# US 12,600,244 B2 · Control feature to optimize battery state of charge by utilizing resistor grid

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- Number: US 12,600,244 B2
- Document ID: US12600244B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/507,692
- Filed: 2023-11-13
- Published: 2025-05-15
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2023-11-13
- Assignees: Caterpillar Inc.
- Applicants: Caterpillar Inc.
- Inventors: Jacob Dean Randall; Dennis Christopher Agee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12600244B2

## CPC

- B60L 7/22: Dynamic electric resistor braking, combined with dynamic electric regenerative braking
- B60L 15/2018: {for braking on a slope}
- B60L 7/10: Dynamic electric regenerative braking (B60L7/22 takes precedence)
- B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC]
- B60L 58/13: Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
- B60L 58/15: Preventing overcharging
- B60L 2200/36: Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
- B60L 2200/44: Industrial trucks or floor conveyors
- B60L 2240/54: related to batteries
- B60L 2240/642: Slope of road
- B60L 2240/662: Temperature
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- 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
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

Provided herein is an electric drive machine including a battery having a state of charge ranging from a depleted state to a full state; a resistor grid electrically coupled to the battery; and a control circuit comprising one or more processors and a memory structured to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the control circuit to: determine the state of charge of the battery; determine a target state of charge of the battery according to an anticipated charge event; and control a flow of electrical current from the battery to the resistor grid, to modify the state of charge of the battery to the target state of charge, prior to the anticipated charge event.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electric drive machine comprising:
a battery having a state of charge ranging from a depleted state to a full state;
a resistor grid electrically coupled to the battery; and
a control circuit comprising one or more processors and a memory structured to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the control circuit to:
determine the state of charge of the battery;
determine a target state of charge of the battery according to an anticipated charge event; and
control a flow of electrical current from the battery to the resistor grid, to modify the state of charge of the battery to the target state of charge, prior to the anticipated charge event.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electric drive machine of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a state of charge differential according to two or more of the state of charge, the target state of charge, the depleted state, and the full state.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The electric drive machine of claim 2, wherein determining the target state of charge is also according to the full state, the depleted state, or the charge differential.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The electric drive machine of claim 2, wherein the state of charge differential is a difference between the state of charge of the battery and the target state of charge of the battery.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electric drive machine of claim 1, further comprising a motor; wherein the resistor grid is in electrical communication with the motor and is configured to provide resistive braking to the electric drive machine.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The electric drive machine of claim 5, wherein the motor is configured to provide an electrical charge to the battery during the anticipated charge event.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The electric drive machine of claim 6, wherein the anticipated charge event is a downhill haul event.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The electric drive machine of claim 7, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the target state of charge according to an amount of electrical charge that the motor is anticipated to provide during the downhill haul event.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The electric drive machine of claim 1, wherein the control circuit controlling the flow of electrical current to the resistor grid causes a reduction in the state of charge of the battery by dissipation of a portion of the electrical current as heat.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The electric drive machine of claim 1, wherein determining the state of charge of the battery is performed according to a measured state of charge of the battery, a computational model of the state of charge of the battery, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The electric drive machine of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the target state of charge in response to: a signal from an operator of the electric drive machine, an elevation of the electric drive machine, an ambient air temperature, an ambient air density, a grade on which the electric drive machine is operated, the cooling load of the resistor grid, or a combination of two or more thereof.

### Claim 12

A method of controlling an electric drive machine comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, the state of charge of a battery;
determining, by the one or more processors, a target state of charge of the battery according to an anticipated charge event;
controlling, by the one or more processors, a flow of electrical current from the battery to a resistor grid, to modify the state of charge of the battery to the target state of charge, prior to the anticipated charge event.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein a motor is in electrical communication with the battery and the resistor grid,
wherein the anticipated charge event is a downhill haul event, and
wherein the motor is configured to provide an electrical charge to the battery during the anticipated charge even.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein controlling, by the one or more processors, a flow of electrical current from the battery to a resistor grid reduces the state of charge of the battery prior to the downhill haul event.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the reduction in the state of charge of the battery is by dissipation of a portion of the electrical current as heat.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, the target state of charge according to an amount of electrical charge that the motor is anticipated to provide during the downhill haul event.

### Claim 17

A method of operating an electric drive machine, the method comprising:
measuring an electrical potential of a battery;
determining, by one or more processors, a state of charge of a battery according to the measured electrical potential of the battery;
determining, by the one or more processors, a target state of charge of the battery according to an anticipated charge event; and
discharging a portion of an electrical charge contained by the battery through a resistor grid, thereby reducing the state of charge of the battery to the target state of charge.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising charging the battery by providing electrical charge to the battery during the downhill haul event.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, further comprising providing resistive braking to the electric drive machine by providing electrical charge to the resistor grid during the downhill haul event.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the resistor grid converts the discharged electrical charge into heat.