BATTERY CHARGING USING MULTIPLE CHARGERS
First Claim
1. A method of charging a battery, comprising:
- providing a charging system comprising a first charger, a second charger, and a battery management unit; and
initializing the first and second chargers to determine which of the first and second chargers will subsequently allocate the charging load between the first and second chargers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods providing improved battery charging using systems comprising multiple chargers are generally described. In some embodiments, the chargers can communicate with each other. In some embodiments, a battery management unit (BMU) can be used to communicate with at least one of the chargers, and, in some cases, all of the chargers. The system can be configured such that the charging load can be distributed among multiple chargers, or to a single charger, depending on the amount of charging power required at a given time. The system can also be configured to alternate which charger(s) handle the charging load over a period of time. For example, when only a single charger is needed to handle the total charging load, the system can be configured such that the load is handled by a first charger over a first period of time, a second charger of a second period of time, etc. The charging load distribution scheme can be based at least in part upon one or more commands transmitted between two chargers and/or between a charger and the BMU.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of charging a battery, comprising:
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providing a charging system comprising a first charger, a second charger, and a battery management unit; and initializing the first and second chargers to determine which of the first and second chargers will subsequently allocate the charging load between the first and second chargers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for charging a battery, comprising:
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a first charger; and a second charger; wherein at least one of the first and second chargers is constructed and arranged to allocate the charging load between the first and second chargers.
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12. A method of charging a battery, comprising:
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providing a first charger; providing a second charger; charging the battery over a first period of time wherein substantially none of the charging power is provided by the second charger; and charging the battery over a second period of time wherein substantially none of the charging power is provided by the first charger.
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13. A system for charging a battery, comprising:
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a first charger; and a second charger; wherein the system is constructed and arranged such that the first charger provides the entire system charging power over a first period of time, and the second charger provides the entire system charging power over a second period of time that does not overlap with the first period of time. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of charging a battery, comprising:
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providing a charging system comprising a plurality of chargers and a battery management unit wherein each of the plurality of chargers is constructed and arranged to provide power up to a threshold power amount; and allocating a requested charging power amount among the plurality of chargers, wherein, if the requested charging power is less than the maximum of the threshold power amounts of the plurality of chargers, one of the plurality of chargers provides the entire amount of requested charging power; and wherein, if the requested charging power is more than the maximum of the threshold power amounts of the plurality of chargers, the requested charging power is provided by at least two of the plurality of chargers. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification