# US 2019/0315232 A1 · Systems and methods of battery thermal management > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0315232 A1 - Document ID: US20190315232A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/954,286 - Filed: 2018-04-16 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Earliest claimed: 2018-04-16 - Assignees: NIO USA, Inc. - Applicants: NIO USA, Inc. - Inventors: Adam H. Ing; Yadunandana Yellambalase; Rick Rajaie - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190315232A1 ## CPC - B60L 58/24: for controlling the temperature of batteries - B60L 58/26: by cooling - B60L 58/27: by heating - B60L 2240/545: Temperature - B60L 2240/62: Vehicle position - B60L 2240/66: Ambient conditions - B60L 2260/44: by parameter estimation - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of 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 - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A thermal management system of a battery of an electric vehicle proactively manages the temperature of the battery based on sensor data and sets limits to control cooling and heating of the battery. Using the data gathered from an autonomous drive platform, a highly-efficient control system which uses predictive modelling can be created. A control system predicts the battery final temperature and determines if cooling and/or heating is necessary for the route. If cooling and/or heating is not necessary, the thermal management system may be simply turned off to save energy. This is a dynamic approach which should optimize energy usage under all situations using trip predictive information (from GPS, route-calculation algorithms, and weather information), and thermal model predictive controls to determine battery final temperatures. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer-readable program code that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising: determining a current temperature of a battery of a vehicle; and determining if the current temperature of the battery is within a threshold temperature range of the battery, wherein if the processor determines that the current temperature of the battery is within a threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor performs operations comprising: determining an estimated temperature at arrival of the battery; and determining if the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is within the threshold temperature range of the battery, wherein if the processor determines the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery exceeds a maximum or is less than a minimum temperature of the battery, the processor performs an operation of initiating a thermal management process. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein if the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is within the threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor performs operations comprising: determining an amount of time the vehicle will be within the threshold temperature range of the battery; and determining if the amount of time the vehicle will be within the threshold temperature range of the battery exceeds a maximum amount of time within the threshold temperature range of the battery, wherein if the processor determines the amount of time the vehicle will be within the threshold temperature range of the battery exceeds a maximum amount of time within the threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor initiates the thermal management process. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein if the processor determines the current temperature of the battery is not within the threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor performs an operation comprising determining if the vehicle has arrived, wherein if the processor determines the vehicle has not arrived, the processor instructs the vehicle to drive without initiating the thermal management process. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein when the processor determines the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery exceeds a maximum temperature of the battery, the thermal management process comprises cooling the battery. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein when the processor determines the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is less than a minimum temperature of the battery, the thermal management process comprises heating the battery. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is based on one or more data points associated with a current operating scenario. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein one or more of the one or more data points is obtained by the processor from a network location external to the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein one or more of the one or more data points is obtained by the processor from a vehicle navigation system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is based on historical usage of the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is based on weather information associated with a route of the vehicle. ### Claim 11 A method comprising: performing operations on a processor of a vehicle, the operations comprising: determining a current temperature of a battery of the vehicle; and determining if the current temperature of the battery is within a threshold temperature range of the battery, wherein if the processor determines that the current temperature of the battery is within a threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor performs operations comprising: determining an estimated temperature at arrival of the battery; and determining if the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is within the threshold temperature range of the battery, wherein if the processor determines the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery exceeds a maximum or is less than a minimum temperature of the battery, the processor performs an operation of initiating a thermal management process. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein if the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is within the threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor performs operations comprising: determining an amount of time the vehicle will be within the threshold temperature range of the battery; and determining if the amount of time the vehicle will be within the threshold temperature range of the battery exceeds a maximum amount of time within the threshold temperature range of the battery, wherein if the processor determines the amount of time the vehicle will be within the threshold temperature range of the battery exceeds a maximum amount of time within the threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor initiates the thermal management process. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein if the processor determines the current temperature of the battery is not within the threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor performs an operation comprising determining if the vehicle has arrived, wherein if the processor determines the vehicle has not arrived, the processor instructs the vehicle to drive without initiating the thermal management process. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein when the processor determines the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery exceeds a maximum temperature of the battery, the thermal management process comprises cooling the battery. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein when the processor determines the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is less than a minimum temperature of the battery, the thermal management process comprises heating the battery. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein determining the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is based on one or more data points associated with a current operating scenario. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein one or more of the one or more data points is obtained by the processor from a network location external to the vehicle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein one or more of the one or more data points is obtained by the processor from a vehicle navigation system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein determining the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is based on historical usage of the vehicle. ### Claim 20 A computer program product comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code configured, when executed by a processor, to: determine a current temperature of a battery of a vehicle; and determine if the current temperature of the battery is within a threshold temperature range of the battery, wherein if the processor determines that the current temperature of the battery is within a threshold temperature range of the battery, the processor performs operations comprising: determining an estimated temperature at arrival of the battery; and determining if the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery is within the threshold temperature range of the battery, wherein if the processor determines the estimated temperature at arrival of the battery exceeds a maximum or is less than a minimum temperature of the battery, the processor performs an operation of initiating a thermal management process.