CN108649595A - Battery energy storage system, control system thereof and application thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a modular, stacked battery energy storage unit and control system and applications thereof. The electrical energy storage unit may also be referred to as a battery energy storage system ("BESS"). In one embodiment, the electrical energy storage unit includes a battery system controller and a battery pack with an operating system. The battery pack comprises a single battery, a battery pack controller for controlling the single battery and a battery pack control system, wherein the battery pack control system comprises a series of modules including other modules, a battery endurance tracking module, a module for ensuring the effectiveness of the single battery in a quality guarantee period and an inverter balancing module. The inverter balancing module controls the power supply amount in the battery unit. In one embodiment, the battery cell is a lithium ion battery cell.

Description

Battery energy storage system and its control system and its application

technical field

The present invention generally relates to an electrical energy storage device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a modular, stackable battery energy storage unit and control system and applications thereof.

Background technique

Electrical energy is vital to modern national economies. However, increasing electricity demand and the trend to increase the use of renewable energy assets to generate electricity are putting pressure on aging electricity infrastructure, which makes aging electricity infrastructure more prone to failure, especially during peak demand periods. In some regions, increased demand has brought peak demand periods dangerously close to, and exceeding, the maximum levels of power that the power industry can generate and deliver. Described herein are new energy storage systems, methods, and devices that allow electricity to be generated and used in a more cost-effective and reliable manner.

Contents of the invention

The invention provides a modularized and stacked electric energy storage unit, a control system and an application thereof. An electrical energy storage unit may also be referred to as a battery energy storage system ("BESS"). In one embodiment, an electrical energy storage unit includes a battery system controller and a battery pack having a battery pack control system. Each battery pack has battery cells, a battery pack controller that regulates the battery cells, and a battery pack control system that includes a series of modules, including other modules that track battery life time and ensure that the battery cells Valid modules and equalization modules within the warranty period. The balancing module controls the amount of power in the battery cells. In one embodiment, the battery cell is a Li-ion battery cell.

In one embodiment, the battery pack can be a modular, stacked battery unit. A plurality of battery cells are connected together with a stacked battery controller or a serial battery controller to form a stacked battery. One or more stacked batteries described above can form an electrical energy storage unit or system.

In one embodiment, the battery cell equalizer includes resistors that discharge the battery cells. In another embodiment, the battery cell balancing equalizer includes capacitors, inductors, or both, for transferring power between the battery cells.

In one embodiment, the amp-hour monitor calculates the amp-hour value sent by the battery pack controller to determine the state of charge in each battery cell.

In one embodiment, a relay controller operates relays that control charging and discharging of battery cells and other functions, such as turning on and off cooling fans, controlling power supplies, and the like.

In one embodiment, the battery pack operating system includes a module for generating battery data received by the data center and analyzed as price data for determining insurance sales.

In one embodiment, battery data may be received from a network-connected battery pack via the Internet, the battery data stored in a data center, and used to generate insurance rate data.

A feature of the present invention is that the energy storage unit and control system are highly scalable, ranging from small kilowatt-hour electrical energy storage units to megawatt-hour electrical energy storage units. The present invention is also characterized in that it can control and balance the battery cells by calculating the state of charge of the cells in addition to the cell voltages.

Additional embodiments, features and advantages, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the invention and together with the description serve to further explain the principles of the invention and to enable those skilled in the relevant art to make and use the embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 1A is a structural diagram showing an electric energy storage unit composed of one or more battery packs in one embodiment;

Figure IB is a diagram illustrating a battery pack with an operating system that collects and generates battery rating data for sale of battery insurance, in one embodiment;

Figure 1C is a diagram illustrating the battery pack operating system in one embodiment;

Figure 1D is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage unit in one embodiment;

Fig. 2A is a diagram showing that the electric energy storage unit in Fig. 1D is used in connection with a windmill;

Fig. 2B is a diagram showing the use of the electric energy storage unit in Fig. 1D connected to a solar panel;

FIG. 2C is a diagram showing the use of the electric energy storage unit in FIG. 1D connected to a circuit;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a battery pack in an embodiment;

4 is a diagram further illustrating a battery pack of an embodiment;

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a battery pack controller of an embodiment;

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a battery cell equalizer of an embodiment;

FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a battery cell equalizer of an embodiment;

FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a battery cell equalizer of an embodiment;

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage unit in an embodiment;

8A, 8B and 8C are diagrams illustrating a battery system controller of an embodiment;

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an electric energy storage unit of an embodiment;

Figure 10A is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage unit of an embodiment;

Figure 10B is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 10C is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 12 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 16 is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 17 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage system of an embodiment;

Figure 18 is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage system according to an embodiment;

19A, 19B, 19C, 19D and 19E are diagrams illustrating exemplary user interfaces of an electrical energy storage unit of an embodiment;

Figure 20 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage unit of an embodiment;

Figure 21 is a graph showing typical battery pack data used by an embodiment of an electrical energy storage unit;

22A and 22B are graphs showing typical battery pack data used by an embodiment of an electrical energy storage unit;

23A and 23B are graphs showing typical battery pack data used by an embodiment of an electrical energy storage unit;

24A and 24B are diagrams illustrating the operation of an electrical energy storage unit of an embodiment;

Figure 25 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an electrical energy storage unit of an embodiment;

26A, 26B, 26C and 26D are diagrams showing a classical battery pack of an embodiment;

Fig. 27A is a case diagram showing a communication network composed of a battery pack controller and a plurality of battery module controllers according to an embodiment;

Fig. 27B is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the battery module controller receiving instructions;

Figure 28 is a diagram showing an example of a battery pack controller of an embodiment;

Figure 29 is a diagram showing an example of a battery module controller of an embodiment;

Figure 30 is a diagram showing an example of a string controller of an embodiment;

31A and 31B are diagrams showing an example of a string controller of an embodiment;

Figure 32 is a flowchart of an example scheme for balancing a battery pack;

33 is a graph illustrating the correlation between current measurements and current coefficients used to calculate warranty values, according to one embodiment;

Figure 34 is a graph illustrating the correlation between temperature measurements and temperature coefficients used to calculate warranty values, according to one embodiment;

35 is a graph illustrating the correlation between voltage measurements and voltage coefficients used to calculate warranty values, according to one embodiment;

Figure 36A is a diagram illustrating how an embodiment determines a battery life value or shelf life;

Figure 36B is a graph illustrating (demonstrating) warranty thresholds for validating a warranty on a battery pack according to an embodiment;

Figure 37 is a diagram illustrating an example use of a battery pack of an embodiment;

Figure 38 is a diagram illustrating an example warranty tracker, according to an embodiment;

Figure 39 is a diagram illustrating an example method for calculating and storing cumulative warranty values, according to an embodiment;

Figure 40 is a diagram illustrating an example method of using the Warranty Tracker, one embodiment;

Figure 41 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a battery pack and associated warranty information;

FIG. 42 is a graph showing an example distribution of battery packs based on self-discharge rate and charge time of an embodiment;

Figure 43 is a graph illustrating the relationship between temperature and charging time of a battery pack, for one embodiment;

Figure 44 is a diagram illustrating an example system used by an embodiment to detect battery packs with operational problems or defects;

Figure 45 is a diagram illustrating acquisition of aggregated data from a battery array for analysis by one embodiment;

46 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of an embodiment for detecting a battery pack with operational problems or defects;

47 depicts a cross-sectional view of an example BESS and an example diagram of a deployment of one or more BESS units;

Figure 48A is a diagram illustrating an example BESS coupled to an example energy management system;

Figure 48B is a diagram depicting a cross-sectional view of an example BESS;

49A, 49B and 49C are diagrams showing the housing of an example BESS;

Figures 50A, 50B, and 50C are diagrams showing an example BESS with the housing of the BESS removed;

Figure 51 is a diagram showing air flow in an example BESS.

52A and 52B are diagrams illustrating the connection of an example BESS to a bidirectional converter;

53A and 53B are diagrams illustrating an example BESS;

Figures 54A, 54B and 54C are diagrams illustrating example BESS packaged in a modified shipping container;

55A, 55B, 55C and 55D are diagrams illustrating an example of a modular, stackable BESS;

56A, 56B, 56C, 56D and 56E are diagrams illustrating a modular, stackable battery pack;

Figures 57A, 57B, 57C, 57D, 57E and 57F are diagrams illustrating a modular, stackable battery pack or cell;

58A, 58B and 58C are diagrams illustrating a modular, stackable battery pack or battery unit;

59A, 59B and 59C are diagrams illustrating examples of battery assemblies illustrating a modular, stacked battery pack or battery unit;

60A and 60B are diagrams illustrating an example stacked battery controller or serial battery controller;

61A, 61B, 61C and 61D are diagrams illustrating an example battery pack controller;

The embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings. The drawing in which an element first appears is generally indicated by the leftmost or corresponding reference numeral.

Detailed ways

The terms "embodiments" or "example embodiments" do not require that all embodiments include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. Alternative embodiments may be devised, and well-known elements may not have been described in detail or may be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprising", "having" and "comprising" when used in the present invention specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and parts but do not exclude one or more other Existence of features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components or groups thereof.

In one embodiment, an electrical energy storage unit (which may also be referred to as a battery energy storage system (“BESS”) includes a battery system controller and battery packs. Each battery pack has: a battery cell, a battery pack that monitors the cells A controller, a battery pack cell inverter and a battery pack charger that adjust the energy stored in the cells.The battery pack controller operates the battery pack cell equalizer and the battery pack charger to control the state of charge of the cells. In one embodiment, the cells are Li-ion battery cells.

As described herein, a feature of the present invention is that the energy storage unit and control system are highly scalable, ranging from kilowatt-hour electrical energy storage units to megawatt-hour electrical energy storage units.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage unit 10 including one or more battery packs 104 in one embodiment. The electrical energy storage unit shown includes an energy storage unit 100, an energy storage unit 110 and an energy storage unit 120. The energy storage unit 100 includes a self-contained battery pack 104c. Energy storage unit 120 includes two battery packs 104d and 104e. In general, energy storage units may include any number of batteries 104 .

As shown in FIG. 1A , connected battery pack 104 is connected to data center 140 and is capable of sending data over network 130 . Data from battery pack 104 may be sent to data center 140 automatically or in response to a signal sent by data center 140 to energy storage units 100 , 110 , and 120 .

FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a battery pack 104 with an operating system 150 that collects battery data 160 to generate battery rating data for sale of battery insurance 170 in one embodiment. In one embodiment, battery pack operating system 150 is a series of modules with many of the functions described below. Data center 140 is any data center that can store battery data. In one embodiment, the battery data includes data predicting battery life, data describing battery usage, and data related to battery warranty period. This data includes, for example: voltage data, battery temperature data, battery charge and discharge state data, and capacity data. In one embodiment, this data corresponds to a specific battery module, a specific battery manufacturer and a specific battery pack and energy storage system manufacturer.

In one embodiment, battery data 160 (sample data stored in data center 140) is analyzed and used to form data for insurance purposes. For example, the battery data can be analyzed to determine the expected runtime of a battery from a particular manufacturer or a battery pack from a particular manufacturer. This expected range data can be used to determine the cost of insurance sales to be affixed to the battery pack 104 . Cells and battery packs with longer life spans have the potential for lower insurance coverage rates than cells and battery packs with shorter life spans. In an embodiment, the ratio data is also used to determine the life insurance ratio data.

Battery data 160 may be collected, analyzed, and used to generate insurance rate data, such as described in detail below.

FIG. 1C is a diagram further illustrating the battery pack operating system 150 of an embodiment. As shown, a specific battery pack operating system 150 includes a battery life monitor 162, a battery life monitor 164, a battery usage monitor 168, a battery alarm, warning messages and errors (AWE) controller 151, a battery Maintenance controller 152, battery inverter controller 153, battery calibration controller 154, battery configuration controller 155, battery communication controller 156 and battery software update controller 157.

The battery life controller 162 tracks the battery life usage. In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 36A , this process is through how the battery life value is calculated as detailed below. This value is the result of multiplying the three factors and continuing to accumulate. The three factors are real state factor, voltage factor and temperature factor, which are further described below with reference to FIGS. 33 , 34 and 35 . When a battery is used at a high charge or discharge rate, its range increases at a higher rate than when it is used at a low charge or discharge rate. When the battery is not charging or discharging, the battery life value will not increase. Likewise, the rate at which battery life increases is also related to a voltage factor and a temperature factor.

The battery life controller 164 ensures that the battery meets life specification specifications, such as life specification provided by the battery manufacturer. The battery life controller 164 measures when a battery life state is abnormal and sends life state abnormality information to the control center. In one embodiment, the user of the battery is also notified of this abnormal state of life. This will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 36B.

The battery usage monitor 168 records data for analysis to determine how the battery is being used before the end of its run time. In one embodiment, the data includes voltage data, temperature data, real-time status data and power data. In one embodiment, this data is presented in a usage data table. This will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 37 .

A battery alarm, warnings and errors (AWE) controller 151 protects the battery and identifies operational problems. In one embodiment, the siren, warning message and error message should be such as: over voltage condition, over temperature condition, temperature rise rate too high condition, high charge current, high discharge current, communication failure, circuit board problem or failure , Weakness and damage of battery cells or battery modules.

The battery maintenance controller 152 reports problems with the battery pack to be corrected by maintenance.

The battery balancing controller 153 balances the batteries in a reliable and effective manner, which will be described in detail below.

The battery calibration controller 154 calibrates the values of the battery pack such as state of charge, Ampere-hour capacity value, Watt-hour capacity value, voltage value calibration factor and temperature value calibration factor.

The battery configuration controller 155 includes plug and play features for other battery packs. This includes establishing communication with other energy unit components such as when the battery pack is powered on for the first time, obtaining a communication ID address and connecting to a specific battery pack network to form an energy storage unit.

The battery communication controller 156 monitors communications between the battery pack and other system components to ensure safe and reliable operation of the battery pack. It will also try to establish communication when communication fails.

The battery software update controller 157 enables and facilitates the battery pack software and the software solidified on the battery to be remotely updated. Updates can be done automatically when the update feature is activated.

FIG. 1D is a diagram illustrating an electrical energy storage unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the electric energy storage unit 100 includes battery units 104a and 104b, control units 106a and 106b, and inverters 108a and 108b. In one embodiment, the electrical energy storage unit 100 is enclosed within a container 102 that is smaller than a shipping container. In a similar embodiment, the electrical energy storage unit 100 is mobile and can be transported by truck.

As shown in FIGS. 2A-2C , the electrical energy storage unit 100 is suitable for storing large amounts of electrical energy.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating the use of the electrical energy storage unit 100 of FIG. ID as part of a renewable wind energy system 200 . Wind energy system 200 includes wind turbines 202a and 202b. Energy in wind turbine 202a is stored in electrical energy storage unit 100a. Energy in the wind turbine 202b is stored in the electrical energy storage unit 100b. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, electrical energy storage units 100a and 100b are capable of storing electrical energy generated and delivered by wind turbines 202a and 202b.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating the use of the electrical energy storage voltage 100 of FIG. 1D as a component in a renewable solar system 220 . The solar system 220 includes a solar array 222 and an electrical energy storage unit 100 . The energy of the solar array 222 is stored in the electrical energy storage unit 100 . The electric energy storage unit 100 can store electric energy generated and sent out from the solar array 222 .

FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating the use of ID electrical energy storage voltage 100 as a component in a renewable grid energy system 230 . The grid energy system 230 includes electric energy equipment 232 and an electric energy storage unit 100 . The energy source in the grid energy system 230 is located in the electric energy storage unit 100 . The electric energy stored in the electric energy storage unit 100 may be transmitted.

FIG. 3 is a diagram further illustrating battery cells 104 a and 104 b of battery storage unit 100 . As shown in FIG. 3 , according to an embodiment, the battery units 104a and 104b are composed of a plurality of battery packs 301 . In FIG. 3, three battery packs 302a-c are shown. Battery packs 302a and 302c are an integral part of battery unit 104a. The battery pack 302b is an integral part of the battery unit 104b.

FIG. 4 is a diagram further illustrating a battery pack 302 in an embodiment of the present invention. The battery pack 302 includes a housing 402, a cover 404, a power connector 406 and two signal connectors 408a and 408b. Housing 402 and cover 404 are made of preferably strong plastic or metal. The power connectors 406 include connectors for the positive and negative terminals of the battery pack, a connector for DC power supply and a connector for AC power supply. In one embodiment of the present invention, only DC and AC power supplies can be used. Signal connectors 408a and 408b are RJ-45 connectors, although other types of connectors could be used. Signal connectors may be used for communication between the battery pack 302 and other components of the battery storage unit 100, for example.

As shown in FIG. 4 , in one embodiment, a casing 402 encloses a battery lifting plate 410 supporting two battery modules 412 a and 412 b. Each battery module 412a and 412b includes a plurality of pushable and pullable batteries connected together in a series of configurations. In one embodiment, the battery modules 412a and 412b include, but are not limited to: 1P16S configuration, 2P16S configuration, 3P16S configuration or 4P16S configuration with 10-50AH cells. Other configurations may also form part of the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the cells are connected together by a printed circuit board including monitoring battery voltage, temperature and inverter cells.

Other components enclosed in the housing 402 include a battery pack controller 414 , an AC power supply 416 , a DC power supply 418 , a battery cell equalizer 420 , and a fuse and fuse box 422 . In one embodiment of the present invention, only the AC power supply 416 and the DC power supply 418 are used.

FIG. 5 is a diagram further illustrating the battery pack controller 414 in one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, battery pack controller 414 includes battery/DC input circuit 502, charge conversion circuit 504, DIP-switch 506, JTAG connector 508 and RS-232 connector 510, fan connector 512, CAN (CAN bus ) connector 514, micro processing unit (MCU) 516, memory 518, balance board connector 520, battery box (shell) temperature monitoring circuit 522, battery cell temperature measurement circuit 524, battery cell voltage measurement circuit 528, DC - DC power supply 530, watchdog timer 532 and reset button 534. Battery cell temperature measurement circuit 524 and battery cell voltage measurement circuit 528 are connected to MCU 516 through multiplexers (MUX) 526a and 526b respectively.

In one embodiment, the power of the battery pack controller 414 is obtained from the energy stored in the battery cells, and the battery pack controller 414 is connected to the battery cells through the battery/DC input circuit 502 . In another embodiment, the battery pack controller 414 draws power from a DC power supply connected to the battery/DC input circuit. Then the DC-DC power supply 530 converts the input DC power into one or more power standards suitable for the power components of different battery pack controllers.

The charging conversion circuit 504 is connected to the MCU 516 . The charging conversion circuit 504 and the MCU 516 are used to control the operation of the AC power supply 416 and the DC power supply 418 . As described herein, the AC power supply 416 and/or the DC power supply 418 are used to supply power to the battery cells of the battery pack 302.

The battery pack controller 414 includes a plurality of interfaces and connectors for communication. The interface and connector are connected with MCU516 as shown in FIG. 5 . In one embodiment, the interfaces and connectors include: DIP-switch 506, which is used to set a part of the software to identify the battery pack controller 414; JTAG connector 508, which is used to test the battery controller 414 And troubleshooting; RS-232 connector 510, which is used for communication connection with MCU 615; inverter board connector 520, which is used for transmitting signals between battery controller 414 and battery cell inverter 420.

The fan connector 512 is connected to the MCU 516 . The fan connector 512 is used to connect with the MCU 516 and the battery box circuit monitoring circuit 522 to enable operation of one or more optional fans that help the battery pack 302 dissipate heat. In one embodiment, the battery box circuit monitoring circuit 522 includes a plurality of temperature sensors for monitoring the temperature of the battery cell inverter 420 and other heat sources inside the battery pack 302, such as the AC power supply 416 and the DC power supply. The temperature of energy supply 418 .

A micro processing unit (MCU) 516 is connected to a storage 518 . The MCU 516 is used to execute application programs for managing and controlling the battery pack 302 . As described herein, in one embodiment the application performs the following functions: monitors the voltage and temperature of the battery cells of the battery pack 302, inverters the battery cells of the battery pack, monitors and controls (if desired) the battery pack 302 temperature, handle the communication between the battery pack 302 and other components of the electric energy storage system 100, generate alarm information or send out an alarm, and have other appropriate actions to prevent the battery cells of the battery pack 302 from overcharging and overdischarging.

The battery cell temperature measurement circuit 524 is used to monitor the battery cell temperature of the battery pack 302 . In one embodiment, the independent temperature monitoring channel is connected to the MCU 516 through a multiplexer (MUX) 526a. The read temperature data is used to ensure that the battery cell operates within its set specific temperature range, and at the same time adjust the relevant temperature value in the application system program executed in the MCU516, for example: how much electric energy is still available in the battery pack 302 Discharge use.

The battery cell voltage measurement circuit 528 is used to monitor the battery cell voltage of the battery pack. In one embodiment, the independent voltage monitoring channel is connected to the MCU 516 through a multiplexer (MUX) 526b. The voltage data read can be used, for example, to ensure that a battery cell is operating within its set voltage range and to calculate DC power levels

The watchdog timer 532 is used to monitor and ensure the normal operation of the battery pack controller 414 . In the event of an unrecoverable error or an unplanned infinite software loop during battery controller 414 operation, watchdog timer 53 may reset battery controller 414 so that it automatically resumes operation.

