Back-up battery management apparatus for charging and testing individual battery cells in a string of battery cells
First Claim
1. An apparatus for selectively testing battery cells in a string of battery cells hard wired one cell to another and employed as a back-up power supply to a primary power source, the string of battery cells being connected to a load bus associated with the primary power source for delivering power in the event of a failure of the primary power source, the apparatus comprising:
- an isolation circuit for at least partially isolating the string of battery cells from the load bus while permitting current flow between the battery cells and the load bus in the event of a failure of the primary power supply;
a switching network associated with the battery cells and including at least two controlled switches arranged to selectively form circuits for discharging one or more of the battery cells while the cells remain connected in the string; and
,a logic circuit connected to the controlled switches for selecting which of the battery cells will be discharged for testing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for controllably charging and discharging individual battery cells or groups of battery cells in a string of batteries employed as a back-up power supply is provided. The apparatus comprises an isolation circuit for at least partially isolating the battery string from the load bus and primary supply; a switching network including at least two controlled switches arranged to selectively form circuits for discharging one or more cells; and a logic circuit for selecting which of the cells will be discharged. In certain disclosed embodiments, the logic circuit and switching network combine to apportion charging current to individual battery cells or groups of cells in accordance with their charging needs.
123 Citations
41 Claims
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1. An apparatus for selectively testing battery cells in a string of battery cells hard wired one cell to another and employed as a back-up power supply to a primary power source, the string of battery cells being connected to a load bus associated with the primary power source for delivering power in the event of a failure of the primary power source, the apparatus comprising:
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an isolation circuit for at least partially isolating the string of battery cells from the load bus while permitting current flow between the battery cells and the load bus in the event of a failure of the primary power supply; a switching network associated with the battery cells and including at least two controlled switches arranged to selectively form circuits for discharging one or more of the battery cells while the cells remain connected in the string; and
,a logic circuit connected to the controlled switches for selecting which of the battery cells will be discharged for testing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An apparatus for selectively testing first and second battery cells in a string of battery cells hard wired one cell to another and employed as a back-up power supply to a primary power source comprising:
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an isolation circuit for at least partially isolating the string of battery cells from the load bus while permitting current flow between the battery cells and the load bus in the event of a failure of the primary power supply; a switching network coupled to the battery cells in the string, the switching network including at least two controlled switches for selectively forming a first discharge circuit incorporating the first battery cell and a second discharge circuit incorporating the second battery cell while the cells remain connected in the string; a discharge module in circuit with the switching network to selectively connect the discharge circuit formed by the switching network to a load to discharge the battery cell incorporated therein; and
,a logic circuit coupled to the controlled switches for controlling which of the first and second discharge circuits is formed by the switching network. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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35. An apparatus for controlling current flow associated with first and second battery cells in a string of battery cells employed as a back-up power supply to a primary power source supplying power to a load via a load bus, the apparatus comprising:
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a first controlled switch coupled as a shunt across the first battery cell; a second controlled switch coupled as a shunt across the second battery cell; a logic circuit coupled to the first and second controlled switches for respectively controlling current flow through the first and second battery cells; and
,a battery string module coupled to the load bus and to the string of battery cells, the battery string module including an isolation circuit for at least partially isolating the string of battery cells from the load bus while permitting current flow between the string and the load bus in the event of a failure of the primary power supply. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification