Optimizing Energy Flow in Vehicle-to-Grid Systems

Adaptive estimation of battery state of charge (SOC) in electric vehicles that provides fast and accurate SOC estimation by dynamically selecting the estimation gain based on operating conditions like on-board energy and power demand. It uses an extended Kalman filter (EKF) with adaptive gain scheduling to estimate SOC from an equivalent circuit model of the battery. The gain is selected based on factors like OBE level and power demand to prioritize accuracy in critical low-SOC regions and balance estimation speed versus accuracy in other regions. This adaptive gain scheduling improves SOC estimation accuracy, especially near empty, by tailoring the estimation method to the specific operating conditions.

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Intelligent charging of electric vehicles that balances load, optimizes costs, and enables vehicle-to-vehicle power transfer. The system wirelessly charges electric vehicles in dedicated parking spaces using wireless charging nodes. It balances load by coordinating charging times and sources based on estimated power requirements, avoids grid congestion, and enables peer-to-peer power sharing. It also optimizes costs by selecting the cheapest power source for charging. Solar panels on vehicles further generate power that can be shared via the network.

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Rapidly charging an electric vehicle's battery using shared power electronics from nearby vehicles. The charging station has a common DC bus that connects to the vehicles. When a vehicle wants a fast charge, it can request the station to provide extra power from other vehicles' converters. The station communicates with their controllers to coordinate sharing the charging current. This allows faster charging than just using the vehicle's converter alone. It reduces component count and weight compared to dedicated chargers, as the shared converters can provide higher currents. The vehicles can also use the station's converters for normal charging when parked.

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Battery management system for electric vehicles that allows selective disconnection of failing or degraded battery modules while maintaining the overall battery pack voltage and charge balance. The system uses additional switches in each battery module that can be selectively closed to bypass faulty cells or modules. A central management module monitors the modules and selectively activates the bypass switches for individual modules as needed to isolate faults or degraded cells while keeping the pack voltage and charge balanced. This prevents cascading failures and allows continued use of the other working modules in the pack.

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Regenerative hybrid power station that generates electrical power by converting stored chemical energy in batteries into mechanical energy to rotate an electric generator. The system uses batteries to initially power a motor that drives the generator to produce electricity. This generated electricity can then be used to service loads, sell excess back to the grid, and recharge the batteries. The system is closed-loop with excess power going back to batteries.

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Optimal timed charging of electric vehicle batteries to maximize charge during a specific time constraint without damaging the battery. The charging station receives a user-specified charging time and battery health data from the vehicle's computer. An AI calculates the optimal charging sequence and power level for that time to fully charge the battery without overloading it. This allows users to quickly charge for short times without degradation.

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Plug-in fuel cell module (PFCM) that connects to electric vehicles and backup generators with rechargeable batteries to extend their life and performance using hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs) and artificial intelligence (AI). The PFCM analyzes battery usage trends using AI algorithms to predict optimal recharging intervals. It activates the HFC to recharge the batteries during the predicted intervals to maximize battery life and performance by preventing deep discharge cycles.

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Electric vehicle power transfer system that allows parallel charging of multiple batteries and selective charging of individual batteries using the vehicle's charging ports. The system has switches to connect/disconnect the charging ports, batteries, and motor stator windings. Modes include parallel charging all batteries, selectively charging a single battery while keeping others parallel, and selectively charging a single battery while keeping others disconnected. This allows flexible power transfer options between the vehicle's batteries, charging ports, and motors.

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Mobile electric vehicle battery charging that optimizes battery cell health during charging by selectively choosing cells based on their state of health. The system monitors cell states and identifies cells beyond a remediation threshold. These cells are still used for charging to allow further degradation, rather than replacing them. This targeted degradation balances cell life across the pack. It prevents stranding due to low charge by facilitating charge transfers between vehicles based on cell health.

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Transporting electrical energy from a generation site to a consumption site using trains loaded with battery systems. The trains have battery-loaded cars that can be charged at a generation site and then moved to a consumption site to discharge the energy. The cars have interfaces to connect with charging and discharging equipment at the sites. The connections can be automated using sensors and controllers to align the interfaces. The train can shuttle between sites, allowing flexible and scalable transportation of energy without building new transmission lines.

