Vehicle receiving a system for storing electrical energy

Abstract

The vehicle receives batteries comprising cells arranged into at least one pack configured to be held in a vehicle structure, the pack being alternatively chosen from among at least one pack(P) and at least one pack(E) which are mechanically interchangeable and electrically substitutable. The pack(P) cells exhibit a maximum power density substantially higher than the pack(E) cells exhibit, and comprise cells exhibiting an energy density per unit mass substantially less than the pack(E) cells exhibit. The maximum electrical power of the pack(P) corresponds to the maximum electrical power needed to accomplish a first vehicle mission and the energy storage capacity of the pack(P) is at least sufficient to accomplish the first mission. The electrical energy storage capacity of the pack(E) corresponds to the electrical energy storage capacity needed to accomplish a second vehicle mission and the maximum electrical power is at least sufficient to accomplish the second mission.

Claims

1. A vehicle receiving batteries comprising cells, the batteries being arranged in at least one pack designed to be held within a structure of the vehicle, wherein the pack is alternatively chosen from among at least one pack of a first type, having a first power/energy density characteristic, and at least one pack of a second type, having a second power/energy density characteristic, the two types of packs being mechanically interchangeable and electrically substitutable, the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic comprising cells exhibiting a maximum power density that is substantially higher than that exhibited by the cells of the pack with the second power/energy density characteristic and, the pack with the second power/energy density characteristic comprising cells exhibiting an energy density per unit mass substantially lower than that exhibited by the cells of the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic, and such that: a maximum electrical power of the at least one pack with the first power/energy density characteristic corresponds to a maximum electrical power needed for an accomplishment of a first mission of the vehicle, an energy storage capacity of the at least one pack with the first power/energy density characteristic being at least a capacity needed to accomplish the first mission; and an electrical energy storage capacity of the at least pack with the second power/energy density characteristic corresponds to an electrical energy storage capacity needed for an accomplishment of a second mission of the vehicle, a maximum electrical power being at least the electrical power needed to accomplish the second mission, the vehicle comprising: second guiding mechanisms rigidly attached to a structure of the vehicle provided so as to cooperate with first guiding mechanisms of a pack with the first power/energy density characteristic or of a pack with the second power/energy density characteristic, connection terminals designed to be connected to electrical terminals of a pack with the first power/energy density characteristic or of a pack with the second power/energy density characteristic, a device for monitoring and controlling a power electrical unit of equipment supplied with electricity by one of the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic and pack with the second power/energy density characteristic, the device implementing control laws that are a function of the maximum electrical power able to be supplied by the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic and the pack with the second power/energy density characteristic.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, in which the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic and pack with the second power/energy density characteristic are designed to deliver a substantially identical maximum electrical power.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, in which at least one of: each pack with the first power/energy density characteristic, or each pack with the second power/energy density characteristic, comprises means of identification of the pack, readable by an electrical management system of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of: the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic, or the pack with the second power/energy density characteristic, comprise a management system connected to means for acquiring data representative of parameters of the pack, comprising at least one of: a nominal maximum intensity of a current able to be delivered, a state of charge, a state of health, or the electrical energy storage capacity of the pack, the management system being configured in such a manner as to transmit data representative of these parameters to the monitoring and control device of the power electrical equipment, when one of the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic and pack with the second power/energy density characteristic is installed in the vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the management system is configured to record data representative of parameters of at least one of the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic or the pack with the second power/energy density characteristic.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring and control device is configured such that the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic and pack with the second power/energy density characteristic supply electricity to a drive motor of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, this vehicle being an aircraft comprising at least two wings within which the second guiding mechanisms extend and each comprising: an opening for introducing the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic and the pack with the second power/energy density characteristic configured to be closed off, and at least one connection terminal.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the openings for introduction of the pack with the first power/energy density characteristic and the pack with the second power/energy density characteristic are formed within a root of each wing.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein each introduction opening comprises at least one shutter mobile between a closed-off position of the opening and a clear access position of the opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, presented by way of non-limiting example, and with reference to the figures which show:

(2) FIG. 1: a perspective view of two battery packs of a storage system according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2: a schematic cross-sectional view of one of the battery packs according to FIG. 1 installed in a wing of an aircraft,

(4) FIG. 3: a flow diagram showing the steps of a method for determining characteristics of a battery pack of a system for storing electrical energy to be installed in a vehicle,

(5) FIG. 4: an aircraft conforming to one embodiment of the invention.

