Passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability and charging system
First Claim
1. A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising:
- positive and negative charge terminals;
one battery cell operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals; and
one voltage clamping device having a reverse voltage breakdown threshold operatively coupled for conducting current to and discharging current from the battery cell and within the charge path of the battery cell, wherein the voltage clamping device provides passive protection for the battery pack by preventing a reverse current flow in the event of a short circuit of the charge terminals, wherein further the voltage clamping device allows on load conditioning discharge capability when a negative voltage higher than the reverse voltage breakdown threshold is applied; and
wherein further the battery pack is adapted to be charged and discharged using the positive and negative terminals while the battery pack is operably connected to a load.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A new type of passive battery pack short circuit protection is provided in a battery pack consisting of one or more battery cells, with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, having a minimum of only 2 terminals. At least one voltage clamping device is included in the charge path of the battery to provide both charge and conditioning-discharge capability. A charging system provides both charging and discharging controls so that current can be either charged to or discharged from the battery through the voltage clamping device. The breakdown voltage of the voltage clamping device is selected to be equal to or greater than the maximum battery voltage, thus providing short circuit protection of the battery pack while still allowing a discharge function with a minimum of 2 terminals. The charging system provides a positive charge current to charge the battery through the voltage clamping device and a negative voltage potential equal to or greater than the reverse breakdown voltage of the voltage clamping device, in conjunction with a current control, to discharge the battery.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising:
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positive and negative charge terminals;
one battery cell operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals; and
one voltage clamping device having a reverse voltage breakdown threshold operatively coupled for conducting current to and discharging current from the battery cell and within the charge path of the battery cell, wherein the voltage clamping device provides passive protection for the battery pack by preventing a reverse current flow in the event of a short circuit of the charge terminals, wherein further the voltage clamping device allows on load conditioning discharge capability when a negative voltage higher than the reverse voltage breakdown threshold is applied; and
wherein further the battery pack is adapted to be charged and discharged using the positive and negative terminals while the battery pack is operably connected to a load.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising:
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positive and negative charge terminals;
more than one battery cell operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals in one string of battery cells, wherein the more than one battery cells are operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals, wherein the more than one battery cells are adapted to be charged using a combination of pulse charging and pulse discharging; and
at least one voltage clamping device having a reverse voltage breakdown threshold operatively coupled for conducting current to and discharging current from the battery cells and within the charge path of the battery cells, wherein the voltage clamping device provides passive protection for the battery pack by preventing a reverse current flow in the event of a short circuit of the charge terminals, wherein further the voltage clamping service allows on load conditioning discharge capability when a negative voltage higher than the reverse voltage breakdown threshold is applied, and wherein further the battery pack is adapted to be charged and discharged using the positive and negative terminals while the battery pack is operably connected to a load. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising
positive and negative charge terminals; -
more than one battery cell operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals in more than one parallel string of battery cells; and
at least one voltage clamping device having a reverse voltage breakdown threshold operatively coupled to each parallel string of battery cells in a battery pack for conducting current to and discharging current from the battery cells and within the charge path of the battery cells, wherein the at least one voltage clamping device provides passive protection for the battery pack by preventing a reverse current flow in the event of a short circuit of the charge terminals, and wherein further the voltage clamping device allows on load conditioning discharge capability when a negative voltage higher than the reverse voltage breakdown threshold is applied. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising:
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positive and negative charge terminals;
one battery cell; and
one voltage clamping device in the charge path of the battery pack located outside the battery pack operatively coupled for conducting current to and discharging current from the battery pack, wherein the voltage clamping device is a transient voltage suppressor. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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30. A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising:
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positive and negative charge terminals;
more than one battery cell operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals in one string of battery cells; and
at least one voltage clamping device in the charge path of the battery pack located outside the battery pack operatively coupled for conducting current to and discharging current from the battery pack, wherein the voltage clamping device is a transient voltage suppressor.
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31. A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising:
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positive and negative charge terminals;
more than one battery cell operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals in more than one parallel string of battery cells; and
at least one voltage clamping device in the charge path of the battery pack located outside the battery pack operatively coupled for conducting current to and discharging current from the battery pack, wherein the voltage clamping device is a transient voltage suppressor.
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35. A battery charging system, comprising:
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A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising;
positive and negative charge terminals;
one or more battery cells operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals; and
a voltage clamping device having a reverse voltage breakdown threshold for conducting current to and discharging current from the one or more battery cells and within the charge path of the battery cells, wherein the voltage clamping device provides passive protection for the battery pack by preventing a reverse current flow in the event of a short circuit of the charge terminals, and wherein further the voltage clamping device allows on load conditioning discharge capability when a negative voltage higher that the reverse voltage breakdown threshold is applied; and
A charger, comprising;
positive and negative charging terminals for mating respectively with the positive and negative charge terminals of the battery pack;
a negative voltage power source having a negative voltage potential, wherein the negative voltage potential is larger than the reverse voltage breakdown threshold;
a charging control circuit for charging the battery pack through the positive charging terminal, wherein the charging control circuit charges the one or more battery cells using pulse charging; and
a discharging control circuit for discharging the battery pack through the positive charging terminal, wherein the discharging control circuit discharges the one or more battery cells using pulse discharging. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A battery charging system, comprising:
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A passively protected battery pack with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, comprising;
positive and negative charge terminals;
one or more battery cells operatively coupled between the positive and negative charge terminals; and
a voltage clamping device having a reverse voltage breakdown threshold for conducting current to and discharging current from the one or more battery cells and within the charge path of the battery cells, wherein the voltage clamping device provides passive protection for the battery pack by preventing a reverse current flow in the event of a short circuit of the charge terminals, and wherein further the voltage clamping device allows on load conditioning discharge capability when a negative voltage higher than the reverse voltage breakdown threshold is applied; and
A charger, comprising;
positive and negative charging terminals for mating respectively with the positive and negative charge terminals of the battery pack;
a negative voltage power source having a negative voltage potential, wherein the negative voltage potential is larger than the reverse voltage breakdown threshold;
a charging control circuit for charging the battery pack through the positive charging terminal, wherein the charging control circuit charges the one or more battery cells using pulse charging; and
a discharging control circuit for discharging the battery pack through the positive charging terminal, wherein the discharging control circuit discharges the one or more battery cells using pulse discharging; and
a means for interrupting the charging or conditioning discharging of the battery pack when the temperature information transmitted through the temperature detection terminal on the battery pack exceeds the baseline battery pack temperature criteria. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification