# US 10,189,464 B2 · Battery system

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- Number: US 10,189,464 B2
- Document ID: US10189464B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/241,559
- Filed: 2016-08-19
- Published: 2017-03-02
- Granted: 2019-01-29
- Earliest claimed: 2015-08-25
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Koji Aridome
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10189464B2

## CPC

- B60W 20/13: in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
- B60K 6/445: Differential gearing distribution type
- B60L 50/16: with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
- B60L 50/61: by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
- B60L 58/15: Preventing overcharging
- B60L 58/21: having the same nominal voltage
- B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines
- B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
- B60W 10/26: for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
- B60W 30/192: Mitigating problems related to power-up or power-down of the driveline, e.g. start-up of a cold engine
- B60L 2260/26: Transition between different drive modes
- B60L 2260/44: by parameter estimation
- B60W 2510/244: Charge state
- B60W 2710/06: Combustion engines, Gas turbines
- B60W 2710/08: Electric propulsion units
- B60W 2710/244: Charge state
- B60Y 2400/3086: Electric voltages sensors
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y10S 903/907: Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A battery system includes an electricity storage device including a plurality of battery units. The electronic control device is configured to switch a travel mode of the vehicle between a CD mode and a CS mode. The electronic control device is configured to calculate a vehicle state of charge at a higher value than an average state of charge when the average state of charge is higher than a threshold value, and calculate the vehicle state of charge at a lower value than the average state of charge when the average state of charge is lower than the threshold value. The threshold value is set at a lower value than a center value between an upper limit value and a lower limit value of the vehicle state of charge.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A battery system installed in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
a motor-generator; and
an internal combustion engine, the vehicle being configured to switch between electric travel in which the vehicle uses power from the motor-generator but not the internal combustion engine and hybrid travel in which the vehicle uses power from both the internal combustion engine and the motor-generator during the hybrid travel,
the battery system comprising:
an electricity storage device comprising a plurality of battery units connected in series, the electricity storage device being configured to receive power from the motor-generator and to supply power to the motor-generator; and
an electronic control unit (ECU), the ECU being configured to:
calculate a vehicle state of charge (SOC) and an average SOC, the vehicle SOC being a ratio of a remaining amount of power of the electricity storage device to a total amount of power that can be charged to the electricity storage device, and the average SOC being an average of a maximum unit SOC and a minimum unit SOC among a plurality of unit SOCs corresponding respectively to each battery unit of the plurality of battery units,
switch a travel mode of the vehicle between a charge depleting (CD) mode and a charge sustaining (CS) mode, the CD mode being a travel mode in which electric travel is performed, and the CS mode being a travel mode in which an amount of power stored in the electricity storage device is maintained within a predetermined range by switching between electric travel and hybrid travel,
cause the vehicle to travel in the CD mode when the vehicle SOC is higher than a predetermined value, and switch from the CD mode to the CS mode and cause the vehicle to travel in the CS mode when the vehicle SOC falls below the predetermined value, and
calculate the vehicle SOC at a higher value than the average SOC when the average SOC is higher than a threshold value, and calculate the vehicle SOC at a lower value than the average SOC when the average SOC is lower than the threshold value, and the threshold value being set at a lower value than a center value between an upper limit value and a lower limit value of the vehicle SOC.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The battery system according to claim 1, wherein
the ECU is configured to calculate a difference between the maximum unit SOC and the minimum unit SOC, and
the ECU is configured to increase the threshold value as the difference between the maximum unit SOC and the minimum unit SOC increases.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The battery system according to claim 2, wherein
the ECU is configured to increase the threshold value up to the center value as the difference between the maximum unit SOC and the minimum unit SOC increases.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The battery system according to claim 1, wherein
the ECU is configured to calculate the vehicle SOC using a first calculation formula when the average SOC is higher than the threshold value and using a second calculation formula when the average SOC is lower than the threshold value,
the first calculation formula being a formula according to which the vehicle SOC equals the upper SOC limit value when the maximum unit SOC is at the upper SOC limit value and the vehicle SOC equals the threshold value when the average SOC is at the threshold value, and
the second calculation formula being a formula according to which the vehicle SOC equals the threshold value when the average SOC is at the threshold value and the vehicle SOC equals the lower SOC limit value when the minimum unit SOC is at the lower SOC limit value.

### Claim 5

A method of operating a battery system installed in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a motor-generator and an internal combustion engine, the vehicle being configured to switch between electric travel in which the vehicle uses power from the motor-generator but not the internal combustion engine and hybrid travel in which the vehicle uses power from both the motor-generator and the internal combustion engine, the battery system comprising an electricity storage device and an electronic control unit (ECU), the electricity storage device comprising a plurality of battery units connected in series, the electricity storage device being configured to receive power from the motor-generator and to supply power to the motor-generator, the method comprising:
calculating a vehicle state of charge (SOC) and an average SOC using the ECU, the vehicle SOC being a ratio of a remaining amount of power of the electricity storage device to a total amount of power that can be charged to the electricity storage device, and the average SOC being an average of a maximum unit SOC and a minimum unit SOC among a plurality of SOCs corresponding respectively to each battery unit of the plurality of battery units;
switching a travel mode of the vehicle between a charge depleting (CD) mode and a charge sustaining (CS) mode using the ECU, the CD mode being a travel mode in which electric travel is performed, and the CS mode being a travel mode in which an amount of power stored in the electricity storage device is maintained within a predetermined range by switching between electric travel and hybrid travel;
causing the vehicle to travel in the CD mode when the vehicle SOC is higher than a predetermined value, and switching from the CD mode to the CS mode and causing the vehicle to travel in the CS mode when the vehicle SOC falls below the predetermined value; and
calculating the vehicle SOC at a higher value than the average SOC when the average SOC is higher than a threshold value, and calculating the vehicle SOC at a lower value than the average SOC when the average SOC is lower than the threshold value, the threshold value being set at a value lower than a center value of an upper limit value and a lower limit value of the vehicle SOC.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of operating a battery system according to claim 5, further comprising:
calculating a difference between the maximum unit SOC and the minimum unit SOC using the ECU, and increasing the threshold value using the ECU as the difference between the maximum unit SOC and the minimum unit SOC increases.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of operating a battery system according to claim 6, further comprising:
increasing the threshold value up to the center value as the difference between the maximum unit SOC and the minimum unit SOC increases.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method of operating a battery system according to claim 5, further comprising:
calculating the vehicle SOC using a first calculation formula when the average SOC is higher than the threshold value and using a second calculation formula when the average SOC is lower than the threshold value,
the first calculation formula being a formula according to which the vehicle SOC equals the upper SOC limit value when the maximum unit SOC is at the upper SOC limit value and the vehicle SOC equals the threshold value when the average SOC is at the threshold value, and
the second calculation formula being a formula according to which the vehicle SOC equals the threshold value when the average SOC is at the threshold value and the vehicle SOC takes the lower SOC limit value when the minimum unit SOC is at the lower SOC limit value.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The method of operating a battery system according to claim 5, wherein the method is executed repeatedly at predetermined period intervals.