# US 2018/0022221 A1 · Method and apparatus for charging multiple energy storage devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0022221 A1 - Document ID: US20180022221A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/712,904 - Filed: 2017-09-22 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-21 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Ruediger Soeren Kusch; Robert Dean King; Robert Louis Steigerwald - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180022221A1 ## CPC - B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer - B60L 15/007: {Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles} - B60L 50/16: with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion - B60L 50/40: using propulsion power supplied by capacitors - B60L 53/00: Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles - B60L 53/11: {DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4} - B60L 53/22: Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 58/20: having different nominal voltages - B60L 58/21: having the same nominal voltage - B60L 58/25: by controlling the electric load - B60L 58/26: by cooling - H02J 7/50: acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially - B60L 2210/10: DC to DC converters - B60L 2240/526: Operating parameters - B60L 2240/527: Voltage - B60L 2240/529: Current - B60L 2240/545: Temperature - B60L 2240/547: Voltage - B60L 2240/549: Current - Y02T 10/64: Electric machine technologies in electromobility - 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 - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric 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 - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An electric vehicle includes a controller configured to receive sensor feedback from a high voltage storage device and from a low voltage storage device, compare the sensor feedback to operating limits of the respective high and low voltage storage device, determine, based on the comparison a total charging current to the high voltage storage device and to the low voltage storage device and a power split factor of the total charging current to the high voltage device and to the low voltage device, and regulate the total power to the low voltage storage device and the high voltage storage device based on the determination. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An energy storage and management system (ESMS) for a vehicle propulsion system, the ESMS comprising: an energy storage device; a first DC/DC conversion device coupled to an internal charging source for charging the energy storage device; a second DC/DC conversion device coupleable to an external charging source for charging the energy storage device; a plurality of energy ports for coupling the energy storage device to at least one of the first and second DC/DC conversion devices, the plurality of energy ports including: a first energy port coupled to the energy storage device; a second energy port coupled to the energy storage device; a third energy port coupled to the first DC/DC conversion device; and a fourth energy port coupled to the second DC/DC conversion device; and a control system configured to: selectively control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and selectively control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a battery. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, further comprising a second energy storage device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the first DC/DC conversion device comprises a bi-directional buck/boost converter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the second DC/DC conversion device comprises a boost converter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the internal charging source comprises at least one electric motor/generator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The ESMS of claim 6, further comprising an inverter coupled to the electric motor/generator. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the external charging source is an AC source. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to: monitor a temperature of the energy storage device; control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored temperature of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored temperature of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to: monitor a current of the energy storage device; control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored current of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored current of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to: monitor a voltage of the first DC/DC conversion device; monitor a voltage of the second DC/DC conversion device; control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored voltage of the first DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored voltage of the second DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The ESMS of claim 1, wherein the control system comprises one or more controllers. ### Claim 13 A vehicle propulsion system, comprising: a vehicle drivetrain; an energy storage device coupled to the vehicle drivetrain; a first DC/DC conversion device coupled to an internal charging source for charging the energy storage device; a second DC/DC conversion device coupleable to an external charging source for charging the energy storage device; a plurality of energy ports for coupling the energy storage device to at least one of the first and second DC/DC conversion devices, the plurality of energy ports including: a first energy port coupled to the energy storage device; a second energy port coupled to the energy storage device; a third energy port coupled to the first DC/DC conversion device; and a fourth energy port coupled to the second DC/DC conversion device; and a control system configured to: selectively control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and selectively control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle drivetrain comprises a transmission coupled to an internal combustion engine. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the energy storage device is a battery. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the first DC/DC conversion device comprises a bi-directional buck/boost converter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the internal charging source comprises at least one electric motor/generator. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the second DC/DC conversion device comprises a boost converter. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the control system is further configured to: monitor a temperature of the energy storage device; control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored temperature of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored temperature of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the control system is further configured to: monitor a current of the energy storage device; control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored current of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored current of the energy storage device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source. ### Claim 21 (depends on 13) The vehicle propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the control system is further configured to: monitor a voltage of the first DC/DC conversion device; monitor a voltage of the second DC/DC conversion device; control operation of the first DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored voltage of the first DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the internal charging source; and control operation of the second DC/DC conversion device based on the monitored voltage of the second DC/DC conversion device when charging the energy storage device from the external charging source.