Reset button 534 is used to manually reset the operation of battery pack controller 414 . Reset button 534 is coupled to MCU 516 as described in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a battery cell inverter 420a according to an embodiment of the present invention. The battery cell inverter 420a includes a first set of resistors 604a-d coupled to the battery cell connector 602a through switches 606a-d and a second set of resistors coupled to the battery cell connector 602a through switches 606e-h. Resistors 604e-h. The battery cell connectors 602 a and 602 b are used to connect the battery cell inverter 420 a to the battery cells of the battery pack 302 . A battery pack electronic control unit (ECU) connector 608 connects the switches 604a-h to the battery pack controller 414.

In operation, the switches 606 a - h of the battery pack cell inverter 420 a are selectively opened and closed to vary the energy stored in the battery cells of the battery pack 302 . Selective opening and closing of switches 606a-h allows energy stored in specific cells of the battery pack to discharge through resistors 604a-h, or to bypass selected cells during charging of cells of the battery pack 302 monomer. Resistors 604a-h are sized to allow selected energy to discharge from the cells of battery pack 302 for a selected amount of time and to bypass the cells during charging. In one embodiment, the closing switches 604a-h are inhibited by the battery pack controller 414 when the charge energy exceeds the selected bypass energy.

FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating (showcasing) a battery cell inverter 420b. The battery pack cell inverter 420b includes a first capacitor 624a coupled to two multiplexers (MUX) 620a through switches 622a and 622b and to two multiplexers (MUX) 620c and 620d through switches 622c and 622 The second capacitor 624b. Multiplexers 620a and 620b are connected to battery cell connector 602a. Multiplexers 620c and 620d are connected to battery cell connector 602b. A battery pack electronic control unit (ECU) connector 608 connects the switches 622a-d to the battery pack controller 414.

In operation, multiplexers 620a - b and switches 622a - b are first configured to connect capacitor 624a to the first battery cell of battery pack 302 . After connection, capacitor 624a is charged by the first battery cell, and this charging of capacitor 624a reduces the energy stored in the first battery cell. After charging, multiplexers 620a - b and switches 622a - b are then configured to connect capacitor 624a to the second battery cell of battery pack 302 . At this time, the energy stored in the capacitor 624a is discharged into the second battery cell, thereby increasing the energy stored in the second battery cell. By continuing this process, the capacitor 624a transfers energy to and from the individual cells of the battery pack 302, thus inverter cells. In a similar manner, multiplexers 620c-d, switches 622c-d, and capacitors 624b are also used to transfer energy to and from the individual cells of the battery pack 302 and to invert the cells.

FIG. 6C is a diagram showing a battery cell inverter 420c. The battery cell inverter 420c includes a first inductor 630a coupled to two multiplexers (MUX) 620a through switches 622a and 622b and a first inductor 630a coupled to two multiplexers (MUX) 620c through switches 622c and 622 and 620d of the second inductor 630b. Multiplexers 620a and 620b are connected to battery cell connector 602a. Multiplexers 620c and 620d are connected to battery cell connector 602b. The battery cell connectors 602 a and 602 b are used to connect the battery cell inverter 420 a to the battery cells of the battery pack 302 . Inductor 630a is also connected to a battery cell of battery pack 302 by switch 632a and inductor 630b is also connected to a battery cell of battery pack 302 by switch 632b. A battery pack electronic control unit (ECU) connector 608 connects the switches 622a - d and switches 632a - b to the battery pack controller 414 .

In operation, switch 632a is first closed to allow energy from the batteries of battery pack 302 to charge inductor 630a. This charging removes energy from the cells of the battery pack 302 and stores energy in the inductor 630a. Multiplexers 620a - b and switches 622a - b are configured to connect inductor 630a to selected cells of battery pack 302 after charging. When connected, the inductor 630a discharges its stored energy into the selected battery cell, thereby increasing the energy stored in the selected battery cell. By continuing this process, the inductor 630a is thus used to take energy from the cells of the battery pack 302 connected to the inductor 632a by the switch 632a and transfer this energy to only selected cells of the battery pack 302 . This process can therefore be used to invert the battery cells of the battery pack 302 . In a similar manner, multiplexers 620c-d, switches 622c-d and 632b, and inductor 630b are also used to divert energy from the cells of the inverter battery pack 302.

As will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art, from the description herein, each of the circuits described in FIGS. 6A-6C is advantageous in its operation, and in embodiments of the invention, the elements of these circuits Combining serves to bypass and/or divert energy and thereby balance the battery cells of the battery pack 302 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram further illustrating an electric energy storage unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 106 includes a plurality of battery system controllers 702a-c. As will be described in more detail below, each battery system controller 702 monitors and controls a subset of the battery packs 302 that make up the battery cells 104 (see FIG. 3 ). In one embodiment, the battery system controllers 702 are linked together using CAN (CANBus) communication that allows the battery system controllers 702 to operate together as part of an overall network of battery system controllers. This network of battery system controllers can manage and operate battery systems of any size, such as multiple megawatt-hour centralized storage battery systems. In one embodiment, one of the networked battery system controllers 702 may be designated as the master battery system controller and is used to control battery charging and discharging operations by sending commands that operate one or more inverters and / or charger.

As shown in FIG. 7 , in an embodiment, the electric energy storage unit 100 includes a bidirectional inverter 108 . The bidirectional inverter 108 can charge and discharge the battery cells 104 using, for example, commands issued via a computer over a network (e.g., the Internet, Ethernet, etc.), as described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 10B and 10C . describe. In an embodiment of the present invention, the active power and reactive power of the inverter 108 can be controlled. Also, in an embodiment, the inverter 108 may operate as a backup power source when grid power is unavailable and/or when the energy storage unit 100 is disconnected from the grid.

FIG. 8A is a diagram further illustrating the battery system controller 702 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8A, in one embodiment, the battery system controller 702 includes an embedded computer processing unit (embedded CPU) 802, an ampere hour/power monitor 806, a low voltage relay controller 816, a high voltage relay controller 826 , fuse 830, shunt 832, contactor 834 and power supply 836.

As shown in FIG. 8A , in one embodiment, embedded CPU 802 communicates with amp-hour/power monitor 806 , low voltage relay controller 816 and battery pack 302 via CAN (CANBus) communication port 804 a. In an embodiment, embedded CPU 802 also communicates with one or more inverters and/or one or more chargers using, for example, CAN (CANBus) communications, as described herein.

However, other communication means may also be used, such as RS 232 communication or RS 485 communication. In operation, embedded CPU 802 performs a number of functions. These functions include: monitoring and controlling selected functions of battery pack 302, amp hour/power monitor 806, low voltage relay controller 816, and high voltage relay controller 826; monitoring and controlling when and how much battery pack 302 stores energy How much and at what rate to store energy and when, how much, and at what rate to discharge energy from the battery pack 302; prevent overcharging or overdischarging of the battery cells of the battery pack 302; configure and control system communications; The user or another networked battery system controller 702 receives and implements the command; and provides status and configuration information to the authorized user or another networked battery system controller 702. These functions, as well as other functions performed by embedded CPU 802, are described in more detail below.

As described in more detail below, examples of the types of status and control information monitored and maintained by embedded CPU 802 include those identified with reference to FIGS. 19A-19E , 21 , 22A-22B , and 23A-23B . In an embodiment, the embedded CPU 802 monitors and maintains conventional electrical system information such as inverter output power, inverter output current, inverter AC voltage, inverter AC frequency, charger output power, charger output current , charger DC voltage, etc. Additional status and control information that is monitored and maintained by embodiments of embedded CPU 802 will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts from the description herein.

As shown in FIG. 8A , the amp-hour/power monitor 806 includes a CAN (CANBus) communication port 804b , a micro control unit (MCU) 808 , a memory 810 , a current monitoring circuit 812 and a voltage monitoring circuit 814 . Current monitoring circuit 812 is coupled to shunt 832 and is used to determine the current value and monitor charging and discharging of battery pack 302 . Voltage monitoring circuit 814 is coupled to shunt 832 and contactor 834 and is used to determine voltage values and monitor charging and discharging of battery pack 302 . Current and voltage values obtained by current monitoring circuit 812 and voltage monitoring circuit 814 are stored in memory 810 and communicated to embedded CPU 802, for example, using CAN (CANBus) communication port 804b.

In one embodiment, the current and voltage values determined by the amp-hour/power monitor 806 are stored in the memory 810 and used by a program stored in the memory 810 and executing on the MCU 808 to derive power, amp-hours, and watt-hours value. These values and status information about the amp hours/power monitor 806 are communicated to the embedded CPU 802 using the CAN (CANBus) communication port 804b.

As shown in FIG. 8A, a low voltage relay controller 816 includes a CAN (CANBus) communication port 804c, a micro control unit (MCU) 818, a memory 820, a plurality of relays 822 (i.e., relays R0, R1...RN) and a field Transistors (MOSFETS) 824. In an embodiment, the low voltage relay controller 816 also includes temperature sensing circuitry (not shown) to monitor, for example, the temperature of the enclosure components of the battery system controller 702 , the enclosure electrical energy storage unit 100 , and the like.

In operation, low voltage relay controller 816 receives commands from embedded CPU 802 via CAN (CANBus) communication port 804c and operates relays 822 and field effect transistors 824 accordingly. Additionally, the low voltage relay controller 816 sends status information to the embedded CPU 802 via the CAN (CANBus) communication port 804c regarding the status of the relays and mosfets. Relay 822 is used to perform functions such as turning cooling fans on and off, controlling the output of a power source such as power supply 836, and the like. The field effect transistor 824 is used to control the relay 828 of the high voltage relay controller 826 and control the status lights and the like. In an embodiment, low voltage controller 816 executes a program stored in memory 820 on MCU 818, which takes over operational control of CPU 802 in the event the embedded PU ceases to operate and/or communicate as desired. This program can then make a determination as to whether it is safe for the system to continue operating while waiting for the embedded CPU 802 to resume, or whether to initiate a system shutdown and reboot.

As shown in FIG. 8A , high voltage relay controller 826 includes a plurality of relays 828 . One of these relays is used to operate a contactor 834 which is used to make or break connections in the current carrying lines connecting the battery pack 302 . In an embodiment, other relays 828 are used, eg, to control the operation of one or more inverters and/or one or more chargers. The relay 828 can operate the device directly or by appropriate control of an additional contactor (not shown) according to voltage and current considerations.

In an embodiment, fuse 830 is included in battery system controller 702 . The purpose of the fuse 830 is to interrupt high currents that could damage the battery cells or connecting wires.

The shunt 832 is used in conjunction with the amp-hour/power monitor 806 to monitor the charging and discharging of the battery pack 302 . In operation, a voltage is developed across shunt 832 proportional to the current flowing through shunt 832 . This voltage is sensed by the current monitoring circuit 812 of the amp-hour/power monitor 806 and used to generate a current value.

Power supply 836 provides DC power to operate the various components of battery system controller 702 . In an embodiment, the power input to the power supply 836 is AC line voltage, DC battery voltage, or both.

8B and 8C are diagrams further illustrating an exemplary battery system controller 702 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 8B is a top, front side view of an example battery system controller 702 with the top cover removed to facilitate illustrating the layout of the housed components. Figure 8C is a top, left side view of the exemplary battery system controller 702, also with the top cover removed to show the layout of the components.

As shown in Figure 8B, Figure 8C, or both, battery system controller 702 includes enclosure 840 that houses embedded CPU 802, amp-hour/power monitor 806, low voltage relay controller 816, high voltage Relay controller 826 , fuse holder and fuse 830 , shunt 832 , contactor 834 and power source 836 . Also included within the enclosure 840 are a circuit breaker 842, a power switch 844, a first set of signal connectors 846 (on the front side of the enclosure 840), a second set of signal connectors 854 (on the back side of the enclosure 840) , a set of power connectors 856a-d (on the rear side of enclosure 840) and two high voltage relays 858a and 858b. In FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C , the wiring is intentionally omitted to show the layout of the components more clearly, however, the manner of wiring of these components will be understandable to those skilled in the relevant art through the description herein.

Purpose and Operation of Embedded CPU 802, Amp Hour/Power Monitor 806, Low Voltage Relay Controller 816, High Voltage Relay Controller 826, Fuse Holder and Fuses 830, Shunt 832, Contactor 834, and Power Supply 836 This has been described above with reference to FIG. 8A . The purpose of circuit breaker 842 is safety, as is known to those skilled in the relevant art. A circuit breaker 842 is in series with the shunt 832 and is used to interrupt high currents that could damage the battery cells or connecting wires. It can also be used to manually disconnect the current carrying wires connecting the battery pack 302 together during maintenance or when the electrical energy storage unit 100 is not in use. Likewise, a power switch 844 is used to turn on and off the AC power input to the battery system controller 702 .

The purpose of the first set of signal connectors 846 (on the front side of the enclosure 840) is to enable connection to the embedded CPU 802 without removing the battery system controller 702 from the control unit 106 and/or without removing the enclosure 840. Top covering. In one embodiment, the first set of signal connectors 846 includes a USB connector 848 , an RJ-45 connector 850 and a 9-pin connector 852 . Using these connectors, for example, a keyboard and a display (not shown) can be connected to the embedded CPU 802 .

The purpose of the second set of signal connectors 854 (on the rear side of the enclosure 840) is to enable connection to and communicate with other components of the electrical energy storage unit 100 such as the battery pack 302 and the inverter and/or charger. In one embodiment, the second set of signal connectors 854 includes an RJ-45 connector 850 and a 9-pin connector 852. The RJ-45 connector 850 is used for CAN (CANBus) communication and Ethernet/Internet communication, for example. A 9-pin connector 852 is used for RS-232 or RS-485 communications, for example.

Power connectors 856a-d (on the rear side of enclosure 840) are used to connect electrical conductors. In one embodiment, each power connector 856 has two larger current carrying connection pins and four smaller current carrying connection pins. One of the power connectors 856 is used to connect one end of the shunt 832 and one end of the contactor 834 to the wires used to connect the battery pack 302 together (e.g., using two larger current-carrying connection pins) and to Connect input power to one or both of the power sources 416 or 418 of the battery pack 302 to control one or more relays inside the enclosure 840 (e.g., using two or four of the four smaller current-carrying connection pins ). The second power connector 856 is used, for example, to connect mains AC power to the control relays within the housing 840 . In an embodiment, the remaining two power connectors 856 are used to connect, for example, relays inside enclosure 840, such as relays 856a and 856b, to the power supply current carrying conductors of the inverter and/or charger.

In one embodiment, the purpose of the high voltage relays 858a and 858b is to connect or disconnect the supply current carrying conductors connected to the charger and/or inverter of the battery pack 302 . By interrupting the supply current carrying conductors of the charger and/or inverter connected to the battery pack 302, these relays can be used to prevent the charger and/or inverter from operating and thus protect the battery pack 302 from overcharging or over-discharging.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage unit 900 according to an embodiment of the present invention. An electrical energy storage unit 900 as described herein can operate as a stand-alone electrical energy storage unit or it can be combined with other electrical energy storage units 900 to form part of a larger electrical energy storage unit such as electrical energy storage unit 100 .

As shown in FIG. 9, electrical energy storage unit 900 includes battery system controller 702 coupled to one or more battery packs 302a-n. In an embodiment, as described in more detail below, battery system controller 702 may also be coupled to one or more chargers and one or more inverters, represented by inverter/charger 902 in FIG. 9 .

Battery system controller 702 of electrical energy storage unit 900 includes embedded CPU 802, amp-hour/power monitor 806, low voltage relay controller 816, high voltage relay controller 826, fuse 830, shunt 832, contactor 834 and Power 836. Each of the battery packs 302 a - n includes a battery module 412 , a battery pack controller 414 , an AC power source 416 and a battery pack cell inverter 420 .

For example, in operation, during battery charging, electrical energy storage unit 900 performs as follows: Embedded CPU 802 continuously monitors status information transmitted by various components of electrical energy storage unit 900, and if based on such monitoring, embedded CPU 802 The unit is determined to be operating normally, and then, when commanded by an authorized user or by a program executing on embedded CPU 802 (see FIG. 10B below), embedded CPU 802 sends commands to low voltage relay controller 816 to close and Contactor 834 is associated with the MOSFET switch. Closing this MOSFET switch activates the relay on the high voltage relay controller 826 which closes the contactor 834 . Closure of the contactor 834 couples the charger (ie, the inverter/charger 902) to the battery packs 302a-n.

Once the charger is coupled to the battery pack 302a-n, the embedded CPU 802 sends a command to the charger to begin charging the battery pack. In an embodiment, this command may be, for example, a charger output current command or a charger output power type command. After performing a self-test, the charger will begin charging. This charging will cause current to flow through shunt 832 , which is measured by amp-hour/power monitor 806 . The amp-hour/power monitor 806 also measures the total voltage of the battery packs 302a-n. In addition to measuring current and voltage, the amp-hour/power monitor 804 calculates DC power values, amp-hour values, and watt-hour values. The amp-hour and watt-hour values are used to update the amp-hour counter and watt-hour counter maintained by the amp-hour/power monitor 806 . Current values, voltage values, amp-hour counter values, and watt-hour counter values are continuously transmitted by amp-hour/power monitor 806 to embedded CPU 802 and battery packs 302a-n.

During charging, the battery packs 302a-n continuously monitor the transmission from the amp-hour/power monitor 806 and use the amp-hour counter value and the watt-hour counter value to update the values maintained by the battery pack 302a-n. These values include pack and cell state-of-charge (SOC) values, pack and cell ampere-hour (AH) dischargeable values, and pack and cell watt-hour (WH) dischargeable values, as described below with reference to Figure 21 as described in more detail. Also, during charging progress, the embedded CPU 802 continuously monitors the transmission from the amp-hour/power monitor 806 and the transmission from the battery packs 302a-n and uses the value transmitted by the amp-hour counter and the value transmitted by the battery packs 302a-n to update the value maintained by the embedded CPU 802. The values maintained by the embedded CPU 802 include battery pack and single cell SOC value, battery pack and single cell AH dischargeable value, battery pack and single cell WH dischargeable value, battery pack and single cell voltage, and battery and single cell temperature, such as This is described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 22A and 22B . As long as each unit is functioning as expected, charging progress will continue until the stopping criteria are met. In an embodiment, the stop criteria include, for example, a maximum SOC value, a maximum voltage value, or a stop time value.

During charging progress, the embedded CPU 802 sends a command to the charger to stop charging when the stopping criteria are met. Once charging has ceased, embedded CPU 802 sends a command to low voltage relay controller 816 to open the MOSFET switch associated with contactor 834 . Opening this MOSFET switch changes the state of the relay on the high voltage relay controller 826 associated with the contactor 834 , which opens the contactor 834 . Opening contactor 834 decouples the charger (ie, inverter/charger 902) from battery packs 302a-n.

As described in more detail below, battery packs 302a - n are responsible for maintaining proper SOC and voltage balancing of their respective battery modules 412 . In one embodiment, normal SOC and voltage balancing is achieved by the battery pack using its battery pack controller 414 and/or its AC power source 416 such that its battery modules 412 meet target values communicated by the embedded CPU 802, such as target SOC value and target voltage value. Such an inverter takes place during part of the charging progress or after the charging progress or both during and after the charging progress.

As will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art from the description herein, the discharging process of electrical energy storage unit 900 occurs in a similar manner to the charging process, except that batteries 302a-n are discharged rather than charged.

FIG. 10A is a diagram further illustrating an electric energy storage unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 10A, an electrical energy storage unit 100 is formed by combining and networking several electrical energy storage units 900a-n. Electrical energy storage unit 900a includes battery system controller 702a and battery packs 302a ₁ -n ₁ . The electrical energy storage unit 900b includes a battery system controller 702n and battery packs 302a _n -n _n . The embedded CPUs 802a-n of the battery system controllers 702a-n are coupled together and communicate with each other using CAN (CANBus) communications. Information communicated between embedded CPUs 802a-n includes information identified below with reference to Figures 22A and 22B.

In operation, electrical energy storage unit 100 operates similarly to that described above with respect to electrical energy storage system 900 . Each battery system controller 702 monitors and controls its own components such as the battery pack 302 . Additionally, one of the battery system controllers 702 operates as a master battery system controller and coordinates the activities of the other battery system controllers 702 . Such coordination includes, for example, acting as an overall monitor for the electrical energy storage unit 100 and determining and communicating target values such as target SOC values and target voltage values that can be used to achieve proper battery pack balancing. More details on how this is achieved are described below with reference to FIG. 25 .

