Removable high voltage battery components
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsJustin J. Chow, Joshua D. Payne, Nathan C. Westover, Robert C. MacArthur, Shannon Alicia Wrobel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A removable vehicle battery system includes an energy storage module, a charging/discharging control unit, converter configured to convert the energy into a usable format for an external device, and a power outlet configured to supply energy to the external device. The system communicates with the external device regarding the energy formats the external device requires as well as the quantity of energy in the energy storage module, and the formats in which the energy storage module can supply this energy to the external device. The control unit controls energy delivery from the energy storage module to the external device.
Claims20
A removable vehicle battery system comprising:
- an energy storage device configured to power a first vehicle, the energy storage device comprising a first removable energy storage module comprising a store of energy;
- a control unit configured to control charging and discharging of the first removable energy storage module;
- a removable converter configured to convert the store of energy into a usable format for an external device;
- a power outlet configured to supply energy from the store of energy to the external device in the usable format when the first removable energy storage module is removed from the first vehicle;
- and
- a communication link between the external device and at least one of the first removable energy storage module, the removable converter, and the control unit,
- wherein the communication link is configured to receive information from the external device regarding the usable format,
- wherein the communication link is configured to communicate information regarding the store of energy and the usable format to the control unit, and
- wherein, in response to receiving information regarding the store of energy and the usable format, the control unit controls energy delivery to the external device.
A method of powering an external device with a vehicle battery, comprising:
- subdividing the vehicle battery into one or more removable power modules and one or more converters;
- configuring the one or more converters to convert energy stored in the one or more removable power modules into a format usable by the external device;
- providing a communication link between the external device and at least one of the one or more converters or at least one of the one or more removable power modules;
- communicating information between the external device and at least one of the one or more converters or at least one of the one or more removable power modules;
- and
- in response to the communicating, supplying energy to the external device in the format usable by the external device based on whether the energy can be supplied in the format usable by the external device.
A removable vehicle battery system comprising:
- one or more removable energy storage modules configured to power a vehicle, each comprising a store of energy;
- one or more converters disposed within or connectable to the one or more removable energy storage modules, the converters being configured to convert one or more of the stores of energy into a format usable by an external device;
- one or more power outlets disposed on the converters, the power outlets being configured to supply energy to the external device;
- and
- a wireless communication link between the external device and one or more of the removable energy storage modules,
- wherein the one or more removable energy storage modules and one or more converters may be removed from the vehicle and used to power the external device, and
- wherein the wireless communication link is configured to communicate information from regarding the store of energy and the format usable by the external device,
- wherein the one or more removable energy storage modules and one or more converters provide energy to the external device based on whether the store of energy can be provided in the format usable by the external device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.