Battery charging and discharging system optimized for high temperature environments
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for charging a battery comprising a charging circuit for providing a charging current to the battery;
- a temperature sensor positioned to sense a temperature of said battery; and
a controller coupled to said temperature sensor and said charging circuit and operable to control said charging circuit in accordance with said temperature.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling the charge and discharge currents in a battery (2) as a function of temperature. When a battery (2) is charged or discharged in an environment that approaches its design operating temperature extreme, the currents are reduced to limit self-heating of the battery and thus extend the useful operating environment temperature range. A temperature sensor (18) is coupled to a controller (6) to sense the battery (2) temperature. The temperature information is used to set a suitable charging or discharging current (8).
49 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An apparatus for charging a battery comprising
a charging circuit for providing a charging current to the battery; -
a temperature sensor positioned to sense a temperature of said battery; and
a controller coupled to said temperature sensor and said charging circuit and operable to control said charging circuit in accordance with said temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for exercising a battery, comprising a charging circuit having a charging current output coupled to the battery;
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a temperature sensor positioned to sense a temperature related to the battery temperature;
a discharging circuit having a discharging current input coupled to the battery; and
a controller coupled to said temperature sensor, said charging circuit, and said discharging circuit, said controller operable to set said charging current in accordance with said temperature, and operable to set said discharging current in accordance with said temperature. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of charging a battery, comprising the steps of:
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sensing a temperature related to the battery temperature;
setting a charging current in accordance with said sensed temperature; and
charging the battery at said charging current. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of exercising a battery, comprising the steps of:
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sensing a temperature related to the battery temperature;
setting a discharging current in accordance with said temperature;
discharging the battery at said discharging current;
discontinuing said discharging step when a predetermined battery voltage is reached;
setting a charging current in accordance with said temperature; and
charging the battery at said charging current. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification