Modular Cascaded Energy Balancing Using Module Status Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current energy systems in vehicles and stationary applications lack advanced monitoring and control capabilities, leading to inefficiencies such as uneven battery performance, reduced reliability, limited battery life, and inadequate thermal management, as well as complex motor control issues due to the absence of sophisticated interphase and intraphase balancing techniques.
Innovation Solution
The development of modular energy systems that generate a module status value representing operating characteristics like state of charge and temperature, allowing for weighted calculations and the use of modulation indices for control techniques like pulse width modulation to balance module performance and enable interphase balancing through common mode injection or energy injection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional separate battery management systems are used for each module, then basic cell monitoring is possible, but the system lacks the ability to monitor individual cell health, state of charge, temperature and other performance metrics, and cannot adjust power draw per individual cell
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple previously separate functions (monitoring of voltage, current, temperature, state of charge, state of health) and control capabilities into a single integrated battery management system. This unified system manages all battery modules collectively while maintaining individual cell-level monitoring and control, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated battery management system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it monitors electrical parameters (voltage, current), thermal parameters (temperature), calculates state of charge and state of health, and controls power distribution. This multi-functional approach replaces multiple separate systems, achieving comprehensive monitoring and control while managing system complexity efficiently.
2Productivity
If the weakest cell constrains the overall performance of the entire battery pack, then safety is maintained, but battery life is limited and the battery pack operates below maximum capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements individualized monitoring and control for each battery cell, allowing different power draw adjustments based on each cell's specific state of health, capacity, and temperature. This localized control enables cells with varying performance characteristics to operate optimally without being constrained by the weakest cell, thereby maximizing overall battery pack performance while maintaining safety through continuous individual cell monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery management system dynamically adjusts power draw for individual cells based on real-time monitoring of their state of charge, state of health, and temperature. This dynamic control allows the system to optimize performance by enabling each cell to operate within its safe limits rather than constraining all cells to the lowest common denominator, thus extending battery life while maintaining safety.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional two-level multiphase converters are used for motor control, then basic motor operation is achieved, but the system lacks the ability to drive next generation motors such as switch reluctance motors and fails to address electric noise and driving performance issues like high torque ripple and acoustical noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a unified control system that can drive multiple types of motors (conventional induction motors, permanent magnet motors, and next-generation switch reluctance motors) through a single controller architecture. This universal controller replaces multiple specialized controllers, achieving broad motor compatibility while managing complexity through standardized control algorithms and modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system adjusts key parameters such as switching frequency, pulse width modulation duty cycles, and injection currents to optimize performance for different motor types and operating conditions. By dynamically changing these control parameters, the system addresses torque ripple, acoustical noise, and electric noise issues across various motor technologies without requiring fundamentally different controller architectures.
4Productivity
If charging systems supply steady constant feed, then charging simplicity is maintained, but there is little ability to tailor charging flows to individual battery modules based on cell health, performance characteristics, temperature, etc., and charging cycles are long
Solution Approach 1:
The charging system dynamically adjusts charging current and voltage based on real-time monitoring of each battery module's state of charge, state of health, and temperature. This dynamic charging approach replaces constant feed with adaptive control, enabling faster charging by optimizing power delivery to each module according to its current condition while managing thermal effects, thereby increasing charging speed without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements pulsed charging sequences with periodic variations in current magnitude and duration, allowing rest periods between charge pulses to manage thermal effects and enable chemical reactions to complete. This periodic charging action accelerates overall charging cycles compared to constant feed by utilizing high-current pulses followed by brief intervals, achieving faster charging while managing battery health.
Data Source
AI summary
Example embodiments of systems, devices, and methods are provided for intraphase and interphase balancing of modular energy systems. The embodiments can be used in a broad variety of mobile and stationary applications in a broad variety of modular cascaded topologies. The embodiments can include the generation of a module status value that is representative of status information collected or determined for the module. The module status value can be an intermediate quantitative representation of the status of each module as it pertains to one or more operating characteristics sought to be balanced by the system. This intermediate quantitative representation can then be used in the generation of a modulation index for the module, which can then be used as part of a larger control technique, such as pulse width modulation, for control and balancing of the system.