Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Todd F Mackintosh

Andrew J Namou

Christopher A Schlaupitz

John Reed

James C Gibbs

Andrew C Baughman

Galen E Ressler

Gregory G Cesiel

Todd W Bazzett

A system and method for discharging a high voltage vehicle battery. The system includes a discharge circuit having a reference voltage source providing a reference voltage and a load for discharging the battery. A negative terminal of the voltage source is electrically coupled to a negative terminal of the battery so that upon initiation of the discharging sequence, the battery is discharged through the load to the reference voltage. The discharge circuit can be electrically configured so that the battery, the voltage source and the load are electrically coupled in series or the battery, the voltage source and the load are electrically coupled in parallel.

Discharge circuit for discharging a battery

A method and system are disclosed for estimating cell voltage excursion in a battery pack in the presence of a sensing fault in which actual cell voltages of first and second battery cells in a block of battery cells become unknown or missing. The sensing fault is detected, and a cell voltage is determined for each cell in the block other than the first and second cells. The method also includes measuring a block voltage, calculating an average cell voltage in the block, and estimating that the first cell is equal to the calculated average cell voltage. All excursion or deviation of the measured block voltage from a sum of the cell voltages and the estimated cell voltage of the first cell is assigned to the second cell. A control action is executed using the estimated cell voltages, including selectively enabling or disabling functionality of the battery pack.

Estimation of cell voltage excursion in the presence of battery pack sensing faults

Externally referenced scalable auto discharge method for hybrid electric vehicles

Systems and methods for charging multiple rechargeable energy storage systems ('RESSs') included in one or more vehicles using a single charging system are presented. In some embodiments, a method for charging one or more RESSs may include receiving an indication that one or more charging ports of a plurality of charging ports included in a charging system have RESSs coupled thereto. Based on the indication, a charging map may be generated. One or more charging parameters may be determined based on the generated charging map. Based on the charging parameters, a switching mechanism included in the charging system may be selectively actuated to provide electrical power from a charging power source to charging ports coupled to RESSs.

Systems and methods for charging multiple vehicle rechargeable energy storage systems

A method and system for power management among batteries of varying states of health. Two or more battery packs are switched on and off in square wave pulses to energize a multi-winding transformer, and the output of the transformer is used to power a load. As the state of charge of the battery packs decrease at different rates, the duty cycle of each battery pack's switch pulse is made proportional to its state of charge relative to the other battery packs. The battery pack with the greatest state of charge has the longest on-time and provides the most energy to the transformer, yet all battery packs contribute. A baseline duty cycle is computed by a proportional integral control module, based on voltage measurements at the load. Energy contribution is managed so that state of charge does not diverge even when the battery packs have widely varying states of health.

Scalable method of proportional active state of charge balancing for managing variations in the state of health of batteries

Methods and systems for balancing battery states of charge in a multi-sectioned battery. In some embodiments, states of health and states of charge of one or more sections of a multi-sectioned battery may be determined. A relationship between the states of charge and states of health of the battery sections may be determined. This information may be used apply a balancing algorithm to redistribute energy between the various battery sections in order to reduce a spread between the states of charge due to the varying states of health.

Battery section balancing methods and systems

A system and method for discharging a vehicle battery following a vehicle damaging event. The method includes determining that the vehicle has been involved in the vehicle damaging event and then discharging cells in the battery to a predetermined cell voltage based on the severity of the vehicle damaging event. The battery cells can be discharged by resistors that are already existing in the vehicle battery for cell balancing purposes, or by resistors that have been added for the cell discharge purposes. The voltage of the cells are monitored when they are being dissipated, and once the particular voltage of a cell has reached the desired voltage, then a switch is opened to disconnect the resistor from the cell.

Automatic crash battery discharge method

System and methods for discharging a battery system in a vehicle are presented. In certain embodiments, a battery system included in a vehicle may include a high voltage cell stack and at least one access point configured to selectively couple the high voltage cell stack with a discharging system connector associated with a discharging system. The at least one access point may include a receptacle configured to receive the discharging system connector and selectively couple the discharging system connector across the high voltage cell stack to allow for electrical energy to be discharged from the cell stack to an external discharging system.

Growing community of inventors

Macomb, MI, United States of America

Todd F Mackintosh