Figure 10B is a diagram of an electrical energy storage system 1050 according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 10B , in one embodiment, a system 1050 includes an electrical energy storage unit 100 in communication with a server 1056 . Server 1056 is in communication with database/storage devices 1058a-n. Server 1056 is protected by firewall 1054 and is shown communicating with electrical energy storage unit 100 via Internet 1052 . In other embodiments, other means of communication are used, such as cellular communication or an Advanced Measurement Architecture communication network. A user of electrical energy storage system 1050 , such as an electric utility and/or a renewable energy asset operator, interacts with electrical energy storage system 1050 using user interface(s) 1060 . In one embodiment, the user interface is a graphical, web-based user interface that can be accessed by a computer connected directly to the server 1056 or the Internet 1052, for example. In an embodiment, the information displayed and/or controlled by the user interface(s) 1060 includes, for example, information identified below with reference to FIGS. 19A-19E , 21 , 22A-22B , and 23A-23B . Additional information that would be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) may also be included and/or controlled from the description given herein.

In an embodiment, user interface(s) 1060 may be used to update and/or change programming and control parameters used by electrical energy storage unit 100 . By changing the program and/or control parameters, the user can control the electrical energy storage unit 100 in any desired manner. This includes, for example, controlling when, how much, and at what rate the electrical energy storage unit 100 stores energy, and when, how much, and at what rate energy is discharged from the electrical energy storage unit 100 . In an embodiment, the user interface can operate one or more electrical energy storage units 100 such that they respond, for example, like a spinning reserve and possibly protect against brownouts or blackouts.

In one embodiment, the electrical energy storage system 1050 is used to learn more battery cell behaviors. The server 1056 may be used, for example, to collect and process a large amount of information about the behavior of the battery cells constituting the electric energy storage unit 100 and about the electric energy storage unit 100 itself. In one embodiment, the information collected about battery cells and electrical energy storage units 100 can be used by manufacturers for actions such as improving future batteries and to develop more efficient future systems, and the information can also be analyzed to determine things such as Questions such as how to operate the battery cells in a particular manner affect the service life of the battery cells and the electrical energy storage unit 100 . Other features and benefits of electrical energy storage system 1050 will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts from the description given herein.

Figure 10C is a diagram of an electrical energy storage system 1050 according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. A user of electrical energy storage system 1050 may use computer 1070 (on which a user interface may be located) to access electrical energy storage unit 100 via network connection 1080 that is not the Internet. Network 1080 in FIG. 10C may be any network contemplated in the art, including Ethernet or even a single cable connecting computer 1070 directly to electrical energy storage unit 100 .

11 to 20 are diagrams further illustrating the electric energy storage unit and various electric energy storage systems using the electric energy storage unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage system 1100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Electrical energy storage system 1100 includes electrical energy storage unit 900 , generator 1104 , cellular telephone station equipment 1112 , and cellular telephone tower and equipment 1114 . As shown in FIG. 11 , electrical energy storage unit 900 includes a battery 1102 having ten battery packs 302a - j , a battery system controller 702 , a charger 1106 and an inverter 1108 . In embodiments of the present invention, battery 110 may contain more or less than ten battery packs 302 .

In operation, generator 1104 runs and is used to charge battery 1102 via charger 1106 . When charging the battery 1102 to a desired state, the generator 1104 is shut down. The battery 1102 is then ready to power the cell phone station equipment 1112 and/or equipment on the cell phone tower. Battery system controller 702 monitors and controls electrical energy storage unit 900 as described herein.

In an embodiment of the present invention, inverter 1108 can operate while charger 1106 is operating such that inverter 1108 can power the device without interruption during charging of battery 1102 . The electrical energy storage system 1100 can use backup power (eg, when grid power is unavailable) or it can be used continuously in situations where grid power is not present (eg, in off-grid environments).

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage system 1200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Electrical energy storage system 1200 is similar to electrical energy storage system 1100 except that electrical energy storage unit 900 now supplies power to load 1202 . Load 1202 may be any electrical load as long as battery 1102 and generator 1104 are sized accordingly.

The electrical energy storage system 1200 is applicable, for example, to off-grid environments such as remote hospitals, remote schools, remote government agencies, and the like. Because generator 1104 is not required to run continuously to provide power to load 1202, significant fuel savings can be realized, as well as improved operational life of generator 1104. Other savings can also be realized using electrical energy storage system 1200 , such as reduced transportation costs for the fuel required to run generator 1104 .

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage system 1300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Electrical energy storage system 1300 is similar to electrical energy storage system 1200 except generator 1104 is replaced by solar panels 1302 . In the electrical energy storage system 1300 , the solar panel 1302 is used to generate electricity, and the electricity is used to charge the battery 1102 and power the load 1202 .

The electrical energy storage system 1300 is suitable, for example, for off-grid environments, similar to the electrical energy storage system 1200 . One advantage of electrical energy storage system 1300 over electrical energy storage system 1200 is that no fuel is required. The absence of a generator and lack of fuel requirements make the electrical energy storage system 1300 easier to operate and maintain than the electrical energy storage system 1200 .

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage system 1400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Electrical energy storage system 1400 is similar to electrical energy storage system 1300 except that solar panels 1302 are replaced by grid connections 1402 . In electrical energy storage system 1400 , grid connection 1402 is used to provide electrical power, which is used to charge battery 1102 and power load 1202 .

The electrical energy storage system 1400 is suitable, for example, for environments where grid power is available. One advantage of electrical energy storage system 1400 over electrical energy storage system 1300 is that the initial purchase price is less than the purchase price of electrical energy storage system 1400 . This is because it does not require a solar panel 1302 .

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage system 1500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electrical energy storage system 1500 includes an electrical energy storage unit 900 connected to a grid via a grid connection 1402 .

The electrical energy storage system 1500 stores energy from the grid and supplies energy to the grid, such as may help utilities shift peak loads and perform load balancing. As such, the electrical energy storage unit 900 may use the bi-directional inverter 1502 instead of using a separate inverter and a separate charger. Using a bi-directional inverter is advantageous because it is usually less expensive than purchasing a separate inverter and a separate charger.

In an embodiment of the invention, the electrical energy storage unit 900 of the electrical energy storage system 1500 is operated remotely using a user interface and computer system, similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 10B . Such a system enables the energy stored in the battery 1102 to be dispatched in a manner similar to how utility operators interact to dispatch energy from a gas turbine.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage system 1600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Electrical energy storage system 1600 includes electrical energy storage unit 900 (housed in outdoor enclosure 1602 ) coupled to solar panels 1606 (mounted on the roof of house 1640 ) and grid connection 1608 .

In operation, solar panel 1606 and/or grid connection 1608 can be used to charge the batteries of electrical energy storage unit 900 . The batteries of electrical energy storage unit 900 are then discharged to power loads within premises 1604 and/or to the grid via grid connection 1608.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an electrical energy storage unit 900 housed in an outdoor enclosure 1602 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 17 , electrical energy storage unit 900 includes battery 1102 , battery system controller 702 , charger 1106 and inverter 1108 , and circuit breaker box and circuit breaker 1704 . Electrical energy storage unit 900 operates in the manner described herein.

In one embodiment, outdoor enclosure 1602 is a NEMA 3R rated enclosure. Enclosure 1602 has two doors mounted to the front side of enclosure 1602 and two doors mounted to the rear side of enclosure 1602 to facilitate access to equipment within the enclosure. The top and side panels of the enclosure can also be removed for further access to the equipment inside. In one embodiment, enclosure 1602 is cooled using a fan controlled by battery system controller 702 . In an embodiment, cooling is achieved by an air conditioning unit (not shown) mounted on one of the doors.

Through the description herein, as those skilled in the relevant art should understand, the present invention is not limited to using the outdoor enclosure 1602 to house the electrical energy storage unit 900 . Other enclosures may also be used.

As shown in FIG. 18 , in an embodiment of the present invention, a computer 1802 is used to interact with and control the electrical energy storage unit 900 . Computer 1802 may be any computer, such as a personal computer running Windows or Linux operating systems. The connection between computer 1802 and electrical energy storage system 900 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection. Such a system for interacting with electrical energy storage unit 900 is suitable, for example, for a user residing in house 1604 wishing to use such a system. For other users, such as utility operators (operators), a system similar to the system described with reference to FIG. (This incomprehensible sentence should be retranslated ← retranslated)

In embodiments of the invention, electrical energy storage unit 900 may be monitored and/or controlled by more than one party, such as by occupants of house 1602 and by a utility operator. In these cases, different priorities of authorized users can be established to avoid any possible conflicting commands.

Figures 19A to 19E are diagrams - illustrating - an exemplary user interface 1900, suitable for implementation, eg, on a computer 1802, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The schematic interfaces are intended to be illustrative and not limiting of the invention.

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 19A , user interface 1900 includes status indicator 1902 , stored energy indicator 1904 , electrical energy storage unit power value 1906 , house load value 1908 , solar power value 1910 , and grid power value 1912 . The status indicator 1902 is used to indicate the operating status of the electric energy storage unit 900 . The stored energy indicator 1904 is used to show how much energy is available to discharge from the electrical energy storage unit 900 . Four values 1906, 1908, 1910, and 1912 demonstrate the rate and direction of energy flow to components of electrical energy storage system 1600.

In FIG. 19A, the value 1906 indicates that energy is flowing into the electrical energy storage unit 900 at a rate of 2.8 kw. The value 1908 indicates that energy is flowing into the house 1604 at a rate of 1.2kw to power the load. The value 1910 indicates that power is being generated by the solar panels 1606 at a rate of 2.8kw. The value 1912 represents power being drawn from the grid connection 1608 at a rate of 1.2kw. From these values, it can be determined that the system is working and that while the solar panels generate electricity, the batteries of the electrical energy storage unit are charged and energy is purchased from the utility at a rate of 1.2kw.

Figure 19B depicts the state of the electrical power system 1600 at a point in time when the solar panels are not producing energy, for example at night. A value of 1906 indicates that energy is flowing into the electrical energy storage unit 900 at a rate of 2.0 kw. The value 1908 indicates that energy is flowing into the house 1604 at a rate of 1.1 kw to power the load. A value of 1910 indicates that the solar panel 1606 is not generating power. The value 1912 represents power being drawn from the grid connection 1608 at a rate of 3.1 kw. From these values, it can be determined that the system is operating, while the solar panels are not producing electricity, the battery of the electrical energy storage unit is charged, and energy is purchased from the utility at a rate of 3.1 kw.

Figure 19C depicts the state of the electrical power system 1600 at the point in time when the batteries of the electrical energy storage unit 900 are fully charged and the solar panels are generating power. A value of 1906 indicates that the electrical energy storage unit 900 is consuming electricity rather than generating it. The value 1908 indicates that energy is flowing into the house 1604 at a rate of 1.5kw to power the load. The value 1910 indicates that power is being generated by the solar panels 1606 at a rate of 2.5kw. Value 1912 indicates that power is provided to grid connection 1608 at a rate of 1.0 kw.

19D depicts the state of the electrical power system 1600 at a point in time when the solar panels are not producing energy, such as at night, and when the electrical energy storage unit 900 is generating more electricity than is used to power the loads in the house 1604. A value of 1906 indicates that energy is flowing out of the electrical energy storage unit 900 at a rate of 3.0 kw. The value 1908 indicates that energy is flowing into the house 1604 at a rate of 2.2kw to power the load. A value of 1910 indicates that the solar panel 1606 is not generating power. Value 1912 indicates that power is provided to grid connection 1608 at a rate of 0.8kw.

19E depicts the state of the electrical power system 1600 at a point in time when the solar panels are not producing energy, such as at night, and when the electrical storage unit 900 is controlled to generate the electrical needs of the loads in the house 1604. A value of 1906 indicates that energy is flowing out of the electrical energy storage unit 900 at a rate of 2.2kw. The value 1908 indicates that energy is flowing into the house 1604 at a rate of 2.2kw to power the load. A value of 1910 indicates that the solar panel 1606 is not generating power. A value 1912 indicates that no energy is being drawn from or supplied to the grid connection 1608 .

As will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art after reviewing FIGS. 19A-19E and the description disclosed herein, the electrical energy storage system 1600 has many advantages for electricity consumers and utilities. These advantages include (but are not limited to) the utility's ability to balance its load, the ability to provide backup power to customers in the event of a power outage, support for plug-in electric vehicles and Good grid regulation and can improve distribution line efficiency.

20 to 25 are diagrams showing various features of the software of the present invention. In an embodiment, software features are implemented using programmable memory and non-programmable memory.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing how various features of the inventive software described herein are distributed among the components of an exemplary electrical energy storage unit 900 . As shown in FIG. 20 , in one embodiment, the battery system controller 702 of the electrical energy storage unit 900 has three components, which include software. The software is executed using a Micro Control Unit (MCU). These components are embedded CPU 802 , amp hour/power monitor 806 and low voltage relay controller 816 .

Embedded CPU 802 includes memory 2004 which stores operating system (OS) 2006 and application programs (APP) 2008 . This software is executed using MCU 2002 . In one embodiment, this software is used together to receive input commands from a user using a user interface, and it provides status information about the electrical energy storage unit 900 to the user via the user interface. Embedded CPU 802 operates electrical energy storage unit 900 according to received input commands, as long as the commands do not place electrical energy storage unit 900 in an undesirable or unsafe state. The input commands are used to control, for example, when to charge and discharge the battery 1102 of the electrical energy storage unit 900 . Input commands are also used to control, for example, the rate at which the battery 1102 is charged and discharged and how deeply the battery 1102 is cycled during each charge-discharge cycle. Software controls battery 1102 charging by sending commands to charger electronic control unit (ECU) 2014 of charger 1106 . The software controls the discharge of the battery 1102 by sending commands to the inverter electronic control unit (ECU) 2024 of the inverter 1108 .

In addition to controlling the operation of charger 1106 and inverter 1108 , embedded CPU 802 is used with battery packs 302a - 302n and amp-hour/power monitor 806 to manage battery 1102 . Software resident and executing on the embedded CPU 802, the battery system controllers 414a-n of the battery packs 302a-n, and the amp-hour/power monitor 806 ensures that the battery 1102 is operating safely at all times and takes appropriate steps if necessary to Make sure that, for example, the battery 1102 is neither overcharged nor overdischarged.

As shown in FIG. 20 , the amp-hour/power monitor 806 includes memory 810 which stores the application program 2010 . Such applications are executed using the MCU 808 . In an embodiment, the application 2010 is responsible for keeping track of how much charge is entering the battery 1102 during the progress of battery charging and how much charge is being withdrawn from the battery 1102 during the progress of battery discharge. This information is communicated to the embedded CPU 802 and the battery system controller 414 of the battery pack 302 .

Low voltage relay controller 816 includes memory 820 which stores application program 2012 . Application programs 2012 are executed using MCU 818 . In an embodiment, the application program 2012 opens and closes relays and MOSFETs in response to commands from the embedded CPU 802 . Additionally, it sends status information to the embedded CPU 802 regarding the status of the relays and MOSFET switches. In an embodiment, the low voltage relay controller 816 also includes a temperature sensor that is monitored using the application 2012 and, in some embodiments, the application 2012 includes sufficient functionality so that when the embedded CPU 802 is not operating as intended The low voltage relay controller 816 can take over from the embedded CPU 802 and make decisions about shutting down and restarting the electrical energy storage unit 900 .

Charger ECU 2014 of charger 1106 includes memory 2018 that stores application programs 2020 . The application program 2020 is executed using the MCU 2016 . In an embodiment, the application program 2020 is responsible for receiving commands from the embedded CPU 802 and operating the charger 1106 accordingly. Application 2020 also sends status information about charger 1106 to embedded CPU 802 .

The inverter ECU 2024 of the inverter 1108 includes a memory 2028 which stores an application program 2030 . The application program 2030 is executed using the MCU 2026 . In an embodiment, the application program 2030 is responsible for receiving commands from the embedded CPU 802 and operating the inverter 1108 accordingly. Application 2030 also sends status information about inverter 1108 to embedded CPU 802 .

As also shown in FIG. 20 , each battery pack 302 includes a battery system controller 414 having a memory 518 . Each memory 518 is used to store application programs 2034 . Each application program 2034 is executed using the MCU 516 . The application 2034 is also responsible for monitoring the cells of each respective battery pack 302 and sending status information about the cells to the embedded CPU 802. The application 2034 is also responsible for balancing the voltage levels and state-of-charge (SOC) levels of the battery cells of each respective battery pack 302 .

In one embodiment, each application 2034 operates as follows. Upon power up, the MCU 518 begins executing bootloader software. The bootloader software copies the application program from flash memory to RAM, and the bootloader software starts executing the application program. Once the application software is operating normally, the embedded CPU 802 queries the battery pack controller 414 to determine if it contains the appropriate hardware and software versions for the application program 2008 executing on the embedded CPU 802 . If the battery pack controller 414 contains an incompatible hardware version, the battery pack controller is commanded to shut down. If the battery pack controller 414 contains an incompatible or outdated software version, the embedded CPU 802 provides the correct or updated application program to the battery pack controller, and the battery pack controller reboots to begin executing the new software.

Once embedded CPU 802 determines that battery pack controller 414 is operating with the correct hardware and software, embedded CPU 802 verifies that battery pack 414 is operating with the correct configuration data. If the configuration data is incorrect, embedded CPU 802 provides the correct configuration data to battery pack controller 414, and battery pack controller 414 saves the data for use during its next startup. Once the embedded CPU 802 has verified that the battery pack controller 414 is operating with the correct configuration data, the battery pack controller 414 executes its application software until it shuts down. In one embodiment, the application software includes a main program, and the main program runs several processes cyclically when started. These processes include (but are not limited to): the process of monitoring cell voltage; the process of monitoring cell temperature; the process of determining the SOC of each cell; the process of inverter cells; ) receiving process. Other processes implemented within the application software include alarm and error identification processes and processes for obtaining and managing data identified in Figure 21 not covered by one of the above processes.

From the description herein, other applications described herein with reference to FIG. 20 operate in a similar manner, except that the implemented process obtains and manages different data, as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant art. These various data are described in context with reference to other figures.

FIG. 21 is a graph illustrating exemplary data obtained and/or maintained by the battery pack controller 414 of the battery pack 302 . As shown in Figure 21, these data include: the SOC of the battery pack and the SOC of each cell; the voltage of the battery pack and the voltage of each cell; the average temperature of the battery pack and the temperature of each cell; the battery pack and AH dischargeable value of each cell; WH dischargeable value of the battery pack and each cell; capacity of the battery pack and each cell; information about the last calibrated discharge of the battery pack; about the last calibrated charge of the battery pack information; information about the AH and WI-I efficiency of the battery pack and each cell; and self-discharge information.

22A-22B are graphs showing exemplary data obtained and/or maintained by embedded CPU 802 in an embodiment of electrical energy storage unit 900 according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 22A to 22B , these data include: SOC information about the battery 1102 and each battery pack 302; voltage information about the battery 1102 and each battery pack 302; temperature information about the battery 1102 and each battery pack 302 information; AH dischargeable information about battery 1102 and each battery pack 302; WH dischargeable information about battery 1102 and each battery pack 302; capacity information about battery 1102 and each battery pack 302; information about battery 1102 and each battery pack 302 Information about the last calibration discharge of each battery pack 302; information about the last calibration charge of the battery 1102 and each battery pack 302; information about the AH and WH efficiencies of the battery 1102 and each battery pack 302; and, self-discharge information.

In addition to the data identified in FIGS. 22A-22B , embedded CPU 802 also obtains and maintains data related to the health or cycle life of battery 1102 . These data are identified in Figures 23A-23B.

In one embodiment, the data shown in Figures 23A-23B represent the number of charge and discharge counts (ie, counter values), which works as follows. Assume, for example, that the battery is initially at 90% capacity, and it is discharged to 10% of its capacity. This discharge represents 80% capacitive discharge, where the end discharge state is 10% capacitive. Thus, for this discharge, the discharge counter represented by battery SOC will increment after 10-24% discharge and due to 76-90% battery capacitance discharge (ie, counter with value 75 in FIG. 23B ). In a similar manner, the embedded CPU 802 determines and increments the appropriate counter after each charge progress or discharge progress of the battery. A process implemented in software increments the count value, using different weights for different counter values, to determine the effective cycle life of the battery. For purposes of the present invention, the example counters identified in FIGS. 23A-23B are intended to be illustrative and not limiting.

24A-24B are diagrams showing how the calibration, charging and discharging progress of an electrical energy storage unit is controlled according to an embodiment of the present invention. As described herein, batteries of an electrical energy storage unit are managed based on cell voltage levels and cell state-of-charge (SOC) levels.

As shown in FIG. 24A and described below, four high voltage values 2402 (i.e., V _H1 , V _H2 , V _H3 , and V _H4 ) and four high state-of-charge values 2406 (i.e., SOC _H1 , SOC _H2 , SOC _H3 and SOC _H4 ) are used to control the charging progress. Four low voltage values 2404 (ie, V _L1 , V _L2 , V _L3 , and V _L4 ) and four low state-of-charge values 2408 (ie, _SOCL1 , _SOCL2 , _SOCL3 , and _SOCL4 ) are used to control discharge progress. In an embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 2A, the voltages 2410a (represented by Xs in FIG. 24A) for a particular set of battery cells may all be below the value of V _H1 while for some or The SOC values 2410b for all of these monomers are also at or above the value of SOC _H1 . Also, as shown in FIG. 24B, the voltage 2410c (indicated by the X in FIG. 24B) for a collection of battery cells may also be higher than the value of V _L1 , while the SOC value 2410d for some or all of these cells may also be At or below the value of SOC _L1 . Thus, as described in more detail below, all eight voltage values and all eight SOC values are used as described herein to manage the battery of the electrical energy storage unit according to the invention.

Because, as described herein, cell voltage values and cell SOC values are important to the proper operation of an electrical energy storage unit according to the present invention, it is necessary to periodically calibrate the unit so that it properly determines the voltage levels of the battery cells. Peaceful SOC levels. This is done using a calibration procedure implemented in the software.

Initially the calibration process is performed when a new electrical energy storage unit is put into service for the first time. Ideally, all cells of an electric energy storage unit battery should be at about the same SOC (eg, 50%) when the cells are first installed in the electric energy storage unit. This requires minimizing the amount of time required to complete the initial calibration process. Thereafter, the calibration process is performed whenever one of the following recalibration trigger criteria is met: Criterion 1: A programmable recalibration interval has elapsed since the last calibration date, for example six months; Criterion 2: The battery cells are charged and discharged (i.e. , cycle) a programmable weighted number of charge and discharge cycles, such as a weighted equivalent of 150 full charge and full discharge cycles; Criterion 3: After trying to balance the cells, the high SOC cells of the electric energy storage unit cells and the low SOC Cells differ by more than a programmable SOC percentage eg 2-5%; Criterion 4: During battery charging, one cell is detected reaching the value V _H4 while one or more cells are at a voltage lower than V _H4 situation (see Figure 24A) and this situation cannot be corrected by cell equalization; Criterion 5: During battery discharge, a cell is detected to reach V _L4 while one or more cells are at a voltage greater than V _L4 , and this situation is corrected by individual equalization.

The battery recalibration flag is set by the embedded CPU 802 when one of the recalibration trigger criteria described above is met. The first battery charge performed after the battery recalibration flag is set is a charging progression that fully charges all cells of the battery. The purpose of this charge is to bring all cells of the battery to a known full state of charge. After the cells are at this known full state of charge, the battery discharge that follows is called a calibration discharge. The purpose of the calibration discharge is to determine how many dischargeable ampere-hours of charge are stored in each cell of the battery and how much dischargeable energy is stored in each cell of the battery when fully charged. Battery charging performed after calibration discharge is referred to as calibration charging. The purpose of the calibration charge is to determine how many ampere-hours of charge and how many watt-hours of energy must be supplied to each cell after the calibration discharge so that all cells return to its known conditions. Values determined during implementation of this calibration process are stored by embedded CPU 802 and used to determine the SOC of the battery cells during normal operation of the electrical energy storage unit.

In one embodiment, the first charge after the battery recalibration flag is performed as follows: Step 1: Charge a cell of the battery at a constant current rate of CAL-I until the first cell of the battery reaches the voltage of V _H2 . Step 2: Once the first cell of the battery reaches the voltage of V _H2 , reduce the cell charge current to a value called END-CHG-I (END-CHG-I) and restart charging the cell. Step 3: Continue to charge the battery cells with an END-CHG-I current until all cells of the battery obtain a voltage value between V _H3 and V _H4 . Step 4: If during step 3, any cell reaches a voltage of V _H4 : (a) stop charging the cell; (b) discharge all cells with a voltage above V _H3 , e.g. using an inverter resistor, until These cells have a voltage of _VH3 ; (c) once all cell voltages are at or below _VH3 , start charging the cells again with an END-CHG-I current; and (d) Loop back to step 3. This procedure, when implemented, charges all cells of the battery to a known state of charge called SOC _H3 (eg, approximately 98% SOC). In an embodiment, the charge rate (CAL-I) should be about 0.3C and the end-charge-I (END-CHG-I) current should be about 0.02 to 0.05C.

As noted above, the first discharge after the above-mentioned charge is a calibration discharge. In an embodiment, a calibration discharge is performed as follows. Step 1: Discharge the cells of the battery at a constant current rate of CAL-I until the first cell of the battery reaches the voltage of V _L2 . Step 2: Once the first cell of the battery reaches the voltage of V _L2 , reduce the cell discharge current to a value called end-discharge-I (eg, about 0.02-0.05C) and restart the cell discharge . Step 3: Continue to discharge the battery cells with an END-DISCHG-I current until all cells of the battery obtain a voltage value between V _L3 and V _L4 . Step 4: If during step 3, any cell reaches the voltage of _VL4 : (a) stop discharging the cell; (b) discharge all cells with voltage above _VL3 , e.g. using an inverter resistor, until These monomers have a voltage of V _L3 . At the end of the calibration discharge, the ampere-hours discharged by each cell and the watt-hours discharged by each cell were determined and these values represented by Figures 21, 22A and 22B were recorded. As described herein, the purpose of the calibration discharge is to determine how many dischargeable ampere-hours are stored in each battery cell and how much dischargeable energy is stored in each battery cell when fully charged.

After the calibration discharge, the next charge to be performed is called calibration charge. The purpose of the calibration charge is to determine how many ampere-hours of charge and how many watt-hours of energy must be supplied to each battery cell after the calibration discharge to bring all the cells back to full charge. The process proceeds as follows: Step 1: Charge the cells of the battery at a constant current rate of CAL-I until the first cell of the battery reaches the voltage of V _H2 ; Step 2: Once the first cell of the battery reaches the voltage of V _H2 , reduce the cell charging current to a value called END-CHG-I (END-CHG-I), and restart charging the cell. Step 3: Continue to charge the battery cells with an END-CHG-I current until all cells of the battery obtain a voltage value between V _H3 and V _H4 . Step 4: If during step 3, any cell reaches a voltage of V _H4 : (a) stop charging the cell; (b) discharge all cells with a voltage above V _H3 , e.g. using an inverter resistor, until These cells have a voltage of V _H3 ; (c) once all cell voltages are at or below V _H3 , start charging the cells again with an END-CHG-I current; and (d) Loop back to step 3. At the end of the calibration charge, the determined ampere-hours required to recharge each battery cell and the determined watt-hours required to recharge each battery cell are recorded as shown in Figures 21, 22A and 22B . By comparing the calibrated charge information with the calibrated discharge information, the AH efficiency and WH efficiency of the electrical energy storage unit can be determined.

In an embodiment of the invention, when the battery of the electrical energy storage unit is charged during normal operation, it is charged using the following charging process. Step 1: Receive a command from an authorized user or an application program running on the embedded CPU 802 specifying details for charging the battery of the electrical energy storage unit. This message may specify, for example, the charging current (CHG-I), the charger power (CHG-P) or the SOC value at which the battery should be charged. Commands may also specify when charging starts, when charging stops, or when charging lasts. Step 2: After receiving the command, verify the command and schedule the charging progress according to the specified criteria. Step 3: At the appropriate time, the electric energy storage unit battery is charged according to the specified standard, as long as no cell reaches an SOC greater than SOC _H2 and no cell reaches a voltage of V _H2 . Step 4: If during charging, the battery cell reaches the state of charge of SOC _H2 or the voltage of V _H2 , the charge rate is reduced to a rate not greater than the end-charge-I (END-CHG-I) rate, and in an implementation In an example, the cell's inverter resistor is used (ie, the inverter resistor switch is closed) to limit the rate at which the cell is charged. Step 5: After reducing the charge rate in step 4, charging of the cells continues at the reduced charge rate until all cells of the battery achieve an SOC of at least SOC _H1 or a voltage value between V _H1 and V _H3 . When a battery cell acquires a value of SOC _H0 or V _H2 , its inverter resistor is used to reduce its charging rate. Step 6: If during step 5, any cell reaches the voltage of SOC _H3 state of charge or V _H3 : (a) stop charging the battery cell; (b) have a state of charge greater than SOC _H2 after stopping charging All cells at or above V _H2 are discharged using inverter resistors until the cells have a state of charge of SOC _H2 or a voltage of V _H2 ; (c) once all cell voltages are at or below SOC _H2 and V _H2 , start charging the battery cell again with an END-CHG-I current; and (d) loop back to step 3.

In an embodiment, at the end of the charging process described above, the recalibration standard is checked to determine whether the calibration process should be performed. A recalibration flag is set by the embedded CPU 802 if any of the calibration trigger criteria are met.

In an embodiment of the invention, when the battery of the electrical energy storage unit is discharged during normal operation, it is discharged using the following charging process. Step 1: Receiving a command specifying details of the discharge of the electrical energy storage unit battery. Such a command can specify, for example, the discharge current (DISCHG-1), the discharge power (DISCHG-P) or the SOC at which the battery should be discharged. A command may also specify a discharge start time, a discharge stop time, or a discharge duration. Step 2: After receiving the command, verify the command and schedule the discharge progress according to the specified criteria. Step 3: At the appropriate time, the electric energy storage unit battery is charged according to the specified standard, as long as no cell reaches an SOC less than SOC _L2 and no cell reaches a voltage of V _L2 . Step 4: If during discharge, the battery cell reaches the state of charge of SOC _L2 or the voltage of V _L2 , the discharge rate is reduced to a rate not greater than END-DTSCHG-I, and in one embodiment, the inverse of the cell is used The inverter resistor (ie, the inverter resistor switch is closed) to limit the rate at which the cells are discharged. Step 5: After reducing the charge rate in step 4, charging of the cells continues at the reduced charge rate until all cells of the battery achieve an SOC of at least SOC _L1 or a voltage value between V _L1 and V _L3 . Step 6: If during step 5, any cell reaches the voltage of SOC _L3 state of charge or V _L3 : (a) stop discharging the battery cell; (b) have a state of charge greater than SOC _L1 after stopping discharging or all cells at a voltage greater than V _L1 are discharged using the inverter resistors until the cells have a state of charge of SOC _L1 or a voltage of V _L1 ; (c) when all cell voltages are at SOC _L1 or V _L1 Afterwards, all inverter switches are turned off and battery cell discharge is stopped.

At the end of the discharge process, check the battery recalibration standard to determine if the calibration process should be performed. The battery recalibration flag is set by the embedded CPU 802 if any of the calibration trigger criteria are met.

As described herein, the embedded CPU 802 and battery pack 302 continuously monitor the voltage levels and SOC levels of all cells of the ESU battery. If at any time, the cell voltage or cell SOC exceeds or falls below a specified voltage or SOC safety value (for example, VH4, SOCH4, VL4, or SOCL4), the embedded CPU 802 stops immediately, regardless of what operation is currently in progress , and appropriately start the overcharge prevention or overdischarge prevention process as described below.

An overcharge prevention process is implemented, for example, any time the embedded CPU 802 detects that a battery cell has a voltage above VH4 or a state of charge above SOCH4. In an embodiment, when the overcharge prevention process is implemented, it switches on the grid-connected inverter (if available) and discharges the battery cells at a current rate called OCP-DISCHG-I (eg, 5 Amps) until the battery All cells are at or below SOCH3 state of charge level and at or below VH3 voltage level. If a grid-connected inverter is not provided to discharge the battery cells, use the inverter resistors to discharge any cells with a state of charge level greater than SOCH3 or a voltage level greater than VH3 until all cells are at less than Or equal to the state of charge level of SOCH3 and a voltage level less than or equal to VH3.

If during operation, the embedded CPU 802 detects that the battery cell voltage is less than VL4 or the state of charge is less than SOCL4, the embedded CPU 802 will immediately stop the currently executing operation and begin to implement the over-discharge prevention process. The over-discharge prevention process turns on the charger (if available) and charges the battery at a current rate called ODP-CHG-I (eg, 5 Amps) until all cells of the battery are at or above state-of-charge level SOCL3 and are at or a voltage level higher than VL3. If no chargers are provided to charge the cells, the individual battery pack inverter chargers are used to charge any cells with a state of charge level below SOCL3 or a voltage level below VL3 until all cells are at A state of charge level greater than or equal to SOCL3 and a voltage level greater than or equal to VL3.

As described herein, one of the functions of the battery pack 302 is to control the voltage inverters and SOC inverters of its battery cells. This is achieved using a process implemented in software. In one embodiment, this process is as follows. Embedded CPU 802 monitors and maintains a copy of the voltage and SOC information transmitted by battery pack 302 . The information is used by embedded CPU 802 to calculate target SOC values and/or target voltage values that are communicated to battery pack 302 . The battery pack 302 then attempts to match the communicated target value to a specified tolerance range. As described above, this is accomplished by the battery pack 302 using, for example, inverter resistors or energy transfer circuit elements and an inverter charger.

For a more complete understanding of how to implement an inverter according to an embodiment of the present invention, consider the situation represented by the battery cell voltage values or cell SOC values 2502a depicted in the upper half of FIG. 25 . Cells 2504 of battery pack 1 (BP-1) are closely centered with respect to the value V/SOC2. Cells 2506 of battery pack 2 (BP-2) are loosely centered with respect to values between V/SOC2 and V/SOC3. Cells 2508 of battery pack 3 (BP-3) are closely centered with respect to the value V/SOC1. Cells 2510 of battery pack 4 (BP-4) are loosely centered with respect to values between V/SOC2 and V/SOC3. Assuming that the target value communicated to the battery pack by the embedded CPU 802 is the value shown in the bottom half of Figure 25 (i.e., a value between V/SOC2 and V/SOC3), the following steps are taken by the battery pack to achieve this target value. For Pack 1, a pack inverter charger (e.g., AC inverter charger 416) may be turned on to add charge to cell 2504 and thus increase its value from that shown in the upper half of FIG. 25 to the values shown in the lower half of Figure 25. For Pack 2, the pack equalizer charger can be turned on to add charge to the cells 2506 while closing the equalizer resistor associated with the particular high value cell (thus allowing charge current to pass), and then shut off the equalizer charger at the same time Some of the balancing resistors are still closed to discharge energy from the highest value cell until cell 2506 achieves the state shown in the bottom half of FIG. 25 . For Pack 3, the pack equalizing charger can be turned on to add charge to the cells 2508 while closing the inverter resistors associated with the particular high value cell (thus allowing charge current to pass) until the cells 2508 achieve The state shown in the lower half of Figure 25. For battery pack 4, no balancing is required because the cells 2510 already meet the target values.

26A, 26B, 26C and 26D are diagrams showing an example battery pack 2600 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIGS. 26A and 26B depict front views of battery pack 2600 , FIG. 26C depicts an exploded view of battery pack 2600 ; and FIG. 26D depicts front and side views of battery pack 2600 . As shown in FIGS. 26A-26D , the housing of the battery pack 2600 may include a front panel 2602 , a lid or cover 2612 , a rear panel 2616 and a bottom 2618 . Cover 2612 includes a left side portion and a right side portion, and cover 112 may include a plurality of vent holes to facilitate passage of air through battery pack 2600 and to cool internal components of battery pack 2600 . In a non-limiting example, the cover 2612 is "U" shaped and may be made from a single piece of metal, plastic, or any other material known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The battery pack of FIGS. 48A-48B (below) may be implemented as described with respect to battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D .

The housing of the battery pack 2600 can be assembled using the fasteners 2628 shown in Figure 26C, which can be screws and bolts or any other fasteners known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The housing of the battery pack 2600 may also include a front handle 2610 and a rear handle 2614 . As shown in FIG. 26C , front panel 2602 may be coupled to lid 2612 and bottom 2618 via front panel mounts 2620. In one embodiment, the battery pack 2600 is implemented as a rack-mountable equipment module. For example, battery pack 2600 may be implemented in a standard 19-inch rack (e.g., front panel 2602 is 19 inches wide, and battery pack 2600 is between 22 and 24 inches deep and four rack units or "U" high. , where U is a standard unit equal to 1.752 inches). As shown in FIG. 26C , battery pack 2600 may include one or more mounts 2622 attached to base 2618 . Mounts 2622 may be used to secure battery pack 2600 in a rack for arranging multiple battery packs in a stacked configuration (shown in BESS 4700 of FIG. 47 ).

In FIGS. 26A-26D , the battery pack 2600 includes a power connector 2604 connectable to the negative terminal of the battery pack and a power connector 2606 connectable to the positive terminal of the battery pack. In other embodiments, power connector 2604 may be used to connect to the positive terminal of the battery pack, and power connector 2606 may be used to connect to the negative terminal of the battery pack. As shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B , power connectors 2604 and 2606 may be disposed on the front panel or front panel 2602 of the battery pack 2600 . Cables (not shown) may be attached to power connectors 2604 and 2606 and used to add power to battery pack 2600 or remove power from battery pack 600 .

The front panel 2602 of the battery pack 2600 may also include status lights and a reset button 2608 . In one embodiment, the status button 2608 is a button that can be pressed to reset or restart the battery pack 2600 . In an embodiment, an outer ring around the center of the button 2608 may be illuminated to indicate the operating condition of the battery pack 2600 . Such illumination may be generated by a light source, such as one or more light emitting diodes, coupled to or part of the status button 2608 . In this embodiment, lighting up of different colors may indicate different operating states of the battery pack. For example, a constant or steady green light may indicate that the battery pack 2600 is in normal operation; a flashing or strobe green light may indicate that the battery pack 2600 is in normal operation and that the battery pack 2600 is currently powering the battery inverter; a constant or steady yellow light may indicate that the battery pack 2600 is in normal operation. A light can indicate a warning or that the battery pack 2600 is in an error state; a flashing or strobe yellow light can indicate a warning or that the battery pack 2600 is in an error state and that the battery pack 2600 is currently invertering the battery; a constant or steady state red light can indicate a battery pack 2600 is in an alarm state; flashing or strobing red light may indicate that battery pack 2600 needs to be replaced; and no light from the status light may indicate that battery pack 2600 has no power and/or needs to be replaced. In certain embodiments, when the status light glows red (steady or flashing) or is off, a connector in the battery pack 2600 or external controller is automatically disconnected to prevent battery charging or discharging. As would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, any color, strobe technique, etc. that illuminates to indicate the operating condition of the battery pack 2600 is within the scope of the present invention.

Turning to FIGS. 26C-26D , example components disposed inside the housing of the battery pack 2600 are shown, including, but not limited to, an equalizing charger 2632 , a battery pack controller (BPC) 2634 , and a battery module controller (BMC) 2638 . The equalizing charger 2632 may be a power source, such as a DC power source, and may provide energy to all battery cells in the battery pack. In one embodiment, the equalizing charger 2632 can provide energy to all battery cells in the battery pack simultaneously. The BMC 2638 is coupled to the battery module 2636 and may selectively discharge energy from battery cells included in the battery module 2636 as well as take measurements (eg, voltage and temperature) on the battery module 2636 . The BPC 2634 can control the equalizing charger 2632 and the BMC 2638 to equalize or adjust the voltage and/or state of charge of the battery modules to target voltage and/or state of charge values.

As shown, battery pack 2600 includes multiple battery modules and a BMC (eg, battery module controller 2638 ) is coupled to each battery module (eg, battery module 2636 ). In an embodiment described in more detail below, n BMCs (where n is greater than or equal to 2) can be daisy-chained together and coupled to BPCs to form a single-wire communication network. In this example arrangement, each BMC can have a unique address and the BPC can communicate with each of the BMCs by addressing one or more messages to any desired BMC's unique address. The one or more messages (which include the unique address of the BMC) may include instructions to, for example, remove energy from the battery module, stop removing energy from the battery module, measure and report temperature of the battery module, and measure and report voltage of the battery module. In an embodiment, the BPC 2634 may obtain measurements (eg, temperature, voltage) from each of the BMCs using polling techniques. The BPC 2634 can calculate or receive (from a controller outside the battery pack 2600) the target voltage for the battery pack 2600 and can use the network of inverter chargers 2632 and BMCs to regulate each of the battery modules to the target voltage. Therefore, the battery pack 2600 can be regarded as a smart battery pack, which can automatically adjust its battery cells to the target voltage.

The electrical wiring connecting the various components of the battery pack 2600 is omitted from the figure to enhance visibility. However, FIG. 26D illustrates example wiring in a battery pack 2600. In the illustrated embodiment, inverter charger 2632 and battery pack controller 2634 may be connected to or mounted on base 2618 . Although shown mounted on the left side of the battery pack 2600 , the inverter charger 2632 and the battery pack controller 2634 , as well as all other components disposed in the battery pack 2600 may be disposed anywhere within the battery pack 2600 .

The battery module 2636 includes a plurality of battery cells. Any number of battery cells may be included in the battery module 2636 . Example cells include, but are not limited to, lithium-ion cells, such as 18650 or 26650 cells. The cells may be cylindrical cells, prismatic cells, or pouch cells, just to give a few examples. The battery cells or battery modules can be, for example, up to 100 AH battery cells or battery modules. In certain embodiments, the battery cells are connected in a series/parallel configuration. Exemplary battery cell configurations include, but are not limited to: 1P16S configuration, 2P16S configuration, 3P16S configuration, 4P16S configuration, 1P12S configuration, 2P12S configuration, 3P12S configuration, and 4P12S configuration. Other configurations known to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the present invention. The battery module 2636 includes positive and negative terminals for adding energy to or removing energy from the plurality of battery cells included therein.

As shown in FIG. 26C, the battery pack 2600 includes 12 battery modules forming a battery assembly. In another embodiment, the battery pack 2600 includes 16 battery modules forming a battery assembly. In other embodiments, the battery pack 2600 includes 20 battery modules or 25 battery modules forming a battery assembly. Any number of battery modules may be connected to form a battery assembly of battery pack 2600, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In the battery pack 2600, battery modules arranged as a battery assembly may be arranged in a series configuration.

In FIG. 26C , battery module controller 2638 is coupled to battery module 2636 . A battery module controller 2638 may be coupled to the positive and negative terminals of the battery module 2636 . The battery module controller 2638 may be configured to perform one, some, or all of the following functions: removing energy from the battery module 2636; measuring the voltage of the battery module 2636; and measuring the temperature of the battery module 2636. As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the battery module controller 2638 is not limited to performing the functions just described. In one embodiment, the battery module controller 2638 is implemented as one or more circuits disposed on a printed circuit board. In the battery pack 2600 , one battery module controller is coupled to or mounted on each of the battery modules in the battery pack 2600 . Additionally, each battery module controller may be coupled to one or more adjacent battery module controllers via wiring to form a communication network. As shown in FIG. 27A, n battery module controllers (where n is an integer greater than or equal to two) can be daisy-chained together and coupled to the battery pack controllers to form a communication network.

Figure 27A is a diagram showing an example communication network 2700 formed by a battery pack controller and a plurality of battery module controllers according to an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 27A , a battery pack controller (BPC) 2710 is coupled to n battery module controllers (BMCs) 2720 , 2730 , 2740 , 2750 and 2760 . In other words, n battery module controllers (where n is an integer greater than or equal to two) are daisy-chained together and coupled to battery pack controller 2710 to form communication network 2700, which is referred to as a distributed daisy-chained Battery Management System (BMS). Specifically, BPC 2710 is coupled to BMC 2720 via communication line 2715, BMC 2720 is coupled to BMC 2730 via communication line 2725, BMC 2730 is coupled to BMC 2740 via communication line 2735, and BMC 2750 is coupled to BMC 2760 via communication line 2755 to form Communications network. Each communication line 2715, 2725, 2735, and 2755 may be a single wire, forming a single-wire communication network that allows the BCM 2710 to communicate with each of the BCMs 720-2760, and vice versa. Any number of BMCs may be daisy-chained together in communication system 2700, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Each BMC in communication network 2700 may have a unique address that BCP 2710 uses to communicate with the individual BMC. For example, BMC 2720 may have an address of 0002, BMC 2730 may have an address of 0003, BMC 2740 may have an address of 0004, BMC 2750 may have an address of 0005, and BMC 2760 may have an address of 0006. The BPC 2710 can communicate with each of the BMCs by addressing one or more messages to any desired BMC's unique address. The one or more messages (which include the unique address of the BMC) may include instructions to, for example, remove energy from the battery module, stop removing energy from the battery module, measure and report temperature of the battery module, and measure and report voltage of the battery module. The BPC 2710 may poll the BMC for measurements about the battery modules of the battery pack, such as voltage and temperature measurements. Any polling technique known to those skilled in the art may be used. In some embodiments, the BPC 2710 continuously polls the BMC for measurements to continuously monitor the voltage and temperature of the battery modules in the battery pack.

For example, the BPC 2710 may seek to communicate with the BMC 2740, eg, to obtain temperature and voltage measurements of the battery modules in which the BMC 2740 is installed. In this example, the BPC 2710 generates and sends a message (or instruction) addressed to the BMC 2740 (eg, address 0004). Other BMCs in communication network 2700 can decode the address of the message sent by BPC 2710, but only the BMC with the message's unique address (in this example, BMC 2740) can respond. In this example, BMC 2740 receives messages from BPC 2710 (e.g., messages arrive at BMC 2740 via communication lines 2715, 2725, and 2735), and generates responses and sends them via a single-wire communication network (e.g., responses arrive at BPC via communication lines 2735, 2725, and 2715). 2710) to the BPC 2710. BPC 2710 may receive the response and instruct BMC 2740 to perform a function (eg, remove energy from a battery module it mounts). In other embodiments, other types of communication networks (in addition to communication network 2700) may be used. Such as RS232 or RS485 communication network.

FIG. 27B is a flowchart of an example method 27000 for receiving instructions at a battery module controller, such as battery module controller 2638 of FIG. 26C or battery module controller 2720 of FIG. 27A . 27A. The battery module controller described with respect to FIG. 27B may be included in a communication network comprising more than one isolated, distributed, daisy-chained battery module controller, such as the communication network 2700 of FIG. 27A.

Method 27000 of FIG. 27B may be implemented as software or firmware executable by a processor. That is, each stage of Method 27000 may be implemented as one or more computer-readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage device that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform one or more operations . For example, method 27000 can be implemented as one or more computer readable instructions stored in and executed by a processor of a battery module controller (e.g., the battery module of FIG. 1C controller 138 or the battery module controller 2720 of FIG. 27A), the battery module controller is installed on the battery module (for example, the battery module 2636 of FIG. 26C ) in the battery pack (for example, the battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A to 26D ). .

Since the description of FIG. 27B refers to components of the battery pack, for clarity, when describing the different stages of the method 27000 of FIG. 27B, the components enumerated in the example embodiment of the battery pack 2600 of FIGS. Example communication networks are used to refer to specific components. However, the battery pack 2600 and communication network 2700 of FIGS. 26A-26D are examples only, and battery packs other than the example embodiment depicted in FIGS. 26A-26D and communication networks other than the example embodiment depicted in FIG. 27A may be used. An embodiment of the network 2700 to implement the method 27000.

Upon initiation (Stage 27100), the Method 27000 proceeds to Stage 27200, where at Stage 7020 the battery module controller receives a message. For example, a battery pack controller may communicate with a network of daisy-chained battery module controllers (eg, FIG. 27A ) to invert cells in a battery pack (eg, 5 battery packs 2600 in FIGS. 26A-26D ). Messages may be received at the communication terminals of the battery module controller via communication lines (eg, five communication lines 2715 in FIG. 27A ). This communication may include, but is not limited to, instructing the network of battery module controllers to provide voltage and/or temperature measurements of the battery modules in which the battery module controllers are installed, and instructing the battery module controllers to obtain information from the battery module controllers in which the battery module controllers are installed. The battery module removes energy or stops removing energy.

As discussed with respect to FIG. 27A , each battery module controller (e.g., BMC 2720 of FIG. 27A ) on a communication network (e.g., communication network 2700 of FIG. 27A ) can have a unique address, and a battery pack controller (e.g., The BPC 2710) uses a unique address to communicate with the battery module controller. Thus, the message received at stage 27200 may include the address of the battery module controller it is intended for and the instructions to be executed by the battery module controller. At stage 27300, the battery module controller determines whether the address included in the message matches the unique address of the battery module controller. If the addresses do not match, Method 27000 returns to Stage 27200 and the Battery Module Controller waits for a new message. That is, the battery module controller ignores the instruction associated with the message in response to determining that the address associated with the message does not match the unique address of the battery module controller. If the addresses do not match, Method 27000 proceeds to Stage 27400.

At stage 27400 the battery module controller decodes the instructions included in the message and the method 27000 proceeds to stage 27500. At stage 27500, the battery module is polled for voltage measurements. Likewise, the instructions may, but are not limited to, measure and report the temperature of the battery module, measure and report the voltage of the battery module, remove energy from the battery module (e.g., apply one or more shunt resistors across the terminals of the battery module), stop The battery module is de-energized (eg, by stopping the application of one or more shunt resistors to the terminals of the battery module), or the voltage measurement is calibrated prior to measuring the battery voltage. In various embodiments, temperature and voltage measurements may be sent as actual temperature and voltage values, or as encoded data that may be decoded after the measurements are reported. After Stage 27500, Method 27000 loops back to Stage 27200 and the Battery Module Controller waits for new messages.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example battery pack controller 2800 according to an embodiment of the invention. The battery pack controller 2634 of FIGS. 26C and 26D may be implemented as described with respect to the battery pack controller 2800 of FIG. 28 . Battery pack controller 2710 of FIG. 27A may be implemented as described with respect to battery pack controller 2800 of FIG. 28 .

As shown in Figure 28, an example battery pack controller 2800 includes a DC input 2802 (which may be an isolated 5V DC input), a charger switch circuit 2804, a DIP-switch 2806, a JTAG connection 2808, a CAN (CANBus) connection 2810 , microprocessor unit (MCU) 2812, memory 2814, external EEPROM 2816, temperature monitoring circuit 2818, status lights and reset button 2820, watchdog timer 2822, and battery module controller (BMC) communication connection 2824.

In one embodiment, the battery pack controller 2800 is also powered from energy stored in the battery cells. The battery pack controller 2800 can be connected to the battery cells by a DC input 2802. In other embodiments, battery pack controller 2800 may be powered from an AC to DC power source connected to DC input 2802 . In these embodiments, the DC-DC power supply may then convert the input DC power to one or more power stages suitable for operating the various electrical components of the battery pack controller 2800 .

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 28 , charger switch circuit 2804 is coupled to MCU 2812 . Charger switching circuit 2804 and MCU 2812 may be used to control the operation of an inverter charger, such as inverter charger 2632 of FIG. 26C. As described above, an inverter charger can add energy to the cells of the battery pack. In one embodiment, the temperature monitoring circuit 2818 includes one or more temperature sensors that can monitor the temperature of a heat source within the battery pack, such as the temperature of an inverter charger used to add energy to the cells of the battery pack .

Battery pack controller 2800 may also include several interfaces and/or connectors for communication. These interfaces and/or connectors may be coupled to MCU 2812 as shown in FIG. 28 . In one embodiment, these interfaces and/or connectors include: DIP-switches 2806, which can be used to set a portion of the software bits used to identify the battery pack controller 2800; JTAG connectors 2808, which can be used to test and Debug battery pack controller 2800; CAN (CANBus) connection 2810, which may be used to communicate with controllers outside the battery pack; and, BMC communication connection 2824, which may be used to communicate with one or more battery module controllers such as A distributed daisy-chain network (eg, FIG. 27A ) of battery module controllers communicates. For example, battery pack controller 2800 may be coupled to a communication line, such as communication line 2715 of FIG. 27A , via BMC communication connection 2824 .

The battery pack controller 2800 also includes an external EEPROM 2816 . An external EEPROM 2816 can store battery pack values, measurements, etc. These values, measurements, etc. may persist (ie, will not be lost due to loss of power) when power to the battery pack is removed. External EEPROM 2816 may also store executable code or instructions, such as those used to operate microprocessor unit 2812 .

Microprocessor unit (MCU) 2812 is coupled to memory 2814 . The MCU 2812 is used to execute application programs for managing the battery pack. As described in the present invention, in one embodiment, the application program can perform the following functions (but not limited to these functions): monitor the voltage and temperature of the battery cells of the battery pack 2600; cells; monitor and control (if necessary) the temperature of the battery pack 2600; handle communications between the battery pack 2600 and other components of the electrical energy storage system; and generate warnings and/or alarms, and take other appropriate measures to protect the battery pack 600 battery cells.

As described above, the battery pack controller may obtain temperature and voltage measurements from the battery module controllers. The temperature readings can be used to ensure that the battery cells are operating within their specified temperature limits and to adjust temperature related values calculated and/or used by applications executing on the MCU 2812 . Likewise, voltage readings are used, for example, to ensure that the battery cells are operating within their specified voltage limits.

A watchdog timer 2822 is used to monitor and ensure proper operation of the battery pack controller 2800 . In the event of an unrecoverable error or an unplanned infinite software loop during operation of the battery pack controller 2800, the watchdog timer 2822 can reset the battery pack controller 2800 so that it resumes normal operation. The status light and reset button 2820 can be used to manually reset the battery pack controller 2800 . As shown in FIG. 28 , a status light and reset button 2820 and a watchdog timer 2822 may be coupled to the MCU 2812 .

FIG. 29 shows a diagram of an example battery module controller 2900 according to an embodiment of the invention. The battery pack controller 2638 of FIGS. 26C and 26D may be implemented as described with respect to the battery pack controller 2900 of FIG. 29 . Each of battery module controllers 2720 , 2730 , 2740 , 2750 , and 2760 of FIG. 27A may be implemented as described with respect to battery module controller 2900 of FIG. 9 . The battery module controller 2900 may be installed on the battery modules of the battery pack and may perform the following functions (but not limited thereto): measuring the voltage of the battery module; measuring the temperature of the battery module; and removing energy (discharging) from the battery module.

In FIG. 29, a battery module controller 2900 includes a processor 2905, a voltage reference 2910, one or more voltage test resistors 2915, a power supply 2920, a fail-safe circuit 2925, a shunt switch 2930, one or more shunt resistors 2935, Polarity protection circuit 2940 , isolation circuit 2945 and communication line 2950 . The processor 2905 controls the battery module controller 2900 . The processor 905 receives power from the battery module installed in the battery module controller 900 via the power supply 2920 . Power supply 2920 may be a DC power supply. As shown in FIG. 29 , a power supply 2920 is coupled to the positive terminal of the battery module and provides power to the processor 2905 . The processor 2905 is also coupled to the negative terminal of the battery module via a polarity protection circuit 2940, which protects the battery module controller 2900 in the event that the battery module controller is improperly installed on the battery module (e.g., in FIG. 29 components of the battery module controller 2900 that were intended to be coupled to the positive terminal are improperly coupled to the negative terminal and vice versa).

Battery module controller 2900 may communicate with other components of the battery pack (eg, a battery pack controller such as battery pack controller 2634 of FIG. 26C ) via communication line 2950 (which may be a single wire). As described with respect to the example communication network of FIG. 27A , communication lines 2950 may also be used to daisy chain battery module controllers 2900 to battery pack controllers and/or one or more other battery module controllers to form a communication network. . The communication line 2950 may be coupled to the battery pack controller 2900 via a communication terminal disposed on the battery pack controller 2900 . As such, the battery module controller 2900 can send and receive messages (including instructions sent from the battery pack controller) via the communication line 2950 . When serving as part of a communication network, the battery module controller 2900 may be assigned a unique network address, which may be stored in a memory device of the processor 2905.

Battery module controller 2900 may be electrically isolated from other components (eg, battery pack controller, other battery module controllers, computing systems external to the battery pack) coupled to communication lines via isolation circuit 2945 . In FIG. 29, isolation circuitry 2945 is disposed between communication line 2950 and processor 2905. Also, the communication line 2950 may be coupled to the battery pack controller 2900 via a communication terminal disposed on the battery pack controller 2900. This communication terminal may be disposed between the communication line 2950 and the isolation circuit 2945, or may be part of the isolation circuit 2945. Isolation circuitry 2945 may capacitively couple processor 2905 to communication line 2950 or may provide other forms of electrical isolation known to those skilled in the art.

As explained above, the battery module controller 2900 may measure the voltage of the battery module installed therein. As shown in Figure 29, the processor 2905 is coupled to a voltage test resistor 2915, which is coupled to the positive terminal of the battery module. Processor 2905 may measure the voltage across test resistor 2915 and compare this measured voltage to voltage reference 2910 to determine the voltage of the battery module. As described with respect to FIG. 27A, the battery module controller 2900 may be directed by the battery pack controller to measure the voltage of the battery modules. After performing the voltage measurement, the processor 2905 may report the voltage measurement to the battery pack controller via the communication line 2950 .

The battery module controller 2900 may also remove energy from the battery modules it is installed in. As shown in FIG. 29 , processor 2905 is coupled to failsafe circuit 2925 , and failsafe circuit 925 is coupled to shunt switch 2930 . Shunt switch 2930 is also coupled to the negative terminal via polarity protection circuit 2940 . A shunt resistor 2935 is disposed between the positive terminal of the battery module and the shunt switch 2930 . In this embodiment, when the shunt switch 2930 is open, the shunt resistor 2935 is not applied to the positive and negative terminals of the battery module, and when the shunt switch 2930 is closed, the shunt resistor 2935 is applied to the positive terminal of the battery module and negative terminal to remove energy from the battery module. Processor 2905 may direct shunt switch 2930 to selectively apply resistor 2935 to the positive and negative terminals of the battery module to remove energy from the battery module. In one embodiment, processor 2905 directs shunt switch 2930 to apply shunt resistor 2935 at regular intervals (eg, once every 30 seconds) to continuously discharge the battery module.

The fail-safe circuit 2925 can prevent the shunt switch 2930 from removing too much energy from the battery module. In the event of processor 2905 failure, fail-safe circuitry 2925 may direct shunt switch 2930 to stop applying shunt resistor 835 to the positive and negative terminals of the battery module. For example, processor 2905 directs shunt switch 2930 to apply shunt resistor 2935 at regular intervals (eg, once every 30 seconds) to continuously discharge the battery module. Fail-safe circuitry 2925 disposed between processor 2905 and shunt switch 2930 may monitor instructions sent by processor 2905 to shunt switch 2930 . In the event that processor 2905 fails to send scheduling instructions to shunt switch 2930 (which may be due to processor 2905 failure), fail-safe circuit 2925 may instruct or cause shunt switch 2930 to open, preventing further discharge of the battery module. The processor 2905 can direct the fail-safe circuit 2925 to prevent the shunt switch 2930 from discharging the battery module below a threshold voltage or state-of-charge level, which can be in the battery module controller 2900 or an external controller (e.g., a battery pack controller). ) to store or calculate.

The battery module controller 2900 of FIG. 29 also includes a temperature sensor 2955 that can measure the temperature of the battery module to which the battery module controller 2900 is connected. As depicted in FIG. 29 , temperature sensor 2955 is coupled to processor 2905 and can provide temperature measurements to processor 2905 . Any temperature sensor known to those skilled in the art may be used to implement temperature sensor 2955 .

Example String Controller

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example string controller 3000 . Specifically, FIG. 30 illustrates example components of a string controller 3000. The example components depicted in FIG. 30 may be used to implement the disclosed string controller 4804 of FIG. 48A. String controller 3000 includes string control board 3024 , and string control board 1124 controls the overall operation of string controller 3000 . The string control board can be implemented as one or more circuits or integrated circuits mounted on a printed circuit board (eg, string control board 3130 of FIG. 31A ). String control board 3024 may include or be implemented as a processing unit, such as a microprocessor unit (MCU) 3025, memory 3027, and executable code. Units 3026, 3028, 3030, and 3042 shown in string control board 3024 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Units 3026, 3028, 3030, 3032, and 3042 may be individual circuits mounted on a printed circuit board or a single integrated circuit.

Functions performed by string controller 3000 may include, but are not limited to, the following functions: issuing string contactor control commands, measuring string voltage; measuring string current; calculating string ampere-hour counts; Splitting queries between the charging station) and the battery pack controller; processing query response messages; aggregating battery string data; performing software device ID assignment to the battery pack; detecting ground fault current in the battery strings; and detecting alarms and warning condition and take appropriate corrective action. The MCU 3025 can carry out these functions by executing code stored in the memory 3027 .

String controller 3000 includes battery string terminals 3002 and 3004 to couple to the positive and negative terminals of battery strings (also referred to as battery strings), respectively. The battery string terminals 3002 and 3004 are coupled to a voltage sensing unit 3042 on the string control board 3024, and the voltage sensing unit 1142 can be used to measure the battery string voltage.

String controller 3000 also includes PCS terminals 3006 and 3008 coupled to positive and negative terminals of a power control system (PCS), respectively. As shown, positive string terminal 3002 is coupled to positive PCS terminal 3006 via contactor 3016 and negative string terminal 3004 is coupled to negative PCS terminal 3008 via contactor 3018 . String control board 3024 is coupled to negative PCS terminal 1108 via contactor control units 3026 and 3030, respectively. The string control board 1124 controls the contactors 3016 and 3018 (to open and close) via the contactor control units 1126 and 1130 respectively, allowing the battery strings to provide energy (discharge) to the PCS or to receive energy from the PCS when the contactors 3016 and 3018 are closed. energy (charging). Fuses 3012 and 3014 protect the battery strings from excessive current flow.

String controller 3000 also includes communication terminals 3010 and 3012 for coupling to other devices. In an embodiment, the communication terminal 3010 can connect the string controller 3000 to the battery pack controller of the battery string, allowing the string controller 3000 to issue inquiries, instructions, and the like. For example, the string controller 3000 may issue commands that are used by the battery packs for the individual inverters. In an embodiment, communication terminals 3012 may couple string controller 3000 to an array controller, such as array controller 4808 of FIG. 48A . Communication terminals 3010 and 3012 may allow string controller 3000 to pass queries between an array controller (e.g., array controller 4808 of FIG. 48A ) and a battery pack controller, aggregate battery string data, and execute software devices to the battery pack. ID assignment, detection of alarm and warning conditions and taking appropriate corrective action, among other functions. In systems that do not include an array controller, the string controller can be coupled to the system controller.

The string controller 3000 includes a power supply unit 3022 . The power supply 3120 of FIG. 31A may be implemented as described with respect to the power supply unit 3022 of FIG. 30 . In this embodiment, the power supply unit 3022 can provide more than one DC power supply voltage. For example, power supply unit 3022 may provide one supply voltage to power string control board 3024 and another supply voltage to operate contactors 3016 and 3018. In one embodiment, +5V DC power can be used for string control board 3022 and +12V DC can be used to close contactors 3016 and 3018 .

The string control board 3024 includes a current sense unit 3028 that receives input from a current sensor 3020 that may allow the string controller to measure string current, calculate string ampere hour counts, and other functions. Additionally, the current sense unit 3028 may provide an input for over-current protection. For example, if an overcurrent (current level above a predetermined threshold) is sensed by the current sensor 3020, the current sensor unit 3028 may provide a value to the MCU 3025 which instructs the contactor control units 3026 and 3030 to open the contactors 3016 and 3018, respectively , cut off the battery string and PCS. Likewise, fuses 3012 and 3014 can also provide overcurrent protection by disconnecting the battery from the PCS when a threshold current is exceeded.

String controller 3000 includes battery voltage and ground fault detection (eg, battery voltage and ground fault detection 3110 of FIG. 31A ). Terminals 3038 and 3040 may couple string controller 3000 to a battery pack in the middle of the battery string. For example, in a string of 22 batteries, terminal 3038 may be connected to the negative terminal of battery pack 11 and terminal 3040 may be connected to the positive terminal of battery pack 12 . Considering FIG. 48B , SC1 may be coupled to BP 11 and BP 12 via terminals 3038 and 3040 . Ground fault detection unit 3032 uses resistor 3034 to measure the voltage across the battery string and provides ground fault protection. Fuses 3036 provide overcurrent protection.

31A-31B are diagrams illustrating an example string controller 3100 . As shown in FIG. 31A , string controller 3100 maintains battery voltage and ground fault detection unit 3110 , power supply 3120 , string control board 3130 , positive fuse 3140 and positive contactor 3150 . FIG. 31B shows another angle of string controller 3100 and depicts negative fuse 3160 , negative contactor 3170 and current sensor 3180 . These components are described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 30 .

Example Battery Pack Inverter Algorithm

32 is an illustration (demonstration) of an example method 3200 for an inverter battery pack, such as the battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D , comprising a plurality of battery modules, an inverter charger, a battery pack controller, and Network of isolated, distributed daisy-chained battery module controllers. Method 3200 may be implemented as software or firmware executable by a processor. That is, each stage of method 3200 may be implemented as one or more computer-readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage device that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform one or more operations . For example, method 3200 can be implemented as one or more computer readable instructions stored in a battery pack controller (eg, battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D ) in a battery pack (eg, battery pack 2600 of FIG. 26C ). stored and executed in the group controller 2634).

Since the description of FIG. 32 refers to components of the battery pack, for clarity, when describing the different stages of the method 3200 of FIG. to refer to specific parts. However, the battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D is just one example, and the method 3200 may be practiced using embodiments of a battery pack other than the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 26A-26D .

Initially, method 3200 proceeds to stage 3210 where a target voltage value is received by a battery pack controller, such as battery pack controller 2634 . Target values can be used for the voltage and/or state of charge of each battery module (eg, battery module 2636) in the inverter battery pack and can be obtained from an external controller such as described with respect to FIG. 48A or FIG. 31A-31B . The string controller receives. In stage 3215, the battery module is polled for voltage measurements. For example, battery pack controller 2634 may request voltage measurements from each of the battery module controllers (eg, battery module controller 2638 ) mounted to the battery modules. Also, one battery module controller may be mounted on each of the battery modules. Each battery module controller may measure the voltage of the battery module in which the battery module controller is installed, and communicate the measured voltage to the battery pack controller 2634 . Also, as discussed with respect to FIG. 27A, a battery pack controller and multiple isolated, distributed daisy-chained battery module controllers can be coupled together to form a communication network. Polling may be performed sequentially (eg, polling BMC 2720, then BMC 2730, then BMC 2740, and so on). In an embodiment, a target state of charge value may be received in stage 3210 instead of a target voltage value.

At stage 3220, a determination is made as to whether each polled battery module voltage is within an acceptable range. This acceptable range may be determined by one or more threshold voltages above and/or below the received target voltage. For example, the battery pack controller 2634 may use the start discharge value, stop discharge value, start charge value, and stop voltage value, using these values to determine whether the inverter of the battery module should be executed. In one embodiment, the start discharge value may be greater than the stop discharge value (both may be greater than the target value) and the start charge value may be smaller than the stop charge value (both may be less than the target value). These thresholds can be derived by adding the stored offset value to the received target voltage value. In an embodiment, the acceptable range may be between the start discharge value and the start charge value, indicating a range where an inverter may not be needed. If all battery module voltages are within acceptable ranges, method 3200 continues to stage 3225 . In stage 3225, the inverter charger (e.g., inverter charger 2632) is switched off (if switched on) and each battery module controller 2638 shunt resistor such as shunt resistor 2935 of FIG. 29 that has been applied is switched off. to stop removing energy from the battery module. For example, battery pack controller 2634 may direct inverter charger 2632 to cease providing energy to the battery modules of battery pack 2600 . The battery pack controller 2634 may also instruct each battery module controller (each applying a shunt resistor to its mounted battery module) to stop applying the shunt resistor and thereby remove energy from the battery module. Method 3200 then returns to step 3215 where the battery modules of the battery pack are again polled for voltage values.

Returning to stage 3220, if all battery module voltages are not within acceptable ranges, the methods continue to stage 3230. In stage 3230, for each battery module, it is determined whether the battery module voltage is higher than the start discharge value. If the voltage is above the start discharge value, method 3200 continues to stage 3235 where a shunt resistor coupled to the battery module's battery module controller (e.g., battery module controller 2638) is applied for removal (draining) from the module energy. The method then continues to stage 3240.

In stage 3240, for each battery module, it is determined whether the battery module voltage is higher than the start discharge value. If the voltage is below the stop discharge value, method 3200 proceeds to stage 3245 where a shunt resistor coupled to a battery module controller (eg, battery module controller 2638 ) of the battery module is opened to stop discharging energy from the module. That is, the battery module controller stops applying the shunt resistor(s) to the terminals of the battery module to which it is mounted. This prevents the battery module controller from removing energy from the battery module. The method then continues to stage 3250.

At stage 3250, it is determined that at least one battery module voltage is below the start discharge value. If any voltage is below the start charge value, method 3200 continues to stage 3255 where the inverter charger is turned on to provide energy to all battery modules. For example, battery pack controller 2634 may direct inverter charger 2632 to turn on, providing energy to each of the battery modules in battery pack 2600 . Method 3200 then proceeds to stage 3260.

At stage 3260, it is determined that all battery module voltages are higher than the stop-charging value. If all voltages are above the stop charge value, method 3200 proceeds to stage 3265 where the inverter charger is switched off (if previously switched on) to stop charging the battery modules of the battery pack. For example, battery pack controller 2634 may instruct inverter charger 2632 to stop providing energy to the battery modules of battery pack 2600 . Method 3200 then returns to stage 3215 where the battery module is again polled for voltage measurements. Thus, stages 3215 through 3260 of method 3200 may continuously inverter the energy of battery modules within a battery pack, such as battery pack 2600, as previously described.

Although the inverter example above only discusses inverters with four battery banks, the inverter process can be applied to inverters with any number of battery banks. Also, since this process can be applied to SOC values as well as voltage values, this process can be implemented at any time in the electric energy storage unit according to the present invention, and is not limited to the time period when the battery of the electric energy storage unit is charged or discharged.

Example warranty tracker for battery packs

In an embodiment, a warranty based on battery usage of a battery pack, such as battery pack 2600 of FIGS. battery voltage. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the quality assurance tracker disclosed below can be implemented and adapted in the systems and methods described above. A warranty tracker embedded in the battery pack can use this data to calculate a warranty value representing how long the battery has been used. The calculated warranty values can be aggregated over battery life, and the accumulated value can be used to determine warranty coverage. With this approach, the warranty can take into account not only the total discharge of the battery pack, but also the manner in which the battery pack is used. Various data used to calculate the warranty value are further discussed with respect to FIGS. 33-36 , according to an embodiment.

The charge and discharge rates of the battery pack are related to and can be approximated or determined based on the amount of current flowing into and out of the battery pack, which can be measured. In general, higher charge and discharge rates can generate more heat (more than lower rates), which can stress the battery pack, shortening the life of the battery pack and/or causing unexpected failures or other problems . FIG. 33 is a graph illustrating an example correlation between current measurements and current coefficients used to calculate warranty values according to one embodiment. For a battery pack, such as battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D , the current can be measured directly and the charge and/or discharge rate of the battery pack can be provided.

Normal charge and discharge rates can vary for batteries of different capacities. Thus, in one embodiment, the current measurements can be normalized to use the normal charge and discharge rates of the different battery packs. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the measured current can be normalized based on the capacity of the battery pack, resulting in a charge rate. As an example, a normalized discharge rate of 1C would deliver the battery pack's rated capacity in one hour, eg, a 1,000mAh battery would provide a discharge current of 1,000mA for one hour. The rate of charge may allow the same criteria to be used to determine normal charge and discharge whether the battery pack is rated at 1,000mAh or 100Ah or any other rating known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Still considering FIG. 33 , an example graph 3302 illustrates current coefficient 3306 as a function of normalized charge rate 3304 , according to an embodiment. By converting the measured current into the corresponding current coefficient, the current measurement can be used to calculate the warranty value. In one embodiment, the measured current is first normalized to yield the charge rate. The charge rate indicates the charge or discharge rate of the battery pack and allows consistent warranty calculations regardless of the capacity of the battery pack. Charge rates can then be mapped to current coefficients for warranty calculations. For example, the normalized charge rate of Figure 1C can be mapped to a current factor of 2, while the charge rate of 3C can be mapped to a current factor of 10, indicating a higher charge or discharge rate. In an embodiment, separate sets of maps may be maintained for charge and discharge rates. In one embodiment, these mappings may be stored in a look-up table that resides on a computer readable storage device within the battery pack. In another embodiment, the map and current coefficients may be stored in a computer readable storage device external to the battery pack. Alternatively, in one embodiment, a predefined mathematical function may be mapped to a charge rate or current measurement to generate a corresponding current coefficient, rather than explicitly storing the mapping and current coefficient.

In an embodiment, a calculated charge rate above the maximum charge rate warranty threshold 3308 may immediately void the battery pack's warranty. This threshold can be predefined or dynamically set by the quality assurance tracker. In a non-limiting example, the maximum warranty threshold 3308 may be set at a charge rate of 2C. A calculated charge rate above the maximum warranty threshold 3308 may indicate misuse of the battery pack, and thus warranty may not cover resulting issues. In an embodiment, instead of maintaining a single threshold for both charge and discharge, a maximum warranty threshold may be defined for the charge and discharge rates of the battery pack.

Temperature is another factor that can affect battery performance. In general, higher temperatures may cause the battery pack to age at a faster rate by generating higher internal temperatures, which cause increased stress on the battery pack. This may shorten the life of the battery pack. On the other hand, lower temperatures can cause damage while charging the battery pack.

34 is a graph illustrating an example correlation between temperature measurements and temperature coefficients used to calculate warranty values according to one embodiment. A battery pack, such as battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D , may include one or more battery temperature measurement circuits that measure the temperature of individual battery cells or individual battery modules within the battery pack. Example graph 3402 illustrates temperature coefficient 3406 as a function of measured temperature 3404 according to an embodiment. By converting the measured temperature into a corresponding temperature coefficient, the temperature measurement can be used to calculate the warranty value. In an embodiment, temperature measurements may be mapped to temperature coefficients for quality assurance calculations. For example, a normal operating temperature of 20°C may map to a temperature coefficient of 1, while a higher temperature of 40°C will map to a higher temperature coefficient. A higher temperature coefficient can indicate that battery wear is occurring at a faster rate. In one embodiment, these mappings may be stored in a look-up table that resides on a computer readable storage device within the battery pack. In another embodiment, the map and temperature coefficient may be stored in a computer readable storage device external to the battery pack. Alternatively, in one embodiment, a predefined mathematical function may be applied to temperature measurements to generate corresponding temperature coefficients, rather than explicitly storing the map and temperature coefficients.

The warranty threshold may also be a function of battery temperature, such as charging the battery pack when the temperature is below a predefined value. In one embodiment, operating temperatures below the minimum temperature warranty threshold 3408 or above the maximum temperature warranty threshold 3410 may immediately void the battery pack's warranty. These thresholds can be predefined or dynamically set by the quality assurance tracker. A calculated operating temperature below the minimum warranty threshold 3408 or above the maximum warranty threshold 3410 may indicate misuse of the battery pack, and thus warranty may not cover resulting issues. In an embodiment, instead of maintaining the same thresholds for charge and discharge, maximum and minimum warranty thresholds for charge and discharge of the battery pack may be defined.

Voltage and/or state of charge are additional factors that can affect battery performance. The voltage of the battery pack (which can be measured) can be used to calculate or otherwise determine the state of charge of the battery pack. In general, very high or low state of charge or voltage causes increased stress on the battery pack. This, in turn, shortens the life of the battery pack.

35 is a graph illustrating an example correlation between voltage measurements and voltage coefficients used to calculate warranty values according to one embodiment. A battery pack, such as the battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D , may include one or more battery voltage measurement circuits that measure the voltage of individual battery cells or battery modules within the battery pack. These voltage measurements can be aggregated or averaged for use in calculating the warranty value of the battery pack. In one embodiment, the state of charge of the battery pack can be calculated and used to calculate the warranty value; however, this calculation is not always accurate and the warranty calculation factor must be determined carefully. In an embodiment, the measured voltage of the battery pack may be an average measured voltage of each battery cell or each battery module included in the battery pack.

In FIG. 35 , an example graph 3502 illustrates voltage coefficient 3506 as a function of measured voltage 3504 according to an embodiment. Voltage measurements can be used to calculate warranty values by converting the measured voltages into corresponding voltage coefficients. In an embodiment, voltage measurements may be mapped to voltage coefficients for use in warranty calculations. These maps may be specific to the type of batteries contained in the battery pack. For example, a battery pack including one or more Li-ion battery cells may have an average cell voltage measurement of 3.2V, which may be mapped to a voltage factor of 1. In contrast, voltage measurements at 3.6V or 2.8V can be mapped to higher voltage coefficients. In one embodiment, these mappings may be stored in a look-up table that resides on a computer readable storage device within the battery pack. In another embodiment, the map and voltage coefficients may be stored in a computer readable storage device external to the battery pack. Alternatively, in one embodiment, a predefined mathematical function may be applied to the voltage measurements to generate corresponding voltage coefficients, rather than explicitly storing the mapping and voltage coefficients.

In one embodiment, a measured voltage below the minimum voltage warranty threshold 3508 or above the maximum voltage warranty threshold 3510 may immediately void the battery pack's warranty. These thresholds can be predefined or dynamically set by the quality assurance tracker. In a non-limiting example, minimum warranty threshold 3508 and maximum warranty threshold 3510 may be set to indicate overdischarge and overcharge of a battery cell, respectively. A measured voltage below the minimum warranty threshold 3508 or above the maximum warranty threshold 3510 may indicate misuse of the battery pack, and thus warranty may not cover resulting issues.

Figure 36A is a diagram illustrating how the battery life value 3650 is determined according to one embodiment. This value is also used to determine when the battery warranty expires. As shown in FIG. 36A, the battery life value 3650 at time (T+1) is equal to the battery life value at time (T) and the current factor product (CF _(T) ) at time (T), and at (T) The sum of the voltage factor product (VF _(T) ) and the temperature factor product (TF _(T) ) at (T)(TF _(T ) ), in one embodiment, the battery life value 3650 is determined by the battery pack operating system 150 The battery life monitor 162 generates.

Figure 36B is a graph illustrating example warranty thresholds for voiding the warranty of a battery pack according to one embodiment. As mentioned earlier, improper use of the battery pack will automatically void the warranty. For example, extreme operating temperatures, voltages, or charge/discharge rates can immediately void the warranty.

In various embodiments, the battery pack may store the lowest recorded voltage 3601 , the highest recorded voltage 3602 , the lowest recorded temperature 3603 , the highest recorded temperature 3604 , the largest recorded charge current 3605 , and the largest recorded discharge current 3606 over the lifetime of the battery pack. . These values may be recorded by any device or combination of devices capable of measuring or calculating the aforementioned data, such as, but not limited to, one or more battery voltage measurement circuits, battery temperature measurement circuits, and current measurement circuits, respectively, which will relate to Figures 35-36 further describe. In an alternative embodiment, the battery pack may record a maximum current in a computer readable storage device instead of a maximum charge and discharge current. In one embodiment, data measurements may be periodically recorded in the computer readable storage device during the life of the battery. For minimum values 3601 and 3603, if the newly recorded value is less than the stored minimum value, then the previously stored value is overwritten by the newly recorded value. For maximum values 3602, 3604, 3605, and 3606, if the newly recorded value is greater than the stored minimum value, then the previously stored value is overwritten by the newly recorded value.

In an embodiment, each battery pack may maintain a list of warranty thresholds, eg, thresholds 3611-3616, in computer readable storage. In another embodiment, the list of warranty thresholds may be maintained in a computer readable storage device external to the battery pack. Warranty thresholds may indicate minimum and maximum usage of the battery pack used to determine out-of-warranty coverage. The warranty tracker can periodically compare the minimum and maximum sums 3601-3606 with the warranty thresholds 3611-3616 to determine if the battery pack's warranty will be voided.

In one embodiment, the battery pack may store the warranty status in the computer readable storage device. Warranty status can be any type of data that can represent a status. For example, the warranty status may be a binary flag, and the binary flag determines whether the warranty is invalid. Warranty status may also, for example, be an enumerated type with a set of possible values such as (but not limited to) active, expired and expired.

As shown in Figure 36B, the warranty status is set based on a comparison between the recorded minimum and maximum values 3601-3606 and the predefined warranty thresholds 3611-3616. For example, the minimum recording voltage 3601 is 1.6V and the minimum voltage threshold 3611 is 2.0V. In this example, the minimum recording voltage 3601 is less than the minimum voltage threshold 3611 and therefore the warranty is voided, as shown in block 3621 . This will be reflected in the warranty status and stored. In various embodiments, when the warranty expires, an electronic communication may be generated and sent by the battery pack and/or the system, wherein the battery pack is used to notify selected individuals that the warranty has expired. Electronic communications may also include details about conditions or use that will void the warranty.

FIG. 37 is a diagram showing an example use of a battery pack according to an embodiment. In addition to recording the minimum and maximum data values as described with respect to FIG. 36, usage frequency statistics may also be collected. For example, usage statistics may be recorded based on battery voltage measurements, battery temperature measurements, charge/discharge current measurements, and power calculations such as voltage measurements times current measurements.

In an embodiment, for each type of recorded data, one or more value ranges may be defined. In the example shown in Figure 37, the defined measurement voltage ranges are 2.0V-2.2V, 2.2V-2.4V, 2.4V-2.6V, 2.6V-2.8V, 2.8V-3.0V, 3.0V-3.2V , 3.2V-3.3V, 3.3V-3.4V, 3.4V-3.5V, 3.5V to 3.6V and 3.6V-3.7V. These ranges may be common to lithium-ion batteries, for example, in order to capture the typical voltages associated with these batteries. Each defined range can be associated with a counter. In one embodiment, each counter is stored in a computer readable storage device within the battery pack. In other embodiments, the counter may be stored external to the battery pack, such as in the string controller, array controller, or system controller of the electrical storage unit (see, eg, FIG. 48A ). This may allow further aggregation of usage statistics across multiple battery packs.

In one embodiment, voltage measurements may be taken periodically. An associated counter may be incremented when the measured value is within a defined range. The value of each counter then represents the measured frequency that falls within the associated value range. Frequency statistics are then used to create a histogram showing the distribution of usage measurements over the life of the battery pack or over a period of time. Likewise, frequency statistics may be recorded for other measured or calculated data, such as, but not limited to, battery temperature measurements and charge/discharge current measurements.

For example, battery usage 3702 represents the distribution of voltage measurements taken over the life of the battery pack. Battery usage 3702 may indicate normal or normal usage of the battery pack, with a highest measurement frequency between 3.0V and 3.2V. In contrast, battery usage 3704 may indicate more adverse usage.

Histograms, such as those shown in FIG. 37, may be useful for a manufacturer or seller to determine the extent of improper or uncovered use of a battery pack. In one embodiment, distribution data may also be used to analyze and diagnose battery pack defects and warranty claims.

Figure 38 is a diagram illustrating an example warranty tracker, according to an embodiment. Warranty tracker 3810 includes processor 3812 , memory 3814 , battery voltage measurement circuit 3816 and battery temperature measurement circuit 3818 . Battery voltage measurement circuit 3816 and battery temperature measurement circuit 3818 may be implemented as a single circuit or as separate circuits disposed on a printed circuit board. In certain embodiments, such as those described in detail above, each battery module disposed in the battery pack can be coupled to a battery module controller that includes battery voltage measurement circuitry as well as battery temperature measurement circuitry. In these embodiments, the processor 3812 and memory 3814 of the example warranty tracker 3810 may be part of or implemented within a battery pack controller, such as the battery pack controller 2800 of FIG. 28 . For example, the warranty tracker may be implemented as executable code in memory 2814 that is executed by the MCU 2812 of the battery pack controller 2800 to provide the functionality of the warranty tracker.

In various embodiments, voltage may be measured as an aggregate voltage or an average voltage of battery cells or battery modules contained within a battery pack. Battery temperature measurement circuitry 3818 may include one or more temperature sensors to periodically measure battery cell temperatures or battery module temperatures within the battery pack and send aggregate or average temperature measurements to processor 3812 .

In one embodiment, processor 3812 also receives periodic current measurements from battery current measurement circuit 3822 . The battery current measurement circuit 3822 may be external to the warranty tracker 3810 . For example, battery current measurement circuit 3822 may reside within string controller 3820 (eg, string controller 3000 of FIG. 30 ). In another embodiment, battery current measurement circuit 3822 may be part of warranty tracker 3810 .

Processor 3812 may calculate a warranty value based on the received voltage, temperature and current measurements. In one embodiment, each warranty value represents battery usage while recording the received measurement. Once received, the measured values can be converted to associated coefficients for calculating warranty values. For example, voltage measurements received from battery voltage measurement circuit 3816 may be converted to corresponding voltage coefficients, as described with respect to FIG. 35 . Likewise, received temperature and current measurements may be converted to corresponding temperature and current coefficients, as described with respect to FIGS. 33 and 34 .

In one embodiment, the processor 3812 may calculate the warranty value by multiplying together the voltage coefficient, temperature coefficient, and current coefficient. For example, the current coefficient may be zero when the battery pack is neither charging nor discharging. The calculated warranty value will therefore also be 0, indicating that no usage has occurred. In another example, when the battery temperature and voltage are at optimal levels, the corresponding temperature and voltage coefficients may be 1. The calculated QA value will then be equal to the current coefficient corresponding to the measured current. Warranty values indicate battery usage based on voltage, temperature, and current measurements when all coefficients are greater than zero.

As previously described, additional measured or calculated data can also be used to calculate the warranty value. According to an embodiment, the warranty value can also be calculated based on any combination of voltage, temperature and current coefficients.

While the warranty value represents battery usage at a point in time, the battery pack's warranty is based on battery usage over the life of the battery pack (which may be defined by the battery pack's manufacturer). In one embodiment, the memory 3814 stores a cumulative warranty value that represents the lifetime of the battery pack. Processor 3812 may add a warranty value to the cumulative warranty value stored in memory 3814 each time a warranty value is calculated. Then use the cumulative warranty value to determine whether the battery warranty value is valid or expired.

Figure 39 is an example method for calculating and storing cumulative warranty values, according to one embodiment. Each stage of the example method may represent computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage device, the computer readable instructions being executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform one or more operations.

Method 3900 begins at stage 3904 with measuring battery cell voltages within the battery pack. In one embodiment, cell voltage measurements for different cells or modules may be aggregated or averaged across the battery pack. At stage 3906, battery cell temperature may be measured. In one embodiment, battery cell temperature measurements of different battery cells or battery modules may be aggregated or averaged across the battery pack. At stage 3908, charge/discharge current measurements can be received. Stages 3904, 3906 and 3908 may be performed simultaneously or in any order.

In stage 3910, a warranty value is calculated using the measured battery voltage, the measured battery temperature and the received current measurement. In one embodiment, each warranty value represents battery usage while recording the received measurement. Once received, the measured values can be converted to associated coefficients for calculating warranty values. For example, voltage measurements may be converted to corresponding voltage coefficients as described with respect to the graph. 35. Likewise, the received temperature and current measurements may be converted to corresponding temperature and current coefficients as described with respect to FIGS. 33 and 34 .

In one embodiment, the warranty value may be calculated by multiplying together the voltage coefficient, temperature coefficient, and current coefficient. For example, the current coefficient may be zero when the battery pack is neither charging nor discharging. The calculated warranty value will therefore also be 0, indicating that no usage has occurred. In another example, when the battery temperature and voltage are at optimal levels, the corresponding temperature and voltage coefficients may be 1. The calculated QA value will then be equal to the current coefficient corresponding to the measured current. Warranty values indicate battery usage based on voltage, temperature, and current measurements when all coefficients are greater than zero.

As previously described, additional measured or calculated data can also be used to calculate the warranty value. According to an embodiment, the warranty value can also be calculated based on any combination of voltage, temperature and current coefficients.

At stage 3912, the calculated warranty value is added to the stored cumulative warranty value. In one embodiment, the cumulative warranty value can be stored in the battery pack. In other embodiments, the cumulative warranty value may be stored external to the battery pack. The cumulative warranty value can then be used to determine whether the battery pack warranty is valid or expired, as will be discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 40 and 41 .

Figure 40 is an example method of using the Warranty Tracker, according to one embodiment. Figure 40 may be performed by a computer or a human operator at an energy management system such as an energy management system. Figure 40 begins at stage 4002 when a warning or alert is received indicating that the battery pack has operational problems or is otherwise defective. In one embodiment, the alert may be issued as an email or other electronic communication to the operator responsible for monitoring the battery pack. In other embodiments, the warning or alarm may be an audible or visual alarm, such as a flashing red light on a defective battery pack, such as the warning described above with respect to the status button 2608 of FIGS. 26A and 26B .

At stage 4004, the cumulative warranty value stored in the defective battery pack is compared to a predefined threshold. This threshold can be set to provide a specific warranty period based on normal usage of the battery pack. For example, the threshold may be set such that the battery pack is covered by a 10-year warranty based on normal use. In this way, brutal use of the battery pack can reduce the effective warranty period of the battery pack.

At stage 4006, it is determined whether the stored cumulative warranty value exceeds a predefined threshold. If the stored cumulative value exceeds the predefined threshold, method 4000 proceeds to stage 4008 . At stage 4008, it is determined that the battery pack's warranty has expired. If the stored cumulative value does not exceed the threshold, the method ends, indicating that the battery pack warranty has not expired.

Figure 41 is a diagram showing an example battery pack and associated warranty information, according to an embodiment. Analysis of warranty information may be performed when a battery pack is reported as defective. As shown in Figure 41, a battery pack 4104 is present in the electrical storage unit 4102, similar to the battery pack of the electrical storage unit 4802 of Figures 48A and 48B. In response to the battery pack 4104 having an operational problem, the battery pack 4104 is removed from the electrical storage unit 4102 for analysis.

In an embodiment, the battery pack 4104 may be connected to a computing device having a display 4106 . In this way, a battery pack operator, seller, or manufacturer can review various warranty information and conditions to determine which party is financially responsible for repairing the battery pack 4104 . In the example shown in FIG. 41 , the warranty threshold may be set at 500,000,000 and the cumulative warranty value for the battery pack is 500,000,049. As the cumulative warranty value exceeds the warranty threshold, the battery pack warranty is determined to expire and the battery pack operator or owner is financially responsible for the repair.

In an embodiment, warranty information for the battery pack 4104 can be viewed without physically removing the battery pack 4104 from the electrical storage unit 4102 . For example, stored warranty information may be sent via an accessible network to a device external to the battery pack 4104 for analysis.

Example detection of a battery pack with operational issues or defects

42 is a graph showing an example distribution of battery packs based on self-discharge rate and charge time according to an embodiment. Curve 4202 illustrates an example distribution of battery packs based on each battery pack's self-discharge rate 4206 over time. Axis 4204 indicates the number of battery packs with a particular self-discharge rate. Curve 4202 indicates a normal distribution, where some battery packs have higher or lower self-discharge.

Curve 4208 shows a similar distribution of battery packs based on charge time 4210 for each pack. In one embodiment, a timer may track the operating time of an inverter charger, such as inverter charger 2632 of FIG. 26C, to determine the charging time of the battery pack over a period of time. Axis 4212 indicates the number of battery packs that have similar charge times over a period of time.

As shown in Figure 42, the battery pack's self-discharge rate and charge time are expected to be similar. In an embodiment, data may be collected for multiple battery packs over a period of time in order to determine battery distributions 4202 and 4208 . The average charge time of multiple battery packs may provide a reliable indication of the expected charge time of a healthy battery pack, eg, a battery pack operating within acceptable tolerances. From these distributions, the maximum expected variance 4214 above the average charge time can be selected. For example, the maximum variance 4214 may be set to two standard deviations from the average charge time for the plurality of battery packs. In an embodiment, a charge time exceeding the maximum variance 4214 may indicate that the battery pack has an operational problem or defect. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the maximum variance 4214 can be any value above the expected charge time of the battery pack and can be static or dynamically updated as additional data is collected.

43 is a graph of temperature versus charge time for a battery pack, such as battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D , according to an embodiment. Curve 4302 shows a similar distribution of battery packs based on charge time 4306 for each battery pack. Axis 4304 indicates the number of battery packs that have similar charge times over a period of time. As shown in FIG. 43 , curve 4302 represents the cell distribution based on a consistent cell temperature of 20° C. for each of the battery packs. In an embodiment, the battery temperature may be, for example, an average temperature of each battery cell or each battery module included in the battery pack.

Temperature has a significant effect on the performance of a battery pack. For example, higher temperatures may increase a battery's self-discharge rate. In a non-limiting example, the battery pack can self-discharge 2% per month at 20°C and increase to 10% per month at 30°C. Curve 4310 shows the distribution of batteries based on charging time 4306, where each battery has a temperature of 30°C. At 30°C, the normal distribution of charge times for each pack was maintained, but the average and expected charge times shifted.

As the distribution shifts at different temperatures, the maximum variance 4308 can be updated to compensate for temperature fluctuations. In one embodiment, one or more temperature sensors may monitor the average cell or battery module temperature of the battery pack. The temperature sensor can be internal or external to the battery pack. The maximum variance 4308 can then be dynamically adjusted in response to temperature changes. For example, if the average battery module temperature of the battery pack is determined to be 30° C., the maximum expected variance may be adjusted to be the maximum variance 4312 . This may prevent replacement of a healthy battery pack, for example, when the charging time of the battery pack drops between the maximum variance 4308 and the maximum variance 4312 at a temperature of 30°C. In other embodiments, the ambient temperature may be monitored instead or in combination with the battery module temperature, and the maximum variance 4308 may be dynamically adjusted in response to ambient temperature changes.

FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating an example system for detecting battery packs with operational problems or defects, according to an embodiment. In one embodiment, the system 4400 includes a battery pack 4402 and an analyzer 4408 . It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the detection techniques disclosed below can be implemented and used in the systems and methods described above. The battery pack 4402 may include an inverter charger 4404, such as the inverter charger 2632 of FIG. 26C, and a timer 4406. The battery pack 4402 may be coupled to an electrical grid 4410. This causes the inverter charger 4404 to switch on and off as appropriate to charge the cells of the battery pack 4402 .

In one embodiment, the timer 4406 records the amount of time the inverter charger 4404 is operating. Timer 4406 is embedded within the battery pack as part of a battery pack controller, such as battery pack controller 2800 of FIG. 28 . Alternatively, timer 4406 may be separate from the battery pack controller. In an embodiment, the timer 4406 may reset after a certain period of time or at certain time intervals. For example, timer 4406 may be reset on the first day of each month to record the amount of time inverter charger 4404 was operating during the month. Alternatively, the timer 4406 may maintain a cumulative operating time or a prescribed charger run time, such as the time in the last 30 days of operation.

In an embodiment, the timer 4406 may periodically send the recorded operating time to the analyzer 4408 . In an embodiment, analyzer 4408 may be part of battery pack 4402 . For example, analyzer 4408 may be integrated into a battery pack controller of battery pack 2808, such as battery pack controller 2800 of FIG. 28 . In other embodiments, analyzer 4408 may be external to battery pack 4402 and may be implemented on any computing system. In an embodiment where battery pack 4408 is part of a BESS, such as BESS 4802 of FIGS. 48A and 48B , analyzer 4408 may be part of a string controller, array controller, or system controller as described with respect to FIG. 48A .

In an embodiment, the analyzer 4408 may select a time period and compare the recorded operation time for the selected time period to a threshold time. The threshold time may indicate the maximum determined variance from the expected operating time of the inverter charger 4406 . The expected operating time may represent the expected charging time of the battery pack for a selected time period, taking into account factors such as (but not limited to): battery usage and self-discharge rate. Analyzer 4408 can set expected operating times and threshold times based on statistical analysis of data collected from multiple battery packs and can be adjusted as additional data is collected. If battery pack 4402 is part of a battery pack array, expected and threshold operating times may be determined based on an analysis of all or a subset of the battery packs in the array. Additionally, the threshold time may be dynamically determined in one embodiment based on the average cell or battery module temperature of the battery pack or the ambient temperature around the battery pack, as described above with respect to FIG. 43 . In an embodiment, one or more temperature sensors may monitor battery pack temperature or ambient temperature and provide measurements to analyzer 4408 . Analyzer 4408 may then use the received temperature measurement to adjust the threshold time.

In an embodiment, if the recorded operating time exceeds a threshold time, the analyzer 4408 may determine that the battery pack has an operating problem or defect and may require maintenance and/or replacement. In this case, the analyzer 4408 may issue an alert to appropriate parties such as the operator responsible for monitoring the battery pack. In one embodiment, the alert may be issued as an email or other electronic communication. In other embodiments, the alert issued may be audible or visual, such as a flashing red light on the battery pack, such as the warning described above with respect to the status button 2608 of FIGS. 26A and 26B .

In an embodiment, the analyzer 4408 may also suspend operation of the battery pack in response to determining that the battery pack has an operational problem or defect. This may serve as a mechanism to preclude any adverse effects that may occur from operating the battery pack with operational problems or defects.

Figure 45 is a diagram showing the aggregation of data from a battery array for analysis according to one embodiment. As explained, an energy system, such as the electrical storage system 4802 of FIG. 48A (lower panel), includes a plurality of battery packs 4502 . Each battery pack 4502 may include a timer to record the amount of time the battery pack has been charged. The recorded time can be stored in each battery pack, as shown in graph 4504. In one embodiment, each timer may be integrated into a battery pack controller for each battery pack, such as battery pack controller 2800 of FIG. 28 , including a processor and memory to store recorded times.

In an embodiment, the recorded times for each battery pack may be aggregated, as shown at 4506, by one or more string controllers, such as string controller 4804 of FIG. 48A below. and/or controlled by an array controller (such as array controller 4808 of FIG. 48A below) and/or by a system controller (such as system controller 4812 of FIG. 48A ), as shown at 4508 . As shown in Figure 45, each string controller can manage a subset of multiple battery packs.

In an embodiment, the aggregated recording times may be sent by one or more string controllers or array or system controllers to one or more analyzers 4510 , such as analyzer 4408 of FIG. 28 . Analyzer 4510 may collect data on multiple battery packs in order to detect and identify battery packs with operational problems or defects, as described with respect to FIG. 44 . In an embodiment, analyzer 4510 may be part of each string controller and/or array or system controller. In this way, analysis can be localized on grouped battery packs, or performed for the entire system. In an embodiment, analyzer 4510 may be used in multiple battery packs, string controllers, arrays. Figure 46 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for detecting battery packs with operational problems or defects according to an embodiment. Each stage of the example method may represent computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage device, the computer readable instructions being executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform one or more operations.

Method 4600 begins at stage 4602 by recording the amount of time the inverter charger is operating. The inverter charger may be part of a battery pack such as inverter charger 2632 of FIG. 26C and configured to charge cells of the battery pack.

At stage 4604, the recorded operating time for a particular time period is compared to a threshold time. The threshold time may indicate a variance from the determination of the expected operating time of the inverter charger. The expected operating time may represent the expected charging time of the battery pack for a selected time period, taking into account factors such as (but not limited to): battery usage and self-discharge rate.

At stage 4606, it is determined whether the recorded operating time exceeds a threshold time. This can indicate that the battery pack is charging longer than expected and may need maintenance and/or replacement. At stage 4608, if the recorded operating time exceeds a threshold time, an alert may be provided to an appropriate party, such as a computer or human operator responsible for monitoring the battery pack (eg, an energy management system). In one embodiment, the alert may be issued as an email or other electronic communication. In other embodiments, the alert may be audible or visual, such as a red light on the battery pack. Returning to stage 4606, if the recorded operation time does not exceed the threshold time, the method ends.

FIG. 47 illustrates an example battery energy storage system (“BESS”) 4700 . Specifically, Figure 47 shows a cross-sectional view of the BESS4700. BESS 4700 can operate as a stand-alone system (eg, business embodiment 4720) or it can be combined with BESS units to form part of a larger system (eg, utility 4730). In the embodiment shown in Figure 47, the BESS 4700 is housed in a container (similar to a shipping container) and can be moved (eg, transported by truck). Other enclosures known to those skilled in the art are also within the scope of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 47 , BESS 4700 includes multiple battery packs, such as battery pack 4710 . As shown, battery packs can be stacked on racks in the BESS 4700. This arrangement allows an operator easy access to each of the battery packs for replacement, maintenance, testing, and the like. Multiple battery packs may be connected in series, which may be referred to as a battery string or battery string.

In one embodiment (explained in more detail below), each battery pack includes: battery cells (which may be arranged in battery modules); a battery pack controller that monitors the battery cells; an inverter charger ( For example, a DC power supply), which adds energy to each of the battery cells; and, a distributed daisy-chain network of battery module controllers, which can make certain measurements on and remove energy from the battery cells. The battery pack controller can control the network of battery module controllers and inverter chargers to control the state of charge or voltage of the battery pack. In this example. The battery packs included in the BESS 4700 are considered "smart" battery packs that can receive a target voltage or state of charge value and self-invert to the target level.

Figure 47 shows that the BESS 4700 is highly scalable from small kilowatt-hour systems to multi-megawatt-hour systems. For example, the commercial embodiment 4720 of FIG. 47 includes a single BESS unit capable of providing 400 kWh of energy (but is not limited thereto). The commercial embodiment 4720 includes a power control system (PCS) 4725 mounted to the housing on the back of the BESS unit. PCS 4725 can be connected to the grid. The PCS 4725 includes one or more bi-directional power converters capable of charging and discharging multiple battery packs using commands, eg, issued by the operator of the energy monitoring station via a computer over a network (eg, Internet, Ethernet, etc.). PCS 4725 can control the active power and reactive power of bidirectional power converters. Also, in some embodiments, the PCS 4725 can operate as a backup power source when the grid is unavailable and/or the BESS 4720 is disconnected from the grid.

On the other hand, the utility embodiment 4730 of FIG. 47 includes six BESS units (labeled 4731-4736), each of which can provide 400 kWh of energy (but is not limited thereto). Thus, the utility embodiments 4730 together can provide 2.4MWh of energy. In a utility embodiment, the BESS units are each connected together to a central PCS 4737, which includes one or more bi-directional power converters that can be used, for example, by an operator of an energy monitoring station via a computer over a network (e.g. , Internet, Ethernet, etc.) to charge and discharge multiple battery packs. PCS 4737 can control the active power and reactive power of bidirectional power converters. PCS 4737 can be connected to the grid. Also, in some embodiments, the PCS 4737 can operate as a backup power source when the grid is unavailable and/or the BESS is disconnected from the grid.

Figure 48A is a block diagram illustrating an example BESS 4802 according to an embodiment. BESS 4802 can be coupled to an energy management system (EMS) 4826 via a communication network 4822 . Communications network 4822 may be any type of communications network including, but not limited to, the Internet, a cellular telephone network, and the like. Other devices coupled to the communication network 4822, such as a computer 4828, may also communicate with the BESS 4802. For example, computer 4828 may be located at the manufacturer of BESS 4802 to maintain (monitor, run diagnostic tests, etc.) BESS 4802. In other embodiments, computer 4828 may represent the mobile device of a field technician performing maintenance on BESS 4802 . Site monitoring device 4824 may also be coupled to EMS 4826 via communications network 4822. The site monitoring device 4824 may be coupled to an alternative energy source (eg, solar power, wind power, etc.) to measure the energy generated by the alternative energy source. Likewise, a monitoring device 4818 may be coupled to the BESS 4802 and measure the energy generated by the BESS 4802. Although two monitoring devices are shown in FIG. 48A , those skilled in the art will recognize that additional monitoring devices monitoring energy generated by energy sources (conventional and/or alternative) may be connected to communication network 4822 in a similar manner. Human operators and/or computerized systems at the EMS 4826 can analyze and monitor the output of monitoring devices connected to the communication network 4822 and remotely control the operation of the BESS 4802. For example, EMS 4826 may instruct BESS 4802 to charge (draw energy from the grid via PCS 4820 ) or discharge (provide energy to the grid via PCS 4820 ) as needed (eg, to meet demand, stabilize line frequency, etc.).

BESS 4802 includes levels of control hierarchy used to control BESS 4802 . The control levels of BESS 4802 are system controller, array controller, string controller, battery pack controller and battery module controller from high to high. For example, system controller 4812 may be coupled to one or more array controllers (e.g., array controller 4808), each of which may be coupled to one or more string controllers (e.g., string controller 4804) , each of the string controllers may be coupled to one or more battery pack controllers, and each of the battery pack controllers may be coupled to one or more battery module controllers. The battery pack controller and battery module controller are installed with the battery packs 4806(a)-4806(n), as discussed in detail above with respect to FIGS. 26-29.

