# US 2026/0091685 A1 · Multi-braking system battery life management > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2026/0091685 A1 - Document ID: US20260091685A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/903,614 - Filed: 2024-10-01 - Published: 2026-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2024-10-01 - Assignees: Caterpillar Inc. - Applicants: Caterpillar Inc. - Inventors: Karl P. Schneider - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260091685A1 ## CPC - B60L 7/18: Controlling the braking effect (B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence) - B60L 1/00: Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00) - B60L 15/2018: {for braking on a slope} - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 58/16: responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH] - H01M 10/425: {Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00)} - H01M 10/44: Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) - H01M 10/46: Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus (circuits for charging H02J7/00) - H01M 10/486: {for measuring temperature} - H01M 50/249: specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64) - H02J 7/1438: {in combination with power supplies for loads other than batteries} - B60L 2240/12: Speed - B60L 2240/545: Temperature - B60L 2240/549: Current - H01M 2010/4271: {Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing} - H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - 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 - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY ## Abstract Provided herein are systems and methods for managing battery life of a vehicle during a braking condition. For example, the system may include a battery, a traction motor communicably coupled to the battery, a processing circuit including one or more processors and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processing circuit to detect a braking event for the battery, receive metrics of the battery during the braking condition, and cause the traction motor to supply electrical charge to one or more secondary systems of the vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An energy system for a vehicle, the energy system comprising: a battery; a traction motor communicably coupled to the battery; a processing circuit comprising one or more processors and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processing circuit to: detect a braking condition of the vehicle; receive one or more metrics of the battery during the braking condition; and cause the traction motor to supply electrical charge to at least one of the battery or a secondary system, according to the one or more metrics of the battery during the braking condition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: compare the one or more metrics of the battery to a threshold; and allocate power to the secondary system based on the one or more metrics exceeding the threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The energy system of claim 2, wherein the threshold is a predetermined configuration setting. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The energy system of claim 2, wherein the threshold comprises a battery life degradation rate limit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The energy system of claim 4, wherein a battery degradation rate is calculated from the one or more metrics of the battery to be compared to the threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The energy system of claim 2, wherein the threshold comprises a degradation coefficient. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The energy system of claim 2 wherein the threshold is a determined based on time variable curve, according to the one or more metrics of the battery. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein the one or more metrics of the battery are State of Health (SOH), State of Charge (SOC), current, temperature, and depth of discharge of a current cycle of the battery. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein the secondary system comprises at least one of a hydraulic pump, engine brake, resistive grid, fan, or pump within the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein the system diverts power to the secondary system when a battery life degradation rate limit is exceeded. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein the energy system adjusts braking speed when a battery life degradation rate limit is exceeded. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein the one or more metrics include SOC, current, and temperature, wherein the secondary system is a resistive grid, and wherein the traction motor supplies the electrical charge to the resistive grid when a battery life degradation rate limit is exceeded. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein the secondary system is one of a plurality of secondary systems, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to; select the secondary system from the plurality of secondary systems by: receiving an input from a user interface; and selecting a mode of operation according to the input. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein causing the traction motor to supply the electrical charge comprises supplying a first portion of electrical energy generated by the traction motor to the battery and supplying a second portion of the electrical energy generated by the traction motor to the secondary system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The energy system of claim 1, wherein a vehicle speed is controlled based on site maps of future downhill conditions. ### Claim 16 A vehicle, comprising: a battery; a traction motor communicably coupled to the battery; a processing circuit comprising one or more processors and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processing circuit to: detect a braking condition of the vehicle; receive one or more metrics of the battery during the braking condition; and cause the traction motor to supply electrical charge to at least one of the battery or a secondary system, according to the one or more metrics of the battery during the braking condition. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: compare the one or more metrics of the battery to a threshold; and select the secondary system based on the one or more metrics satisfying the threshold. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the vehicle diverts power to the secondary system when a battery life degradation rate limit is exceeded. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the vehicle adjusts braking speed when a battery life degradation rate limit is exceeded. ### Claim 20 A method of managing a battery, the method comprising: detecting, by one or more processors, a braking condition of a vehicle; and responsive to detecting the braking condition, receive one or more metrics of the battery; compare the one or more metrics of the battery to a threshold; select a secondary system based on metrics exceeding the threshold; and cause a traction motor to supply electrical charge to at least one of the battery or the secondary system, according to the one or more metrics of the battery during the braking condition.