Bridge battery voltage equalizer

• US 20080116850A1
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Konishi, Yoshihiro, Huang, Yi-Shuo, Luor, Tain-Syh
• Granted Patent: US 7,612,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/118
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits

Abstract

This present invention provides a bridge battery voltage equalizer to equalize the voltages of the serially connected battery strings, comprising at least one battery crossing over an energy-transferring circuit. A plurality of the energy-transferring circuits are interconnected in a bridge architecture. Each energy-transferring circuit having four nodes comprises a first semiconductor switch, a first diode, a second semiconductor switch, a second diode, and an inductor. One end of the first element switch is connected to a negative pole of the first diode thereto. A positive pole of the second diode is connected to one end of the second element switch thereto. The inductor is an energy storing element that crosses over between the negative pole of the first diode and the positive pole of the second diode.

Claims

1. A bridge battery voltage equalizer for equalizing voltages of serially connected battery strings, which is characterized in that:

at least one battery crosses over an energy-transferring circuit, said energy-transferring circuits are interconnected in a bridge architecture, each of said energy-transferring circuit comprises a first semiconductor switch, a first diode, a second semiconductor switch, a second diode and an inductor, wherein said inductor crosses over negative nodes of said first semiconductor switch and said first diode and positive nodes of said second semiconductor switch and said second diode, and said battery connects with a third semiconductor switch; and

a switch controller for detecting charging state of said battery to control said third semiconductor switch whether keep charging said battery.

2. The bridge battery voltage equalizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein when said first semiconductor switch and said second semiconductor switch of said energy-transferring circuit are both turned ON, at least one battery stores electrical energy into said inductor.

3. The bridge battery voltage equalizer as claimed in claim 2, wherein when said first semiconductor switch of said energy-transferring circuit is turned ON whereas said second semiconductor switch is turned OFF, said inductor releases electrical energy to a part of the serially connected battery strings.

4. The bridge battery voltage equalizer as claimed in claim 2, wherein when said first semiconductor switch of said energy-transferring circuit is turned OFF whereas said second semiconductor switch is turned ON, said inductor releases electrical energy to a part of the serially connected battery strings.

5. The bridge battery voltage equalizer as claimed in claim 2, wherein when said first semiconductor switch and said second semiconductor switch of said energy-transferring circuit are both turned OFF, said inductor releases electrical energy to the entire serially connected battery strings.

6. The bridge battery voltage equalizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first element switch, said second semiconductor switch and said third semiconductor switch are insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT).

7. The bridge battery voltage equalizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first element switch, said semiconductor element switch and said third semiconductor switch are gate-turn-off thyristors (GTO).

8. The bridge battery voltage equalizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first element switch, said second semiconductor switch and said third semiconductor switch are silicon control rectifier (SCR).

9. The bridge battery voltage equalizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein when said battery stop charging, said switch controller turns off said first semiconductor switch and said second semiconductor switch of said energy-transferring circuit to let said energy-transferring circuit be short circuit.