Electric marine propulsion system and control method
A method of controlling a user interface for an electric marine propulsion system is configured to determine a system power limit based on charge levels of each of the plurality of batteries, control the at least one electric motor of a marine drive in the electric marine propulsion system so that the system power limit is not exceeded, activate an imbalance limit alert when the system power limit for the plurality of batteries is less than a threshold power output for the at least one electric motor or a number of active batteries available to provide power output to the at least one electric motor is less than all of the plurality of batteries, and control a user interface device based on the imbalance limit alert.
1 . An electric marine propulsion system configured to propel a marine vessel, the system comprising:
a power storage system comprising a plurality of batteries;
at least one electric motor powered by the power storage system and configured to rotate a propulsor to propel the marine vessel;
a control system configured to:
identify which of the plurality of batteries are active batteries available to provide power output to the at least one electric motor;
determine a system power limit based on the active batteries;
determine whether the system power limit is less than a threshold power output for the at least one electric motor;
determine whether a number of active batteries is less than all of the plurality of batteries;
if the system power limit is less than the threshold power output for the at least one electric motor and the number of active batteries is less than all of the plurality of batteries, activate an imbalance limit alert; and
control a user interface device based on the imbalance limit alert.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the threshold power output is based on a rated max power for the at least one electric motor.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein controlling the user interface device based on the imbalance limit alert includes controlling a display device to generate a visual imbalance alert.
4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein controlling the display device to generate the visual imbalance alert includes illuminating an imbalance limit indicator light while the imbalance limit alert is active.
5 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the control system is further configured to generate the visual imbalance alert based on the system power limit to visually indicate the system power limit or to generate the visual imbalance alert based on the number of active batteries to visually indicate the number of active batteries.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to identify which of the plurality of batteries are the active batteries based on a charge level of each of the plurality of batteries.
7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the control system is further configured to identify a maximum voltage level of the plurality of batteries, and wherein identifying the active batteries includes identifying which of the plurality of batteries has a voltage level within a threshold voltage value of the maximum voltage level.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to deactivate the imbalance limit alert when currents supplied by each of at least two of the active batteries are within a threshold current tolerance of one another.
9 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising determining the threshold current tolerance
based on the number of active batteries.
10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the threshold current tolerance is a percentage of a highest current output supplied by one of the active batteries.
11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to deactivate the imbalance limit alert when a total power output of the active batteries is at least the threshold power output.
12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to control the at least one electric motor so that the system power limit is not exceeded.
13 . A method of controlling a user interface for an electric marine propulsion system comprising at least one controller, a plurality of batteries, and at least one electric motor powered by the plurality of batteries and configured to rotate a propulsor to propel a marine vessel, the method comprising:
identifying with the controller which of the plurality of batteries are active batteries available to provide power output to the at least one electric motor;
determining with the controller a system power limit based on the active batteries;
determining with the controller whether the system power limit is less than a threshold power output for the at least one electric motor;
determining with the controller whether a number of active batteries is less than all of the plurality of batteries;
if the system power limit is less than the threshold power output for the at least one electric motor and the number of active batteries is less than all of the plurality of batteries, activating with the controller an imbalance limit alert so as to control a user interface device based on the imbalance limit alert.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising deactivating the imbalance limit alert with the controller when currents supplied by each of at least two of the active batteries are within a threshold current tolerance of one another.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining with the controller the threshold current tolerance based on the number of active batteries.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the threshold current tolerance is a percentage of a highest current output supplied by one of the active batteries.
17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising deactivating the imbalance limit alert when a total power output of the active batteries is at least the threshold power output, wherein the threshold power output is based on a rated max power for the at least one electric motor.
18 . A method of controlling a user interface for an electric marine propulsion system comprising a plurality of batteries and at least one electric motor powered by the plurality of batteries and configured to rotate a propulsor to propel a marine vessel, the method comprising:
determining a system power limit based on charge levels of each of the plurality of batteries;
controlling the at least one electric motor so that the system power limit is not exceeded;
activating an imbalance limit alert when the system power limit for the plurality of batteries is less than a threshold power output for the at least one electric motor and a number of active batteries available to provide power output to the at least one electric motor is less than all of the plurality of batteries; and
controlling a user interface device based on the imbalance limit alert.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising deactivating the imbalance limit alert when currents supplied by each of at least two of the active batteries are within a threshold current tolerance of one another or when a total power output of the active batteries is at least the threshold power output for the at least one electric motor.
20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein controlling the user interface device based on the imbalance limit alert includes controlling a display device to generate a visual imbalance alert.
21 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising generating the visual imbalance alert to visually indicate at least one of the system power limit and the number of active batteries.