The present disclosure relates generally to the field of batteries and battery systems. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to battery systems that may be used in vehicular contexts, as well as other energy storage/expending applications.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Vehicles generally use one or more battery systems to power features in the vehicle including the air conditioning, radio, alarm system, and other electronics. To reduce the amount of undesirable emissions products and improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles, improvements have been made to vehicle technologies. For example, some vehicles, such as a micro-hybrid vehicle, may disable the internal combustion engine when the vehicle is idling and utilize a battery system to continue powering the electronics as well as restarting (e.g., cranking) the engine when propulsion is desired. As used herein, the ability to disable the engine and restart the engine when a vehicle is idling is referred to as an “auto-stop” operation. Additionally, some vehicles may utilize techniques, such as regenerative braking, to generate and store electrical power as the vehicle decelerates or coasts. More specifically, as vehicle reduces in speed, a regenerative braking system may convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, which may then be stored and/or used to power to the vehicle.
Thus, as vehicle technologies (e.g., auto-stop and regenerative braking technology) continue to evolve, there is a need to provide improved power sources (e.g., battery systems or modules) for such vehicles. For example, it may be beneficial to improve the power storage and power distribution efficiency for such power sources.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds