Circuit utilizing current flowing from a high-potential battery bank to a low-potential battery bank

• US 6,031,355 A
• Filed: 08/15/1998
• Issued: 02/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joe G. Rich
• Original Assignee: Joe G. Rich
• Inventors: Rich, Joe G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US09/134,772
• Time in Patent Office: 563 Days
• Field of Search: 320/112, 320/103, 320/116, 320/117, 320/118, 320/121, 320/123
• US Class Current: 320/117
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/19 Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0445 Multimode batteries, e.g. containing auxiliary cells or electrodes switchable in parallel or series connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

The invention encompasses a circuit that is capable of driving a load with the current as electrons flow during equilibration from a high-potential battery bank to a low-potential bank. The cells comprising each battery bank can be switched from being in parallel to each other to being in series; this switch causes the potential of each battery bank to change and thereby creates a relative potential difference between the cells. By switching the battery banks so that one bank is parallel and the other is serial, allowing the battery banks to equilibrate, and then switching the cells in the battery banks after equilibration from parallel to serial and serial to parallel, a potential difference can be recreated repeatedly and current flow maintained.

Claims

1. An apparatus for utilizing current flow from a high potential to a low potential for powering a load such as an electric motor comprising:

a first bank of batteries connected to a second bank of batteries, each said bank of batteries constructed and arranged such that each battery within said bank of batteries is electrically connected to another battery within said bank of batteries,

each said bank having positive and negative output terminals, such that a voltage potential exists between the output terminals of one of said bank of batteries and the other said bank of batteries created by the difference in voltage between one of said banks of batteries and the other said bank of batteries,

means for electrically connecting a load, that responds to a voltage potential, between the like polarity terminals of said first bank and said second bank, and connecting the opposite set of like polarity terminals of each said bank to each other, a battery relay switch within each said bank of batteries to change the electrical connections of said batteries within each said bank from being connected in either series with each other to being connected in parallel with each other, or from parallel with each other to being connected in series with each other, and

a means for operating said battery relay switch of said first bank of batteries and said battery relay switch of said second bank of batteries, such that the connections of said batteries within said each bank are simultaneously switched back and forth to alternately create a higher voltage potential in one said bank with a lower voltage potential in the other said bank.

2. An apparatus for utilizing current flow from a high potential to a low potential for powering a load such as an electric motor comprising:

a first bank of batteries connected to a second bank of batteries, each said bank of batteries constructed and arranged such that each battery within said bank of batteries is electrically connected to another battery within said bank of batteries,

each said bank having positive and negative output terminals, such that a voltage potential exists between the output terminals of one of said bank of batteries and the other said bank of batteries created by the difference in voltage between one of said banks of batteries and the other said bank of batteries,

means for electrically connecting a load, that responds to a voltage potential, between the like polarity terminals of said first bank and said second bank, and connecting the opposite set of like polarity terminals of each said bank to each other, wherein the batteries in one of the banks are parallel to each other, and the batteries in the other bank are in series with each other.

3. A circuit described in claim 2, further comprising:

a flow relay connected to both sides of said load, that causes the current that may be flowing from either bank to flow through the load in a single direction.

4. A circuit described in claim 3, wherein said cycle relay prevents overcharging batteries by moving said switches to prevent current from entering the fully charged batteries in the low potential bank by:

disconnecting the switch between the load and low potential bank, and

connecting the now unconnected side of the load to the third switch, so that the low potential bank receives no current while a circuit is completed by the high potential bank and the load.

5. A circuit described in claim 3:

wherein said cycle relay switches said banks so that they are parallel to each other by switching the connection so that both positive terminals connect to each other before they connect to a first side of the load, and both negative terminal connect to each other before connecting to the other side of the load, and

wherein said cycle relay works in conjunction with said battery relays so that said battery relays switch the cells in said banks to parallel.

6. A circuit as described in claim 3,

wherein said cycle relay switches said banks so they are in series with each other, by switching the connection between the cells so that the positive terminal of the first bank is connected to the negative terminal of the second bank, and the negative terminal of the second bank is connected to the first side of the load, and the second side of the load is connected to the positive terminal of the first bank, and

wherein said cycle relay works in conjunction with the battery relays to switch the cells in said banks to being in series with each other.

7. A circuit as described in claim 3,

wherein the switches are all closed so that current flows from a terminal of the high potential bank through the electric motor to a like polarity terminal of the low potential bank and the other like polarity terminals of each bank are connected to each other.

8. An apparatus for utilizing current flow from a high potential to a low potential for powering a load such as an electric motor comprising:

a first bank of batteries connected to a second bank of batteries, each said bank of batteries constructed and arranged such that each battery within said bank of batteries is electrically connected to another battery within said bank of batteries,

each said bank having positive and negative output terminals, such that a voltage potential exists between the output terminals of one of said bank of batteries and the other said bank of batteries created by the difference in voltage between one of said banks of batteries and the other said bank of batteries,

means for electrically connecting a load, that responds to a voltage potential, between the like polarity terminals of said first bank and said second bank, and connecting the opposite set of like polarity terminals of each said bank to each other, a switch that changes each bank to the opposite position, parallel to serial and serial to parallel, upon reaching equilibrium in order to create repeatedly a new potential difference between said banks.

9. An apparatus for utilizing current flow from a high potential to a low potential for powering a load such as an electric motor comprising:

a first bank of batteries connected to a second bank of batteries, each said bank of batteries constructed and arranged such that each battery within said bank of batteries is electrically connected to another battery within said bank of batteries,

each said bank having positive and negative output terminals, such that a voltage potential exists between the output terminals of one of said bank of batteries and the other said bank of batteries created by the difference in voltage between one of said banks of batteries and the other said bank of batteries,

means for electrically connecting a load, that responds to a voltage potential, between the like polarity terminals of said first bank and said second bank, and connecting the opposite set of like polarity terminals of each said bank to each other,

a cycle relay having three switches;

a first switch located in the connection between a bank and the load,

a second switch located in the connection between the other bank and the load, and

a third switch is connected to the middle of the connection between said banks not containing said load.