This invention relates generally to renewable energy systems, and relates, more particularly, to battery charging and management systems and related methods.
There are few necessities taken more for granted than electric power. And yet, in today's world, the vast majority of the energy generated for commercial and public use is derived by burning finite natural resources. Oil, coal, and gas dominate the world's energy consumption—accounting for more than two-thirds of global energy use—despite a continually dwindling supply. With fossil fuels warming the globe and conventional energy sources running out, true renewable solutions must be adopted as a base for a self-supporting future. Solar and wind power are two examples of renewable sources that are prime for exploitation and adoption.
The current systems for electrical power transmission rely on inefficient back and forth conversions between direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) for transmission over power lines. To improve the efficiency of energy derived from renewable sources, renewable power may be generated on-site to reduce or eliminate the inefficiencies of the current transmission systems. Accordingly, a need exists to develop battery charging systems to efficiently generate power from such renewable sources on-site and to manage the storage of such generated power on corresponding batteries.
To facilitate further description of the embodiments, the following drawings are provided in which:
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.
The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.
The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “couples,” “coupling,” and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements or signals, electrically, mechanically or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled, but not mechanically or otherwise coupled; two or more mechanical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled; two or more electrical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled. Coupling (whether mechanical, electrical, or otherwise) may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant.
“Electrical coupling” and the like should be broadly understood and include coupling involving any electrical signal, whether a power signal, a data signal, and/or other types or combinations of electrical signals. “Mechanical coupling” and the like should be broadly understood and include mechanical coupling of all types. The absence of the word “removably,” “removable,” and the like near the word “coupled,” and the like does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is not removable.
In one embodiment, a system can comprise a charging station configured to control a charging of one or more rechargeable batteries, a power generator coupled to the charging station and configured to generate an input power, and a first charger module of one or more charger modules configured to couple to the charging station. The power generator can comprise a solar power generator configured to convert a solar energy to a solar DC power portion of the input power. The charging station can comprise a first system battery configured to collect a storage charge derived from the input power, one or more receptacles configured to couple the one or more charger modules to the charging station, and a system controller configured to control a concurrent transmission of an output power to each of the one or more receptacles based on charger module parameters of the one or more charger modules. The output power can be sourced from the storage charge of the first system battery. The first charger module can comprise a first battery charge controller set configured to individually and variably charge, with the output power received at a first receptacle of the one or more receptacles, one or more first batteries of a first battery set of the one or more rechargeable batteries. The first battery charge controller set can comprise a first battery charge controller, and the one or more first batteries can comprise a first battery. The first charger module can be configured to interchangeably couple to the charging station via the first receptacle, and couple the first battery charge controller set with the first battery set.
In a second embodiment, a method can comprise providing a charging station to control a charging of one or more rechargeable batteries, providing a power generator coupled to the charging station to generate an input power, and providing a first charger module of one or more charger modules to couple to the charging station a first battery set of the one or more rechargeable batteries. Providing the power generator can comprise providing a solar power generator to convert a solar energy to a solar power for the input power. Providing the charging station can comprise providing a first system battery to collect a storage charge derived from the input power, providing one or more receptacles configured to couple the one or more charger modules to the charging station, and providing a system controller to control an output power to each of the one or more receptacles based on charger module parameters received from the one or more charger modules. The output power can be sourced from the storage charge of the first system battery. Providing the first charger module can comprise configuring the first charger module to interchangeably couple to the charging station via a first receptacle selectable from the one or more receptacles, and providing a first battery charge controller set to couple with one or more batteries of the first battery set, to receive charging parameters from the system controller for each of the one or more batteries of the first battery set, and to variably charge each of the one or more batteries, based on the charging parameters from the system controller, with the output power received at the first receptacle. The charging parameters can be generated by the system controller based on the charger module parameters from the first charger module.
In a third embodiment, a method can comprise (a) providing a charging station, (b) coupling a solar power generator to the charging station, (c) collecting a storage charge at a system battery of the charging station, the storage charge derived from solar power received from the solar power generator, (d) coupling a first charger module of a plurality of charger modules to a first receptacle of one or more receptacles of the charging station, (e) coupling a first battery set to the first charger module, (f) receiving, at the charging station, charger module parameters from first charger module, the charger module parameters comprising at least two of a battery type of the first battery set, a battery quantity of the first battery set, a battery temperature of each battery of the first battery set, or a battery chemistry of each battery of the first battery set, and (g) receiving, at the first charger module, charging parameters from the charging station for each battery of the first battery set. The plurality of charger modules can be interchangeably connectable to the one or more receptacles for coupling to the charging station.
Other examples and embodiments are further disclosed herein. Such examples and embodiments may be found in the figures, in the claims, and/or in the description of the present application.
Turning now to the figures,
Charging station 1100 is configured to receive input power 1810 at power management unit 2140 from power generator 1200, and to provide combined DC power 2810 to system battery 2110, where power management unit 2140 manages input power 1810 to derive combined DC power 2810. System battery 2110 is configured to collect storage charge from combined DC power 2810. In some examples, charging station 1100 may comprise additional system batteries similar to system battery 2110 to collect further storage charge from combined DC power 2810. Such additional system batteries may be internal to charging station 1100, like system battery 2110, or external, like additional system battery 1500. As seen in
Power generator 1200 is configured to generate input power 1810 for charging system 1000, where such input power 1810 may be derived from a variety of sources, such as solar energy or wind energy. As can be seen in
In the present example, power generator 1200 also comprises wind power generator 2220 to generate wind power from wind energy via one or more wind turbines 2221. The wind power will normally be wind AC power originally, and may be converted into wind DC power via an AC/DC converter. There can be examples where the AC/DC converter may be part of wind power generator 2220, and/or the wind AC power may be converted by the AC/DC converter to wind DC power prior to being sent to charging station 1100 as part of input power 1810. In the present example, however, charging station 1100 comprises power management unit 2140, and receives wind AC power 2812 at AC input 2192 from wind power generator 2220.
Returning to
In
Charger modules 1600 are each configured to accommodate, and to individually and variably charge, one or more types of rechargeable batteries 1700. For example, as seen in
As seen in
Charger modules 1600 are also configured to charge rechargeable batteries 1700 using output power 2815 (
In the present embodiment, each of charger modules 1600 comprises a respective charge controller set 1300, and couples such respective charge controller set 1300 with one or more of respective rechargeable batteries 1700. Each charge controller set 1300 is configured to individually and variably charge one or more of respective rechargeable batteries 1700 using output power 2815. For example, as seen in
Each charge controller set 1300 of charger modules 1600, including charge controller set 4310 of charger module 4600, is controlled by system controller 2120 of charging station 1100 (
Using charger module 4600 of
Continuing with the example of charger module 4600 of
In the same or other embodiments, the charger module parameters sent from charger module 4600 to system controller 2120 can comprise a battery type parameter, a battery quantity parameter, a battery temperature parameter, a battery charge parameter, and/or a battery chemistry parameter for rechargeable batteries 4710. In some embodiments, some of the charger module parameters may be sent by ID unit 4610. For example, ID unit 4610 may be configured with information regarding the battery type(s), battery chemistry, and/or number of batteries that charger module 4600 is designed to accommodate, and may accordingly send the battery type parameter and/or battery quantity parameter to system controller 2120. In the same or other embodiments, battery sensors 4411-4414 may be configured to sense the presence of batteries 4710, and/or temperatures or chemistries thereof, and may accordingly send the battery quantity parameter, the battery temperature parameter, and/or the battery chemistry parameter for each of rechargeable batteries 4710.
There can also be embodiments where system controller 2120 may be configured to determine one or more parameters of the batteries in a charger module such as charger module 4600. As an example, system controller 2120 may be configured to determine a battery chemistry parameter from one or more of the batteries in charger module 4600 based on how such battery reacts to certain tests. For instance, system controller 2120 may test how the battery reacts to charge/discharge tests, such as by running one or more short charge/discharge cycles on the battery via charger module 4600, and then determining how much charge from the charge/discharge cycles the battery retained, such as by querying a battery charge parameter from charger module 4600, to thereby establish the battery chemistry parameter for such battery. In some examples, software may be used by system controller 2120 to compare the charge retained by the battery from the charge/discharge cycles against expected charge retention statistics for different kinds of battery chemistries.
In embodiments like the one described above, system controller 2120 may also be configured such that a battery parameter determined by system controller 2120, such as the battery chemistry parameter described above, may substitute, replace, supplement, and/or override a battery parameter received from charger module 4600, such as a battery chemistry parameter from ID unit 4610.
As seen in
As seen in
Charging system 1000 also comprises remote charging unit 1400 located remote of charging station 1100 in the present embodiment.
