WO2025038346A1

WO2025038346A1 - Systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods for configuring an alternator

Info

Publication number: WO2025038346A1
Application number: PCT/US2024/041208
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jake Samuel HARRISON; Andrew Warren
Original assignee: Dragonfly Energy Corp
Current assignee: Dragonfly Energy Corp
Priority date: 2023-08-11
Filing date: 2024-08-07
Publication date: 2025-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 2026-02-11

Abstract

The techniques described herein relate to systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods for characterizing an alternator. An example method includes obtaining a battery system voltage from a battery system, measuring an alternator voltage of an alternator to be connected to the battery system, and connecting the battery system and the alternator after determining that a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage satisfies a threshold.

Description

SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE, AND METHODS FOR CONFIGURING AN ALTERNATOR

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/519,148, filed August 11, 2023, the content of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

[0002] The techniques described herein relate generally to battery charging and, more particularly, to systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods for configuring an alternator.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Alternators are generators of electrical power in a charging system. Some alternators are used in vehicles, such as aerial, land, and/or marine vehicles, which may be to provide power to a variety of onboard systems including a charging system of an onboard battery system. Some such battery systems may be implemented by one or a plurality of electrochemical cells (e.g., battery packs) configured in an arrangement to output a desired current and/or voltage to a vehicle load. Charging systems may use different types of alternators depending on the battery system arrangement.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] In accordance with the disclosed subject matter, apparatus, systems, and methods are provided for configuring an alternator.

[0005] Some embodiments relate to an exemplary method for configuring a battery charging system. The exemplary method includes obtaining a battery system voltage from a battery system, measuring an alternator voltage of an alternator to be connected to the battery system, and connecting the battery system and the alternator after determining that a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage satisfies a threshold.

[0006] Some embodiments relate to an exemplary method for controlling a battery charging system. The exemplary method includes incrementing a first measure of input voltage provided to a field coil of an alternator to a second measure of input voltage, measuring an output of the alternator after the incrementing, generating a data association of the second measure of input voltage and the output, generating an alternator performance profile based at least in part on the data association, the alternator performance profile representative of changes in the output with respect to changes in input voltage, and controlling the output based at least in part on the alternator performance profile.

[0007] Some embodiments relate to an exemplary alternator control system configured to perform any of the aforementioned methods.

[0008] Some embodiments relate to an exemplary apparatus including at least one memory storing instructions, and processor circuitry configured to execute the instructions to perform any of the aforementioned methods.

[0009] Some aspects relate to at least one exemplary non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed, cause processor circuitry to perform any of the aforementioned methods.

[0010] Some aspects relate to an exemplary system including at least one memory storing instructions, and a controller configured to execute the instructions to perform any of the aforementioned methods.

[0011] Some aspects relate to an exemplary system for configuring a battery charging system including an alternator control system interface configured to obtain a battery system voltage from a battery system, an input/output interface configured to receive an alternator voltage of an alternator to be connected to the battery system, and a controller. The controller may be configured to determine whether a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage satisfies a threshold, and generate a control signal to connect the battery system and the alternator based on a determination that the difference satisfies the threshold. [0012] Some aspects relate to an exemplary system for controlling a battery charging system including switch circuitry, an input/output interface configured to receive an output current of an alternator, and a controller. The controller may be configured to control the switch circuitry to increment a first measure of input voltage provided to a field coil of the alternator to a second measure of input voltage, generate a data association of the second measure of input voltage and the output current in response to the second measure of input voltage provided to the field coil, generate an alternator performance profile based at least in part on the data association, the alternator performance profile representative of changes in the output current with respect to changes in input voltage, and control the switch circuitry to cause changes in the output current based at least in part on the alternator performance profile. [0013] The foregoing summary is not intended to be limiting. Moreover, various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented alone or in combination with other aspects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0014] In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like reference character. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, with emphasis instead being placed on illustrating various aspects of the techniques and devices described herein.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary charging system including an alternator control system for controlling an alternator, according to some embodiments. [0016] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary implementation of a portion of the charging system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0017] FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary implementation of a portion of the alternator control system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

[0018] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary workflow to control an alternator based on a characterization of the alternator, according to some embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 5 is a flowchart representative of an example process that may be performed by executing machine-readable instructions using processor circuitry and/or using hardware logic to implement the alternator control system of FIG. 1 to determine electrical compatibility between a battery system and an alternator, according to some embodiments. [0020] FIG. 6 is a flowchart representative of an example process that may be performed by executing machine-readable instructions using processor circuitry and/or using hardware logic to implement the alternator control system of FIG. 1 to control an alternator using enabled switch circuitry, according to some embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 7 is a flowchart representative of an example process that may be performed by executing machine-readable instructions using processor circuitry and/or using hardware logic to implement the alternator control system of FIG. 1 to control an alternator using an alternator performance profile, according to some embodiments.

[0022] FIG. 8 is an example electronic platform structured to execute the machine-readable instructions of FIGS. 5, 6, and/or 7 to implement the alternator control system of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present application generally provides techniques for configuring an alternator. Alternators may be operatively coupled to another component, such as a vehicle engine or other mechanical power source, through an appropriate power transmission system (e.g., belts, chains, gears, combinations of the above, and/or other appropriate types of transmissions). Alternators may have a rotor, a stator, and a rectifier. In operation, the vehicle engine, or other mechanical power source, may drive the rotor on a shaft of the alternator. The rotor may be disposed and/or fit within the stator. While the rotor rotates the stator remains stationary such that the rotor may spin inside the stator without physically contacting the stator.

[0024] Alternators may convert mechanical energy into electrical energy such as by outputting alternating current (AC). For example, when the vehicle engine or other mechanical power source rotates the rotor relative to the stator, the alternator generates and/or outputs AC power, which may be converted to direct current (DC) power using the rectifier. The alternator rectifier may provide the DC power to a load and/or be used to charge one or more batteries. For example, the load can be a vehicle load, such as an electrical device of the vehicle and/or an electromechanical system of the vehicle. The one or more batteries may be a rechargeable battery, such as a lead-acid battery, a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, or any other appropriate chemistry type as the disclosure is not limited to any particular type of electrochemical cell used within a battery system the like. [0025] Some charging systems, such as vehicle charging systems, may control an alternator based on a battery voltage. For example, a field voltage of an alternator may be increased to increase an output parameter of the alternator, such as an output current and/or voltage, when a voltage of a battery connected to the alternator falls below a threshold for charging purposes. The inventors have recognized, however, that configuring alternators for use in such charging systems may be complex and/or difficult. For example, an alternator and a corresponding battery system may be from different manufacturers, suppliers, and/or vendors. Accordingly, the alternator and the battery system may not come with detailed instructions on how to safely connect them together and/or identify their type(s) and configuration(s). To that end, configuring a charging system may require extensive knowledge of both alternators (and their different types and configurations) and battery systems (and their different types and configurations) to efficiently establish appropriate connections and battery charging and discharging protocols, which may change for each alternator and each battery system type. Appropriately configuring such charging systems and alternators has potential for user error, which may cause damage to the charging system (and/or electrical devices connected to the charging system).

[0026] In view of the above difficulties, the inventors have also recognized that some charging systems may include alternators that are inefficiently and/or sub optimally controlled. For example, a specific alternator design (e.g., a particular alternator make and model) may have a first preset performance profile for a first type of battery such as a lead- acid battery and a second preset performance profile for a second type of battery such as a Li- ion battery. The charging system may drive the alternator in accordance with the preset performance profile that corresponds to the battery type. However, batteries of the same type with different designs and/or from different manufacturers may exhibit different behavior and/or performance due to variations in electrical and/or mechanical design, chemical composition, manufacturing processes, and/or other factors. Therefore, an alternator configured to charge a battery system of a particular type in accordance with a preset performance profile for that general type of battery system may nevertheless result in suboptimal operation, which may be manifested by at least undercharging and/or overcharging of the one or more electrochemical cells within a battery system.

[0027] The inventors have developed technology that overcomes the challenges of configuring an alternator, and/or, more generally, a charging system, for use with a battery system. The inventor’s technology may also optimize and/or otherwise improve alternator control and/or operation. In some embodiments, an alternator control system (ACS) may overcome the challenges of configuring prior alternators/charging systems by at least identifying an alternator based on a nominal voltage associated with the alternator. For example, the ACS may measure a voltage of one or more outputs (e.g., output interfaces, output terminals) of the alternator. In some embodiments, the ACS may determine that the alternator is a 12 volt (V) nominal alternator, a 24 V nominal alternator, etc., based on the measured voltage. For example, the ACS may determine that the alternator is a 12 V nominal alternator based on a measured voltage of 14.6 V (or a different voltage that is within a threshold difference of 12 V nominal).

[0028] In some embodiments, the ACS may determine whether the alternator is electrically compatible with a battery system prior to connecting the alternator and battery system. For example, the ACS may measure a nominal voltage associated with a battery system, which may include one or more batteries. In some embodiments, the ACS may determine that the battery system is a 12 V nominal battery system, a 24 V nominal battery system, etc., based on the measured voltage. For example, the ACS may determine that the battery system is a 12 V nominal battery system based on a measured voltage of 13.6 V (or a different voltage that is within a threshold difference of 12 V nominal). In some embodiments, the ACS may measure the voltage of 13.6 V by using a sensor (e.g., a voltage sensor). In some embodiments, the ACS may determine the voltage of 13.6 V by the battery system reporting the voltage to the ACS via a wired and/or wireless network (e.g., a mesh network).

[0029] In some embodiments, the ACS may measure the nominal voltage associated with the battery system and compare the nominal voltage to a nominal voltage of the alternator. For example, the ACS may determine that an alternator is electrically compatible with a battery system based on the alternator having the same or substantially similar nominal voltage to that of the battery system. By way of example, the ACS may determine that a 12 V nominal alternator is electrically compatible with a 12 V nominal battery system based on the alternator having the same nominal voltage to that of the battery system.

[0030] In some embodiments, the ACS may determine that an alternator is not electrically compatible (e.g., electrically incompatible) with a battery system due to a difference in nominal voltage between them. For example, the ACS may determine that a 12 V nominal battery system (or a 24 V nominal battery system) is not electrically compatible with a 48 V nominal alternator based on the comparison of the 12 V nominal voltage (or the 24 V nominal voltage) and the 48 V nominal voltage of the alternator (and/or a 48 V nominal voltage of an electrical rail associated with the alternator).

[0031] Beneficially, by determining whether an alternator is electrically compatible with a battery system prior to their connection, a user may overcome the aforementioned challenges of configuring charging systems. For example, the ACS may present a notification to the user indicating that the alternator and the battery system are electrically compatible and, in some embodiments, make the connection via one or more switches. Such a notification may enable a user to configure the charging system with improved efficiency and safety. For example, the user can configure the charging system with less rework and/or troubleshooting compared to configuring prior charging systems. In some embodiments, the ACS may present a notification to the user indicating that the alternator and the battery system are not electrically compatible. For example, in response to the notification, the user may replace the alternator with one of a different type, reconfigure the battery system, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof.

[0032] In some embodiments, the ACS may overcome the challenges of configuring prior charging systems by enabling or disabling alternator control circuitry based on a type (e.g., a detected type) of alternator being configured. For example, the ACS may measure a voltage associated with the alternator, which may include measuring a voltage between a control circuit of the alternator and ground. Based on the measured voltage, the ACS may determine that the alternator is a current sinking alternator (e.g., a P-Type alternator) or a current sourcing alternator (e.g., an N-Type alternator). By way of example, the ACS may provide a positive current to control a current sinking alternator or provide a negative current to control a current sourcing alternator.

[0033] In some embodiments, the ACS may enable a first alternator control circuit, which may correspond to a current sinking alternator type, to control an alternator after determining that the alternator is a current sinking alternator. In some embodiments, the ACS may enable a second alternator control circuit, which may correspond to a current sourcing alternator type, to control an alternator after determining that the alternator is a current sourcing alternator. In some such embodiments, the ACS may also optionally disable the other alternator control circuit such that only the desired enabled control circuit is enabled to control operation of the electrically connected alternator. Beneficially, by selecting (e.g., automatically selecting) the alternator control circuit based on a detected type of alternator, the ACS may overcome the challenges of configuring prior charging systems by configuring the alternator with a reduced likelihood of error and an improved level of efficiency and/or safety as disclosed herein.

[0034] In some embodiments, the ACS may overcome the challenges of sub optimally operating prior charging systems by operating a charging system in accordance with an alternator performance profile of an alternator that corresponds to the alternator. For example, the alternator performance profile for an alternator may be representative of changes in an output parameter of the alternator, such as an output current, in response to changes in an input parameter of the alternator, such as an input voltage, for a range of the input parameter. In some such embodiments, the alternator performance profile for an alternator may be implemented by a voltage (e.g., input voltage) with respect to current (e.g., output current) relationship that is specific to the alternator.

[0035] In some embodiments, the alternator performance profile may be established and/or generated based on historic data and/or logged data for the alternator. For example, the ACS may record data, such as input param eter(s) and/or output param eter(s) of the alternator as described herein, during a lifecycle (or portion(s) thereof) of the alternator. The lifecycle may include a plurality of stages such as manufacturing, testing, validation, initialization, and/or operation of the alternator. Any other lifecycle stage is contemplated. [0036] In some embodiments, the ACS may generate and/or establish an alternator performance profile by measuring and/or observing relationships between changes in output parameter(s) of the alternator in response to changes to input parameter(s) of the alternator for range(s) of the input parameter(s). By way of example, the ACS may incrementally increase an input parameter of an alternator until a threshold value of one or more parameters of a battery system and/or the alternator is satisfied. For example, the ACS may iteratively increment the input parameter, such as an input voltage provided to a field coil of the alternator, until one or more thresholds are exceeded. By way of example, the ACS may measure the SoC and output parameter(s) from the alternator in response to the incremental increase of the input parameter. The ACS may determine a relationship between a value of the input parameter and the SoC and/or the output parameter value(s). The ACS may determine whether to continue increasing the input parameter based at least in part on the SoC and/or the output parameter value(s). For example, the ACS may determine to continue incrementally increasing the input parameter if the SoC does not satisfy an SoC threshold, the output voltage of the alternator does not satisfy an output voltage threshold, an output current of the alternator does not satisfy an output current threshold, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. In some such embodiments, the ACS may determine relationships between the input and output parameters for each incremental increase of the input parameter.

[0037] In some embodiments, the ACS may determine to cease and/or stop increasing the input parameter if at least one of one or more thresholds are exceeded. For example, the ACS may determine to stop increasing an input parameter, such as an input voltage provided to a field coil of an alternator, after determining that at least one threshold is exceeded. By way of example, the ACS may determine that an input voltage provided to the alternator causes sufficient output current to a battery system such that an SoC associated with a battery system coupled to the alternator satisfies the SoC threshold (e.g., the battery system is charged and/or maintained to a desired SoC). By way of another example, the ACS may determine that the input voltage provided to the alternator causes an output voltage of the alternator to exceed an output voltage threshold. By way of yet another example, the ACS may determine that the input voltage provided to the alternator causes an output current of the alternator to exceed an output current threshold. After determining that at least one threshold is exceeded, the ACS may stop increasing the input parameter and generate and/or establish an alternator performance profile. The ACS may generate and/or establish the alternator performance profile based at least in part on the relationships between the input parameter(s) and the output parameter(s) (e.g., the SoC associated with the battery system, the output voltage, the output current, etc.) of the alternator for a range of the input parameter(s) observed during the incrementing of the input param eter(s).

[0038] Beneficially, the ACS may control and/or otherwise cause operation of the alternator using the alternator performance profile for optimized and/or otherwise improved operation of the alternator. For example, the ACS may determine to provide a specific output parameter, such as a specific output current, to a battery system and determine the output parameter by mapping the output parameter to a corresponding input parameter, such as an input voltage, using the alternator performance profile. In some such embodiments, the ACS may provide the input voltage to the alternator to cause the alternator to generate the specific output current to achieve a desired charging outcome. Beneficially, the ACS may generate alternator performance profiles on a per-altemator basis such that an alternator may be controlled according to its own profile rather than according to a blanket and/or preset performance profile that is not necessarily customized and/or tailored to the specific alternator in operation.

[0039] Turning to the figures, the illustrated example of FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example charging system 100 including an alternator control system (ACS) 102 for controlling an alternator 104. For example, the charging system 100 may be a battery charging system such that the alternator 104 may be operated and/or controlled to charge one or more battery systems where each battery system may include one or more electrochemical cells configured to store electrical energy. In some embodiments, the ACS 102, the alternator 104, and/or, more generally, the charging system 100, may be included in a vehicle, such as an aerial vehicle (e.g., a human piloted aircraft, a drone, a rotorcraft, etc.), a land vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a bus, a truck, etc.), a marine vehicle (e.g., a boat, a ship, a vessel, etc.), etc., though embodiments in which the ACS is used in a stationary or other type of application are also contemplated. Thus, the ACS 102, the alternator 104, and/or, more generally, the charging system 100, may be incorporated in and/or be connected to any electrical generator capable of outputting electrical energy.

[0040] In some embodiments, the ACS 102 of the illustrated example may implement a regulator. For example, the ACS 102 may be an alternator regulator. The ACS 102 of the illustrated example includes an ACS interface 106, a controller 108, switch circuitry 110, and input/output (VO) interfaces 112. The I/O interfaces 112 include a plurality of input and/or output ports, terminals, or the like configured to receive and/or transmit electrical signals. The I/O interfaces 112 of this example include a current port (identified by CURRENT) configured to receive a current measurement from a current sensor 114. The I/O interfaces 112 include a switch port (identified by SWITCH) configured to control actuation of one or more switches including at least one switch 116.

[0041] Non-limiting examples of switches include electromechanical switches and electronic switches. For example, an electromechanical switch may be a switch including one or more electrical and/or mechanical components. Non-limiting examples of an electromechanical switch include a relay, such as a contactor, a force-guided contacts relay, a latching relay, a solid-state contactor, or a solid-state relay. Non-limiting examples of electronic switches include transistors, power diodes, silicon controlled rectifiers, and gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs). Non-limiting examples of transistors include field-effect transistor (FETs), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) (e.g., NPN BJTs, PNP BJTs), and insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). Non-limiting examples of FETs include power FETs and MOSFETs (e.g., p-channel MOSFETs, n-channel MOSFETs, etc.). Any other type of electromechanical switch and/or electronic switch is contemplated.

[0042] The I/O interfaces 112 include positive and negative voltage ports (identified respectively by “+” and “-”) configured to measure an output voltage from the alternator 104. The I/O interfaces 112 include a field port (identified by FIELD(F)) configured to provide an alternator control input signal (identified by “F” and also referred to herein as a “field terminal”) to the alternator 104. For example, the field port can generate and/or provide an input voltage to the field windings, and/or, more generally, the field coil, of the rotor of the alternator 104. The I/O interfaces 112 include a stator port (identified by STATOR) configured to receive data representative of a rotational speed (e.g., data in revolutions-per- minute (RPM) units of measure) of the rotor of the alternator 104. For example, the stator port can receive electrical signal(s) representative of a measurement from a speed sensor on the stator of the alternator 104. The I/O interfaces 112 include a temperature port (identified by TEMPERATURE) configured to receive a temperature measurement measured by a temperature sensor 118. The temperature sensor 118 can be configured to measure a temperature (e.g., a surface temperature) of the alternator 104. Non-limiting examples of the temperature sensor 118 include infrared sensors, negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermocouples, and thermostats. Any other type of temperature sensor is contemplated.

[0043] The ACS 102 may include the ACS interface 106 to transmit data to and/or receive data from a battery management system (BMS) 120. The ACS interface 106 may transmit data to and/or receive data from the BMS 120 via one or more wired connections, one or more wireless connections, and/or any combination(s) thereof. For example, the ACS interface 106 can effectuate communication with the BMS 120 via a network 122. The network 122 may be implemented by any wired and/or wireless network(s), such as one or more cellular networks (e.g., 4G LTE cellular networks, 5G cellular networks, future generation 6G cellular networks, etc.), one or more data buses, one or more local area networks (LANs), one or more Bluetooth connections, one or more Zigbee connections, one or more optical fiber networks, one or more private networks, one or more public networks, one or more wireless local area networks (WLANs), one or more mesh networks, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. Any other type of wireless and/or peer-to-peer (P2P) network is contemplated. For example, the network 122 may be a mesh network formed at least in part by the ACS 102 and the BMS 120, or portion(s) thereof. Alternatively, the network 122 may be the Internet, but any other type of private and/or public network is contemplated.

[0044] The BMS 120 of the illustrated example incudes a BMS interface 124, a battery interface 126, and a battery system 128. The battery system 128 of this example includes a plurality of batteries 130. Alternatively, the battery system 128 may include a single battery. In some embodiments, the ACS interface 106 may obtain data from the BMS interface 124 and/or, more generally, the BMS 120, such as battery data associated with the battery system 128 and/or load data associated with one or more of a plurality of loads 132. For example, the battery data may include a nominal voltage of respective ones of the batteries 130. In some embodiments, the nominal voltage may be measured using one or more sensors (e.g., a voltage sensor). Additionally or alternatively, the nominal voltage of the respective batteries 130, and/or, more generally, the battery system 128, may be stored in memory and/or mass storage of the BMS 120. For example, the memory and/or mass storage may be included in the battery interface 126 and/or otherwise accessible by the battery interface 126. For example, the nominal voltage of the respective batteries 130 may be programmed and/or stored, such as by a user, in the BMS 120.

[0045] In some embodiments, the battery data may include a state-of-charge (SoC) data value of respective ones of the batteries 130. An SoC of a battery refers to a level of charge of the battery relative to its capacity. For example, a battery SoC may be a measurement of the amount of energy available in a battery at a specific time expressed as a percentage, amp hours, or other appropriate measurement of the SoC of the battery. In some embodiments, the load data may include a data value representative of a current (e.g., electrical current) provided from the batteries 130 to respective ones of the loads 132.

[0046] The loads 132 of this example are coupled (e.g., electrically coupled, physically coupled) to one(s) of the batteries 130. Additionally or alternatively, the loads 132 may be coupled to one(s) of the batteries 130 through one or more intermediary mechanical and/or electrical components, such as a circuit breaker, a relay, a switch, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the loads 132 may be vehicle loads, such as an air conditioning system, an electrical device such as an infotainment system (e.g., one or more displays, dials, knobs, speakers, switches), an electrically actuated hydraulic system, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. Any other type of load (e.g., electrical load) is contemplated.

[0047] In some embodiments, the BMS interface 124 may obtain the battery data and/or the load data from the battery interface 126. For example, the battery interface 126 may include and/or be implemented at least in part by one or more sensors. For example, the battery interface 126 may be coupled (e.g., electrically coupled, physically coupled) to one(s) of the batteries 130 through one or more sensors and/or any other electrical component(s). In some embodiments, the one or more sensors may include one or more current sensors. Nonlimiting examples of current sensors include coulomb counters, shunt-sensor based current measurement devices, and magnetic field-based current sensors (e.g., Hall or Hall-effect sensors, fluxgate sensors). Any other type of current sensor is contemplated. By way of example, the battery interface 126 may include a coulomb counter or other appropriate device capable of measuring and integrating a discharge current of a battery over time to estimate and/or determine an SoC of the battery during discharge.

[0048] In some embodiments, the one or more sensors may include one or more voltage sensors. Non-limiting examples of voltage sensors include capacitive-type voltage sensors and resistive-type voltage sensors. Any other type of voltage sensor is contemplated. By way of example, the battery interface 126 may remove, disconnect, and/or separate one of the batteries 130 from the battery system 128 such as by opening one or more switches. In some embodiments, after the removal/disconnection/separation, the battery interface 126 may measure, with a capacitive-type voltage sensor, a voltage of the one of the batteries 130 such that the SoC of the battery may be estimated and/or determined based on the measured voltage.

[0049] By way of example, the battery interface 126 may measure an SoC of respective ones of the batteries 130 using one or more current and/or voltage sensors. In some embodiments, the battery interface 126 may measure a voltage of respective ones of the batteries 130 when they are disconnected from each other using voltage sensor(s). In some embodiments, the battery interface 126 may measure a voltage of the battery system 128 when the batteries 130 are connected to each other using voltage sensor(s). In some embodiments, the battery interface 126 may measure current provided from the battery system 128 to respective ones of the loads 132 using current sensor(s).

[0050] Turning back to the ACS 102, the ACS interface 106 may receive the battery data and/or the load data and provide the received data to the controller 108 for processing. In some embodiments, the ACS 102 may include the controller 108 to detect and/or identify a type of the alternator 104 and determine electrical compatibility with the battery system 128 based on at least in part on the alternator type. In some embodiments, a type of the alternator 104 can refer to a nominal operating voltage of the alternator. For example, a first alternator type can be a 12 V nominal operating voltage alternator type and a second type can be a 24 V nominal operating voltage alternator type.

[0051] In some embodiments, the controller 108 can determine a type of the alternator 104 by determining whether a measurement associated with the alternator 104 satisfies a threshold. By way of example, the controller 108 can measure the output voltage of the alternator 104 while the alternator 104 is disconnected from the battery system 128. The controller 108 can open the switch 116 such that the positive terminal of the alternator 104 is disconnected from the positive terminals of the battery system 128. In some such embodiments, the controller 108 can determine that the alternator 104 is a 12 V nominal alternator by measuring an output voltage of 13.6 V of the alternator and determining that the output voltage is within a difference threshold of 12 V nominal. For example, the controller 108 can determine that the output voltage of 13.6 V is within a difference threshold (e.g., 1.6 V, 2 V, 2.5) of 12 V nominal and thereby satisfies the difference threshold. In some embodiments, the controller 108 can determine that the output voltage of 13.6 V is within a percentage threshold (e.g., 15%, 20%, 25%, etc.) of 12 V nominal and thereby satisfies the percentage threshold. In some such embodiments, after determining that the output voltage 13.6 satisfies the difference threshold and/or the percentage threshold, the controller 108 can determine that the alternator 104 is a 12 V nominal alternator. Alternatively, the controller 108 may determine that the alternator 104 is a 24 V nominal alternator based on the output voltage. For example, the controller 108 may measure the output voltage to be 25.8 V, the threshold percentage may be 15%, and the output voltage of 25.8 may thereby satisfy the threshold percentage (e.g., 25.8 is less than 27.6 V, where 27.6 V = 24 V + (24 V * 0.15)). Values for the aforementioned voltages, percentages, and/or thresholds are exemplary, and any other value(s) is/are contemplated.

[0052] In some embodiments, the controller 108 can evaluate electrical compatibility between the alternator 104 and the battery system 128. For example, the controller 108 can determine whether the alternator 104 and the battery system 128 exhibit the same nominal voltage within a desired operating difference threshold. In some embodiments, the controller 108 can obtain the nominal voltage of the batteries 130, and/or, more generally, the battery system 128, via the network 122. The controller 108 can compare the nominal voltage associated with the battery system 128 and the nominal voltage of the alternator 104. The controller 108 can determine that the battery system 128 and the alternator 104 are electrically compatible by determining that they are of the same nominal voltage.

Alternatively, the controller 108 may determine that the battery system 128 and the alternator 104 are not electrically compatible by determining that they are not of the same nominal voltage. For example, the controller 108 may determine that the alternator 104 is a 12 V nominal alternator and the batteries 130 are configured in an arrangement such that the nominal voltage of the battery system 128 is 24 V and the controller 108 may thereby determine that they are not electrically compatible with each other, though other specific voltages for the battery system 128 and the alternator 104 may also be used as the above values are exemplary.

[0053] In some embodiments, the controller 108 can control actuation of the switch port based on the electrical compatibility determination. For example, after a determination that the alternator 104 and the battery system 128 are electrically compatible, the controller 108 can transmit a control signal to the switch 116 via the switch port to close the switch 116. By closing the switch 116, the positive terminal (identified by “+”) of the alternator 104 can be connected to the positive terminals of the battery system 128. In some embodiments, after a determination that the alternator 104 and the battery system 128 are not electrically compatible, the controller 108 can transmit a control signal to the switch 116 via the switch port to open the switch 116 and/or maintain the switch 116 in an open state. By opening the switch 116 and/or maintaining the switch 116 in an open state, the positive terminal (identified by “+”) of the alternator 104 can be disconnected from the positive terminals of the battery system 128. Beneficially, by connecting the alternator 104 and the battery system 128 based on their electrical compatibility, the ACS 102 can facilitate their connection with improved efficiency, enhanced safety, and/or reduced likelihood of damage.

[0054] In some embodiments, the controller 108 can control the switch circuitry 110, or portion(s) thereof, to control the alternator 104 based on the type of alternator that is connected to the ACS 102 as different types of alternators may need to be controlled using different types of control circuitry. The switch circuitry 110 of this example may include one or a plurality of independently controlled switch circuits. Each of the independently controlled switch circuits may correspond to and/or effectuate operation of a different type of alternator. For example, the switch circuitry 110 may include a first switch circuit configured to control a current sinking alternator. Furthering the example, the switch circuitry 110 may include a second switch circuit configured to control a current sourcing alternator. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may enable first one(s) of the independently controlled switch circuits and/or disable second one(s) of the independently controlled switch circuits based on a detected and/or identified type of the alternator 104 such that the enabled one(s) correspond to the detected and/or identified alternator type.

[0055] In some embodiments, the switch circuitry 110 may include one or more switches to implement the one or the plurality of independently controlled switch circuits. For example, the one or more switches can be control switches and/or circuitry capable of selectively connecting/disconnecting systems connected thereto. In some embodiments, the one or more switches can be electromechanical switches or electronic switches.

[0056] Beneficially, the alternator 104 may be configured with improved efficiency, enhanced safety, and/or reduced likelihood of damage by enabling/disabling (e.g., automatically enabling/disabling) the switch circuits based on a type of the alternator 104. Beneficially, by including switch circuits configured for different types of alternators, the ACS 102 may be utilized for a variety of alternators such that the ACS 102 is type agnostic. For example, the ACS 102 may be packaged with an electrical cable assembly (e.g., a cable harness, a wire harness, etc.) configured to be used with any type of alternator because the ACS 102 may configure itself to control the alternator 104, based on detecting the alternator type, rather than cause a user to configure the electrical cable assembly and/or the alternator 104 in accordance with the alternator type.

[0057] In some embodiments, the controller 108, and/or, more generally, the ACS 102, can optimize and/or otherwise improve operation of the alternator 104 for use with a battery system by characterizing its behavior and/or performance in response to a range of inputs rather than using a predetermined alternator performance profile which may or may not match the characteristics of the actual alternator connected to the ACS. For example, the controller 108 can perform a characterization process on the alternator 104 to generate an alternator performance profile customized and/or tailored to the specific alternator 104 without needing to identify the specific type of alternator and/or needing to have access to a predetermined performance profile for that specific alternator. This may greatly simplify and streamline the configuration and control of an ACS for use with a battery system. [0058] In some embodiments, the controller 108 can execute the characterization process by generating an initial amount (e.g., an initial quantity, an initial measure) of an input parameter, such as an input voltage, to be provided from the field port of the I/O interfaces 112 to the field terminal of the alternator 104. The alternator 104 may be operated in accordance with the initial amount of the input parameter. By way of example, the rotor of the alternator 104 may spin with a rotational speed that is proportional to the initial amount of input voltage. Furthering the example, the controller 108 can obtain alternator data associated with the initial amount of input voltage. Non-limiting examples of alternator data include a temperature measurement, an RPM measurement, an output voltage, and an output current. For example, the controller 108 can obtain a temperature measurement via the temperature sensor 118. The controller 108 can obtain an RPM of the rotor via the stator terminal of the alternator 104. The controller 108 can obtain an output current of the alternator 104 via the current sensor 114. The controller 108 can obtain an output voltage of the alternator 104 via the positive/negative terminals of the alternator 104.

[0059] In some embodiments, the controller 108 can generate relationships, which may be implemented as data associations, based on the initial amount of the input parameter and one(s) of the obtained measurements. For example, the controller 108 can generate a first data association of the initial amount of input voltage and the output current. In some embodiments, the controller 108 can generate a second data association of the initial amount of input voltage and at least one of the temperature measurement, the RPM measurement, the output current, or the output voltage.

[0060] In some embodiments, the controller 108 can determine whether the characterization process is complete (e.g., sufficiently complete, entirely complete) based on battery data and/or load data. For example, the controller 108 can obtain battery data from the BMS 120, such as an SoC of respective ones of the batteries 130, associated with the initial amount of input voltage. The controller 108 can compare the SoC (or a plurality of SoCs) to a threshold such as an SoC threshold. For example, the controller 108 can determine that, based on an SoC of the respective ones of the batteries 130 meeting and/or exceeding an SoC threshold, the alternator 104 is outputting a sufficient output current and/or voltage to maintain the batteries 130 at a desired and/or predetermined SoC during the characterization process. If the desired SoC is met during the characterization process, the characterization process may be complete and the controller 108 can generate and/or output an alternator performance profile representative of changes in output param eter(s), such as an output current and/or an output voltage of the alternator 104, with respect to changes in an input parameter, such as an input voltage, provided by the ACS 102. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 108 may generate the alternator performance profile based on historic and/or logged data recorded during one or more lifecycle stages of the alternator 104. For example, the controller 108 may store data value(s) of the input param eter(s) and/or output param eter(s) of the alternator 104 in at least one memory, one or more mass storage devices, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. In some such embodiments, the controller 108 may retrieve the stored data value(s) and generate the alternator performance profile based at least in part on the stored data value(s).

[0061] In some embodiments, the alternator performance profile may be implemented by a curve (e.g., an alternator curve, a behavior curve, a performance curve, etc.) representing relationships between an input parameter (e.g., input voltage, input current) and an output parameter (e.g., output current, output voltage). In some embodiments, the alternator performance profile may be implemented by a table, such as a mapping table, a look-up table, etc. In some embodiments, the alternator performance profile may be implemented by one or more equations that may represent the relationships between an input parameter and output parameter of the alternator 104. For example, the controller 108 may calculate an output current with the one or more equations using an input voltage as an input variable.

[0062] In some embodiments, the controller 108 can determine during the characterization process that the alternator 104 is not outputting a sufficient output current and/or voltage based on an SoC of the respective ones of the batteries 130 not meeting and/or exceeding the SoC threshold. In some such embodiments, the controller 108 can increase (e.g., incrementally increase) the initial amount of the input parameter, such as a first amount of input voltage, to a subsequent amount of the input parameter, such as a second amount of input voltage greater than the first amount of input voltage. By way of example, after the increase, the controller 108 may obtain and/or measure at least one of the output current, the output voltage, the RPM, or the temperature associated with the alternator 104. The controller 108 may generate data association(s) thereof. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may determine that the characterization process is complete or may determine that subsequent iterations are needed (e.g., subsequent increases in input voltage) for generation of the alternator performance profile.

[0063] In some embodiments, the controller 108 may generate and/or store the alternator performance profile to effectuate optimized and/or otherwise improved control of the alternator 104. For example, after the characterization process, the controller 108 may control the alternator 104 in accordance with the alternator performance profile. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may determine, based on battery data and/or load data, to provide a corresponding amount of input voltage to the alternator 104. For example, the controller 108 may determine that a specific output characteristic of the alternator 104 is desired such as a particular output current. In some such embodiments, the controller 108 may identify the input voltage that corresponds to the output current based on a mapping of the output current to the input voltage using the alternator performance profile. For example, the controller 108, based on the mapping, may provide the input voltage from the field port to the field terminal of the alternator 104 for control thereof in accordance with the alternator performance profile.

[0064] While example implementation(s) of the ACS 102 and/or the BMS 120 is/are depicted in FIG. 1, other implementations are contemplated. For example, one or more blocks, components, functions, etc., of the ACS 102 and/or the BMS 120 may be combined or divided in any other way. The ACS 102 and/or the BMS 120 of the illustrated example may be implemented by hardware alone, or by a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. For example, the ACS 102 and/or the BMS 120 may be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuits (e.g., comparators, operational amplifiers, etc.), one or more hardware-implemented state machines, one or more programmable processors (e.g., central processing units (CPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.), one or more network interfaces (e.g., network interface circuitry, network interface cards (NICs), smart NICs, etc.), one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more memories (e.g., non-volatile memory, volatile memory, etc.), one or more mass storage disks or devices (e.g., hard-disk drives (HDDs), solid-state disk (SSD) drives, etc.), etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. The ACS 102 of the illustrated example is implemented as a single, physical hardware device, such as being in the same electrical enclosure, housing, etc. Alternatively, one or more portions of the ACS 102 may be implemented as two or more separate physical hardware devices. The BMS 120 of the illustrated example is implemented as a single, physical hardware device, such as being in the same electrical enclosure, housing, etc. Alternatively, one or more portions of the BMS 120 may be implemented as two or more separate physical hardware devices.

[0065] FIG. 2 depicts an example implementation of a portion of the charging system 100 of FIG. 1. For example, FIG. 2 depicts the ACS 102 of FIG. 1 and the alternator 104 of FIG. 1. The ACS 102 of this example includes the controller 108 and the switch circuitry 110 of FIG. 1. The implementation of the switch circuitry 110 of FIG. 1 depicted in this example includes at least a first switch 202 (identified by High Side Switch) and a second switch 204 (identified by Low Side Switch). The implementation of the ACS 102 of FIG. 1 depicted in this example includes a first port 206 and a second port 208. For example, the first port 206 can correspond to the positive voltage port (identified by “+”) of the I/O interfaces 112 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the second port 208 can correspond to the negative voltage port (identified by

of the I/O interfaces 112 of FIG. 1.

[0066] In the illustrated example of FIG. 2, the ACS 102 is coupled to the alternator 104. For example, at least one of the first switch 202 or the second switch 204, and/or, more generally, the switch circuitry 110, is coupled to the field terminal of the alternator 104 via a third port 210. In some embodiments, the third port 210 can correspond to the field terminal of the I/O interfaces 112 of FIG. 1. In the illustrated example, an alternator output 212 of the alternator 104 is provided to the controller 108 via a fourth port 214. For example, the fourth port 214 can correspond to the current port (identified by CURRENT) of the I/O interfaces 112. In the illustrated example, the alternator output 212 corresponds to an output from the current sensor 114 of FIG. 1.

[0067] In some examples, the switches 202, 204 are implemented by transistors. For example, the switches 202, 204 may each be the same type of transistor while in other examples they may each be a different type of transistor. Alternatively, one or both switches 202, 204 may be a different type of switch, such as an electromechanical switch or a different type of electronic switch.

[0068] In some embodiments, the first switch 202 is configured to control a first alternator type such as a current sinking type. In some embodiments, the second switch 204 can be configured to control a second alternator type such as a current sourcing type. For example, the controller 108 can measure a voltage (e.g., an alternator field voltage) of the field terminal of the alternator 104 through the switch circuitry 110. The controller 108 can determine that the alternator 104 is a current sinking type by determining that the alternator field voltage is negative or approximately zero with respect to a reference voltage (e.g., Earth ground, a ground voltage). Alternatively, the controller 108 may determine that the alternator 104 is a current sourcing type by determining that the alternator field voltage is positive with respect to the reference voltage.

[0069] In example operation, the controller 108 may detect that the alternator 104 is a current sinking alternator. The controller 108 may close, turn on, and/or enable the first switch 202, which can correspond to a current sinking alternator type. The controller 108 may open, turn off, and/or disable the second switch 204, which can correspond to a current sourcing alternator type. Beneficially, the controller 108 can enable (e.g., automatically enable) a corresponding one of the switches 202, 204 in accordance with the detected type of the alternator 104 to reduce configuration and/or installation complexity and/or enhance safety. [0070] In example operation, after enabling the first switch 202 (and disabling the second switch 204), the controller 108 may generate and/or output at least a control signal 216 to drive the first switch 202. In some embodiments, the control signal 216 can include a first control signal to control the first switch 202 and/or a second control signal to control the second switch 204 to implement independent control of the switches 202, 204. For example, in response to the control signal 216, the first switch 202 may conduct with a first strength such that a first amount of voltage is generated and provided to the field terminal of the alternator 104 through the first switch 202. The alternator 104 may generate an output (e.g., an output current) to a battery system such as the battery system 128 of FIG. 1. The output may be provided as feedback to the controller 108 by way of the output from the current sensor 114. For example, the controller 108 may adjust, change, and/or modify the control signal 216 based on and/or in response to the feedback. For example, the controller 108 may change the control signal 216 to increase the conduction strength of the first switch 202 if the feedback indicates the alternator output is less than a threshold (e.g., a current threshold). In some embodiments, the controller 108 may change the control signal 216 to decrease the conduction strength of the first switch 202 if the feedback indicates the alternator output is greater than the threshold. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may maintain the control signal 216 to maintain the conduction strength of the first switch 202 if the feedback indicates the alternator output meets (e.g., approximately meets) the threshold.

[0071] FIG. 3 depicts an example implementation of a portion of the ACS 102 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2. For example, FIG. 3 may depict a portion of the switch circuitry 110 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2. The switch circuitry 110 of this example includes the first switch 202 and the second switch 204 of FIG. 2, which are respectively identified as SW1 and SW2. In this example, the first switch 202 and the second switch 204 are n-channel MOSFETs. Alternatively, the switch circuitry 110 of the illustrated example may be configured such that the first switch 202 and/or the second switch 204 may be any other type of transistor, electronic switch, or electromechanical switch.

[0072] The first switch 202 of the illustrated example of FIG. 3 is configured to be enabled (or disabled) in response to a first control signal 302 (identified by HIGH SIDE SIGNAL). In some embodiments, the first control signal 302 can be implemented by the control signal 216 of FIG. 2. For example, the controller 108 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 can generate the first control signal 302 such that the first switch 202 can be enabled to provide voltage to the field terminal of the alternator 104 through the field port of the I/O interfaces 112 of FIG. 1, which is shown as reference numeral 304 and may be referred to as the alternator field voltage. [0073] The second switch 204 of the illustrated example of FIG. 3 is configured to conduct current from the field terminal of the alternator 104 through the field port of the VO interfaces 112 of FIG. 1, which is shown as reference numeral 304. For example, the second switch 204 can be used when the alternator 104 is a current sourcing type such that the alternator 104 is outputting positive current and may be conducted by the second switch 204 to a reference terminal 306 (identified by ALT GND) (e.g., a ground terminal). The second switch 204 can be configured to be enabled (or disabled) in response to a second control signal 308 (identified by LOW SIDE SIGNAL). In some embodiments, the second control signal 308 can be implemented by the control signal 216 of FIG. 2. For example, the controller 108 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 can generate the second control signal 308 such that the second switch 204 can provide voltage to the field terminal of the alternator 104 through the field port of the I/O interfaces 112 of FIG. 1, which is shown as reference numeral 304.

[0074] In the illustrated example, the first control signal 302 and the second control signal 308 are current signals that are converted to voltages by respective resistor networks 310, 312. The resistor networks 310, 312 of this example may respectively include current limiting resistors (identified by R1 and R2) configured to limit the electrical current passing to the gate and/or through the gate of the switches 202, 204. The resistor networks 310, 312 of this example may respectively include a pull-down resistor (e.g., resistor identified by R3) configured to discharge the gate voltage of the switches 202, 204 when the control signals 302, 308 switch from high to low, such as by switching from a first voltage to a second voltage less than the first voltage. Further depicted is a capacitor 314 that may be configured to reference the input voltage for the first control signal 302 to the alternator field voltage 304.

[0075] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary workflow 400 to control the alternator 104 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 based on a characterization of the alternator 104. The workflow 400 of this example begins at a first operation 402, at which the ACS 102 of FIG. 1 checks the compatibility (e.g., the electrical compatibility) between the alternator 104 and a system such as the battery system 128 of FIG. 1. For example, the controller 108 of FIG. 1 may determine that the alternator 104 and the battery system 128 are electrically compatible because they are of the same nominal voltage (e.g., a difference in operation voltages is within a desired voltage difference threshold). [0076] At operation 404 of the workflow 400, the ACS 102 may detect a type of the alternator 104. For example, the controller 108 may determine that the alternator 104 is a current sinking alternator (or a current sourcing alternator) as previously described above. [0077] At operation 406 of the illustrated example, the ACS 102 may monitor a battery SoC. For example, the controller 108 may obtain an SoC from the BMS 120 via the network 122 for respective ones of the batteries 130 at periodic or aperiodic time intervals.

[0078] At operation 408, the ACS 102 may calculate and/or otherwise determine needs of the battery system 128. For example, the controller 108 may determine whether the battery system 128 is to be charged.

[0079] At operation 410, the ACS 102 may throttle the alternator 104 in accordance with the determined needs of the battery system 128. For example, the ACS 102 may reduce the rotational speed of the alternator 104 after a determination that the alternator 104 is providing sufficient and/or excess current to the battery system 128. In some embodiments, the ACS 102 may increase the rotational speed of the alternator 104 after a determination that the alternator 104 is not providing sufficient current to the battery system 128 to meet the electrical demands on the battery system 128.

[0080] At operation 412, the ACS 102 may learn and/or otherwise characterize the output of the alternator 104, which may be the output current of the alternator 104, in relation to an input to the alternator 104, which may be the input voltage provided from the ACS 102. For example, the controller 108 may learn how the alternator 104 responds to different input(s) such that the alternator 104 may be characterized with a model (e.g., a performance model), which may be implemented at least in part by the alternator performance profile as described herein.

[0081] FIGS. 5-7 are flowcharts representative of example processes that may be performed by executing machine-readable instructions using processor circuitry and/or using hardware logic to implement the ACS 102 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2. Additionally or alternatively, block(s) of one(s) of the flowcharts of FIGS. 5, 6, and/or 7 may be representative of state(s) of one or more hardware-implemented state machines, algorithm(s) that may be implemented by hardware alone such as an ASIC, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof.

[0082] FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 representative of an example process that may be performed by executing machine-readable instructions using processor circuitry and/or using hardware logic to implement the ACS 102 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 to determine electrical compatibility between the battery system 128 and the alternator 104 of FIG. 1. The flowchart 500 of FIG. 5 begins at block 502, at which the ACS 102 may obtain a battery system voltage from a battery system. For example, the controller 108 of FIG. 1 may obtain a nominal voltage of the battery system 128 from the BMS 120 via the network 122.

[0083] At block 504, the ACS 102 may measure an alternator voltage of an alternator to be connected to the battery system. For example, the controller 108 may measure a voltage of the field terminal of the alternator 104 with respect to a reference voltage.

[0084] At block 506, the ACS 102 may determine whether a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage satisfies a threshold. For example, the ACS 102 may determine that a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage is less than a difference threshold (e.g., a difference threshold of 0.5 V, 1.5 V, 2.5 V, etc.) and the difference thereby satisfies the difference threshold.

[0085] By way of example, the controller 108 may determine that the nominal voltage of the battery system 128 is 12 V and the measured voltage of the field terminal of the alternator 104 is 13.6 V. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may determine that the difference of 1.6 V between 12 V and 13.6 V is less than a difference threshold of 1.8 V. The controller 108 may determine that the difference satisfies the difference threshold because 1.6 V is less than the difference threshold of 1.8 V. In some such embodiments, the controller 108 may determine that the battery system 128 and the alternator 104 have the same nominal voltage by determining that the difference between the nominal voltage of the battery system 128 and the measured voltage of the alternator 104 satisfies the difference threshold.

[0086] By way of another example, the controller 108 may determine that the nominal voltage of the battery system 128 is 24 V and the measured voltage of the field terminal of the alternator 104 is 13.6 V. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may determine that the difference of 10.4 V between 24 V and 13.6 V is greater than a difference threshold of 1.5 V. The controller 108 may determine that the difference does not satisfy the difference threshold because 10.4 V is greater than the difference threshold of 1.5 V. In some such embodiments, the controller 108 may determine that the battery system 128 and the alternator 104 do not have the same nominal voltage by determining that the difference between the nominal voltage of the battery system 128 and the measured voltage of the alternator 104 do not satisfy the difference threshold. Put another way, the controller 108 may determine that there is a mismatch between the nominal voltage of the battery system 128 and the measured voltage of the alternator 104 based on the difference not satisfying the difference threshold. [0087] If, at block 506, the ACS 102 determines that a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage does not satisfy a threshold, control proceeds to block 508. At block 508, the ACS 102 may display an alert to a user indicative of a mismatch between the battery system and the alternator. For example, the controller 108 may generate and/or display an alert on a display device to alert and/or inform a user that the alternator 104 to be connected to the battery system 128 is of a different nominal voltage and thereby not electrically compatible. After displaying the alert at block 508, the flowchart 500 of FIG. 5 concludes.

[0088] If, at block 506, the ACS 102 determines that a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage satisfies a threshold, control proceeds to block 510. At block 510, the ACS 102 may connect the battery system and the alternator. For example, the controller 108 may close the switch 116 of FIG. 1 to connect the positive terminal of the alternator 104 and the positive terminals of the battery system 128. After connecting the battery system and the alternator at block 510, the flowchart 500 of FIG. 5 concludes.

[0089] FIG. 6 is a flowchart 600 representative of an example process that may be performed by executing machine-readable instructions using processor circuitry and/or using hardware logic to implement the ACS 102 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 to control the alternator 104 of FIG. 1 using enabled switch circuitry. The flowchart 600 of FIG. 6 begins at block 602, at which the ACS 102 may determine whether a battery system and an alternator are electrically compatible. For example, the controller 108 may determine that the battery system 128 and the alternator 104 are electrically compatible if they are of the same nominal voltage. This may include implementing the method represented by the flowchart 500 of FIG. 5 in some embodiments.

[0090] If, at block 602, the ACS 102 determine that a battery system and an alternator are not electrically compatible, the flowchart 600 of FIG. 6 concludes. Otherwise, control proceeds to block 604. At block 604, the ACS 102 may measure voltage associated with an alternator field circuit of the alternator. For example, the controller 108 may measure a voltage of the field terminal of the alternator 104 of FIG. 4 with respect to a reference voltage.

[0091] At block 606, the ACS 102 may determine whether the alternator is a current sinking or current sourcing alternator based on the voltage. For example, the controller 108 may determine that the alternator 104 is a current sinking alternator after determining that the field voltage is negative with respect to the reference voltage. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may determine that the alternator 104 is a current sourcing alternator after determining that the field voltage is positive with respect to the reference voltage.

[0092] If, at block 606, the ACS 102 determines that the alternator is a current sinking alternator, control proceeds to block 608. For example, the ACS 102 may enable a first portion of the switch circuitry 110 of FIG. 1 and disable a second portion of the switch circuitry 110 based on the determination of the alternator as a current sinking alternator. In some such embodiments, the first portion may correspond to and/or be associated with operation of a current sinking alternator. In some such embodiments, the second portion may not correspond to and/or be associated with operation of a current sinking alternator.

