Systems and methods for optimized and intelligent charging of battery packs at a battery charging and swapping station

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and derives the benefit of Indian Provisional Application 202241024250, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to battery charging systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for charging battery packs in a battery charging and swapping station.

BACKGROUND

[002] In a battery charging and swapping station, multiple battery packs are charged and made available for users. The battery charging and swapping station needs to ensure that the battery packs are charged at the quickest possible time and always ensure the availability of the charged battery packs for use. However, there are many factors which influence the charging and hence the system may take more time to charge the battery packs. This may cause the users to wait for a long time at the charging and swapping station to get the charged battery pack. As the charging happens at different times, the output of the charging and swapping station may not be uniform due to the various environmental conditions.

[003] Also, the battery charging and swapping station may not be able to properly utilize the power. The battery charging and swapping station can distribute the power for components and when they are not utilizing that power, the power stays available, but unutilized. This can result in the wastage of the available power.

OBJECTS

[004] The principal object of embodiments herein is to disclose systems and methods for optimizing the charging process of battery packs at the battery charging and swapping station by verifying at least one of information associated with the battery pack, one or more pre-booking requests that have been received, power limits from the power grid, thermal management unit, auxiliary components, power availability from other sources and the smart grid.

[005] 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 at least one embodiment 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

[006] Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, through out 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:

[007] FIG. 1 depicts the battery charging and swapping station, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; [008] FIG. 2 depicts a process of managing the power in a battery swapping station, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and

[009] FIG. 3 depicts a process of providing batteries for swapping to a user, based on a pre-booking request received from the user, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well- known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0011] The embodiments herein achieve systems and methods for optimizing the charging process of battery packs at the battery charging and swapping station by verifying at least one of information associated with the battery pack, one or more pre-booking requests that have been received, power limits from the power grid, thermal management unit, auxiliary components, power availability from other sources and the smart grid. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGs. 1 through 3, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.

[0012] Embodiments herein disclose systems for optimizing charging of battery packs at a battery charging and swapping station. The system comprises a docking station for docking at least one battery pack; at least one sensor unit for continuously monitoring one or more parameters associated with the station and battery packs; a charging unit for charging the plurality of battery packs; a thermal management unit for maintaining the battery packs at a specified temperature range; a server for communicating information between an external entity and the battery charging and swapping station; and a controller for acquiring information from the charging and swapping station, the battery packs, the thermal management unit, the server, and the external entity and optimizing the charging of the battery packs based on a pre-defined charging process. The system further comprises a pre-booking module wherein the pre -booking module can receive the pre-booking request from the vehicle user. The prebooking module can communicate the information to the controller unit, which accordingly ensures the availability of battery packs based on other parameters.

[0013] Embodiments herein disclose methods for optimizing charging of battery packs at a battery charging and swapping station. The method comprises communicating, by an external entity or an internal entity; at least one information associated with the external or internal entity to a controller unit of the battery charging and swapping station; analyzing, by the controller unit, the at least one information associated with the external or internal entity; and communicating, by the controller unit, to a charging unit of the battery charging and swapping station to act according to a pre-defined command provided by the controller unit.

[0014] FIG. 1 depicts the battery charging and swapping station. The battery charging and swapping station 100 comprises of a controller 106, a plurality of battery packs mounted on the docking unit 110, a thermal management unit 112, a charging unit 102, and a memory 108. In an embodiment herein, the battery charging and swapping station 100 can comprise of one or more auxiliary components 104 for running the station. In an embodiment herein, the battery charging and swapping station 100 can be connected to one or more auxiliary components 104 for running the station. Examples of the auxiliary components can be, but not limited to a light source, a display unit, a plurality of sensors for monitoring the battery and station parameters, a dock interface unit, and a locking unit for locking the battery docks.

[0015] The memory 108 stores at least one of, a pre-booking request, information from one or more components present in the station 100 or associated with the station 100, and so on. Examples of the memory 108 may be, but are not limited to, NAND, embedded Multimedia Card (eMMC), Secure Digital (SD) cards, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), solid-state drive (SSD), and so on. Further, the memory 108 may include one or more computer-readable storage media. The memory 108 may include one or more non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements may include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories. In addition, the memory 108 may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The term "non-transitory" may indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted to mean that the memory is non-movable. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium may store data that may, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache).

[0016] The term ‘controller 106' as used in the present disclosure, may refer to, for example, hardware including logic circuits; a hardware/software combination such as a processor executing software; or a combination thereof. For example, the processing circuitry more specifically may include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a System-on- Chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. For example, the controller 106 may include at least one of, a single processer, a plurality of processors, multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous cores, multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs) of different kinds, microcontrollers, special media, and other accelerators.

[0017] The controller 106 can be configured with a specified power threshold available at the location, where the station 100 is located. The power threshold can depend on the power sources available to the charging and swapping station 100. Examples of the power sources can be, but not limited to, a power grid that is connected to the charging and swapping station 100, one or more alternate power sources (such as solar cells, wind power, and so on) that provide power to the charging and swapping station 100, a power generator, an inverter, and so on. The power threshold can be dynamic, and the power threshold can vary depending on a plurality of factors, such as, currently available power, time of day, the current weather conditions (cold, hot, and so on), energy tariffs at the current instant, and so on. The controller 106 ensures that the power thresholds that are set for that station are never exceeded when drawing energy from one or more of the power sources. In an embodiment herein, the power threshold includes, but is not limited to, a maximum power, a range of power values, a maximum current, a range of current values, a maximum voltage, and/or a voltage range.

[0018] In an embodiment herein, the battery packs can be charged by the power from one or more of the one or more alternate power sources (such as solar cells, wind power, and so on) that provide power to the charging and swapping station 100, a power generator, an inverter, and so on, when energy tariff from the conventional power grid is high or during downtime of the conventional power grid.

[0019] The thermal management unit 112 ensures that the battery packs present in the battery charging and swapping station are kept within an optimal temperature range. The thermal management unit 112 can comprise of a Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) unit, an air conditioner, one or more fans, one or more ducts, one or more aircooled means, one or more liquid-cooled means, and so on.

[0020] Embodiments herein have been explained using an HVAC unit as an example of the thermal management unit 112. The HVAC unit 112 consumes power in the duty cycle. When the HVAC duty cycle is in ON condition, the controller 106 reduces the charging power to make the power available for the HVAC unit. When the HVAC duty cycle is in OFF condition, the controller 106 corrects the charging power to an output maximum power. In an embodiment herein, a sensor (not depicted here) continuously monitors the ambient temperature around the charging and swapping station 100. If the station’s internal temperature is falling outside the optimal temperature range of battery packs, the controller 106 automatically cuts off the HVAC. If the ambient temperature is exceeding the optimal temperature range of battery packs, the controller 106 powers ON the HVAC to bring the station’s internal temperature within the optimal temperature range.

[0021] The auxiliary components 104 ensure the smooth functioning of the battery charging and swapping station. The battery charging and swapping station can be configured with their respective power consumptions. Whenever any of these auxiliary components are turned ON or OFF, the controller 106 makes a corresponding correction in the charging power to output maximum power to batteries and complete utilization of available power.

[0022] In an embodiment herein, the battery charging and swapping station is provided with a pre-booking request for reserving the battery packs in the station by a vehicle user. On the battery charging and swapping station receiving communication from a user about a pre-booking request (which can comprise of a dispensing time (wherein the dispensing time is the time that the user wants to swap the battery packs) and a number of battery packs required by the user), the controller 106 can select one or more battery packs based on the availability and readiness of the battery packs (as in the pre-booking request). The availability and readiness of the battery packs can be determined by the controller 106, on factors such as, but not limited to, time to charge the respective battery packs in a Constant Current (CC) mode, time to charge the respective battery packs in a Constant Voltage (CV) mode, time to cool/heat the battery to a preconfigured battery dispensing temperature, and so on. The controller 106 can accordingly ensure that the required number of battery packs are available at the expected dispensing pre-booking time. Based on the calculations, if the controller 106 is unable to ensure that the required number of battery packs are available at the expected dispensing prebooking time, the controller 106 can provide an alert/notification to the user accordingly.

[0023] In an embodiment herein, the battery charging and swapping station 100 can be always connected to a network (such as, the cloud, internet, and so on). If a smart grid is available in the location of the battery charging and swapping station, the charging and swapping station 100 and/or a server can fetch/receive relevant notifications from the power grid or the utility server. Based on the notifications, the controller 106 can adjust the power parameters, and energy consumption according to the downtime and dynamic tariffs.

