System and method for operating a dual battery system
AssigneeA123 Systems, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey T. Sieber, Sean Bartolucci, Samuel L. Trinch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for a battery system may include applying a charge voltage to a first battery and a second battery electrically connected in parallel, diverting a portion of the charge voltage in excess of a threshold voltage from all battery cells of the second battery to a heater coupled externally to the second battery, and transferring heat from the heater to the second battery, the heat generated from the portion of the charge voltage. In this way, degradation of the second battery can be reduced during battery charging, especially at colder temperatures.
Claims21
1-15. (canceled)
A method for a battery system, the method comprising:
- applying a charge voltage to a first battery and a second battery electrically connected in parallel;
- diverting a portion of the charge voltage in excess of a threshold voltage from all of a plurality of battery cells of the second battery to a heater coupled externally to the second battery;
- and
- transferring heat from the heater to the second battery, the heat generated from the portion of the charge voltage.
A battery system, comprising:
- a first battery and a second battery electrically connected in parallel, the second battery comprising a plurality of battery cells and a heater thermally coupled to the plurality of battery cells;
- and
- a controller on board the second battery, including executable instructions to,
- in response to a charge voltage being greater than a threshold voltage, diverting a portion of the charge voltage in excess of the threshold voltage from the second battery to the heater.
A method for a battery system, the method comprising:
- connecting a first battery and a second battery in parallel;
- coupling a heater externally to a plurality of battery cells of the second battery;
- applying a charge voltage to the first battery and the second battery;
- and
- when the charge voltage is greater than a threshold voltage,
- diverting a portion of the charge voltage in excess of the threshold voltage from the second battery to the heater, and
- applying the charge voltage to the first battery without diversion of any remaining portion of the charge voltage away from the first battery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.