[0093] At block 608, the ACS 102 may enable current sinking control circuitry and disable current sourcing control circuitry. For example, the controller 108 may generate the first control signal 302 of FIG. 3 to enable the first switch 202 of FIGS. 2 and/or 3 and generate the second control signal 308 of FIG. 3 to disable the second switch 204 of FIGS. 2 and/or 3. [0094] If, at block 606, the ACS 102 determines that the alternator is a current sourcing alternator, control proceeds to block 610. For example, the ACS 102 may disable the first portion of the switch circuitry 110 of FIG. 1 and enable the second portion of the switch circuitry 110 based on the determination of the alternator as a current sourcing alternator. In some such embodiments, the first portion may not correspond to and/or be associated with operation of a current sourcing alternator. In some such embodiments, the second portion may correspond to and/or be associated with operation of a current sourcing alternator.

[0095] At block 610, the ACS 102 may enable current sourcing control circuitry and disable current sinking control circuitry. For example, the controller 108 may generate the first control signal 302 to disenable the first switch 202 and generate the second control signal 308 to enable the second switch 204.

[0096] After block 608 or 610, control proceeds to block 612. At block 612, the ACS 102 may obtain at least one of a battery state-of-charge (SoC), a capacity, and/or load information from the battery system. For example, the controller 108 may obtain an SoC for one or more batteries 130 of the battery system 128. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may obtain a capacity (e.g., a nominal capacity) of one(s) of the batteries 130. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may obtain load information associated with one(s) of the loads 132 of FIG. 1. [0097] At block 614, the ACS 102 may control the alternator using the enabled control circuitry to at least one of maintain the battery system SoC or support load(s) on the battery system. For example, the controller 108 may generate an input voltage from the field port of the VO interfaces 112 based on the battery SoC, the capacity, and/or load information associated with the battery system 128. In some embodiments, the controller 108 can generate the first control signal 302 to operate the first switch 202 to increase or decrease the voltage provided to the field terminal of the alternator 104. [0098] At block 616, the ACS 102 may determine whether to continue monitoring the battery system. For example, the controller 108 may determine to continue controlling the alternator 104 based on the battery SoC, the capacity, and/or load information associated with the battery system 128. If, at block 616, the ACS 102 determines to continue monitoring the battery system, control returns to block 612. Otherwise, the flowchart 600 of FIG. 6 concludes.

[0099] FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 representative of an example process that may be performed by executing machine-readable instructions using processor circuitry and/or using hardware logic to implement the ACS 102 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2 to control an alternator using an alternator performance profile. The flowchart 700 of FIG. 7 begins at block 702, at which the ACS 102 may output an initial measure of input voltage to a field circuit of an alternator during an initial charge cycle. For example, the controller 108 may output a first measure of input voltage to the field terminal of the alternator 104 via the field port of the VO interfaces 112 during a characterization process of the alternator 104.

[00100] At block 704, the ACS 102 may measure an output current of the alternator and associated parameter(s) of the alternator. For example, the controller 108 may obtain a measurement of the output current from the current sensor 114. In some embodiments, the controller 108 may obtain one or more associated parameters of the alternator 104. Nonlimiting examples of an associated parameter includes an output voltage of the alternator 104, a temperature measurement from the temperature sensor 118, and an RPM measurement from the stator terminal of the alternator 104. In some embodiments, the associated parameter may include the output current of the alternator 104.

[00101] At block 706, the ACS 102 may determine whether parameter(s) of the alternator exceed safety threshold(s). For example, the controller 108 may determine whether the temperature of the alternator 104 exceeds a safety threshold such as a maximum operating temperature rating of the alternator 104. In some embodiments, such exceeding of safety threshold(s) can indicate that the alternator 104 is being operated beyond acceptable and/or safe operating limits.

[00102] If, at block 706, the ACS 102 determines that parameter(s) of the alternator exceed safety threshold(s), control proceeds to block 708. At block 708, the ACS 102 may decrease the input voltage to the field circuit to cause the parameter(s) of the alternator to fall below the safety threshold(s). For example, the controller 108 may decrease the input voltage to the field terminal of the alternator 104 to reduce a rotational speed of the rotor of the alternator, which in turn may decrease the temperature of the alternator 104. After decreasing the input voltage at block 708, control proceeds to block 712.

[00103] If, at block 706, the ACS 102 determines that parameter(s) of the alternator do not exceed safety threshold(s), control proceeds to block 710. At block 710, the ACS 102 may generate data association(s) of the input voltage, the output current, and the associated parameter(s). For example, the controller 108 may generate one or more data associations between the input voltage and at least one of the output current, the output voltage, the alternator temperature, or the rotor RPM. After generating the data association(s) at block 710, control proceeds to block 712.

[00104] At block 712, the ACS 102 may determine a state-of-charge (SoC) associated with a battery system connected to the alternator. For example, the controller 108 may obtain an SoC for one(s) of the batteries 130 via the BMS 120 through the network 122.

[00105] At block 714, the ACS 102 may determine whether the SoC satisfies an SoC threshold. For example, the controller 108 may determine that an obtained SoC for one of the batteries 130 meets and/or exceeds an SoC threshold during the characterization process and thereby satisfies the SoC threshold. In some embodiments, the controller 108 can determine that the obtained SoC satisfying the SoC threshold indicates that a level and/or state of operation of the alternator 104 has been reached during the characterization process such that the SoC of one(s) of the batteries 130 are at steady state. For example, the controller 108 can determine that enough data associations are generated such that performance of the alternator 104 can be characterized for a range of an input parameter (e.g., a range of input voltages) of the alternator 104.

[00106] If, at block 714, the ACS 102 determines that the SoC does not satisfy an SoC threshold, control proceeds to block 716. At block 716, the ACS 102 may increment the measure of the input voltage to the field circuit. For example, the controller 108 may increase the first measure of input voltage to a second measure of input voltage to cause an increase in the output current of the alternator 104 and thereby generate additional data association(s) as described above in connection with block 710.

[00107] If, at block 714, the ACS 102 determines that the SoC satisfies an SoC threshold, control proceeds to block 718. At block 718, the ACS 102 may generate an alternator performance profile based on the data associations. For example, the controller 108 may generate a performance curve, a look-up table, and/or the like to represent changes in output current in response to changes in input voltage specific to the alternator 104. [00108] At block 720, the ACS 102 may control the alternator based at least in part on the alternator performance profile. For example, the controller 108 may adjust, change, and/or modify the input voltage provided to the alternator 104 in accordance with the alternator performance profile for optimized and/or otherwise improved operation and/or control of the alternator 104. For example, the controller 108 can generate an input voltage to achieve a desired output current by utilizing the alternator performance profile. After controlling the alternator at block 720, the flowchart 700 of FIG. 7 concludes. Alternatively, the flowchart 700 may iteratively execute block 720 until the charging system 100 of FIG. 1 is turned off. [00109] FIG. 8 is an example implementation of an electronic platform 800 structured to execute the machine-readable instructions of FIGS. 5, 6, and/or 7 to implement an alternator control system such as the ACS 102 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2. It should be appreciated that FIG. 8 is intended neither to be a description of necessary components for an electronic and/or computing device to operate as an ACS, in accordance with the techniques described herein, nor a comprehensive depiction. The electronic platform 800 of this example may be an electronic device, such as a control module (e.g., an alternator control module, an engine control module, a transmission control module), an industrial personal computer, a programmable logic control (PLC) system, or any other type of computing and/or electronic device. For example, the electronic device may be a cellular network device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a server (e.g., a computer server, a blade server, a rackmounted server, etc.).

[00110] The electronic platform 800 of the illustrated example includes processor circuitry 802, which may be implemented by one or more programmable processors, one or more hardware-implemented state machines, one or more ASICs, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. For example, the one or more programmable processors may include one or more CPUs, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. The processor circuitry 802 includes processor memory 804, which may be volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM) of any type. The processor circuitry 802 of this example may implement the controller 108 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2.

[00111] The processor circuitry 802 may execute machine-readable instructions 806 (identified by INSTRUCTIONS), which are stored in the processor memory 804, to implement at least one of the ACS 102 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2. The machine-readable instructions 806 may include data representative of computer-executable and/or machineexecutable instructions implementing techniques that operate according to the techniques described herein. For example, the machine-readable instructions 806 may include data (e.g., code, embedded software (e.g., firmware), software, etc.) representative of the flowcharts of FIGS. 5, 6, and/or 7, or portion(s) thereof.

[00112] The electronic platform 800 includes memory 808, which may include the instructions 806. The memory 808 of this example may be controlled by a memory controller 810. For example, the memory controller 810 may control reads, writes, and/or, more generally, access(es) to the memory 808 by other component(s) of the electronic platform 800. The memory 808 of this example may be implemented by volatile memory, non-volatile memory, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. For example, the volatile memory may include static random-access memory (SRAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), cache memory (e.g., Level 1 (LI) cache memory, Level 2 (L2) cache memory, Level 3 (L3) cache memory, etc.), etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. In some examples, the nonvolatile memory may include Flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random-access memory (FeRAM, F-RAM, or FRAM), etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof.

[00113] The electronic platform 800 includes input device(s) 812 to enable data and/or commands to be entered into the processor circuitry 802. For example, the input device(s) 812 may include an audio sensor, a camera (e.g., a still camera, a video camera, etc.), a keyboard, a microphone, a mouse, a touchscreen, a voice recognition system, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof.

[00114] The electronic platform 800 includes output device(s) 814 to convey, display, and/or present information to a user (e.g., a human user, a machine user, etc.). For example, the output device(s) 814 may include one or more display devices, speakers, etc. The one or more display devices may include an augmented reality (AR) and/or virtual reality (VR) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a quantum dot (QLED) display, a thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD, a touchscreen, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. The output device(s) 814 can be used, among other things, to generate, launch, and/or present a user interface. For example, the user interface may be generated and/or implemented by the output device(s) 814 for visual presentation of output and speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentation of output.

[00115] The electronic platform 800 includes accelerators 816, which are hardware devices to which the processor circuitry 802 may offload compute tasks to accelerate their processing. For example, the accelerators 816 may include artificial intelligence/machine-learning (AI/ML) processors, ASICs, FPGAs, graphics processing units (GPUs), neural network (NN) processors, systems-on-chip (SoCs), vision processing units (VPUs), etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. In some examples, the controller 108 may be implemented by one(s) of the accelerators 816 instead of the processor circuitry 802. In some examples, the controller 108 may be executed concurrently (e.g., in parallel, substantially in parallel, etc.) by the processor circuitry 802 and the accelerators 816. For example, the processor circuitry 802 and one(s) of the accelerators 816 may execute in parallel function(s) corresponding to the controller 108.

