Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Dave G Rich

Lyall Kenneth Winger

Saad Hasan

Haijing Liu

Dewen Kong

Jun-Mo Kang

Xiaochao Que

Meiyuan Wu

Robert A De Stefano

Chandra S Namuduri

Suresh Gopalakrishnan

Mahmoud H Abd Elhamid

Charles W Wampler, Ii

Zhe Li

Dorel M Sala

James Morrison

Jonathan O Conell

Jingyuan Liu

Benjamin G Wroblewski

Si Ruo Chen

Zhiqiang Yu

Varsha K Sadekar

Sherman H Zeng

Chen-fang Chang

Gary W Gantt, Jr

Aaron B Bloom

Mark William Verbrugge

Xingcheng Xiao

Brian James Koch

Jianfeng Wang

Jing Gao

Qili Su

Mohamed Kamel

Jingjing Wu

Michael A Lelli

Jeffrey Wyka

Wing-Fai Ha

YiChun Yan

Michael L Mullin

An energy storage system for an electric vehicle includes multiple battery modules, multiple DC-DC power converters, a DC bus configured to supply power to one or more loads, and a vehicle control module configured to obtain a temperature of each of the plurality of DC-DC power converters, assign a first output voltage setpoint to a first one of the plurality of DC-DC power converters having a lowest temperature, and in response to the temperature of the first one of the plurality of DC-DC power converters being greater than or equal to the temperature of another one of the plurality of DC-DC power converters, assign a second output voltage setpoint to a second one of the plurality of DC-DC power converters, and reduce the output voltage setpoint of the first one of the plurality of DC-DC power converters to a value less than the second output voltage setpoint.

Vehicle energy storage systems including multiple DC-DC power converters

A capacitor assisted battery module includes a first diode including an anode and a cathode. A second diode includes an anode and a cathode. The anode of the first diode is connected to the cathode of the second diode at a first node. A first capacitor assisted battery (CAB) block includes a positive terminal, a negative terminal and N CABs, where N is an integer greater than zero. The positive terminal of the first CAB block is connected to the cathode of the first diode. A second capacitor assisted battery (CAB) block includes a positive terminal, a negative terminal and N CABs, wherein the negative terminal of the second CAB block is connected to the anode of the second diode. The negative terminal of the first CAB block and the positive terminal of the second CAB block are connected to a second node.

Battery system including alternating current, fast-chargeable capacitor assisted batteries

A battery system includes: at least two battery modules, each including at least three strings of battery cells that are configured to, at different times be: connected in series and to a first positive terminal via first switches; connected in parallel and to a second positive terminal via second switches; and disconnected from both of the first and second positive terminals; and a switch control module configured to: during operation in a first power mode: determine periods of phases, respectively; and determine periods for the strings, respectively, to be connected to the second positive terminal during the phases; during operation in a second power mode: set the periods of the phases, respectively, to be equal in length; and set the periods for the strings, respectively, to be equal in length; and selectively actuate the switches based on the periods of the phases and the periods for the strings.

String and module switching control systems and methods for mode transitions

A pouch-type, capacitor-assisted battery cell includes: N negative electrodes, where N is an integer greater than one, each of the N negative electrodes includes a first current collector, first particulate electrode material, and a first tab; P positive electrodes, where: P-M ones of the P positive electrodes include a second current collector, second particulate electrode material, and a second tab, M ones of the P positive electrodes include a third current collector, third particulate electrode material including activated carbon (AC) arranged on opposite sides of the third current collector, and a third tab, and P=N−1 and M=2; separators arranged between the N negative electrodes and the P positive electrodes; and a pouch enclosure surrounding the N negative electrodes, the P positive electrodes and the separators; where the M ones of the P positive electrodes are located approximately equidistant from a center of the P positive electrodes.

Capacitor-assisted battery cell

A Multiple Output Dynamically Adjustable Capacity (MODACS) and a method of operation of the MODACS. The MODACS includes a cell, a load in thermal communication with the cell, and a processor. A voltage is applied to a load to generate heat at a cell of the MODACS, wherein the heat affects a temperature of the cell. The processor measures a parameter of the cell in response to the heat and controls an operation of the MODACS based on the parameter of the cell.

Use of heating elements as a diagnostic and optimal setting tool for multiple output dynamically adjustable capacity system

A vehicle includes an electrical system for balancing a state of charge in a battery pack. The electrical system includes a plurality of module groups. A switch array includes a plurality of switches. Each switch is coupled to a respective module group. The switch can be in one of a first state that connects the module group to a first low voltage bus, a second state that connects the module group to a second low voltage bus, and a third state in which the module group is disconnected from both the first low voltage bus and the second low voltage bus. The array is placed in a first phase of a mode of operation with at least one switch in one of the first state and the second state and cycles through the phases of the mode to balance a charge between the plurality of module groups.

Low-cost balancing control for distributed low voltage system with bi-directional converters to support multiple low voltage busses

Lithium-based and sodium-based batteries and capacitors using metal foil current collectors, coated with porous layers of particles of active electrode materials for producing an electric current, may be adapted to produce heat for enhancing output when the cells are required to periodically operate during low ambient temperatures. A self-heating cell may be placed in heat transfer contact with a working cell that is temporarily in a cold environment. One or both of the anode current collector and cathode current collector of a heating cell may be formed with shaped extended portions, uncoated with electrode materials, through which cell current may be passed for resistance heating of the extended current collector areas. These extended current collector areas may be used to heat the working area of the cell in which they are incorporated, or to contact and heat an adjacent working cell.

