Fast charger for high capacity batteries
First Claim
1. A fast charger for high capacity batteries, comprising:
- an input power conditioner including an AC input rectifier yielding rectified input, and a film capacitor coupled with the AC input rectifier, wherein the film capacitor operates at frequency above about 2 kilohertz;
a power converter including a buck regulator coupled with the input power conditioner to receive rectified input therefrom, and including switching componentry operating at frequency above about 2 kilohertz, producing a power output, wherein said switching componentry includes multiple switching devices; and
an inductive filter coupled in power output-receiving relationship to said power converter, to produce a filtered fast charging power output.
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Abstract
A highly efficient fast charger for high capacity batteries and methods for fast charging high capacity batteries. The fast charger preferably comprises a rectified AC input of single or preferably three phases, with an optional power factor corrected input, minimally filtered with high frequency, high ripple current capacitors, which is switched with a power switching circuit in the “buck” configuration into an inductor/capacitor output filter. Metallized film capacitors are employed, to minimize the rectified 360 Hertz AC component filtering while providing transient switch protection and ripple current requirements for the buck regulator, to provide a high current fast charger with substantially improved power factor. High power, high frequency switching with minimized output filter size provides a highly filtered DC output. The fast charger is adapted to be constructed in a modular design for simple maintenance.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A fast charger for high capacity batteries, comprising:
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an input power conditioner including an AC input rectifier yielding rectified input, and a film capacitor coupled with the AC input rectifier, wherein the film capacitor operates at frequency above about 2 kilohertz; a power converter including a buck regulator coupled with the input power conditioner to receive rectified input therefrom, and including switching componentry operating at frequency above about 2 kilohertz, producing a power output, wherein said switching componentry includes multiple switching devices; and an inductive filter coupled in power output-receiving relationship to said power converter, to produce a filtered fast charging power output. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 16, 21)
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- 6. A fast battery charger comprising an AC input rectification conditioner and film capacitor operating above 2 kilohertz, operatively coupled with a buck regulator switching at above 2 kilohertz and inductive filter for producing a filtered fast charging output, a battery charging power transmission member arranged for transmitting said filtered fast charging output to a battery, and a programmable controller programmably arranged to control time-varying charging at a fixed charging variable condition, wherein said charging variable is selected from the group consisting of charging voltage and charging current, wherein said programmable controller is programmably arranged to control time-varying charging according to an IVI charging profile, and wherein said switching is effected by switching componentry comprising multiple switching devices.
- 7. A fast battery charger comprising power management circuitry for producing battery charging power, including an AC input rectification conditioner and film capacitor operating above 2 kilohertz, operatively coupled with a buck regulator switching at above 2 kilohertz and inductive filter for producing a filtered fast charging output, a battery charging power transmission member arranged for transmitting said filtered fast charging output to a battery, and a housing having disposed therein said power management circuitry for producing battery charging power, said housing including an openable/closable member for selective access to an interior region of said housing, wherein said openable/closeable member is coupled with a member for producing an open circuit condition in said power management circuitry when said openable/closeable member is opened, and wherein said switching is effected by switching componentry comprising multiple switching devices each of which is operated out of phase with respect to others of said multiple switching devices so that at any time during operation of said switching componentry only one of said multiple switching devices is on.