In the present example, remote communication port 2131 comprise RJ-45 (Ethernet) ports configured to carry data or parameters between remote charging unit 1400 and system controller 2120. In other examples, different types of communication ports may be used, such as RJ-11 (telephone) ports, or wireless ports. Also in the present example, remote power outlet port 2132 are configured to supply DC power from system battery 2110 for the additional charger modules 1650 coupled to remote charging unit 1400. Remote power outlet port 2132 may also be coupled to system controller 2120, where system controller 2120 may manage or adjust the amount of DC power sent to individual ones of remote power outlet port 2132 based on information or parameters received from remote charging unit 1400 about the additional charger modules 1650 coupled thereto. There may be other examples where remote charging unit 1400 comprises its own system battery similar to system battery 2110, and/or its own power generator similar to power generator 1200. In such examples, remote charging unit 1400 may still couple with charging station 1100 via remote charger port 2130 so that the operation of additional charger modules 1650 can still be managed or controlled by system controller 2120.
In the present example, as seen in
As previously described, power management unit 2140 is configured to charge system battery 2110 with combined DC power 2810 derived from power generator 1200. When system battery 2110 is fully charged, power management unit 2140 may terminate excess power from combined DC power 2810 if not needed for supplying additional system battery port 2170, integrated charger module 2160, remote charger port 2130, and/or receptacles 1180. The excess power may be terminated by grounding. In cases where charging station 1900 or another device is coupled to DC output port 2150, the excess power may be routed to DC output port 2150 for consumption or storage in charging station 1900.
There can be other embodiments, however, where charging station 1900 may couple directly to power generator 1200 to receive a portion of input power 1810. Even in such embodiments, however, charging station 1900 may still couple with charging station 1100 to share information like usage statistics or other parameters that may be used by system controller 2120 to regulate the operation of charging station 1100 and/or to transmit such statistics or parameters via network module 2121 (
Although remote charging unit 9400 is shown in
In some embodiments, charging system 1100 may be expanded for extra power capacity. For example,
In some implementations, such high voltage charging stations 3110 or electric vehicle battery charging stations 3120 may be coupled to charging systems located at specialty locations, such as at gas stations or other retail outlets where customers could benefit from such availability of charging stations like charging station 1100. In the same or other examples, kiosks could be configured to provide customers with charged batteries for a fee, and/or in exchange for discharged batteries. In the same or other examples, batteries such as batteries 1700 or other batteries configured to be charged by high voltage charging station 3110 and/or by electric vehicle charging station 3120 may comprise an identification device, such as an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip and/or other optical mechanism, such as barcodes, to be identifiable by charging station 1100 or by other charging stations to which they may be coupled. Charging station may thus gather information about the batteries' history and health, and/or about customer usage statistics. Such battery information may also be relayed by charging station 1100 to a remote database, such as computer 1710, and or to a management application, like management application 1711, as described below with respect to network 1700 (
Charging station 1100 may be configured in some embodiments to prioritize charging of one or more priority batteries, relative to other batteries chargeable by charging system 1000, when the priority battery is selected to designate its priority status. In some examples, a user may instruct charging station 1100 to designate a specific battery as the priority battery, and/or charging station 1100 may be configured to recognize such specific battery as the priority battery when coupled thereto. In some examples, the priority battery may be one of rechargeable batteries 1700. In the same or other examples, the priority battery may be one of the batteries coupled to one of modules 1600, including batteries as described above and as illustrated with respect to the charger modules of
There can be embodiments where system controller 2120 may be configured to control transmission of a supplemental power to the priority battery, when the priority battery is selected, where such supplemental power can be routed from other batteries, such as from rechargeable batteries 1700, to supplement and/or substitute output power 2815 deliverable to the priority battery from system battery 2110.
In the present example of charger system 1000, charger station 1100 comprises network module 2121, which can be part of system controller 2120, configured to access network 1700. Network 1700 can comprise a wired network such as an Ethernet network, a wireless network such as a Wi-Fi network based on, for example, IEEE 802.11 standards, and/or a combination wired/wireless network. System controller 2120 also comprises several software modules, such as an operating system module 2411, a system software module 2422, and/or a charging software module 2423. In some examples, such software modules may be stored in non-volatile memory 2410 of system controller 2120, such as in a PowerArmor solid state drive from Western Digital Corporation, of Irvine, Calif. Via the system or charging software, system controller 2120 may be configured to control the distribution and storage of power received from power generator 1200 amongst the different elements and ports of charging station 1100, based on battery parameters and/or other information received at board interface 2122 from such different elements and ports.
In some examples, the system and/or charging software may have pre-programmed information regarding charging requirements for different kinds of batteries and/or electronic devices. In the same or other examples, such charging requirements may be received from charger modules 1600, such as from ID unit 4610 of charger module 4600 (
System controller 2120 also comprises a user interface module 2510 where users can interact with charging station 1100, such as for controlling functions of charging station 1100, querying data from charging station 1100, and/or for establishing a network connection for charging station 1100. In some examples, interface module 2510 can comprise a keypad, touchscreen, and/or other input device for the user to communicate with system controller 2120. There can be examples where interface module 2510 can permit users to enter alphanumeric characters, and/or actuate navigation arrows, to select or establish different options for charging station 1100. There can also be examples where interface module 2510 may be accessed via external devices coupled to charging station 1100. For example, an external keyboard or peripheral device, and/or an external computer such as a laptop, may be coupled to charging station 1100, such as via a USB outlet of integrated power outlets 2161, to interact with interface module 2510.
