US 7,741,816 B2Granted

System and method for battery preheating

AssigneeTesla Motors, Inc.

InventorsKurt Russell Kelty, Weston Arthur Hermann, Eugene Michael Berdichevsky

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Some embodiments include a system, that includes an electric motor coupled to propel an electrical vehicle, a battery coupled to power the motor, a preheating system coupled to preheat the battery, a battery temperature comparator to compare a temperature of the battery to a target preheated temperature and to provide a battery below temperature signal when the battery temperature is below a specified temperature, a control circuit to determine the time remaining prior to a scheduled drive start time and to provide a preheating enable signal during a target time interval prior to the scheduled drive start time and a further control circuit to operate the preheating system in response to the battery below temperature signal and the preheating enable signal.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

an electric motor coupled to propel an electrical vehicle;
a battery coupled to power the motor;
a temperature control system coupled to control temperature of the battery;
a battery temperature comparator to compare a temperature of the battery to a specified target storage temperature and to a specified target preheated temperature that is higher than the specified target storage temperature, and to provide a battery below storage temperature signal when the battery temperature is below the specified target storage temperature, and to provide a battery below preheated temperature signal when the battery temperature is below the specified target preheated temperature;
a control circuit to determine a time remaining prior to a scheduled drive start time and to provide a preheating enable signal during a target time interval prior to the scheduled drive start time;
and
a further control circuit to operate the temperature control system to control the temperature of the battery in response to the battery below storage temperature signal to maintain the battery temperature at the specified target storage temperature, and alternately to preheat the battery in response to the battery below preheated temperature signal and the preheating enable signal.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/058,047Filed 28 Mar 2008
Published: US 2009/0243538 A11 Oct 2009
Granted: 22 Jun 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

B60L 15/2045
For control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed: for…
B60L 53/14
Characterised by the energy transfer between the charging station and the vehicle: conductive energy transfer
B60L 58/10
Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles: for monitoring or…
B60L 58/27
For controlling the temperature of batteries: by heating