DESC:FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack, and more specifically relates to a system to switch power distribution among at least two battery packs and a method for the same. The present application is based on and claims priority from an Indian Provisional Application Number 202341071165 filed on 18-10-2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In general, a battery pack includes a plurality of cells. The plurality of cells may be connected in series, parallel, or a combination of both (series, and parallel) to deliver the desired voltage, capacity, or power density.
[0003] In a conventional approach, electrical vehicles include one or more battery packs to increase range. Power from the one or more battery packs will be discharged to a load/loads (E.g., a motor) one by one. The conventional approach includes a switching process that only considers whether electrical charges remain in a battery pack that currently delivers power to the load/loads or not. The switching process will be initiated to shift power distribution from one battery pack to another battery pack when no electrical charges remain in the battery pack (which currently delivers power to the load/loads).
[0004] Since the conventional approach does not consider real-time (i) state of charge and (ii) voltage level of the one or more battery packs while performing the switching process, the performance of the load/loads of the electric vehicles will be affected heavily. Therefore, the one or more battery packs do not fully discharge the power to the vehicle.
[0005] The conventional methods do not have any course of action to fully discharge the power from the one or more battery packs to the vehicle without affecting the performance of the vehicle and improving power delivery efficiency during discharge.
[0006] Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved system and method to switch power distribution among the one or more battery packs and therefore address the aforementioned issues.