[0024] In an embodiment herein, a plurality of sensors 114 can monitor one or more battery pack parameters. Examples of the battery parameters monitored by the sensors can be, but are not limited to, the type of battery pack, State of Health (SoH) of the battery pack, State of Charge (SoC) of the battery pack, voltage and temperature of the battery pack, and so on. According to one or more of the sensed parameters, the controller 106 can estimate an expected readiness time for each battery pack, when the corresponding docking bay is provided with the available power. The controller 106 can prioritize a battery pack that has the shortest readiness time, and give the battery pack with the maximum power followed by the next battery pack with the next shortest readiness time, and so on. The controller 106 can have at least one battery available early (wherein the batteries being available can be the number of required batteries, according to the pre-booking request) against having multiple simultaneous battery packs getting charged and made available at a later stage. When multiple battery charging and swapping stations are connected, the controller 106 can form a cluster and enable the exchange of the charging and swapping station and battery pack-related parameters between each other. In an embodiment herein, a master battery charging and swapping station can control the charging prioritization of all other stations in the cluster and then charges battery packs for minimum readiness time for 1 Battery Pack, 2 Battery Pack, .. N Battery Pack systems.

[0025] In an embodiment herein, a supplementary energy storage unit (not shown) can be connected to the battery charging and swapping station. The supplementary energy storage unit can store energy from the conventional power grid during times of low energy tariffs. In an embodiment herein, the supplementary energy storage unit can be a separate battery. In an embodiment herein, the supplementary energy storage unit can be a battery present in one of the docks, which can be used temporarily for storing energy.

[0026] In an embodiment herein, the controller 106 can optimize the charging of battery packs based on a pre-defined charging process and the charging process can triggered by information associated with external and/or internal entities. Examples of the internal entities include, but are not limited to, the thermal management unit, one or more auxiliary components, a pre-booking module and one or more battery packs. Examples of the external entities include but are not limited to, a power grid, a smart grid, a cloud server, one or more devices where the batteries are being used, one or more batteries currently being used in the field, one or more users, and so on. The information from the external and internal entities includes but not limited to battery temperature, battery voltage, State-of-Health (SoH), State-of-Charge (SoC), pre-booking information, battery voltage, dynamic energy tariff information, downtime of the grid, HVAC ON/OFF Condition, auxiliary components ON/OFF condition, and so on. The controller 106 can prioritize the charging of different battery packs to ensure that the charged battery packs are available at the battery charging and swapping station at all times.

[0027] In an embodiment herein, during times of low energy tariffs or during low demands, the controller 106 can notify one or more users about the availability of charged battery packs at the charging and swapping station at a discounted price.

[0028] In an embodiment herein, the controller 106 can monitor the SoC and SoH Values of all the battery packs. If the SoH value of a particular battery pack goes below a threshold limit, the controller 106 can notify an authorized person (such as an administrator of the battery charging and swapping station) and a new battery with a higher SoH can replace that battery pack, thus ensuring maximum throughput at the battery charging and swapping station.

[0029] FIG. 2 depicts a process of managing the power in a battery charging and swapping station. In step 201, the battery charging and swapping station 100 configures the specified power threshold available at that location. The power threshold can be the maximum power that can be drawn by the battery charging and swapping station 100 for performing functions such as, but not limited to, charging the batteries in the docks, thermal management unit 112, one or more auxiliary components 104, and so on, The power threshold can depend on the power sources available to the battery charging and swapping station 100. Examples of the power sources can be, but are not limited to, a power grid that is connected to the charging and swapping station 100, one or more alternate power sources (such as solar cells, wind power, and so on) that provide power to the battery charging and swapping station 100, a power generator, an inverter, and so on. The power threshold can be dynamic, such as the power threshold can vary depending on a plurality of factors, such as currently available power, time of day, current weather conditions (cold, hot, and so on), and so on.

[0030] In step 202, the battery charging and swapping station 100 starts charging one or more battery packs present in the battery charging and swapping station 100 (i.e., present in the docks in the battery charging and swapping station 100), while ensuring that the charging consumes less or equal power than the power threshold.

