# US 9,438,113 B2 · DC-DC convertor for batteries having multiple positive terminals > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,113 B2 - Document ID: US9438113B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/954,907 - Filed: 2013-07-30 - Published: 2015-02-05 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-07-30 - Assignees: Johnson Controls Technology Company - Applicants: Johnson Controls Technology Company - Inventors: Perry M. Wyatt; Thanh T. Nguyen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438113B2 ## CPC - B60L 58/16: responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH] - B60L 1/00: Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00) - B60L 1/003: {to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors} - B60L 3/0046: {relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors} - B60L 50/15: with additional electric power supply (with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61) - B60L 50/64: Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles - B60L 58/14: Preventing excessive discharging - B60L 58/20: having different nominal voltages - B60L 58/22: Balancing the charge of battery modules - B60L 58/26: by cooling - H01M 10/0481: {Compression means other than compression means for stacks of electrodes and separators} - H01M 10/425: {Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00)} - H01M 10/613: Cooling or keeping cold - H01M 10/625: Vehicles - H01M 10/667: the system being an electronic component, e.g. a CPU, an inverter or a capacitor - H01M 50/519: comprising printed circuit boards [PCB] - H01M 50/543: Terminals - H02M 3/158: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load - H02M 3/1582: {Buck-boost converters (H02M3/1584 takes precedence)} - B60L 2210/12: Buck converters - G06F 1/26: Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) - G06F 1/32: Means for saving power - H01M 2010/4271: {Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing} - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - 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 - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A battery module including a first positive terminal, a second positive terminal, a ground terminal, a power conversion circuit, and a power assembly. The power assembly includes a plurality of battery cells coupled in series and disposed in a stacked orientation relative to each other and configured to output a first voltage between the first positive terminal and the ground terminal. The power conversion circuit is electrically coupled to the power assembly and configured to receive the first voltage as an input and to output a second voltage different from the first voltage. The second positive terminal is electrically coupled to the power conversion circuit to receive the second voltage from the power conversion circuit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A battery module, comprising: a first positive terminal; a ground terminal; a power assembly comprising a plurality of pouch battery cells coupled in series and disposed in a stacked orientation relative to each other and configured to output a first voltage between the first positive terminal and the ground terminal, a power conversion circuit electrically coupled to the power assembly configured to receive the first voltage as an input and to output a second voltage different from the first voltage; and a second positive terminal electrically coupled to the power conversion circuit to receive the second voltage from the power conversion circuit wherein the plurality of pouch battery cells is divided into battery cell groups, wherein each of the battery cell groups is configured to provide the second voltage, and wherein the power conversion circuit comprises a voltage multiplexor and a ground multiplexor that selects which of the battery cell groups to provide the second voltage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the ground terminal, the first positive terminal, and the second positive terminal are disposed on an outside edge of the battery module, and the power assembly and the power conversion circuit are disposed inside the battery module. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the first voltage is approximately 48 volts and the second voltage is approximately 12 volts. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the power conversion circuit comprises a buck, boost, or buck-boost DC-to-DC converter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The battery module of claim 4, wherein the battery module comprises a top compression plate configured to compress the plurality of pouch battery cells, and wherein the power conversion circuit is coupled to the top compression plate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the battery module comprises a cell interconnect board, and wherein the power conversion circuit is coupled to the cell interconnect board. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the battery module comprises a cell interconnect board manufactured from a printed circuit board (PCB), and the power conversion circuit is integral with the cell interconnect board. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The battery module of claim 7, wherein the cell interconnect board comprises a filter or clamping circuit configured to reduce or eliminate interruptions in power or spikes in output voltage or current. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the battery module comprises a cooling system configured to cool the battery module, and wherein the power conversion circuit is thermally coupled to the cooling system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the power conversion circuit comprises a buck, boost, or buck-boost converter configured to receive voltage signals from the voltage multiplexor and the ground multiplexor and to output the second voltage and a ground signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the battery module comprises a battery control module (BCM) configured to control the voltage multiplexor and the ground multiplexor of the power conversion circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The battery module of claim 11, wherein the BCM determines which battery cell group(s) to connect to the second positive terminal based on a state of charge of each of the plurality of battery cells. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The battery module of claim 11, wherein the BCM determines which battery cell group to connect to the second positive terminal based on a rate of charge depletion of each of the plurality of battery cells. ### Claim 14 A battery module, comprising: a first positive terminal; a ground terminal; a power assembly comprising a plurality of pouch battery cells coupled in series and disposed in a stacked orientation relative to each other and configured to output a first voltage between the first positive terminal and the ground terminal; a first power conversion circuit electrically coupled to the power assembly and configured to receive the first voltage as an input and to output a second voltage different from the first voltage; a second positive terminal electrically coupled to the first power conversion circuit to receive the second voltage from the first power conversion circuit; a second power conversion circuit electrically coupled to the power assembly and configured to receive the first voltage as an input and to output power at a third voltage different from the first voltage; a cell interconnect board manufactured from a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein the cell interconnect board is integral with the second power conversion circuit, and wherein the cell interconnect board comprises a filter or clamping circuit configured to reduce or eliminate interruptions in power or spikes in output voltage or current and a third positive terminal electrically coupled to the second power conversion circuit to receive the third voltage from the second power conversion circuit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The battery module of claim 14, wherein the first and second power conversion circuits are buck, boost, or buck-boost DC-to-DC converters. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The battery module of claim 14, wherein the battery module comprises a top compression plate configured to compress the plurality of pouch battery cells, and wherein the first and second power conversion circuits are coupled to the top compression plate. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The battery module of claim 14, wherein the battery module comprises a battery control module, and wherein the first power conversion circuit comprises a buck, boost, or buck-boost DC-to-DC converter, and the second power conversion circuit comprises a voltage multiplexor, a ground multiplexor, and a buck, boost, or buck-boost converter controlled by the battery control module. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The battery module of claim 14, wherein the battery module comprises a top compression plate, and wherein the first power conversion circuit is coupled to the top compression plate and the second power conversion circuit is coupled to the cell interconnect board. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The battery module of claim 14, wherein the battery module comprises a cooling system, and at least one of the first and second power conversion circuits are thermally coupled to the cooling system. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The battery module of claim 14, wherein the second and third voltages are equal. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The battery module of claim 20, wherein a first power output associated with the first power conversion circuit and a second power output associated with the second power conversion circuit are not equal. ### Claim 22 (depends on 14) The battery module of claim 14, wherein the second and third voltages are not equal. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pouch battery cells are coupled in series with clamps configured to secure two neighboring electrodes of the plurality of pouch battery cells. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pouch battery cells is stacked adjacent to each other in a horizontal arrangement. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pouch battery cells is stacked adjacent to each other in a vertical arrangement.