Rechargeable battery systems and rechargeable battery system operational methods
View Patent ↗Rechargeable battery systems and rechargeable battery system operational methods are described. According to one aspect, a rechargeable battery system includes a plurality of rechargeable battery modules coupled between a plurality of terminals, wherein the rechargeable battery modules individually comprise a plurality of rechargeable battery cells and charge balancing circuitry configured to implement, for individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules, first charge balancing operations to increase the balancing of states of charge of the rechargeable battery cells of individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules, and to implement second charge balancing operations to increase the balancing of states of charge of the rechargeable battery modules with respect to one another.
1. A rechargeable battery system comprising:
a plurality of rechargeable battery modules coupled between a plurality of terminals, wherein the rechargeable battery modules individually comprise a plurality of rechargeable battery cells; and
charge balancing circuitry configured to implement, for individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules, first charge balancing operations with respect to the rechargeable battery cells of individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules, and to implement second charge balancing operations with respect to the rechargeable battery modules,
wherein the charge balancing circuitry is configured to implement, for individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules, the first charge balancing operations to increase balancing of states of charge of the rechargeable battery cells of the respective individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules compared with the states of charge of the rechargeable battery cells of the respective individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules in an absence of the first charge balancing operations, and to implement the second charge balancing operations to increase the balancing of states of charge of the rechargeable battery modules with respect to one another compared with the states of charge of the rechargeable battery modules in an absence of the second charge balancing operations.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the charge balancing circuitry is configured to implement the second charge balancing operations after the first charge balancing operations.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the charge balancing circuitry is configured to simultaneously implement the first charge balancing operations with respect to individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the charge balancing circuitry is configured, during the first charge balancing operations, to provide one of the rechargeable battery cells of a first of the rechargeable battery modules having a lower state of charge than other rechargeable battery cells of the first of the rechargeable battery modules and to provide one of the rechargeable battery cells of a second of the rechargeable battery modules having a higher state of charge than other rechargeable battery cells of the second of the rechargeable battery modules.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the charge balancing circuitry is configured, during the second charge balancing operations, to transfer electrical energy from the one of the rechargeable battery cells of the second of the rechargeable battery modules to the one of the rechargeable battery cells of the first of the rechargeable battery modules.
6. The system of claim 4 wherein the charge balancing circuitry is configured to provide the one of the rechargeable battery cells of the first of the rechargeable battery modules having the lower state of charge as a result of the first of the rechargeable battery modules having an average state of charge less than an average state of the charge of the plurality of the rechargeable battery modules and to provide the one of the rechargeable battery cells of the second of the rechargeable battery modules having the higher state of charge as a result of the second of the rechargeable battery modules having an average state of charge greater than the average state of the charge of the plurality of the rechargeable battery modules.
7. A rechargeable battery system operational method comprising:
charging a plurality of rechargeable battery modules individually comprising a plurality of rechargeable battery cells;
implementing first charge balancing operations with respect to the rechargeable battery cells of individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules; and
implementing second charge balancing operations with respect to the rechargeable battery modules,
wherein implementing the first charge balancing operations comprises implementing to increase the balancing of states of charge of the rechargeable battery cells of the respective individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules compared with the states of charge of the rechargeable battery cells of the respective individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules in an absence of the first charge balancing operations, and to implement the second charge balancing operations to increase balancing of states of charge of the rechargeable battery modules with respect to one another compared with the states of charge of the rechargeable battery modules in an absence of the second charge balancing operations.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein implementing the second charge balancing operations comprises implementing the second charge balancing operations after implementing the first charge balancing operations.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein implementing the first charge balancing operations comprises simultaneously implementing the first charge balancing operations with respect to individual ones of the rechargeable battery modules in parallel.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein implementing the first charge balancing operations comprises providing one of the rechargeable battery cells of a first of the rechargeable battery modules having a lower state of charge than other rechargeable battery cells of the first of the rechargeable battery modules and providing one of the rechargeable battery cells of a second of the rechargeable battery modules having a higher state of charge than other rechargeable battery cells of the second of the rechargeable battery modules.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the second charge balancing operations comprise transferring electrical energy from the one of the rechargeable battery cells of the second of the rechargeable battery modules to the one of the rechargeable battery cells of the first of the rechargeable battery modules.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein providing the one of the rechargeable battery cells of the first of the rechargeable battery modules having the lower state of charge comprises providing as a result of the first of the rechargeable battery modules having an average state of charge less than an average state of the charge of the plurality of the rechargeable battery modules, and wherein the providing the one of the rechargeable battery cells of the second of the rechargeable battery modules having the higher state of charge comprises providing as a result of the second of the rechargeable battery modules having an average state of charge greater than the average state of the charge of the plurality of the rechargeable battery modules.