Storage capacitor power supply

• US 6,424,156 B1
• Filed: 05/31/1995
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nantong Jianghai Capacitor Company Limited, Okamura Laboratory Inc.
• Original Assignee: JEOL Limited
• Inventors: Okamura, Michio
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamdan, Wasseem H.
• Application Number:
  US08/454,706
• Time in Patent Office: 2,610 Days
• Field of Search: 324/72, 324/72.5, 324/426, 324/427, 324/433, 324/434, 324/548, 307/109, 307/110, 320/1, 320/48, 363/59, 363/60, 363/61
• US Class Current: 324/426
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/55 Capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A long-lived, lightweight, and quickly and precisely charged storage capacitor power supply capable of stably supplying electric power to a load. The power supply has a capacitor block consisting of capacitors connected in series, in parallel or in any combination of series and parallel. The power supply further includes a charging circuit for charging the block, a charging power supply connected with the block via the charging circuit, and a charge-limiting circuit. This charge-limiting circuit detects the voltage across the terminals of the block and limits charging of the block if the voltage reaches a given value. One embodiment of the invention further includes a charge-limiting circuit, a full charge-detecting circuit, and a residual electricity-detecting circuit connected in parallel with the block. The charge-limiting circuit senses that the voltage across the terminals of the block exceeds the given value and causes the charging current to bypass the block. The full charge-detecting circuit senses that the charge-limiting circuit is operated and determines that full charge is attained. The residual electricity-detecting circuit finds the residual electric power from the voltage across the terminals of the block. Another embodiment has a first and a second capacitor block. The voltage across the terminals of the first block is detected. The first block is charged from the second block until the detected voltage reaches a given voltage. The first block supplies electric power directly to the load.

Claims

1. A storage capacitor power supply adapted to store electricity in a capacitor block consisting of a plurality of capacitors connected in series, in parallel or in any combination of series and parallel and to supply electric power to a load, said power supply comprising a residual electricity-detecting circuit which takes the voltage developed across the power supply and, applies the voltage to a series combination of a voltage regulator circuit and a detector device for detecting a current corresponding to the residual electric power.

2. In a storage capacitor power supply adapted to store electricity in a capacitor block consisting of a plurality of capacitors connected in series, in parallel or in any combination of series and parallel and to supply electric power to a load, said power supply comprising:

the capacitor block connected with the load and supplying electric power directly to the load;

a charging circuit for electrically charging the capacitor block;

a charging power supply connected with the capacitor block via the charging circuit;

a charge-limiting circuit which detects the voltage developed across each capacitor and limits charging of the capacitor when the detected voltage reaches a given value;

a residual electricity-detecting circuit comprising;

means for detecting the voltage produced across the capacitor block;

a multiplier producing the square of the voltage developed across the terminals of the capacitor block; and

calculating means for multiplying the output from the multiplier by a constant factor to provide a number indicative of the residual electricity in the capacitor block.

3. In a storage capacitor power supply adapted to store electricity in a capacitor block consisting of a plurality of capacitors connected in series, in parallel or in any combination of series and parallel and to supply electric power to a load, said power supply comprising:

a charge-limiting circuit connected in parallel with each capacitor and causing charging current to bypass the capacitor by sensing that a terminal voltage thereof has reached a given value;

a full charge-detecting circuit which detects operation of the charge-limiting circuit and makes a decision to see if a fully charged condition has occurred;

a residual electricity-detecting circuit comprising;

means for detecting the voltage produced across the capacitor block;

a multiplier producing the square of the voltage developed across the terminals of the capacitor block; and

calculating means for multiplying the output from the multiplier by a constant factor to provide a number indicative of the residual electricity in the capacitor block.