SUMMARY
[0007] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a system to switch power distribution among at least two battery packs. The system the at least two battery packs, and a control unit. The at least two battery packs include one or more predetermined levels. The at least two battery packs include one or more parameters. The at least two battery packs include at least two capacities. The control unit includes a comparison module and a switching module. The comparison module compares the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs with a predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels. The switching module switches the power distribution among the at least two battery packs when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels.
[0008] In some embodiments, the one or more predetermined levels comprise at least two predetermined levels.
[0009] In some embodiments, the switching module switches the power distribution among the at least two battery packs when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs are less than the predetermined value at the at least two predetermined levels.
[0010] In some embodiments, the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs include at least one of a state of charge (SOC), resistance, temperature, and voltage in real-time.
[0011] In some embodiments, the one or more predetermined levels vary based on the at least two capacities of the at least two battery packs.
[0012] In another aspect, a method for switching power distribution among at least two battery packs. The method includes comparing, using a comparison module, one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs with a predetermined value at one or more predetermined levels. The at least two battery packs (102) include the one or more predetermined levels. The at least two battery packs include the one or more parameters. The at least two battery packs include at least two capacities. The method further includes switching, using a switching module, the power distribution among the at least two battery packs when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels.
[0013] In some embodiments, the one or more predetermined levels comprise at least two predetermined levels.
[0014] In some embodiments, the method further includes switching, the power distribution among the at least two battery packs when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs are less than the predetermined value at the at least two predetermined levels.
[0015] In some embodiments, the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs at least one of a state of charge (SOC), resistance, temperature, and voltage in real-time.
[0016] In some embodiments, the one or more predetermined levels vary based on the at least two capacities of the at least two battery packs.
[0017] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0018] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram representation of a system to switch power distribution among at least two battery packs, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an embodiment representing the system to switch power distribution among the at least two battery packs of FIG. 1 in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart representing the steps of a method for switching power distribution among the at least two battery packs, according to the embodiments as disclosed herein.
[0023] It may be noted that to the extent possible, like reference numerals have been used to represent like elements in the drawing. Further, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that elements in the drawing are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimension of some of the elements in the drawing may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve the understanding of aspects of the invention. Furthermore, the elements may have been represented in the drawing by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to the understanding of the embodiments of the invention so as not to obscure the drawing with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0024] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address all of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.
[0025] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.
[0026] The word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive—in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word—without precluding any additional or other elements.
[0027] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “an instance” or “one instance” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0028] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0029] The accompanying drawings are used to help easily understand various technical features and it should be understood that the embodiments presented herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. As such, the present disclosure should be construed to extend to any alterations, equivalents, and substitutes in addition to those which are particularly set out in the accompanying drawings. Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are generally only used to distinguish one element from another.
[0030] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a system to switch power distribution among at least two battery packs. The system the at least two battery packs, and a control unit. The at least two battery packs include one or more predetermined levels. The at least two battery packs include one or more parameters. The at least two battery packs include at least two capacities. The control unit includes a comparison module and a switching module. The comparison module compares the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs with a predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels. The switching module switches the power distribution among the at least two battery packs when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels.
[0031] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4 where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram representation of a system 100 to for switch power distribution among at least two battery packs 102, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. Referring to FIG.1, the system 100 includes the plurality of battery packs 102, a control unit 104, a load control unit 106, and a load 108. In one embodiment, the system 100 includes one or more loads 108. In another embodiment, the system 100 includes one or more load control units 106.
[0033] The at least two battery packs 102 may include at least two capacities. In one embodiment, the at least two battery packs 102 include at least one of a fixed battery pack or a portable battery pack. In another embodiment, the at least two capacities of the at least two battery packs 102 may be equal. In yet another embodiment, the at least two capacities of the at least two battery packs 102 may be not equal.
[0034] The at least two battery packs 102 include one or more predetermined levels. The at least two battery packs 102 include one or more parameters. In one embodiment, the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 may include, but not limited to, a state of charge (SOC), resistance, temperature, and voltage in real-time.
[0035] In addition to that, the control unit 104 includes a comparison module 110, and a switching module 112. The comparison module 110 is configured to compare the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 with a predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels. In one embodiment, the one or more predetermined levels may include, but not limited to, at least two predetermined levels.
[0036] The switching module 112 is configured to switch the power distribution from among the at least two battery packs 102 when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels. In one embodiment, the switching module 112 is configured to switch the power distribution among the at least two battery packs 102 when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 less than the predetermined value at the at least two predetermined levels.
[0037] The control unit 104 may include, but not limited to, a Body Control Module (BCM), and a vehicle control module. As used herein, the BCM is defined as an electronic control unit that is responsible for monitoring and controlling various electronic accessories in the vehicle. Furthermore, the one or more predetermined levels vary based on the at least two capacities of the at least two battery packs 102.
[0038] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an embodiment representing the system to switch power distribution among the at least two battery packs of FIG. 1 in accordance of an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an exemplary situation, consider an ongoing electric vehicle 202 with a first battery pack 204, and a second battery pack 206. The first battery pack 204, and the second battery pack 206 include a first, and second capacity respectively. The first battery pack 204, and the second battery pack 206 include one or more parameters like SOC, resistance, voltage in real-time, and temperature. Further, the first battery pack 204, and the second battery pack 206 include one or more predetermined levels. The one or more predetermined levels may include a first predetermined level, a second predetermined level, a third predetermined level, a fourth predetermined level, and the like.
[0039] The control unit 104 (BCM) monitors the SOC of the first battery pack 204 (fixed battery pack) and the secondary battery 206 (portable battery pack). The BCM 104 includes a comparison module 110, and a switching module 112. The one or more parameters of the first battery pack 204, and the second battery pack 206 vary at the one or more predetermined levels.
[0040] For example, resistance value of the first battery pack 204, and the second battery pack 206 increases, and the voltage in real-time reduces due to I2R losses at the one or more predetermined levels.
[0041] In a scenario, the first battery pack 202, and the second battery pack 204 include a capacity of 11% SOC respectively, and power distribution is happening from the first battery pack 202 based on the one or more one or more parameters. And now the SOC of the first battery pack reaches 6 % due to the discharging.
[0042] The comparison module 110 compares at least one of the real-time voltage, resistance, and temperature of the first battery pack 204 and the second battery pack 204 with a predetermined value. The one or more parameters of the first battery pack 202 will be less than the predetermined value so that, the switching module 112 switches the power distribution to the second battery pack 204.
[0043] Now the power distribution is happening from the second battery pack 204, until the SOC of the second battery pack 204 reaches 6%. The comparison module 110 compares at least one of the real-time voltage, resistance, and temperature of the second battery pack 204 and the first battery pack 202 with a predetermined value. The one or more parameters of the second battery pack 204 will be less than the predetermined value so that, the switching module 112 switches the power distribution to the first battery 204.
[0044] Furthermore, the comparison module 110 compares the one or more parameters of the first battery pack 204 and the second battery pack 204 until both the first battery pack 204 and the second battery pack 206 reach zero % SOC which helps to discharge the first battery pack 204, and second battery pack 206 efficiently to extend the range of the electric vehicle 202.
[0045] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control unit 104 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control unit 104 includes processor(s) 306, and memory 302 coupled to the processor(s) 306.
[0046] The processor(s) 306, as used herein, means any type of computational circuit, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing microprocessor, a very long instruction word microprocessor, an explicitly parallel instruction computing microprocessor, a digital signal processor, or any other type of processing circuit, or a combination thereof.
[0047] The memory 302 includes a plurality of modules stored in the form of executable program which instructs the processor 306 to perform the method steps illustrated in Fig 1. The memory 302 has following modules: the comparison module 110, and the switching module 112. The comparison module 110 is configured to compare the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 with a predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels. The switching module 112 is configured to switch the power distribution among the at least two battery packs 102 when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels.
[0048] Computer memory elements may include any suitable memory device(s) for storing data and executable program, such as read only memory, random access memory, erasable programmable read only memory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, hard drive, removable media drive for handling memory cards and the like. Embodiments of the present subject matter may be implemented in conjunction with program modules, including functions, procedures, data structures, and application programs, for performing tasks, or defining abstract data types or low-level hardware contexts. Executable program stored on any of the above-mentioned storage media may be executable by the processor(s) 206.
[0049] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart representing the steps of a method 400 for switching power distribution among the at least two battery packs 102, according to the embodiments as disclosed herein.
[0050] The method 400 includes comparing one or more parameters of at least two battery packs 102 with a predetermined value at one or more predetermined levels in step 402. In one embodiment, the comparing the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 with the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels includes the comparing the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 with the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels by a comparison module 110.
[0051] The method 400 includes switching the power distribution among the at least two battery packs 102 when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels in step 404. In one embodiment, switching the power distribution among the at least two battery packs 102 when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels includes switching the power distribution among the at least two battery packs 102 when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs 102 are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels using a switching module 112.
[0052] The proposed system considers the SOC, Voltage in real-time, resistance, and temperature of the at least two battery packs 102 in real-time while switching the power distribution from among the at least two battery packs 102 to discharge the at least two battery packs 102 to extend the range properly by using the comparison and switching operation.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Improvements and modifications may be incorporated herein without deviating from the scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