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Parallel cooling system for vehicle battery packs that provides efficient and uniform cooling across the cells to improve performance and reliability. The battery pack has multiple modules, each with two half modules. Inside each half module, cylindrical battery cells are sandwiched between a current carrier and a plate. Coolant circulates in parallel through the enclosure of each half module to maintain the cells at a consistent temperature. The modules are further cooled in parallel by a tray system. This parallel cooling architecture allows even temperature distribution across the cells and pack, preventing hot spots and improving efficiency compared to sequential cooling.

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Diagnosing and bypassing open power line faults in battery packs for electric vehicles. The method involves having a slave controller in the pack with redundant power and communication paths. In normal operation, the slave draws power from the main line and communicates over it. But if the main line opens, the slave can switch to a sensing line connected to the battery cell. It continues functioning by powering from the cell and communicating over the sensing line. The main controller can then detect the open line fault by comparing voltages measured during normal vs alternate operation. This allows isolating and bypassing faulty power lines without disabling the pack.

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Optimizing electric power supply from fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) to the grid by controlling the amount of power they send based on hydrogen level and proximity to the next hydrogen station. An information processing apparatus identifies FCVs capable of supplying excess power, and determines the optimal amount to send based on hydrogen quantity and distance to the next hydrogen station. This avoids depleting hydrogen prematurely and balances power supply with refueling needs.

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Bidirectional voltage regulation circuit for charging and discharging batteries in vehicles without the need for transformers. The circuit uses three NMOS transistors and a control chip to convert voltages bidirectionally between a battery and a power bus. The transistors form a loop with an inductor to boost or buck the voltage as needed for charging or discharging. This allows charging a battery with a lower input voltage to full capacity, and discharging a higher voltage battery to match the bus voltage.

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Automatic locking and unlocking method for electric vehicle batteries that enables faster and more automated battery swapping. It uses a locking device with multiple locking positions that can be simultaneously unlocked and locked using a single locking rod. This improves efficiency over existing methods that require multiple locking steps. The locking device has a lock base with recessed grooves, a lock tongue, and a shaft rod. The unlocking rod pushes the lock tongues to release the batteries.

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Dynamic power module allocation for electric vehicle charging stations to optimize power usage across multiple stations. Each station has local and remote power modules that can be switched between stations. When a station requests charging, it checks the module status of all stations to determine the best allocation. It can request additional modules from other stations if needed, but must release excess modules. This allows balancing power demand across stations and avoiding underutilization.

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Managing thermal energy within terminals and busbars of a traction battery pack to prevent overheating. The technique involves using a thermal interface material to connect battery terminals and busbars to a thermal exchange plate. The material transfers heat from the terminals and busbars to the plate to dissipate it. This prevents hotspots and improves pack cooling. The plate can have a wrap-around configuration beneath the cells. The interface material can be injected between the cells and cover, or through apertures in the plate and cover.

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A multi-voltage storage system for electric vehicles that allows higher charging voltages without requiring higher rated voltages for the individual battery packs. The system has an even number of identical battery packs connected in series during charging to balance charge levels. This avoids equalization steps after charging when connecting the packs in parallel. During charging, one pack provides power to the vehicle while the other is heated to match temperatures. This ensures both packs have equal charge levels when connected in parallel for normal operation.

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Distributing electricity from a limited supply to multiple electric vehicle chargers based on scheduling and ammeter measurements. The system has power controllers, relays, and ammeters at each charger. A remote server schedules charger usage, authorizes users, and sends instructions to enable/disable relays. The server calculates total current drawn from the power supply. If supply exceeds draw, it disables the main relay. The power controllers independently disable their relays. This allows dynamic charging based on availability and prevents overloading. The server can also send alerts and cancel reservations if time limits are exceeded.

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Low profile magnetic flux pads for inductive power transfer (IPT) systems that can operate over a wider range of lateral misalignments between the pads. The pads have two closely spaced coils with different turn spacing inside vs outside the coil centers. This non-uniform turn spacing alters the flux patterns to compensate for misalignment and improve power transfer over a wider range. The coils are also wound with variations in turn spacing and core discontinuities to further shape the flux. This allows optimizing the flux profiles for specific applications like electric vehicle charging.

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