(6) In these figures, identical numerical references from one figure to another denote identical or similar elements. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, the drawings are not to scale, unless otherwise stated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) The present invention relates to a system 10 for storing electrical energy of a vehicle, as shown schematically in FIG. 1, comprising a plurality of batteries of cells.

(8) The storage system 10 comprises at least one pack(P) 20 of batteries 30, and at least one pack(E) 21 of batteries 31, the pack(P) and pack(E) being mechanically interchangeable and electrically substitutable and respectively comprising batteries whose cells nominally exhibit maximum power densities substantially different from one another and energy densities per unit mass substantially different from one another.

(9) More precisely, the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 are mechanically interchangeable in the sense that they are designed in such a manner that a pack(P) can replace a pack(E), and vice versa, within the structure of the vehicle, according to the needs of a mission that it must accomplish.

(10) The pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 are electrically substitutable in the sense that they are designed to deliver an electrical energy compatible with the electrical power supply expected by the vehicle to which the packs may be alternatively connected.

(11) The pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 are designed to be held within a structure of the vehicle in order to supply electricity to a power electrical unit of equipment of the vehicle used in the operation of the vehicle, in particular, such as one or more drive motors.

(12) The pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 comprise a support chassis 40 on which the batteries 30, 31 of cells are fixed by any means of attachment known to those skilled in the art. The support chassis 40 comprises first guiding mechanisms 41, rigidly attached to the support chassis 40, designed to cooperate with second guiding mechanisms 42 rigidly attached to the structure of the vehicle, not shown, in such a manner as to be able to guide and precisely place the pack(P) 20 or the pack(E) 21 in the vehicle during insertion or extraction operations.

(13) The first guiding mechanisms 41 are, for example, rollers or sliding shoes fixed to the support chassis 40 and the second guiding mechanisms 42 are for example rails rigidly attached to the structure of the vehicle, in which the rollers or the sliding shoes travel.

(14) The pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 comprise locking means (not shown in the figures) provided for immobilizing the support chassis 40 with respect to the structure of the vehicle when one of the pack(P) 20 or pack(E) 21 is installed in the vehicle.

(15) The locking means implement any type of devices designed to immobilize a load carried by a slider. They may, for example, implement mobile end-stops with manual, automatic or remote controlled positioning. They may also implement quick-positioning attachments such as locking pins, in particular locking pins with a bead locking.

(16) In any case, and in view of the mass of a battery pack and of the damage that an uncontrolled displacement of a pack could produce when the vehicle is in motion, the locking device implemented is designed to avoid an unacceptable probability of failure, by a suitable dimensioning of the structure of the locking mechanism (structure referred to as safe life), and/or by a redundancy of locking mechanisms (structure referred to as fail safe), and by means of monitoring or of safe locking so as to prevent a locking failure.

(17) The pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 also comprise electrical terminals 50 designed to be connected to connection terminals of the vehicle. The electrical terminals 50 are preferably arranged on the support chassis 40 such that each electrical terminal 50 is sitting opposite a connection terminal to which it must be electrically connected when one of the pack(P) 20 or pack(E) 21 is installed in the vehicle.

(18) In one embodiment, the electrical connection is made by a mechanical crimping of lugs onto the electrical terminals and/or the connection terminals.

(19) In one embodiment, the electrical connection is made by means of automatic quick-connect connectors when a pack(P) 20 or when a pack(E) 21 is installed.

(20) The pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 are dimensioned according to their capacity to deliver a maximum electrical power and according to their electrical energy storage capacity, for the accomplishment of missions of the vehicle defining either a critical requirement in terms of maximum electrical power, or defining a critical requirement in terms of storage capacity.

(21) More particularly, the pack(P) 20 of batteries 30 is primarily designed to meet a need for maximum electrical power in use of the vehicle with an energy storage capacity reduced at the most to a minimum acceptable for the mission defining the critical requirement in terms of maximum power. The maximum electrical power of the at least one pack(P) corresponds to the maximum electrical power needed for the accomplishment of a first mission of the vehicle, the energy storage capacity of the at least one pack(P) being at least a capacity needed to accomplish the first mission.

(22) The pack(P) is designed so as to comprise cells exhibiting a maximum power density substantially higher than that exhibited by the cells of the pack(E), and is designed so as to comprise cells exhibiting an energy density per unit mass substantially lower than that exhibited by the cells of the pack(E).

