Battery heating using neutral-forming transformer imbalance in a home energy system
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsHaider Mhiesan, Timothy Harris, Kirk Pulay, Christopher Bernard Trombetta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A home energy system includes a standby battery, a neutral-forming transformer (NFT), and an imbalance control element operated by a controller to apply an electrical imbalance across the NFT when the battery temperature is below a temperature value. The electrical imbalance produces heat within the NFT that is thermally transferred to the standby battery.
Claims19
A home energy system comprising:
- a standby battery;
- a neutral-forming transformer (NFT);
- an imbalance relay;
- and
- a controller configured to operate the imbalance relay when a temperature of the standby battery is less than a temperature value such that a neutral line current associated with the NFT increases and the temperature increases and to subsequently operate the imbalance relay when the temperature is greater than another temperature value such that the neutral line current increases and the temperature stops increasing.
A controller for a home energy system, comprising processing hardware and memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the controller to:
- when a battery temperature of a standby battery is below a cold temperature value, operate a switch to induce an electrical imbalance across a neutral-forming transformer (NFT), the electrical imbalance generating thermal energy that warms the standby battery;
- and
- upon a mitigation condition, adjust operation of the switch to reduce thermal energy generation.
A method of operating a home energy system having a standby battery and a neutral-forming transformer (NFT), the method comprising:
- when a temperature of the standby battery is below a temperature value, operating a switch to apply an electrical imbalance across the NFT such that heat generated by the electrical imbalance is transferred to the standby battery;
- and
- adjusting the electrical imbalance based on a condition of at least one of the NFT or the standby battery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.