BATTERY EQUALIZATION CIRCUITS FOR SERIES CHARGING/DISCHARGING AND CONTROLLING METHODS THEREOF

• US 20130214733A1
• Filed: 02/12/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chang GUNG University, National Cheng KUNG University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: Chang GUNG University
• Inventors: Liang, Tsorng-Juu, Chen, Jiann-Fuh, Hsieh, Yi-Hsun, Horng, Wan-Yi, Chung, Yi-Yuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,368,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0018 using separate charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters

Abstract

Battery equalization circuits for series charging/discharging and controlling methods thereof are provided. The provided circuit includes a set of series-connected batteries, a switching converter and a magnetic element coupled balance circuit including a magnetic element coupled to the switching converter, wherein the magnetic element takes a branch current from the switching converter to the series-connected batteries so as to cause the set of series-connected batteries to reach a balance.

Claims

1. A battery equalization circuit, comprising:

a balanced charging/discharging circuit, comprising;

a converter; and

a balance circuit, comprising;

a set of input terminals;

plural sets of output terminals;

plural switches; and

a coupled inductor having a primary winding and plural secondary windings respectively series-connected to the plural switches, wherein each of the plural sets of output terminals is connected to a respective one of the plural switches and a respective one of the plural secondary windings; and

a set of series-connected batteries having plural batteries, each of which has a positive terminal and a negative terminal, wherein each of the plural sets of output terminals is connected to the positive and the negative terminals of a respective one of the plural batteries, and the set of input terminals is in one of two states being coupled to and being series-connected to the converter to cause a branch current to flow through the plural secondary windings so as to balance the set of series-connected batteries.

2. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 1, wherein the balanced charging/discharging circuit further comprises a first and a second output terminals, the set of series-connected batteries further comprises a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal is connected to the first output terminal, the second terminal is connected to the second output terminal, each of the plural secondary windings and the plural switches has a first and a second terminals, the positive terminal of each of the plural batteries is connected to one of the first terminal of the respective secondary winding and the second terminal of the respective switch, the negative terminal of each of the plural batteries is connected to the first terminal of the respective switch and the second terminal of the respective switch is connected to the second terminal of the respective secondary winding when the positive terminal of each of the plural batteries is connected to the first terminal of the respective secondary winding, and the positive terminal of each of the plural batteries is connected to the second terminal of the respective switch and the first terminal of the respective switch is connected to the first terminal of the respective secondary winding when the negative terminal of each of the plural batteries is connected to the second terminal of the respective secondary winding.

3. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 2, being used for charging, wherein the balanced charging/discharging circuit is a balanced charger being one of an AC to DC charger and a DC to DC charger.

4. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 3, wherein the DC to DC charger is one selected from a group consisting of a buck-flyback charger, a buck-forward charger, a boost-flyback charger, a boost-forward charger, a half-bridge charger, a full-bridge charger and an LLC charger.

5. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 4, wherein each of the buck-flyback charger, the buck-forward charger, the boost-flyback charger, the boost-forward charger, the half-bridge charger and the full-bridge charger has a main inductor, the main inductor is coupled to the primary winding of the coupled inductor, the LLC charger is an LLC-flyback charger connected to the primary winding of the coupled inductor in series, the plural switches are plural diodes, each of the plural diodes has an anode and a cathode, the first terminal of each of the plural switches is the anode of the respective diode, and the second terminal of each of the plural switches is the cathode of the respective diode.

6. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 2, being used for discharging, wherein the balanced charging/discharging circuit is a balanced discharger being one of an AC to DC discharger and a DC to DC discharger.

7. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 6, wherein the DC to DC discharger is one selected from a group consisting of a buck-flyback discharger, a buck-forward discharger, a boost-flyback discharger and a boost-forward discharger.

8. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 7, wherein each of the buck-flyback discharger, the buck-forward discharger, the boost-flyback discharger and the boost-forward discharger has a main inductor, and the main inductor is coupled to the primary winding of the coupled inductor.

9. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 2, being used for charging and discharging, wherein the balanced charging/discharging circuit is a balanced charging and discharging device being one of an AC to DC charging and discharging device and a DC to DC charging and discharging device.

10. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 9, wherein the DC to DC charging and discharging device is one selected from a group consisting of a buck-flyback charging and discharging device, a buck-forward charging and discharging device, a boost-flyback charging and discharging device and a boost-forward charging and discharging device.

11. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 10, wherein each of the buck-flyback charging and discharging device, the buck-forward charging and discharging device, the boost-flyback charging and discharging device and the boost-forward charging and discharging device has a main inductor, and the main inductor is coupled to the primary winding of the coupled inductor.

12. A battery equalization circuit, comprising:

a set of series-connected batteries;

a switching converter; and

a magnetic element coupled balance circuit including a magnetic element coupled to the switching converter, wherein the magnetic element obtains a branch current from the switching converter, and the branch current flows to the set of series-connected batteries so as to cause the set of series-connected batteries to reach a balance.

13. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 12, wherein the branch current is used to cause the set of series-connected batteries to perform one of a charge and a discharge so as to reach the balance, the battery equalization circuit for series charging/discharging is selected from a group consisting of a battery equalization circuit for series charging, a battery equalization circuit for series discharging and a battery equalization circuit for series charging and discharging, the magnetic element is one selected from a group consisting of a coupled inductor, a current transformer and a voltage transformer, the set of series-connected batteries includes plural battery banks, each of the plural battery banks has at least one battery, and the magnetic element has plural secondary windings.

14. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 13, wherein the magnetic element coupled balance circuit includes plural power switches when the magnetic element is one of the coupled inductor and the current transformer, each of the plural power switches has a function being one of rectifying and AC/DC interchanging, there is at least one power switch between the respective secondary winding and the respective battery bank, and each of the plural power switches is one of an active switch and a passive switch, wherein the active switch is a transistor, and the passive switch is a diode.

15. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 13, wherein the branch current of the switching converter has one of a pure AC component, and an AC component with a DC component, and the magnetic element is used to provide one of the AC component and the pure AC component as a balance energy for each of the plural battery banks.

16. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 15, wherein one of the current transformer and the voltage transformer further comprises two primary windings, and when it is one of two states being that the two primary windings of the voltage transformer respectively receive two voltage waves having a phase shift of 180 degrees and that the two primary windings of the current transformer respectively receive two current waves having a phase shift of 180 degrees, two DC components included in one of the two voltage waves and the two current waves are subtracted from each other and diminished such that there is only the AC component left.

17. A battery equalization circuit according to claim 13, wherein the magnetic element coupled balance circuit further comprises plural current limiting elements when the magnetic element is the transformer, and there is a current limiting element between the respective secondary winding and the respective battery bank, wherein the current limiting element is one selected from a group consisting of a resistor, an inductor and a transistor.

18. A controlling method of a battery equalization circuit, wherein the battery equalization circuit includes a magnetic element, comprising a step of using the magnetic element to generate a branch current from the battery equalization circuit so as to balance the battery equalization circuit.

19. A controlling method of a battery equalization circuit according to claim 18, wherein the battery equalization circuit is one selected from a group consisting of a battery equalization circuit for series charging, a battery equalization circuit for series discharging and a battery equalization circuit for series charging and discharging.

20. A controlling method of a battery equalization circuit according to claim 19, wherein the battery equalization circuit for series charging comprises a balanced charger being one of an AC to DC charger and a DC to DC charger, the battery equalization circuit for series discharging comprises a balanced discharger being one of an AC to DC discharger and a DC to DC discharger, and the battery equalization circuit for series charging and discharging comprises a balanced charging and discharging device being one of an AC to DC charging and discharging device and a DC to DC charging and discharging device.