[0031] In step 203, the battery charging and swapping station 100 keeps a check on the power requirements of one or more components in the battery charging and swapping station 100 or connected to the battery charging and swapping station 100; i.e., if one or more components in the battery charging and swapping station 100 or connected to the battery charging and swapping station 100, requires power/additional power. Examples of the components can be, but are not limited to, the thermal management unit 112, the auxiliary components 104, the sensors 114, user interfaces, communication interfaces, authentication related modules, locking/unlocking related modules for the docks and/or battery packs, and so on.

[0032] If one or more components in the battery charging and swapping station 100 or connected to the battery charging and swapping station 100, requires power/additional power, in step 204, the battery charging and swapping station 100 provides the required power to one or more components in the battery charging and swapping station 100 or connected to the battery charging and swapping station 100 and accordingly adjusts the power used for charging the battery packs, such that the power consumed by the battery charging and swapping station 100 is less than or equal to the power threshold.

[0033] The various actions in method 200 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 2 may be omitted.

[0034] FIG. 3 depicts a process of providing batteries for swapping to a user, based on a pre-booking request received from the user. In step 301, the user makes a pre-booking, by specifying the date & time that the user requires the battery packs to be dispensed, the number of battery packs, a battery charging and swapping station 100 where the user wants to perform the swap and so on. The user can use any suitable device such as an application on a device (such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, an interface in the vehicle (such as a dashboard, the instrument console, and so on), a wearable device, and so on. In step 302, the pre-booking option is provided to the respective battery charging and swapping station 100. [0035] On the battery charging and swapping station 100 receiving the pre -booking request from the vehicle user, in step 303, the battery charging and swapping station 100 selects one or more battery packs based on the availability and readiness of the battery packs (as specified in the pre-booking request). Based on the selection, in step 304, the battery charging and swapping station 100 charges and/or conditions the required number of battery packs, such that the battery packs will be ready at the expected dispensing time. The battery charging and swapping station 100 can charge the battery packs using a pre-defined charging process, based on parameters, such as, but not limited to, one or more battery parameters (which can be used for determining the readiness time for the respective battery packs), information associated with one or more of the external and/or internal entities (such as, but not limited to, battery temperature, battery voltage, State-of-Health (SoH), State-of-Charge (SoC), pre-booking information, battery voltage, dynamic energy tariff information, downtime of the grid, HVAC ON/OFF Condition, auxiliary components ON/OFF condition, and so on), and so on. In an embodiment herein, this can involve the battery charging and swapping station 100 adjusting the power parameters, and energy consumption according to the downtime and dynamic tariffs. In an embodiment herein, the battery charging and swapping station 100 prioritizes a battery pack that has shortest readiness time, and gives the battery pack with the maximum power followed by the next battery pack with the next shortest readiness time, and so on. In step 305, the battery charging and swapping station 100 checks if one or more components in the battery charging and swapping station 100 or connected to the battery charging and swapping station 100, require power/additional power. If one or more components in the battery charging and swapping station 100 or connected to the battery charging and swapping station 100, requires power/additional power, in step 306, the battery charging and swapping station 100 provides the required power to one or more components in the battery charging and swapping station 100 or connected to the battery charging and swapping station 100 and accordingly adjusts the power used for charging the battery packs, such that the power consumed by the battery charging and swapping station 100 is less than or equal to the power threshold (while ensuring that the battery packs are available at the dispensing time, as in the pre-booking request).

[0036] Based on the calculations, if the battery charging and swapping station 100 is unable to ensure that the required number of battery packs are available at the expected dispensing pre-booking time, the battery charging and swapping station 100 can provide an alert/notification to the user accordingly. The various actions in method 300 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 3 may be omitted.

[0037] The disclosed embodiments encompass numerous advantages. Example advantages of the disclosed method and systems include but are not limited to, ensuring optimal utilization of energy during charging, thus ensuring cost savings. Embodiments herein enable effective thermal management of the battery packs in the battery charging and swapping station, based on power demands, thus ensuring optimal temperature range of the battery packs during charging.

[0038] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The elements include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device or a combination of hardware devices and software modules. [0039] The embodiment disclosed herein describes systems and methods for optimizing the charging process of battery packs at the battery charging and swapping station. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in at least one embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g. Very high-speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language, or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of portable device that can be programmed. The device may also include means which could be e.g. hardware means like e.g. an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g. an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g. using a plurality of CPUs.

[0040] 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 embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.