Lg Chem, Ltd

Lg Energy Solution, Ltd.

Richard McCormick

Alexander Jeffrey Smith

Satish P Ketkar

Heekook Yang

Robert Merriman

Paul Laurain

Stephen Frisby

Adnan Haider

Pavel Dutov

Adam Ing

Christopher E Curtis

Hee-Kook Yang

A battery system includes a battery module having first and second battery cells. The battery system further includes first and second cell balancing circuits and a microcontroller. The microcontroller determines a first cell balancing current value indicating an amount of electrical current flowing through a first resistor of the first cell balancing circuit based on the first, second, third, and fourth voltage values and a first resistance value. The microcontroller generates a first fault condition code indicating an operational failure of the first transistor in the first balancing circuit if the first cell balancing current value is less than a minimum desired current value.

Battery system

An exemplary contactor control system and method to reduce the amount of sound during the translation of an automotive contactor from a closed state to an open state is provided. The contactor has an electrical coil and first and second electrical contacts. The control system includes a microcontroller and a high side driver circuit. The microcontroller generates a pulse width modulated signal that is applied to the high side driver circuit and decreases a duty cycle thereof to decrease a first control voltage applied to the electrical coil over a time interval. The microcontroller maintains a duty cycle for another time interval to maintain the contactor in the closed operational state. Next, the microcontroller decreases the duty cycle to reduce a speed of a contactor armature prior to contacting a stop member to reduce an amount of sound while transitioning the contactor to the open state.

Control system for a contactor

A battery system and a method for determining an open circuit fault condition in a battery module are provided. The method includes measuring a first voltage between first and second electrical sense lines while a first transistor in a first cell balancing circuit is turned off, and measuring a second voltage between the first and second electrical sense lines while the first transistor is turned on. The method further includes retrieving a first resistance value from a table stored in a memory device. The method further includes determining a first cell balancing current based on the first and second voltages and the first resistance value. The method further includes determining a first open circuit fault condition between the first battery cell and the first cell balancing circuit if the first cell balancing current is greater than a first threshold current.

Battery system and method for determining an open circuit fault condition in a battery module

A battery pack is provided. The battery pack includes first and second temperature sensors that are disposed in first and second interior spaces, respectively. The first temperature sensor generates a first signal indicative of a first temperature level of the battery cell. The second temperature sensor generates a second signal indicative of a second temperature level of the DC-DC voltage converter. The battery pack further includes a microprocessor that determines a first desired operational speed value of the electric fan based on the first temperature level, and a second desired operational speed value of the electric fan based on the second temperature level. The microprocessor selects the first desired operational speed value if the first desired operational speed value is greater than the second desired operational speed value.

Battery pack and method of controlling an electric fan in the battery pack

A battery pack is provided. The battery pack includes first and second temperature sensors that are disposed in first and second interior spaces, respectively. The first temperature sensor generates a first signal indicative of a first temperature level of the battery cell. The second temperature sensor generates a second signal indicative of a second temperature level of the DC-DC voltage converter. The battery pack further includes a microprocessor that determines a first fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the first temperature level, and a second fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the second temperature level. The microprocessor selects the first fan speed percentage value if the first fan speed percentage value is greater than the second fan speed percentage value.

A contactor control system having a primary microprocessor, a secondary microprocessor, a high side contactor control circuit, and a low side contactor control circuit is provided. The primary microprocessor sends a first command signal to the secondary microprocessor. The secondary microprocessor sends a command signal to the secondary grounding circuit for outputting a ground level voltage to a logical OR circuit to induce the logical OR circuit to output a ground level voltage to a second end of the contactor coil. The primary microprocessor sends a command signal to the secondary microprocessor, and in response the secondary microprocessor sends a command signal to the secondary pull-in circuit to activate the secondary pull-in circuit for energizing the contactor coil.

Contactor control system

A battery system having a cooling plate with a conduit therein is provided. The system further includes a battery module having first and second battery cells. The system further includes a compressor, and a condenser coupled between the compressor and the conduit of the cooling plate. The system further includes a microprocessor that determines a maximum temperature level of the first and second battery cells, and determines a target temperature level for the cooling plate based on the maximum temperature level. The microprocessor determines a temperature error value based on a difference between a temperature level and the target temperature level of the cooling plate, and determines a desired RPM value for the compressor based on the temperature error value.

Battery system and method for cooling the battery system

A high voltage switching circuit includes a low voltage driving circuit having first and second capacitors; and an isolated high voltage driving circuit. The isolated high voltage driving circuit has an isolated charge pump circuit and a transistor driving circuit. The first and second electrical nodes of the isolated charge pump circuit are electrically coupled to the transistor driving circuit, which is coupled to a resistive load. The transistor driving circuit increases an output voltage of the resistive load to a desired output voltage level over a time interval in response to first and second voltage signals being applied to the first and second electrical nodes, respectively, when the first and second capacitors are receiving first and second pulse width modulated voltage signals, respectively, over the time interval.

High voltage switching circuit

A pre-charging system for a capacitor in a voltage inverter for an electric motor is provided. The system includes a grounding contactor electrically coupled between a grounding terminal of a battery pack and a first end of the capacitor. The system further includes a pre-charging contactor and a resistor electrically coupled in series. The pre-charging contactor and the resistor are electrically coupled between a high voltage terminal of the battery pack and a second end of the capacitor. The microprocessor determines a total amount of energy supplied to the resistor and induces the pre-charging contactor to have an open operational position to electrically de-couple the high voltage terminal from the second end of the capacitor, if the total amount of energy is greater than a threshold amount of energy.

Pre-charging system for a capacitor in a voltage inverter for an electric motor

A battery pack monitoring system is provided. The system includes a master microprocessor and a first microprocessor. The master microprocessor outputs a first signal from an output port thereof to induce an input port of the first microprocessor to have a first low logic voltage. The master microprocessor sends a message having a first binary ID from the communication bus port thereof through a communication bus after outputting the first signal. The first microprocessor receives the first binary ID at the communication bus port thereof and stores the first binary ID in a non-volatile memory of the first microprocessor when the input port of the first microprocessor has the first low logic voltage.

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Troy, MI, United States of America

Richard McCormick