CHARGER DEVICE FOR BATTERY SUPPORTED POWER SUPPLIES

• US 20170346310A1
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: WAGNER, BERNARD
• Granted Patent: US 10,454,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0018 using separate charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present invention relates to a charger device (100) comprising: a sensor (10) which is configured to measure a differential current (DELTA_I) as a difference between a first current (I_POS) through a first battery portion (210) of a battery (200) and a second current (I_NEG) through a second battery portion (220) of the battery (200) and which is configured to provide a current difference signal (ΔI_meas) based on the measured differential current (DELTA_I); a compensator (20) which is configured to calculate a first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) used for the first battery portion (210) and a second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG) used for the second battery portion (220) based on the provided current difference signal (DELTA_I) and a battery current setpoint (I_SP); and a controller (30) which is configured to control charging and/or discharging of the first battery portion (210) based on the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and of the second battery portion (220) based on the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG).

Claims

1. A charger device comprising:

a sensor which is configured to measure a differential current (DELTA_I) as a difference between a first current (I_POS) through a first battery portion of a battery and a second current (I_NEG) through a second battery portion of the battery and which is configured to provide a current difference signal (Δ

I_meas) based on the measured differential current (DELTA_I) and wherein the first battery portion and the second battery portion are centrally earthed;

a compensator which is configured to calculate a first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) used for the first battery portion and a second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG) used for the second battery portion based on the provided current difference signal (DELTA_I) and a battery current setpoint (I_SP); and

a controller which is configured to control charging and/or discharging of the first battery portion based on the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and of the second battery portion based on the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG);

wherein the controller comprises;

i) a first portion charging device which is configured to control charging and/or discharging of the first battery portion based on the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS); and

ii) a second portion charging device which is configured to control charging and/or discharging of the second battery portion based on the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG).

2. Charger device according to claim 1,

wherein the compensator comprises an amplifier configured to amplify the current difference signal (Δ

I_meas) for calculating the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG).

3. Charger device according to claim 1,

wherein the compensator comprises an integrator configured to integrate the current difference signal (Δ

I_meas) for calculating the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG).

4. Charger device according to claim 1,

wherein the compensator is configured to be operated as a proportional controller, a proportional-integral controller, a proportional-derivative controller or as a proportional-integral-derivative controller.

5. Charger device according to claim 1,

wherein the charger device is configured to control a state of charge (SOC) of the battery within a predefined range (R_SOC) of the state of charge (SOC) of the battery.

6. Charger device according to claim 5,

wherein the sensor is configured to measure the differential current (DELTA_I) over a current range between 0 and 1000 mA, preferably between 0 and 100 mA, most preferably between 0 and 10 mA.

7. Charger device according to claim 5,

wherein the sensor is configured to measure the differential current (DELTA_I) of the first current (I_POS) and the second current (I_NEG) in a range of single digit percentage of the first current and/or the second current, preferably in a current range of single digit per thousands of the first current and/or the second current.

8. Charger device according to claim 7,

wherein the compensator is configured to calculate the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG) by means of a minimization control loop of the current difference signal (Δ

I_meas).

9. A power supply system comprising:

a battery comprising a first battery portion and a second battery portion, and

a charger device according to claim 5,

wherein the charger device is configured to control charging and/or discharging of the battery.

10. A method for controlling charging and discharging of a battery, the method comprising the steps of:

a) measuring (ST1) a differential current (DELTA_I) as a difference between a first current (I_POS) through a first battery portion of a battery and a second current (I_NEG) through a second battery portion of the battery and providing a current difference signal (Δ

I_meas) based on the measured differential current (DELTA_I) and wherein the first battery portion and the second battery portion are centrally earthed;

b) calculating (ST2) a first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) used for the first battery portion and a second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG) used for the second battery portion based on the provided current difference signal (Δ

I_meas) and based on a battery current setpoint (I_SP) by a compensator; and

c) controlling (ST3) charging and/or discharging of the first battery portion by a controller based on the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS), controlling charging and/or discharging of the second battery portion by the controller based on the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG);

wherein the controller comprises;

i) a first portion charging device which is configured to control charging and/or discharging of the first battery portion based on the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS); and

ii) a second portion charging device which is configured to control charging and/or discharging of the second battery portion based on the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG).

11. Method according to claim 10,

wherein the step (ST2) of calculating the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and/or the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG) is performed by a proportional calculation, by a proportional-integral calculation, or by a proportional-derivative calculation or by a proportional-integral-derivative calculation.

12. Method according to claim 10,

wherein the step (ST2) of calculating the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and/or the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG) is performed by integrating the current difference signal (Δ

I meas) for calculating the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG).

13. Method according to claim 10,

wherein the step (ST2) of calculating the first current setpoint (I_SP_POS) and/or the second current setpoint (I_SP_NEG) is performed by a minimization control loop of the current difference signal (Δ

I_meas).