Battery power delivery module

• US 10,230,245 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2018
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Adest, Meir, Handelsman, Lior, Galin, Yoav, Fishelov, Amir, Sella, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US15/944,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20180226807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 320103, 320128
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage

Abstract

A system and method for digital management and control of power conversion from battery cells. The system utilizes a power management and conversion module that uses a CPU to maintain a high power conversion efficiency over a wide range of loads and to manage charge and discharge operation of the battery cells. The power management and conversion module includes the CPU, a current sense unit, a charge/discharge unit, a DC-to-DC conversion unit, a battery protection unit, a fuel gauge and an internal DC regulation unit. Through intelligent power conversion and charge/discharge operations, a given battery type is given the ability to emulate other battery types by conversion of the output voltage of the battery and adaptation of the charging scheme to suit the battery.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

input terminals for receiving power from a battery cell;

an output terminal for providing power to a load;

one or more telemetry terminals for communicating operation data; and

a power converter programmable to maintain output power characteristics at the output terminal and to control power draw at the input terminals according to programmed characteristics, and wherein the power converter uses the one or more telemetry terminals to receive a state of charge of the battery cell, a state of health of the battery cell, an internal temperature of the battery cell, a date of production of the battery cell, a number of charge cycles of the battery cell, or information indicating a type of the battery cell.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter comprises a buck convertor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter comprises a boost converter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter comprises a buck/boost converter.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter comprises a Cuk converter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter further comprises:

a battery protection circuit configured to determine whether a hazardous condition of the battery cell exists;

a fuel gauging circuit configured to monitor the state of charge of the battery cell; and

a current sensor shared by the battery protection circuit and the fuel gauging circuit,

wherein the current sensor performs current sensing using a current loop, and wherein the battery protection circuit is configured to determine whether the hazardous condition of the battery cell exists using a current identified by the current sensor using the current loop.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter comprises:

a current sensor shared by a battery protection circuit that determines whether a hazardous condition of the battery cell exists and a fuel gauging circuit that monitors the state of charge of the battery cell.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the current sensor comprises:

a current loop for sensing a current used by the battery protection circuit and the fuel gauging circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the current sensor monitors a voltage drop across a resistor connected to an input of an integrated circuit that comprises the power converter.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a resistor;

a current sensor connected to the resistor to determine a current of the resistor;

a battery protection circuit connected to the current sensor to receive the current; and

a fuel gauging circuit connected to the current sensor to receive the current.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a casing and an integrated circuit, wherein the integrated circuit comprises the power converter and wherein the integrated circuit and the battery cell are housed within the casing.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter is configured to perform digital power conversion.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter uses the one or more telemetry terminals to receive a request for a desired output voltage of the battery cell.

14. A battery comprising:

a casing;

one or more battery cells housed within the casing;

one or more telemetry terminals; and

a power converter housed within the casing, the power converter configured to use the one or more telemetry terminals to receive a state of charge of the one or more battery cells, a state of health of the one or more battery cells, an internal temperature of the one or more battery cells, a date of production of the one or more battery cells, a number of charge cycles of one or more battery cells, or information indicating a type of the one or more battery cells,

wherein the power converter is programmable to maintain output power characteristics at an output terminal and to control power draw at input terminals according to programmed characteristics.

15. The battery of claim 14, wherein the power converter comprises one of a buck, boost, buck/boost, and Cuk convertor.

16. The battery of claim 14, wherein the one or more telemetry terminals are configured to communicate using an infrared transceiver.

17. The battery of claim 14, wherein the power converter comprises:

a battery protection circuit configured to determine whether a hazardous condition of the one or more battery cells exists;

a fuel gauging circuit for monitoring the state of charge of the one or more battery cells; and

a current sensor shared by the battery protection circuit and the fuel gauging circuit,

wherein the current sensor performs current sensing using a current loop, and wherein the battery protection circuit is configured to determine whether the hazardous condition of the one or more battery cells exists using a current identified by the current sensor using the current loop.

18. A method, comprising:

programming a power converter to maintain output power characteristics at an output terminal providing power to a load according to at least one parameter of the load, wherein the power converter is configured to connect to a plurality of types of battery cells;

connecting the power converter to a particular battery cell;

receiving, via one or more telemetry terminals, a state of charge of the particular battery cell, a state of health of the particular battery cell, an internal temperature of the particular battery cell, a date of production of the particular battery cell, a number of charge cycles of the particular battery cell, or information indicating a type of the particular battery cell; and

programming the power converter to control power draw at input terminals receiving power from the particular battery cell based at least on the state of charge of the particular battery cell, the state of health of the particular battery cell, the internal temperature of the particular battery cell, the date of production of the particular battery cell, the number of charge cycles of the particular battery cell, or the information indicating the type of the particular battery cell.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

programming the power converter with a power conversion scheme that converts a first power output of the particular battery cell to a second power output based on a second load; and

programming the power converter with a charging scheme that converts a first charging voltage to a second charging voltage when charging the particular battery cell.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more telemetry terminals, an infrared signal or radio frequency identification (RFID) signal.