System – 100.
At least two battery packs – 102.
First battery pack - 102A.
Second battery pack - 102B.
Control unit – 104.
Load control unit -106.
Load – 108.
Comparison module – 110.
Switching Module - 112. ,CLAIMS:I/We claim:
1. A system (100) to switch power distribution among at least two battery packs (102), comprising:
the at least two battery packs (102) comprise one or more predetermined levels, wherein the at least two battery packs (102) comprise one or more parameters, wherein the at least two battery packs (102) comprise at least two capacities; and
a control unit (104) comprises:
a comparison module (110) is configured to compare the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs (102) with a predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels; and
a switching module (112) is configured to switch the power distribution among the at least two battery packs (102) when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs (102) are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels.
2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more predetermined levels comprise at least two predetermined levels.

3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switching module (112) is configured to switch the power distribution among the at least two battery packs (102) when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs (102) less than the predetermined value at the at least two predetermined levels.

4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs (102) comprise at least one of a state of charge (SOC), resistance, temperature, and voltage in real-time.

5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more predetermined levels vary based on the at least two capacities of the at least two battery packs (102).

6. A method (300) for switching power distribution among at least two battery packs (102), comprising:
comparing, using a comparison module (110), one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs (102) with a predetermined value at one or more predetermined levels, wherein the at least two battery packs (102) comprise the one or more predetermined levels, wherein the at least two battery packs (102) comprise the one or more parameters, wherein the at least two battery packs (102) comprise at least two capacities; and
switching, using a switching module (112), the power distribution among the at least two battery packs (102) when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs (102) are less than the predetermined value at the one or more predetermined levels.

7. The method (300) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the one or more predetermined levels comprise at least two predetermined levels.

8. The method (300) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the method (300) comprises switching, the power distribution among the at least two battery packs (102) when the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs (102) less than the predetermined value at the at least two predetermined levels.

9. The method (300) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the one or more parameters of the at least two battery packs (102) comprise at least one of a state of charge (SOC), resistance, temperature, and voltage in real-time.

10. The method (300) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the one or more predetermined levels vary based on the at least two capacities of the at least two battery packs (102).