Self-heating battery

A battery system includes: first and second positive terminals and a negative terminal; switches; at least two battery modules, each of the battery modules including at least three strings of battery cells configured to, at different times be: connected in series and to the first positive terminal via first ones of the switches; connected in parallel and to the second positive terminal via second ones of the switches; and disconnected from both of the first and second positive terminals; and a switch control module configured to: receive temperatures of the strings of battery cells, respectively; determine temperatures of the battery modules, respectively, based on the temperatures of the strings of battery cells of that battery module; and selectively actuate the switches based on at least one of: minimizing an error between the temperatures of the strings of battery cells; and minimizing an error between the temperatures of the battery modules.

Thermal management of battery modules and strings

Presented are electrochemical devices with in-stack pressure sensors, methods for making/using such devices, and battery cells with electrode stacks having an electrode separator assembly with a piezoelectric layer for in-stack pressure sensing and dendrite cleaning. An electrochemical device, such as a lithium-class secondary battery cell for example, includes a device housing with an ion-conducting electrolyte located inside the device housing. A stack of working electrodes is also located inside the device housing, in electrochemical contact with the electrolyte. At least one electrode separator assembly is located inside the device housing, interposed between a neighboring pair of the working electrodes. The electrode separator assembly includes a pair of separator layers that transmit therethrough the ions of the electrolyte, and a piezoelectric layer that is interposed between the two separator layers. The piezoelectric layer outputs an electrical signal in response to deformation of one or both of the neighboring working electrodes.

Electrode separator with piezoelectric layer for in-stack pressure sensing and dendrite cleaning

A battery system includes: switches; two battery modules, each of the two battery modules including three strings of battery cells configured to, at different times be: connected in series and to a first positive terminal via first ones of the switches; connected in parallel and to a second positive terminal via second ones of the switches; and disconnected from both of the first and second positive terminals; and a switch control module configured to: determine state of charges (SOCs) of the strings of battery cells, respectively; determine, using model predictive control, periods of phases, respectively, to balance SOCs of the battery modules; determine, using model predictive control, periods for the strings, respectively, to be connected during the phases to balance the SOCs of the strings of battery cells; and selectively actuate the switches based on the periods of the phases and the periods for the strings of battery cells.

Battery string state of charge balancing systems and methods

A battery system includes: two battery modules, each including three strings of battery cells that are configured to, at different times be: connected in series and to a first positive terminal via first ones of switches; connected in parallel and to a second positive terminal via second ones of the switches; and disconnected from both of the first and second positive terminals; and a switch control module configured to: determine state of charges (SOCs) of the strings of battery cells, respectively; determine, using model predictive control, periods of phases, respectively, to balance SOCs of the battery modules; determine, using model predictive control, periods for the strings, respectively, including setting one of the periods for one of the strings to be included in at least two of the phases; and selectively actuate the switches based on the periods of the phases and the periods for the strings of battery cells.

Battery string state of charge balancing with phase sharing

A battery system includes at least one battery including a plurality of cells and a hybrid control module configured to monitor a differential capacity of the at least one battery, determine when the monitored differential capacity of the at least one battery corresponds to a predetermined differential capacity of the at least one battery, and determine a state of charge of the battery in response to the determination that the monitored differential capacity corresponds to the predetermined differential capacity.

Low voltage battery SOC confirmation and cell balancing

A vehicle, system and method of operating a battery having a plurality of modules, each module having a plurality of strings. The vehicle includes the battery. A processor operates the plurality of modules in a first phase of a mode of operation, calculates a model-predicted path vector for the first phase based on a time for reducing a difference between states of charges of the plurality of strings, selects between the model-predicted path vector and a default path vector based on an operating parameter of the battery, and switches operation of the plurality of modules from the first phase to a second phase using the selected one of the model-predicted path vector and the default path vector.

Switching control selection logic in high-speed loop in MODACS

Vehicles and related systems and methods are provided for managing an electrical system. One method involves identifying a current condition associated with an energy source coupled to an electrical grid, identifying a current operating state associated with the vehicle electrical system, determining an adjusted control target for the energy source to increase availability of the energy source based at least in part on the current condition and the current operating state, identifying a control scheme for the energy source based at least in part on the current condition associated with the energy source, and autonomously operating the vehicle electrical system in a manner that is influenced by the adjusted control target in accordance with the identified control scheme.

Vehicle systems and methods for increasing energy resource availability

A battery system includes: two battery modules, each including three strings of battery cells that are configured to, at different times be: connected in series and to a first positive terminal via first ones of switches; connected in parallel and to a second positive terminal via second ones of the switches; and disconnected from both of the first and second positive terminals; and a switch control module configured to: determine state of charges (SOCs) of the strings, respectively; determine periods of phases, respectively, based on the SOCs; determine first periods for connecting ones of the strings in parallel; divide one of the phases into N equal length periods; selectively decrease N; when a number of the first periods that end closest to one of N period endings is at least a predetermined value, adjust the first periods to the respective closest ones of the N period endings.

Growing community of inventors

Sterling Heights, MI, United States of America

Dave G Rich