BATTERY CHARGING METHOD USING SUPERCAPACITORS AT TWO STAGES

• US 20040251880A1
• Filed: 06/10/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oʼbrien, Robert Neville
• Original Assignee: Oʼbrien, Robert Neville
• Inventors: OʼBrien, Robert Neville
• Granted Patent: US 6,836,098 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/166
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00711 with introduction of pulses during the charging process
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices

Abstract

A method for rapidly charging an electrically rechargeable battery or batteries string by a series of charging pulses, interspersed with battery discharge pulses effective to eliminate undesired concentration polarization by substantially thinning or dispelling electrical double layers and diffusion layers at electrodes contacted by an aqueous electrolyte solution. In contrast to related schemes which intermittently discharge a limited portion of battery charge to a load comprising components featuring significant resistance and/or inductance, in this case supercapacitors receive the reversedly pulsed depolarizing discharge.

Claims

1. In an improved method for rapidly charging an electrically rechargeable battery or batteries string by a series of charging pulses, interspersed with battery discharge pulses effective to eliminate undesired concentration polarization by substantially thinning or dispelling electrical double layers and diffusion layers at electrodes contacted by an aqueous electrolyte solution, the steps of:

procuring a first apparatus portion stage essentially comprising a DC current source, a first stage supercapacitor, and conductor means having a first switch between said current source and said first stage supercapacitor, and a second switch between said first stage supercapacitor and a second apparatus portion stage;

procuring the second apparatus portion stage, essentially comprising an array of at least three second stage supercapacitors alternately connectable in series or parallel by means of a set of associated switches and conductor means, a sensor to detect slope of a charging pulse from said first apparatus portion stage, and microprocessor means for governing said associated switches in suitable accord with data from said sensor;

procuring a third apparatus portion stage essentially comprising a batteries string of electrical rechargeable batteries, and third stage conductor means capable of interconnecting said batteries alternately in series or parallel with one another and with said second stage supercapacitors in a suitable manner by use of said set of associated switches;

charging said first stage supercapacitor with electrical energy from said DC current source;

discharging said first stage supercapacitor through said conductor means of said first stage and thence to said second stage and thereon through to said third stage;

disconnecting said first stage from said second and third stages remaining in connection with one another while said first stage supercapacitor is recharged by reconnection to said DC current source;

discharging a limited portion of accumulated charge from said battery string of said third stage, back into said supercapacitors array of said second stage; and

,

repeating the cycle of discharging to said second and third stages from said first stage supercapacitor;

followed by repeating the limited discharge from said battery string a number of times which is one less time than the total number of times said first stage supercapacitor discharges to complete this method of recharging.

2. An apparatus comprising the three stages procured for carrying out the method of recharging of claim 1, wherein both said first stage supercapacitor and said second stage supercapactors are all of a type having magnetized parts and which thereby procure short time constants and low internal resistance due to magnetohydrodynamic stirring of an electrolyte solution in said supercapacitors of both the first and second stages.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein capacity of said first stage supercapacitor is scaled from one-tenth to one-fourth the capacity of said second stage supercapacitors and third stage rechargeable batteries in combination.