[00116] The electronic platform 800 includes storage 818 to record and/or control access to data, such as the machine-readable instructions 806. The storage 818 may be implemented by one or more mass storage disks or devices, such as HDDs, SSDs, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof.

[00117] The electronic platform 800 includes interface(s) 820 to effectuate exchange of data with external devices (e.g., computing and/or electronic devices of any kind) via a network 822. In some embodiments, the interface(s) 820 may be circuit interface(s) to implement analog and/or digital circuit control. In this example, the interface(s) 820 may implement the ACS interface 106, the switch circuitry 110, and/or one(s) of the I/O interfaces 112 of FIGS. 1, 2, and/or 3. The interface(s) 820 of the illustrated example may be implemented by an interface device, such as network interface circuitry (e.g., a NIC, a smart NIC, etc.), a gateway, a router, a switch, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the interface(s) 820 of the illustrated example may be implemented at least in part by one or more switches, such as the first switch 202 of FIGS. 2 and/or 3 and/or the second switch 204 of FIGS. 2 and/or 3.

[00118] In some embodiments, the interface(s) 820 may implement any type of communication interface, such as BLUETOOTH®, a cellular telephone system (e.g., a 4G LTE interface, a 5G interface, a future generation 6G interface, etc.), an Ethernet interface, a near-field communication (NFC) interface, an optical disc interface (e.g., a Blu-ray disc drive, a Compact Disk (CD) drive, a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) drive, etc.), an optical fiber interface, a satellite interface (e.g., a BLOS satellite interface, a LOS satellite interface, etc.), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface (e.g., USB Type-A, USB Type-B, USB TYPE- C™ or USB-C™, etc.), etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof.

[00119] The electronic platform 800 includes a power supply 824 to store energy and provide power to components of the electronic platform 800. The power supply 824 may be implemented by a power converter, such as an alternating current-to-direct-current (AC/DC) power converter, a direct current-to-direct current (DC/DC) power converter, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. For example, the power supply 824 may be powered by an external power source, such as an alternating current (AC) power source (e.g., an electrical grid), a direct current (DC) power source (e.g., a battery, a battery backup system, etc.), etc., and the power supply 824 may convert the AC input or the DC input into a suitable voltage for use by the electronic platform 800. In some examples, the power supply 824 may be a limited duration power source, such as a battery (e.g., a rechargeable battery such as a lithium-ion battery).

[00120] Component(s) of the electronic platform 800 may be in communication with one(s) of each other via a bus 826. For example, the bus 826 may be any type of computing and/or electrical bus, such as an I2C bus, a PCI bus, a PCIe bus, a SPI bus, and/or the like.

[00121] The network 822 may be implemented by any wired and/or wireless network(s) such as one or more cellular networks (e.g., 4G LTE cellular networks, 5G cellular networks, future generation 6G cellular networks, etc.), one or more data buses, one or more LANs, one or more optical fiber networks, one or more private networks, one or more public networks, one or more wireless local area networks WLANs, one or more mesh networks, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. For example, the network 822 may be the Internet, but any other type of private and/or public network is contemplated.

[00122] The network 822 of the illustrated example facilitates communication between the interface(s) 820 and a central facility 828. The central facility 828 in this example may be an entity associated with one or more servers, such as one or more physical hardware servers and/or virtualizations of the one or more physical hardware servers. For example, the central facility 828 may be implemented by a public cloud provider, a private cloud provider, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof. In this example, the central facility 828 may compile, generate, update, etc., the machine-readable instructions 806 and store the machine-readable instructions 806 for access (e.g., download) via the network 822. For example, the electronic platform 800 may transmit a request, via the interface(s) 820, to the central facility 828 for the machine-readable instructions 806 and receive the machine-readable instructions 806 from the central facility 828 via the network 822 in response to the request.

[00123] Additionally or alternatively, the interface(s) 820 may receive the machine-readable instructions 806 via non-transitory machine-readable storage media, such as an optical disc 830 (e.g., a Blu-ray disc, a CD, a DVD, etc.) or any other type of removable non-transitory machine-readable storage media such as a USB drive 832. For example, the optical disc 830 and/or the USB drive 832 may store the machine-readable instructions 806 thereon and provide the machine-readable instructions 806 to the electronic platform 800 via the interface(s) 820.

[00124] Techniques operating according to the principles described herein may be implemented in any suitable manner. The processing and decision blocks of the flowcharts above represent steps and acts that may be included in algorithms that carry out these various processes. Algorithms derived from these processes may be implemented as software integrated with and directing the operation of one or more single- or multi-purpose processors, may be implemented as functionally equivalent circuits such as a DSP circuit or an ASIC, or may be implemented in any other suitable manner. It should be appreciated that the flowcharts included herein do not depict the syntax or operation of any particular circuit or of any particular programming language or type of programming language. Rather, the flowcharts illustrate the functional information one skilled in the art may use to fabricate circuits or to implement computer software algorithms to perform the processing of a particular apparatus carrying out the types of techniques described herein. For example, the flowcharts, or portion(s) thereof, may be implemented by hardware alone (e.g., one or more analog or digital circuits, one or more hardware-implemented state machines, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof) that is configured or structured to carry out the various processes of the flowcharts. In some examples, the flowcharts, or portion(s) thereof, may be implemented by machine-executable instructions (e.g., machine-readable instructions, computer-readable instructions, computer-executable instructions, etc.) that, when executed by one or more single- or multi-purpose processors, carry out the various processes of the flowcharts. It should also be appreciated that, unless otherwise indicated herein, the particular sequence of steps and/or acts described in each flowchart is merely illustrative of the algorithms that may be implemented and can be varied in implementations and embodiments of the principles described herein.

[00125] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the techniques described herein may be embodied in machine-executable instructions implemented as software, including as application software, system software, firmware, middleware, embedded code, or any other suitable type of computer code. Such machine-executable instructions may be generated, written, etc., using any of a number of suitable programming languages and/or programming or scripting tools, and also may be compiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code that is executed on a framework, virtual machine, or container.

[00126] When techniques described herein are embodied as machine-executable instructions, these machine-executable instructions may be implemented in any suitable manner, including as a number of functional facilities, each providing one or more operations to complete execution of algorithms operating according to these techniques. A “functional facility,” however instantiated, is a structural component of a computer system that, when integrated with and executed by one or more computers, causes the one or more computers to perform a specific operational role. A functional facility may be a portion of or an entire software element. For example, a functional facility may be implemented as a function of a process, or as a discrete process, or as any other suitable unit of processing. If techniques described herein are implemented as multiple functional facilities, each functional facility may be implemented in its own way; all need not be implemented the same way. Additionally, these functional facilities may be executed in parallel and/or serially, as appropriate, and may pass information between one another using a shared memory on the computer(s) on which they are executing, using a message passing protocol, or in any other suitable way.

[00127] Generally, functional facilities include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically, the functionality of the functional facilities may be combined or distributed as desired in the systems in which they operate. In some implementations, one or more functional facilities carrying out techniques herein may together form a complete software package. These functional facilities may, in alternative embodiments, be adapted to interact with other, unrelated functional facilities and/or processes, to implement a software program application.

[00128] Some exemplary functional facilities have been described herein for carrying out one or more tasks. It should be appreciated, though, that the functional facilities and division of tasks described is merely illustrative of the type of functional facilities that may implement using the exemplary techniques described herein, and that embodiments are not limited to being implemented in any specific number, division, or type of functional facilities. In some implementations, all functionalities may be implemented in a single functional facility. It should also be appreciated that, in some implementations, some of the functional facilities described herein may be implemented together with or separately from others (e.g., as a single unit or separate units), or some of these functional facilities may not be implemented. [00129] Machine-executable instructions implementing the techniques described herein (when implemented as one or more functional facilities or in any other manner) may, in some embodiments, be encoded on one or more computer-readable media, machine-readable media, etc., to provide functionality to the media. Computer-readable media include magnetic media such as a hard disk drive, optical media such as a CD or a DVD, a persistent or non- persistent solid-state memory (e.g., Flash memory, Magnetic RAM, etc.), or any other suitable storage media. Such a computer-readable medium may be implemented in any suitable manner. As used herein, the terms “computer-readable media” (also called “computer-readable storage media”) and “machine-readable media” (also called “machine- readable storage media”) refer to tangible storage media. Tangible storage media are non- transitory and have at least one physical, structural component. In a “computer-readable medium” and “machine-readable medium” as used herein, at least one physical, structural component has at least one physical property that may be altered in some way during a process of creating the medium with embedded information, a process of recording information thereon, or any other process of encoding the medium with information. For example, a magnetization state of a portion of a physical structure of a computer-readable medium, a machine-readable medium, etc., may be altered during a recording process. [00130] Further, some techniques described above comprise acts of storing information (e.g., data and/or instructions) in certain ways for use by these techniques. In some implementations of these techniques — such as implementations where the techniques are implemented as machine-executable instructions — the information may be encoded on a computer-readable storage media. Where specific structures are described herein as advantageous formats in which to store this information, these structures may be used to impart a physical organization of the information when encoded on the storage medium. These advantageous structures may then provide functionality to the storage medium by affecting operations of one or more processors interacting with the information; for example, by increasing the efficiency of computer operations performed by the processor(s).

[00131] In some, but not all, implementations in which the techniques may be embodied as machine-executable instructions, these instructions may be executed on one or more suitable computing device(s) and/or electronic device(s) operating in any suitable computer and/or electronic system, or one or more computing devices (or one or more processors of one or more computing devices) and/or one or more electronic devices (or one or more processors of one or more electronic devices) may be programmed to execute the machine-executable instructions. A computing device, electronic device, or processor (e.g., processor circuitry) may be programmed to execute instructions when the instructions are stored in a manner accessible to the computing device, electronic device, or processor, such as in a data store (e.g., an on-chip cache or instruction register, a computer-readable storage medium and/or a machine-readable storage medium accessible via a bus, a computer-readable storage medium and/or a machine-readable storage medium accessible via one or more networks and accessible by the device/processor, etc.). Functional facilities comprising these machineexecutable instructions may be integrated with and direct the operation of a single multipurpose programmable digital computing device, a coordinated system of two or more multipurpose computing device sharing processing power and jointly carrying out the techniques described herein, a single computing device or coordinated system of computing device (colocated or geographically distributed) dedicated to executing the techniques described herein, one or more FPGAs for carrying out the techniques described herein, or any other suitable system.

[00132] Embodiments have been described where the techniques are implemented in circuitry and/or machine-executable instructions. It should be appreciated that some embodiments may be in the form of a method, of which at least one example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[00133] Various aspects of the embodiments described above may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments.

[00134] The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both,” of the elements so conjoined, e.g., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, e.g., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B,” when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. [00135] The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” [00136] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase, “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently, “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, ,and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

[00137] Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

[00138] Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

[00139] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[00140] The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment, implementation, process, feature, etc., described herein as exemplary should therefore be understood to be an illustrative example and should not be understood to be a preferred or advantageous example unless otherwise indicated. [00141] Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the principles described herein. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

Claims

CLAIMS What Is Claimed Is:

1. A method for configuring a battery charging system, comprising: obtaining a battery system voltage from a battery system; measuring an alternator voltage of an alternator to be connected to the battery system; and connecting the battery system and the alternator after determining that a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage satisfies a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery system comprises a plurality of lithium- ion batteries or a plurality of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery system voltage is obtained using a wireless network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wireless network is a mesh network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery system voltage is obtained using at least one wired connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is a difference threshold, and the difference satisfies the difference threshold based on the difference being less than the difference threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating an alert representative of the battery system being electrically incompatible with the alternator after determining that the difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage does not satisfy the threshold; and displaying the alert on a user interface.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining that the difference does not satisfy the threshold based on the difference being greater than the threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the battery system voltage is associated with a first nominal voltage and the alternator voltage is associated with a second nominal voltage, different from the first nominal voltage, after determining that the difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage does not satisfy the threshold; and determining that the battery system is electrically incompatible with the alternator based on the first nominal voltage being different from the second nominal voltage.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein connecting the battery system and the alternator comprises controlling at least one switch to couple at least part of the battery system to the alternator.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: measuring a field voltage associated with a field coil of the alternator; and determining a type of the alternator based on the field voltage.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the type of the alternator is current sinking or current sourcing.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternator is coupled to a controller comprising first switch circuitry and second switch circuitry, and the method further comprising enabling the first switch circuitry and disabling the second switch circuitry based on a determination of a type of the alternator.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the type is a current sinking type or a current sourcing type, the first switch circuitry is configured to control the current sinking type and the second switch circuitry is configured to control the current sourcing type, and the enabling of the first switch circuitry and the disabling of the second switch circuitry is based on the determination of the type of the alternator being the current sinking type.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the type is a current sinking type or a current sourcing type, the first switch circuitry is configured to control the current sourcing type and the second switch circuitry is configured to control the current sinking type, and the enabling of the first switch circuitry and the disabling of the second switch circuitry is based on the determination of the type of the alternator being the current sourcing type.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first switch circuitry comprises a first switch, the second switch circuitry comprises a second switch, and the method further comprising: controlling the first switch to enable the first switch circuitry; and controlling the second switch to disable the second switch circuitry.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising controlling a field voltage associated with a field coil of the alternator using the first switch circuitry.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: obtaining a state-of-charge associated with the battery system, and wherein the controlling of the field voltage is based at least in part on the state-of-charge.

19. A method for controlling a battery charging system, comprising: incrementing a first measure of input voltage provided to a field coil of an alternator to a second measure of input voltage; measuring an output current of the alternator after the incrementing; generating a data association of the second measure of input voltage and the output current; generating an alternator performance profile based at least in part on the data association, the alternator performance profile representative of changes in the output current with respect to changes in input voltage; and controlling the output current based at least in part on the alternator performance profile.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: providing the first measure of input voltage to the field coil during an initial charge cycle of the battery charging system; measuring the output current of the alternator in response to the providing of the first measure of input voltage; and incrementing the first measure to the second measure after determining that one or more parameters associated with the alternator do not exceed a threshold.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of an output voltage, a rotational speed of a rotor of the alternator, or a temperature of the alternator.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the threshold is a temperature threshold, and the method further comprising: measuring the temperature of the alternator in response to the field coil receiving the first measure of input voltage; comparing the temperature to the temperature threshold; and incrementing the first measure to the second measure after determining that the temperature does not exceed the temperature threshold.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising reducing the first measure of current to a third measure of input current after determining that the temperature exceeds the temperature threshold.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising iteratively incrementing the input voltage provided to the field coil of the alternator until one or more thresholds are exceeded.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more thresholds comprise at least one of an input voltage threshold corresponding to the input voltage, an output current threshold corresponding to the output current, or a state-of-charge threshold corresponding to a state- of-charge associated with a battery system coupled to the alternator.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising obtaining the state-of-charge using a wireless network.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the wireless network is a mesh network.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising obtaining the state-of-charge using at least one wired connection.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising: stopping the incrementing of the input voltage when at least one of the one or more thresholds is exceeded; and generating the alternator performance profile after the stopping of the incrementing of the input voltage.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising incrementing the second measure to a third measure of input voltage after determining that the one or more thresholds are not exceeded.

31. An alternator control system configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-30.

32. An apparatus comprising at least one memory storing instructions, and processor circuitry configured to execute the instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 1- 30.

33. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause processor circuitry to perform the method of any one of claims 1-30.

34. A system comprising at least one memory storing instructions, and a controller configured to execute the instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 1-30.

35. A system for configuring a battery charging system, comprising: an alternator control system interface configured to obtain a battery system voltage from a battery system; an input/output interface configured to receive an alternator voltage of an alternator to be connected to the battery system; and a controller configured to: determine whether a difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage satisfies a threshold; and generate a control signal to connect the battery system and the alternator based on a determination that the difference satisfies the threshold.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the battery system comprises a plurality of lithium- ion batteries or a plurality of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the alternator control system interface is configured to obtain the battery system voltage using a wireless network.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the wireless network is a mesh network.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein the alternator control system interface is configured to obtain the battery system voltage using at least one wired connection.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein the threshold is a difference threshold, and the controller is configured to determine that the difference satisfies the difference threshold based on the difference being less than the difference threshold.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the controller is configured to: generate an alert representative of the battery system being electrically incompatible with the alternator after determining that the difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage does not satisfy the threshold; and causing the alert to be displayed on a user interface.

42. The system of claim 41, further comprising determining that the difference does not satisfy the threshold based on the difference being greater than the threshold.

43. The system of claim 35, further comprising: determining that the battery system voltage is associated with a first nominal voltage and the alternator voltage is associated with a second nominal voltage, different from the first nominal voltage, after determining that the difference between the battery system voltage and the alternator voltage does not satisfy the threshold; and determining that the battery system is electrically incompatible with the alternator based on the first nominal voltage being different from the second nominal voltage.

44. The system of claim 35, further comprising at least one switch, and wherein the controller is configured to output the control signal to the at least one switch to connect at least part of the battery system to the alternator.

45. The system of claim 35, wherein the controller is configured to: measure a field voltage associated with a field coil of the alternator; and determine a type of the alternator based on the field voltage.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the type of the alternator is current sinking or current sourcing.

47. The system of claim 35, further comprising first switch circuitry and second switch circuitry, and the controller is configured to enable the first switch circuitry and disable the second switch circuitry based on a determination of a type of the alternator.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the type is a current sinking type or a current sourcing type, the first switch circuitry is configured to control the current sinking type and the second switch circuitry is configured to control the current sourcing type, and the controller is configured to enable the first switch circuitry and disable the second switch circuitry based on the determination of the type of the alternator being the current sinking type.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the type is a current sinking type or a current sourcing type, the first switch circuitry is configured to control the current sourcing type and the second switch circuitry is configured to control the current sinking type, and the controller is configured to enable the first switch circuitry and disable the second switch circuitry based on the determination of the type of the alternator being the current sourcing type.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein the first switch circuitry comprises a first switch, the second switch circuitry comprises a second switch, and the controller is configured to: control the first switch to enable the first switch circuitry; and control the second switch to disable the second switch circuitry.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the controller is configured to control a field voltage associated with a field coil of the alternator using the first switch circuitry.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the alternator control system interface is configured to: obtain a state-of-charge associated with the battery system, and wherein the controller is configured to control the field voltage is based at least in part on the state-of-charge.

53. A system for controlling a battery charging system, comprising: switch circuitry; an input/output interface configured to receive an output current of an alternator; and a controller configured to: control the switch circuitry to increment a first measure of input voltage provided to a field coil of the alternator to a second measure of input voltage; generate a data association of the second measure of input voltage and the output current in response to the second measure of input voltage provided to the field coil; generate an alternator performance profile based at least in part on the data association, the alternator performance profile representative of changes in the output current with respect to changes in input voltage; and control the switch circuitry to cause changes in the output current based at least in part on the alternator performance profile.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the controller is configured to: cause the switch circuitry to provide the first measure of input voltage to the field coil during an initial charge cycle of the battery charging system; measure the output current of the alternator in response to the providing of the first measure of input voltage; and increment the first measure to the second measure after determining that one or more parameters associated with the alternator do not exceed a threshold.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of an output voltage, a rotational speed of a rotor of the alternator, or a temperature of the alternator.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the threshold is a temperature threshold, and the controller is configured to: measure the temperature of the alternator in response to the field coil receiving the first measure of input voltage; compare the temperature to the temperature threshold; and increment the first measure to the second measure after determining that the temperature does not exceed the temperature threshold.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the controller is configured to reduce the first measure of current to a third measure of input current after determining that the temperature exceeds the temperature threshold.

58. The system of claim 53, wherein the controller is configured to iteratively increment the input voltage provided to the field coil of the alternator until one or more thresholds are exceeded.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein the one or more thresholds comprise at least one of an input voltage threshold corresponding to the input voltage, an output current threshold corresponding to the output current, or a state-of-charge threshold corresponding to a state- of-charge associated with a battery system coupled to the alternator.

60. The system of claim 59, further comprising an alternator control system interface configured to obtain the state-of-charge using a wireless network.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the wireless network is a mesh network.

62. The system of claim 59, wherein the alternator control system interface is configured to obtain the state-of-charge using at least one wired connection.

63. The system of claim 58, wherein the controller is configured to: stop the incrementing of the input voltage when at least one of the one or more thresholds is exceeded; and generate the alternator performance profile after the stopping of the incrementing of the input voltage.

64. The system of claim 58, wherein the controller is configured to increment the second measure to a third measure of input voltage after determining that the one or more thresholds are not exceeded.