In some examples, user interface module 2510 may permit users to select a quick charge to a specific battery coupled to charging station 1100, to activate or deactivate components or modules coupled to charging station 1100, to receive estimated charging times for individual batteries and/or for groups of batteries, to input charging parameters for specific batteries, and/or to retrieve system usage and operating statistics, such as the amount of electricity saved, power input parameters from solar power generator 2210 and/or wind power generator 2220, battery status parameters, among others.
As seen in
Management application 1711 is configured to receive real-time information from system controller 2120 regarding the status of charging system 1000. In some examples the system information may comprise data regarding the number of charger modules 1600 coupled to charging station 1100, the number of rechargeable batteries 1700 coupled to charging station 1100 via charger modules 1600, battery types for such rechargeable batteries 1700, charge information for such rechargeable batteries 1700, the magnitude of input power 1810 and/or of combined DC power 2810 (
Other screens of management application 1711 may present information concerning other elements of charging system 1000, like information about individual charging stations, such as charging station 1100, information about individual receptacles, such as receptacles 1180, information about individual charger modules, such as charger modules 1600 (
In some embodiments, management application 1711 may provide further options for a user. For example, management application 1711 may determine, based on the received system information, that a software update is available for charging station 1100 or for other elements of charging system 1000, and may provide the user with an option for upgrading to such software update. Management application 1711 may also offer the user an option to register for subscription services for charging station 1100 and/or for other elements of charging system 1000. Such subscription services may, for example, give users access to further features of management application 1711, such as features for monitoring or controlling individual elements of charging system 1000, as described above. Management application 1711 may also offer upgrade recommendations for the user based on the received system information. For example, an upgrade recommendation may suggest to add to charging system 1000 additional system batteries 1500, further solar panels 2211 (
Moving ahead,
Block 14100 of method 14000 comprises providing a charging station to control a charging of one or more rechargeable batteries. In some examples, the charging station can be similar to charging station 1100 (
Block 14200 of method 14000 comprises providing a power generator coupled to the charging station to generate an input power for the charging station. In some examples, the power generator can be similar to power generator 1200 (
Block 14300 of method 14000 comprises providing a first charger module of one or more charger modules to couple to the charging station a first battery set of the one or more rechargeable batteries. In some examples, the first charger module can be similar to one of charger modules 1600 (
In some examples, providing the power generator in block 14200 can comprise providing a solar power generator to convert a solar energy to a solar power for the input power to the charging station. There can be examples where the solar power generator can be similar to solar power generator 2210 (
Providing the charging station in block 14100 can comprise, in some examples, providing a first system battery to collect a storage charge derived from the input power, providing one or more receptacles configured to couple the one or more charger modules to the charging station, and providing a system controller to control an output power to each of the one or more receptacles based on charger module parameters received from the one or more charger modules. The output power may be routed to the one or more charger modules coupled to the one or more receptacles, and the system controller of the charging station may control or vary the output power based on which charger modules are coupled and their respective power requirements. In such examples, the first system battery can be similar to system battery 2110 (
Providing the first charger module in block 14300, or the second charger module in block 14400, can comprise configuring the first and/or second charger module to interchangeably couple to the charging station via a first and/or a second receptacle selectable from the one or more receptacles. For instance, the first charger module may couple to either of the first or second receptacles, and the second charger module may likewise couple to either of the first or second receptacles. In some examples, the first and/or second charger modules may couple to the first and/or second receptacles as described above with respect to charger modules 1600 (
Providing the first charger module in block 14300 also can comprise, in some examples, providing a first battery charge controller set to (a) couple with one or more batteries of the first battery set, (b) receive charging parameters from the system controller for each of the one or more batteries of the first battery set, and/or (c) variably charge each of the one or more first batteries, based on the charging parameters from the system controller, with the output power received at the first receptacle. In some examples, the first battery charge controller set can be similar to charge controller set 1300 (
In some examples, method 14000 can also comprise block 14500 for providing an additional charging station coupled to at least one of the power generator of block 14200 and/or or to the charging station of block 14100. There can be implementations where the additional charging station can be similar to charging station 1900 (
In some examples, method 14000 can also comprise block 14600 for providing a remote charging unit comprising remote receptacles to couple with additional charger modules for additional batteries of the one or more rechargeable batteries. There can be implementations where the remote charging unit, the remote receptacles, the additional charger modules, and/or the additional batteries can be respectively similar to remote charging unit 1400 (