(23) Thus, at an equivalent maximum electrical power, a pack(P) has a lower mass than a pack(E). The installation of a pack(P) in a vehicle advantageously allows the maneuverability and the reactivity of the vehicle to be enhanced.

(24) The pack(E) 21 of batteries 31 is primarily designed to meet a requirement for electrical energy storage capacity, first and foremost to meet a need for autonomy of the vehicle, to the detriment of a maximum power able to be delivered reduced at the most to a minimum acceptable for the mission defining the critical requirement in terms of storage capacity.

(25) The electrical energy storage capacity of the at least one pack(E) corresponds to the electrical energy storage capacity needed for the accomplishment of a second mission of the vehicle, the maximum electrical power being at least the electrical power needed to accomplish the second mission.

(26) Characterizing a critical requirement of a mission by the maximum power to be supplied or by the electrical energy storage capacity needed for the accomplishment of the mission allows the mass of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 to be optimized by dimensioning it according to this critical requirement and according to a minimum admissible for the non-critical requirements.

(27) The arrangement of the batteries 30, 31, respectively within each pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21, is available to those skilled in the art for adjusting the voltage, the maximum current intensity and the electrical energy storage capacity of the pack(P) and pack(E) as a function of the constraints of the mission of the vehicle.

(28) It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the pack(P) 20 and the pack(E) 21 must also comply with the constraints of the vehicle, in particular in terms of volumes and of masses; these aspects are described hereinbelow.

(29) In one embodiment, the electrical terminals 50 of the pack(P) 20 and of the pack(E) 21 are identical such that the various battery packs may be connected indiscriminately onto the same connection interface of the vehicle and of the system for charging or for maintaining the charge when the pack(P) 20 or the pack(E) 21 is stored outside of the vehicle. In addition to a simplification of the storage system 10, this feature participates in the reduction of the mass of the vehicle given that it is not necessary to provide two types, or more, of connection terminals of the vehicle.

(30) Each pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 also carries means of identification, with or without contact, of the type of pack to which it is attached and which can be read by the electrical management system of the vehicle. These means of identification may be mechanical (e.g., an end-stop acting on a detector) and/or optical (e.g., an optical detector of a target or reading of a code), and/or magnetic (e.g., a proximity sensor), and/or electrical (e.g., an electrical contact), and/or radiofrequency (e.g., a radio chip).

(31) The pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 may be configured to be charged by a single charging station. The charging time of a pack(P) 20 is shorter than that of a pack(E) 21; this is notably due to the fact that the internal resistance of the batteries 30 of the pack(P) 20 is lower than that of the batteries 31 pack(E) 21, and to the fact that the batteries 30 of the pack(P) 20 accept charging current intensities higher than those of the pack(E) 21.

(32) The means of identification of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 may advantageously be read by a management module of the charging station so as to identify the type of pack connected to the station. The management module of the charging station is configured for implementing charging profiles according to the type of pack connected.

(33) The pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 comprise a management system connected to means for acquiring data representative of parameters of the pack. These parameters may be characterized by an acceptable nominal maximum intensity of the charging current, a nominal maximum intensity of the current able to be delivered, by a state of charge, by a state of health, by a storage capacity and a temperature of the cells which compose the respective batteries 30 or 31 of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21.

(34) The management system for the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 is configured so as to transmit the data representative of these parameters to a device for monitoring and controlling a power electrical unit of equipment of the vehicle, when it is installed in the vehicle.

(35) The management system for the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 may also transmit to the monitoring and control device data representative of the energy state of the pack(P) 20 or of the pack(E) 21 when the pack to which it is attached is installed in the vehicle. The energy state represents the state of availability of electrical energy of the cells of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21.

(36) The communication of data representative of parameters of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 provides the ability to notably monitor critical quantities for the preservation of the lifetime of the cells composing the batteries 30, 31 of the packs 20, 21.

(37) More precisely, when the device for monitoring and controlling the power equipment of the vehicle has received the data representative of parameters of the pack(P) 20 or of the pack(E) 21 installed in the vehicle, it is able to regulate the energy consumption in order to avoid, for example, any over-discharging or overheating of the cells likely to be detrimental to the lifetime of the batteries 30, 31. By virtue of these features, the ageing of the pack 20, 21 of batteries 30, 31 is minimized and, thus, the lifetime of the packs 20, 21 of batteries 30, 31 is maximized.

(38) The means for acquiring data may be formed by calculation and/or measurement means, depending on the parameters to be monitored. For example, the temperature of the cells may be determined by virtue of temperature probes known per se to those skilled in the art, and the states of charge, the state of health and the state of charge of the cells may be determined by calculation and/or by measurements of voltages under specific conditions.

(39) By way of example, the state of charge is determined by an algorithm, using the voltage, current and temperature measurements for each cell or group of cells, and using onboard charts determined by tests.

(40) The management systems for the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 are configured so as to modulate the data coming from the calculation means as a function of the configuration of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21, notably of the number of batteries that they comprise and of the number of cells composing each of the batteries.

(41) In one embodiment, the management system is designed to record data representative of parameters of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21, for example in order to save the data representative of parameters of a pack(P) 20 or of a pack(E) 21 installed in a vehicle at the completion of a mission. The saved data may subsequently be exploited when the pack(P) 20 or pack(E) 21 is powered up in order to recharge the pack and for the next mission.

(42) The monitoring and control device of the vehicle is configured for implementing control laws for the power electrical equipment according to the type of pack installed in the vehicle.

(43) Thus, the vehicle is designed to be powered by any type of pack without the need for modification of the power electronics and control interfaces.

(44) In the following part of the text, the vehicle designed to implement the electrical energy storage system 10 is an aircraft 1 comprising at least two wings 60. A cross-sectional view of a wing in which a battery pack is installed is shown in FIG. 2.

(45) In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, each wing comprises at least one pack(P) 20 or at least one pack(E) 21. Preferably, the wings 60 comprise an identical mass of batteries 30, 31 so as to ensure the symmetry of the wing loadings. For example, each wing comprises an identical number of the same type of pack.

(46) The second guiding mechanisms 42 provided for cooperating with first guiding mechanisms 41 of a support chassis 40 of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 are rigidly attached to the internal structure of each of the wings 60, such as shown in FIG. 2, in such a manner that they extend within each of the wings 60.

(47) Each wing comprises an opening for introduction of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 through which the pack(P) 20 or pack(E) 21 can be introduced so that the first guiding mechanisms 41 cooperate with the second guiding mechanisms 42.

(48) Preferably, these introduction openings are formed in a root of the wings. The second guiding mechanisms 42 then extend in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the wings 60.

(49) The introduction of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 into the wings 60 is carried out following the installation of the wings 60, the introduction openings being closed off when the wings 60 are fixed to the fuselage of the aircraft 1.

(50) In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, the introduction openings are formed by shutters that are mobile between a closed-off position of the opening and a clear access position of the opening.

(51) The present invention also relates to a method for determining the characteristics of a pack(P) 20 or pack(E) 21 to be installed in a vehicle for the accomplishment of a mission of the vehicle. This method comprises steps for:

(52) 100determination of a maximum output voltage of a pack(P) 20 and of a pack(E) 21 and of the maximum mass of the pack(P) 20 and pack(E) 21 according to the constraints of the vehicle,

(53) 200definition of critical requirements for the accomplishment of missions of the vehicle, from between a requirement for maximum electrical power and a requirement for electrical energy storage capacity,

(54) 300dimensioning of at least one pack(P) 20 so as to comply with a requirement for maximum power defined by a first mission, and with a requirement for a minimum electrical energy storage capacity acceptable for the first mission;

(55) 400dimensioning of at least one pack(E) 21 so as to comply with a requirement for electrical energy storage capacity defined by a second mission, and with a requirement for a minimum electrical power acceptable for the second mission.

(56) More generally, it should be noted that the embodiments and their implementation considered hereinabove have been described by way of non-limiting examples, and that other variants may accordingly be envisaged.

(57) Notably, the invention has been described by principally considering an aircraft. However, according to other examples, nothing excludes other types of vehicle being considered.

(58) While at least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention(s) is disclosed herein, it should be understood that modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the exemplary embodiment(s). In addition, in this disclosure, the terms comprise or comprising do not exclude other elements or steps, the terms a or one do not exclude a plural number, and the term or means either or both. Furthermore, characteristics or steps which have been described may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps and in any order unless the disclosure or context suggests otherwise. This disclosure hereby incorporates by reference the complete disclosure of any patent or application from which it claims benefit or priority.