As shown in FIG. 48A , system controller 4812 is coupled to monitoring device 4818 via communication link 4816(a) and to communication network 4822 via communication link 4816(b), and to the PCS via communication link 4816(c). 4820. In FIG. 48A, communication links 4816(a)-(c) are MOD buses, but any wired and wireless communication links may be used. In one embodiment, the system controller 4812 is also connected to the communication network 4822 through a TCP/IP connector 4817 .

System controller 4812 can monitor and report the operation of BESS 4802 to EMS 4826 or any other device connected to communication network 4822 and configured to communicate with BESS 4802 . System controller 4812 may also receive instructions from EMS 4826 and process the instructions and forward the instructions to the appropriate array controller (eg, array controller 4806) for execution. The system controller 4812 can also communicate with the PCS 4820, which can be coupled to the grid, to control the charging and discharging of the BESS 4802.

Although in FIG. 48A the system controller 4812 is shown disposed within the BESS 4802 , in other embodiments the system controller 4812 may be disposed outside of the BESS 4802 and communicatively coupled to the BESS 4802 . Considering FIG. 47 again, the commercial embodiment 4720 may be a single unit used by a business, apartment, hotel, etc. A system controller may be located within the BESS of the business embodiment 4720, eg, to communicate with an EMS or a computer at a business, apartment, hotel, etc. via a communication network.

In other embodiments, such as utility embodiment 4730, only one of the BESS units 4731-4736 may include a system controller. For example, in FIG. 47, BESS unit 4731 may include a system controller and BESS units 4732-4736 may not include a system controller. In this case, BESS 4731 is considered the master unit and is used to control BESS units 4732-4736, which are considered slave units. Also, in this case, the highest level of control included within each of the BESS units 4732-4736 is the array controller, which is coupled to and communicates with the system controller within the BESS unit 4731.

Considering again FIG. 48A , system controller 4812 is coupled to array controller 4808 via communication link 4814 . Array controller 4808 is coupled to one or more string controllers such as string controller 4804 via communication link 4810 . Although FIG. 48A depicts three string controllers (SC(1)-(3)), more or fewer string controllers may be coupled to array controller 4808. In Figure 48A, communication link 4810 is a CAN bus and communication link 4814 is a TCP/IP link, although other wired or wireless communication links may also be used.

Each string controller in the BESS 4802 is coupled to one or more battery packs. For example, string controller 4804 is coupled to battery packs 4806(a)-(n), which are connected in series to form a battery string. Any number of battery packs can be connected together to form a battery string. Battery strings can be connected in parallel in BESS 4802. Two or more strings of batteries connected in parallel may be referred to as an array battery or an array of batteries. In one embodiment, the BESS 4802 includes a battery array having six battery strings connected in parallel, where each of the battery strings has 22 battery strings connected in series.

As the name implies, a string controller monitors and controls the battery packs in a battery string. Functions performed by the string controller may include, but are not limited to, the following: issuing string contactor control commands; measuring string voltage; measuring string current; calculating string amp-hour counts; ) and the battery pack controller; process query response messages; aggregate battery string data; perform assignment of software device IDs to battery packs; detect ground fault current in battery strings; and, detect alarm and warning conditions and take appropriate corrective action. Example embodiments of string controllers are described below with respect to Figures 30, 31A and 31B.

Likewise, an array controller can monitor and control the battery array. Functions performed by the array controller may include (but are not limited to) the following: sending status queries to strings; receiving and processing query responses from strings; performing string contactor control; broadcasting battery array data to the system Controller; processes alarm messages to determine required action, responds to manual commands or queries from a command line interface (e.g., at an EMS), allows a technician to use the command line interface to set or change configuration settings, runs commands A test script composed of the same commands and queries understood by the line interpreter; and broadcasting the data generated by the test script to the data server for collection.

Figure 48B shows a cross-sectional view of an example BESS. Figure 48B shows three battery strings ("String 1", "String 2", and "String 3"), each of which includes a string controller ("SC1", "SC2", and "SC3" respectively). ) and 22 battery packs connected in series. Strings 1-3 can be paralleled and controlled by the array controller 4808.

In String 1, each of the 22 battery packs ("BP1" through "BP 22") is labeled, showing the order in which the battery packs are connected in series. That is, BP1 is connected to the positive terminal of the string controller (SC1) and BP2, BP2 is connected to BP1 and BP3, BP3 is connected to BP2 and BP4, and so on. As shown, BP 22 is connected to the negative terminal of SC1. In the illustrated embodiment, SC1 may access the middle of string 1 (ie, BP11 and BP12). In an embodiment, the midpoint is grounded and includes ground fault detection means.

The BESS 4802 includes one or more lighting units 4830 and one or more fans 4832, which may be positioned in the ceiling of the BESS 4802 at regular intervals. Lighting unit 4830 may provide lighting to the interior of BESS 4802 . The fans 4832 are oriented such that they blow air from the ceiling to the floor of the BESS 4802 (i.e., they blow into the interior of the BESS 4802). The BESS 4802 may also include a split air conditioning unit comprising an air handling device 4834 housed within the BESS 4802 housing and a condenser 4836 housed outside the BESS 4802 housing. Air conditioning units and fans 4832 may be controlled (eg, by array controller 4808 ) to create an air flow system and regulate the temperature of battery packs housed within BESS 4802 .

Example BESS shell

49A, 49B, and 49C are diagrams showing an example BESS 4900 enclosure (eg, a custom shipping container). In Figures 49A-49C, the back and front of the housing of the BESS 4900 are marked. As shown, one or more PCS4910 can be mounted on the back of the BESS 4900, which couples the BESS 4900 to the grid. The front of the BESS 4900 may include one or more doors (not shown) that may provide access to the inside of the enclosure. An operator can enter the BESS 4900 through the door and gain access to the internal components of the BESS 4900 (e.g., battery pack, computer, etc.). Figure 49A depicts the BESS 4900 with its housing top in place.

Figure 49B depicts the BESS 4900 with its housing top removed. As can be seen, the BESS 4900 includes one or more ceilings 4920 , one or more lighting units 4930 and one or more fans 4940 . Lighting units 4930 and fans 4940 may be installed in the ceiling 4920 at regular intervals. The lighting unit 4930 can provide lighting to the interior of the BESS 4900 . The fans 4940 are oriented such that they blow air from the ceiling 4920 to the floor of the BESS 4900 (ie, they blow into the interior of the BESS 4900). Openings 4950 above the battery pack racks housed in the BESS 4900 allow warm air to blow upward into the space between the top of the enclosure and the ceiling 4920 , creating a hot air zone above the ceiling 4920 . Figure 49C depicts the BESS 4900 with the ceiling 4920 removed. It can be seen that an opening 4950 is provided above the battery pack rack received in the BESS 4900 .

50A, 50B, and 50C are diagrams showing an example BESS 5000 without a housing (ie, the internal structure of the BESS 5000). Figures 50A and 50B illustrate the racks of the battery pack housed within the BESS 5000 viewed from different angles. Figure 50C shows a front view of the BESS 5000. This is the view that may be seen by an operator who opens the door in front of the BESS 5000 and enters the BESS 5000 to perform maintenance or testing. Figure 50C shows the split air conditioning unit 5010 on the back of the BESS 5000. The air conditioning unit 5010 is controlled (eg, by an array controller) to regulate the temperature of the BESS 5000 . The air conditioning unit 5010 supplies cool air to the inside of the BESS 5000 and forms a cool air area in the aisle of the BESS 5000 .

FIG. 51 shows another front view of an example BESS 5100 and depicts air flow within the BESS 5100. As explained with respect to FIGS. 49A-49C and 50A-50C , fans in the ceiling of the BESS 5100 blow hot air from the hot air area 5100 above the ceiling toward the floor of the BESS 5100 . The A/C unit at the back of the BESS 5100 draws hot air out of the BESS 5100 and provides cool air into the interior of the BESS 5100 , forming a cool air zone 5120 . The cold air regulates the temperature of the battery packs housed within the BESS 5100 and rises into the hot air region 5110 as it cools the battery packs.

52A and 52B are diagrams illustrating an example BESS 5200 connected to a bidirectional power converter 5202. In one embodiment, BESS 5200 includes two external HVAC units 5204a and 5204b. In one embodiment, the bi-directional power converter 5202 can charge and discharge multiple battery packs installed in the BESS 5200 by an operator at the energy monitoring station sending a request via a computer via a network (such as the Internet, Ethernet, etc.).

FIG. 52B is a more detailed view of the BESS 5200. As shown in FIG. 52B, in one embodiment, the BESS 5200 can have multiple doors 5206 that can be opened to gain access to stacked cells 5208, which can be raised and lowered. Carts (not shown) are installed and removed within the BESS 5200. This allows each stacked battery 5208 to be housed outside the BESS 5200 as an independent unit for transport and installation.

53A and 53B are diagrams further illustrating the BESS 5200, according to one embodiment. Figure 53A shows a rear view of the BESS 5200 with the door 5206 closed, and Figure 53B shows a rear view of the BESS 5200 with the door 5206 open.

Figures 54A, 54B and 54C are diagrams showing the BESS 5200 with its door open and the top removed. A BESS 5200 incorporating multiple stacked batteries 5208 is shown. In one embodiment, the BESS 5200 also includes a switchgear 5210 disposed at an end of the BESS 5200 .

Figure 54B shows a switchgear 5210 in more detail, according to one embodiment. FIG. 54C shows another view of an embodiment including a switchgear 5210 disposed at one end of the BESS 5200 .

55A, 55B, 55C and 55D are diagrams illustrating different examples of modular, stackable BESS systems according to one embodiment. FIG. 55A shows a BESS 5500 with fifteen stacked batteries 5208 , one air conditioner switchgear unit 5502 , and one DC switchgear unit 5504 . In one embodiment, each stacked battery 5208 can be mounted on the outside or inside of the BESS 5500 as a separate unit.

FIG. 55B shows a BESS 5510 with nine stacked batteries 5208 , one AC switchgear unit 5502 and one DC switchgear unit 5504 . Figure 55C shows a BESS 5520 with five stacked cells 5208, one AC switching unit 5502, one DC switching unit 5504. FIG. 55D shows a BESS 5530 with seven stacked batteries 5208 , one AC switchgear unit 5502 and one DC switchgear unit 5504 .

Figures 56A, 56B, 56C, 56D and 56E illustrate a modular, stackable stacked battery 5208 according to embodiments. The stacked battery 5208 has one stacked battery controller 5602 (may also be referred to herein as a battery string controller) and seventeen stacked batteries 5604. The plexiglass baffle 5606 protects the surfaces of the stacked battery controller 5602 and the stacked batteries 5604. The stacked battery 5208 has a base 5608 so that it can be lifted or moved by a lift truck (not shown) or similar device. Figure 56B shows another view of stacked cells 5208 with plexiglass baffle 5606 removed, according to one embodiment.

Figure 56C is an exploded exploded view of a stacked battery 5602 according to one embodiment. As shown in Figure 56C, a stacked battery 5620 may have a stacked battery controller 5602, nine stacked batteries 5604, and a stacked battery base 5608. Figure 56D is a further illustration of a stacked battery 5608 illustrating the stacked battery base 5608, according to an embodiment Another exploded view. Figure 56E is a view of the stacked battery 5208 further illustrating the stacked battery base 5608, according to one embodiment.

57A, 57B, 57C, 57D, 57E, and 57F are diagrams of a modular, stacked battery pack 5604 (also referred to herein as battery cells) according to one embodiment. Battery pack 5604 may have similar functionality and similar structure to battery pack 104 of FIG. 1B and battery pack 2600 of FIGS. 26A-26D detailed above.

Figure 57A shows the battery pack 5604 with the plexiglass baffle 5606 installed. Figure 57B shows the battery pack 5604 with the plexiglass baffle 5606 removed. As seen in Figure 57B, the battery pack 5604 has a battery pack control unit 5702. The function and structure of the battery pack control unit 5702 or the battery pack controller have been described above.

Figure 57C is another view showing the battery pack 5604 with the top removed. FIG. 57D is a view showing the battery pack 5604 with its housing removed to better see the battery cells 5704 used within the battery pack 5604 . FIG. 57E is a view showing the battery pack 5604 with the battery pack control unit 5702 removed. As shown in Figure 57E, battery pack 5604 includes two battery assemblies 5710a and 5710b.

58A, 58B, and 58C are diagrams further illustrating a modular, stacked battery pack 5604, according to an embodiment. FIG. 58A shows a battery pack 5604 with a plexiglass baffle 5606 installed.

58B is an exploded exploded view showing the plexiglass shield 5606 of the battery pack 5604, the battery pack control unit 5702, and the battery assemblies 5710a and 5710n. The constituent components of these battery packs 5604 may be housed within a battery pack housing 5802 . Figure 58C is another exploded exploded view showing the plexiglass shield 5606 of the battery pack 5604, the battery pack control unit 5702, and the battery assemblies 5710a and 5710b.

59A, 59B and 59C are diagrams illustrating a battery assembly 5710 of a modular, stacked battery pack 5604, according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 59A, battery assembly 5710 includes battery cells 5704, battery module control unit 5902 and bus 5904. Each battery module control unit 5902 can monitor and control two sets of battery cells, where each set of battery cells is connected to one or Multiple battery cells 5704 are connected in parallel. Battery module control unit 5902 ( The function and structure of what is called a battery module controller) have been described above.

FIG. 59B is an exploded exploded view of a battery assembly 5710 . In one embodiment, each battery assembly 5710 has four battery module control units 5902. FIG. 59C is a more detailed view of a battery module control unit 5902. The battery module control unit 5902 may have similar functions and similar structures to the battery module controller 2638 described above with reference to FIG. 26C , or may have similar functions and similar structures to the battery module controller 2900 described above with reference to FIG. 29 .

60A and 60B are diagrams of an exemplary battery pack controller 5602, shown according to embodiments. In FIG. 60A, a battery pack controller 5602 is shown with a plexiglass bezel 5606 installed. FIG. 60B is an exploded exploded view of a battery pack controller 5602. The function and structure of the battery pack controller 5602 has been described above, for example, with respect to the string controller 3000 of FIG. 30.

61A, 61B, 61C and 61D are diagrams illustrating an exemplary battery pack controller 5702. FIG. 61A shows a diagram of a battery pack controller 5702 from a first perspective. FIG. 61B shows a diagram of a battery pack controller 5702 from a second perspective. Figure 61C shows a diagram from a third perspective of the battery pack controller 5702 detached from the back cover. Figure 61D shows a diagram from a fourth perspective of the battery pack controller 5702 detached from the back cover. The function and structure of battery controller 5702 has been described above, eg, with respect to battery controller 414 of FIGS. 4 and 5 or battery controller 2710 of FIG. 27 or battery controller 2800 of FIG. 28 .

From the description given herein, various features of the invention can be implemented using processing hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), as will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art(s). The use of hardware, firmware, and/or software to implement these features will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts. Also, while various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of illustration, and not limitation. It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

It should be appreciated that the Detailed Description, rather than the Summary and Abstract, are intended to be used for interpreting the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more, but not all, exemplary embodiments of the invention as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus are not intended to limit the invention and claims in any way .

Embodiments of the invention have been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can also be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Also, identifiers such as "(a)", "(b)", "(i)", "(ii)", etc. are sometimes used for different elements or steps. These identifiers are used for clarity and do not necessarily specify the order of elements or steps.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments will also fully disclose the general nature of the invention, which others can readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such as specific embodiments without undue experimentation, by employing knowledge within the skill in the art. without departing from the general idea of the invention. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and scope of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It should be understood that the phrases or terms herein are for the purpose of description and have no limiting meaning, so that the terms or phrases of this specification will be interpreted by those skilled in the art according to the teachings and guidance.

The scope and scope of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described above, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (20)

1. A battery system comprising: stacked battery base; a plurality of stacked battery packs placed on top of the battery pack base; and A stacked battery pack controller galvanically connected to one of the plurality of stacked battery packs and configured to communicate with a plurality of stacked battery packs, wherein each of the plurality of stacked battery packs includes: a plurality of battery cells; and A battery pack controller configured to control the plurality of battery cells to adjust electrical energy storage of the battery cells based on information received from the stacked battery pack controller. 2. A battery system according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of battery dischargers connected to the battery controller and configured to discharge each of said battery cells individually; and A battery pack charger, coupled to the battery pack controller, is configured to charge each battery cell within the plurality of stacked battery packs. 3. A battery system according to claim 2, the battery pack controller of each stacked battery pack configured to condition the battery pack through a plurality of battery pack dischargers and chargers. 4. A battery system according to claim 3, said regulating and controlling the stacked battery pack, the battery pack controller is further configured to: instructing the battery pack charger to charge the plurality of battery cells until the voltage of one of the battery cells exceeds a first charging threshold; The battery pack charger is directed to charge the plurality of battery cells while the voltage is decreasing until the voltage of each battery cell exceeds a second charging threshold. directing the plurality of battery dischargers to discharge the plurality of battery cells until the voltage of each battery cell falls between a first charge threshold and a second charge threshold; and Determines an Ampere-hour value and a Watt-hour value for charging multiple battery cells. 5. A battery system according to claim 3, said regulating and controlling the stacked battery pack, the battery controller is further configured to: instructing a plurality of battery pack dischargers to discharge a plurality of stacked battery cells until the voltage of one of the battery cells drops below a first discharge threshold; directing the plurality of battery pack dischargers to discharge the plurality of battery cells as the voltage decreases until the voltage of each battery cell is below a second discharge threshold; and Determine an Ampere-hour value and a Watt-hour value for the discharge of multiple battery cells. 6 . The battery system according to claim 3 , the regulation of the battery pack is realized based on a battery regulation flag, and the battery regulation flag is set by a regulation trigger. 7 . The battery system according to claim 6 , wherein when the state of charge of at least two battery cells is different from at least two preset thresholds, the adjustment trigger triggers to adjust the balance of the battery cells. 8. A battery system according to claim 2, further comprising a battery system controller configured to transmit charge and discharge signal instructions to all stacked battery packs through the stacked battery pack controller Battery pack controller. 9 . The battery system according to claim 8 , the charging and discharging signal instruction includes an initial charging current, a reduced charging current, an initial discharging rate and a reduced charging rate. 10. A battery system according to claim 8, the charge and discharge signal instruction includes at least one charge start time, at least one charge stop time, one charge duration, one discharge start time, one discharge stop time and A discharge duration. 11. An electrical energy storage system comprising: battery base; Multiple battery packs are connected together and placed on top of the battery pack base; a battery pack controller galvanically connected to one of the plurality of battery packs and configured to communicate with the plurality of battery packs; and a battery system controller configured to communicate with the battery pack controller, wherein each battery pack includes: Multiple battery cells: and A battery pack controller configured to control electrical energy storage of the battery cells via information received from the stacked battery pack controller. 12. An electrical energy storage system according to claim 11, further comprising: a plurality of battery dischargers configured to discharge each battery cell individually; and A battery pack charger, the battery pack charger is connected to the battery pack controller, and is configured to charge the battery cells of each stacked battery pack. 13. An electrical energy storage system according to claim 12, wherein the battery system controller is further configured to direct the battery pack controller of each stacked battery pack through a plurality of battery pack dischargers and battery pack chargers To regulate the stacked battery pack. 14. An electric energy storage system according to claim 13, wherein said control stacked battery pack, the battery pack controller is further configured to: instructing the battery pack charger to charge a plurality of battery cells until the voltage of one of the battery cells reaches a first charging threshold; Instructing the battery pack charger to charge the plurality of battery cells when the voltage drops until the voltage of each battery cell exceeds the second charging threshold. directing the plurality of battery dischargers to discharge the plurality of battery cells until the voltage of each battery cell falls between a first charge threshold and a second charge threshold; and Determine an Ampere-hour value and a Watt-hour value to charge multiple battery cells. 15. An electric energy storage system according to claim 13, wherein said control stacked battery pack, the battery pack controller is further configured to: instructing the discharger of the battery pack to discharge a plurality of battery cells until the voltage of one of the battery cells is lower than the first discharge threshold; instructing the battery discharger to discharge the plurality of battery cells at reduced voltage until the voltage of one of the battery cells is below a second charge threshold; and Determine an Ampere-hour value and a Watt-hour value to discharge multiple battery cells. 16. An electric energy storage system according to claim 13, wherein the regulation of the stacked battery pack is realized based on a battery regulation flag, and the battery regulation flag is set by a regulation trigger. 17. An electrical energy storage system according to claim 16, wherein when the state of charge of at least two battery cells is different from at least two preset thresholds, the regulation trigger triggers to adjust the balancing of the battery cells. 18. An electric energy storage system according to claim 12, wherein the battery system controller is configured to transmit charge and discharge signal instructions to the battery pack controllers of all the stacked battery packs through the stacked battery pack controller. 19. An electric energy storage system according to claim 18, said charge and discharge signal instructions include an initial charge current, a reduced charge current, an initial discharge rate and a reduced charge rate. 20. An electric energy storage system according to claim 18, said charge and discharge signal instruction includes at least one charge start time, at least one charge stop time, one charge duration, one discharge start time, one discharge stop time and a discharge duration.