In some examples, method 14000 can also comprise block 14700 for providing an additional system battery coupled to the charging station and supplemental to the first system battery. There can be implementations where the additional system battery can be similar to additional system battery 1500 (
In some examples, method 14000 can also comprise block 14800 for providing a management application executable by a computer system to communicate with the charging station via a communications network. There can be implementations where the management application can be similar to management application 1711 communicating with the charging station 1100 via a network 1700 (
Moving on,
Method 15000 comprises block 15100 for providing a charging station, and block 15200 for coupling a power generator to the charging station. In some examples, the charging station can be similar to charging station 1100 (
Method 15000 also comprises block 15300 for collecting a storage charge at a system battery of the charging station, the storage charge derived from power received from the power generator. In some examples, the system battery can be similar to system battery 2110 (
Block 15400 of method 15000 comprises coupling a first charger module of a plurality of charger modules to a first receptacle of one or more receptacles of the charging station. In some examples, the first charger module can be similar to one of charger modules 1600 (
Block 15500 of method 15000 comprises coupling a first battery set to the first charger module. There can be embodiments where the first battery set can be similar to at least a portion of rechargeable batteries 1700 (
Block 15600 of method 15000 comprises receiving, at the charging station, charger module parameters from first charger module. In some examples, the charger module parameters may be similar to the charger module parameters sent from charger modules 1600 to system controller 2120, as described above with respect to charging station 1100 (
Block 15600 of method 15000 comprises receiving, at the charging station, charger module parameters from first charger module. In some examples, the charger module parameters may be similar to the charger module parameters sent from charger modules 1600 to system controller 2120, as described above with respect to charging station 1100 (
Block 15700 of method 15000 comprises charging, at the first charger module, each battery of the first battery set based on charging parameters received from the charging station and derived from the charger module parameters. In some implementations, the charging parameters may be similar to the charging parameters sent from system controller 2120 to charger modules 1600, as described above with respect to charging station 1100 (
In some examples, one or more of the different blocks of methods 14000 and/or 15000 can be combined into a single block or performed simultaneously, and/or the sequence of such blocks can be changed. For instance, blocks 14200 and 14300 of method 14000 may be performed simultaneously in some examples, and/or the sequence of blocks 14100 and 14200 may be reversed in the same or other examples. As another example, the sequence of blocks 15400 and 15500 of method 15000 may be reversed in some examples, and/or blocks 15200 and 15400 may be performed simultaneously in the same or other examples.
In the same or other examples, some of the blocks of methods 14000 and/or 15000 can be subdivided into several sub-blocks. For example, block 14200 of method 14000 may be subdivided in to respective sub-blocks for providing a solar power generator like solar power generator 2210, and/or for providing a wind power generator like wind power generator 2221 (
There can also be examples where methods 14000 and/or 15000 can comprise further or different blocks. As an example, method 15000 may comprise a block for interfacing the charging station through a management application, like management application 1711 (
Although the battery charging systems and related methods herein have been described with reference to specific embodiments, various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. For example, in one embodiment, power generator 1200 may comprise a different kind of power generator other than solar power generator 2210 or wind power generator 2220 (
Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments herein is intended to be illustrative of the scope of the invention and is not intended to be limiting. It is intended that the scope of this application shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims. The battery charging systems and related methods discussed herein may be implemented in a variety of embodiments, and the foregoing discussion of certain of these embodiments does not necessarily represent a complete description of all possible embodiments. Rather, the description herein, and the drawings themselves, disclose at least one preferred embodiment, and may disclose alternative embodiments.
All elements claimed in any particular claim are essential to the embodiment claimed in that particular claim. Consequently, replacement of one or more claimed elements constitutes reconstruction and not repair. Additionally, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described with regard to specific embodiments. The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element or elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced, however, are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all of the claims.
Moreover, embodiments and limitations disclosed herein are not dedicated to the public under the doctrine of dedication if the embodiments and/or limitations: (1) are not expressly claimed in the claims; and (2) are or are potentially equivalents of express elements and/or limitations in the claims under the doctrine of equivalents.
This patent application is a continuation to international PCT patent application No. PCT/US2010/061899, filed on Dec. 22, 2010, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/289,333, filed on Dec. 22, 2009. The disclosures of the referenced applications above are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61289333 | Dec 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US2010/061899 | Dec 2010 | US |
Child | 13314639 | US |