a control unit. The energy storage element is coupled to the battery unit. The switch is coupled to the energy storage element. The functional circuit is respectively coupled to the battery unit and the energy storage element. The control unit is respectively coupled to the functional circuit and the switch, configured to control the functional circuit to cause the energy storage element to be coupled to the battery unit so that the battery unit charges the energy storage unit, or configured to control the functional circuit to cause the energy storage element to be decoupled with the battery unit so that a discharge path is formed.