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8. A method of fast charging high capacity batteries, comprising:
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conditioning input power by AC input rectification thereof yielding rectified input, in a circuit including a film capacitor coupled with an AC input rectifier, wherein the film capacitor operates at frequency above about 2 kilohertz; converting power from said conditioning step in a circuit including a buck regulator and switching componentry operating at frequency above about 2 kilohertz, to produce a power output; and inductively filtering the power output, to produce a filtered fast charging power output, wherein said switching componentry includes multiple switching devices each of which is operated out of phase with respect to others of said multiple switching devices so that at any time during operation of said switching componentry only one of said multiple switching devices is on. - View Dependent Claims (9, 24)
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10. A fast charger for high capacity batteries, comprising:
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(a) an AC input; (b) means for rectifying AC power from said AC input to produce a rectified output; (c) means for converting said rectified output to a converted DC output for charging a high capacity battery, said means comprising high frequency, high ripple current capacitors switched with a power switching circuit in a buck configuration into an inductor/capacitor output filter; and (d) cabling for transmission of the rectified output to the high capacity battery, wherein said means (b) and (c) are arranged for charging the high capacity battery at a charging rate greater than 30 A per 100 Ahrs of capacity to bring the state of charge of the battery from 30% to 80% of full charge in less than 1.5 hrs while maintaining temperature of said battery below 125°
F. during said charging, andwherein said power switching circuit comprises multiple switching devices. - View Dependent Claims (18, 25)
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11. A fast charger for high capacity batteries, comprising:
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(a) an AC input; (b) means for rectifying AC power from said AC input to produce a rectified output; (c) means for converting said rectified output to a converted DC output for charging a high capacity battery, said converting means comprising high frequency, high ripple current capacitors switched with a power switching circuit in a buck configuration into an inductor/capacitor output filter, and (d) cabling for transmission of the rectified output to the high capacity battery; wherein said means (c) comprise a first IGBT switch driven by a pulse width modulation circuit and a second IGBT switch providing a current path when the first IGBT switch is off in a pulse width modulation cycle of the first IGBT switch, a first switching driver controlled by the pulse width modulation circuit and arranged to transmit a switching signal to said first IGBT switch for switching thereof, and a second switching driver controlled by the pulse width modulation circuit and arranged to transmit a switching signal to said second IGBT switch for switching thereof. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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- 12. A method of fast charging a high capacity battery, comprising generating output charging power with rectification and pulse width modulation of an AC input, modulating the output charging power in response to the rectified AC input waveform, and synchronously varying the pulse width modulation duty cycle in proportion and response to the AC ripple voltage of the rectified AC input waveform, to provide a substantially constant DC voltage output charging power, wherein said AC input after said rectification is conditioned in a conditioning circuit including a film capacitor operating at above 2 kilohertz, and converted to said substantially constant DC voltage output charging power by subjecting she conditioned AC input to flower conversion effecting said pulse width modulation, and inductive filtering, wherein said power conversion is effected in a power converter including a buck converter and switching componentry operating at frequency above 2 kilohertz, wherein said switching componentry includes multiple switching devices.
- 13. A fast battery charger comprising an AC input rectification conditioner and film capacitor operating above 2 kilohertz, operatively coupled with a buck regulator switching at above 2 kilohertz and inductive filter for producing a filtered fast charging output, a battery charging power transmission member arranged for transmitting said filtered fast charging output to a battery, and a programmable controller programmably arranged to control time-varying charging at a fixed charging variable condition, wherein said charging variable is selected from the group consisting of charging voltage and charging current, wherein said programmable controller is programmably arranged to control time-varying charging according to a predetermined charging profile, and wherein said switching is effected by switching componentry comprising multiple switching devices.
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14. A fast charger for a high capacity battery, comprising:
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an input section including a transformer for voltage adjustment of inputted AC voltage and a rectifier for producing a rectified bus voltage; a conditioning section arranged to receive the rectified bus voltage, including a first IGBT switch, a pulse width modulation circuit driving said first IGBT switch, and a second IGBT switch providing a current path with the first IGBT switch is off in a pulse width modulation cycle of said pulse width modulation circuit, and at least one film capacitor filtering the first IGBT switch and output filter circuitry while minimally filtering the bus voltage, a first switching driver controlled by the pulse width modulation circuit and arranged to transmit a switching signal to said first IGBT switch for switching thereof, and a second switching driver controlled by the pulse width modulation circuit and arranged to transmit a switching signal to said second IGBT switch for switching thereof, said conditioning section producing a conditioned power output; and an output filter comprising said output filter circuitry, arranged to receive the conditioned power output and produce a charging power output. - View Dependent Claims (15, 29)
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30. A fast charger for charging at least one high capacity battery, the charger comprising:
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a 3-phase transformer for voltage adjustment of an inputted 3-phase AC voltage and a 3-phase AC bridge rectifier for producing a rectified bus voltage; a conditioning section arranged to receive the rectified bus voltage, including a first electronic switch, a pulse width modulation circuit driving said first electronic switch, and a second electronic switch providing a current path when the first electronic switch is off in a pulse width modulation cycle of said pulse width modulation circuit, at least one film capacitor minimally filtering the rectified bus voltage for the first electronic switch, said conditioning section producing a conditioned power output; and an inductive output filter comprising said output filter circuitry, arranged to receive the conditioned power output and produce a filtered charging power output.
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31. A method of charging at least one high capacity battery, comprising:
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adjusting a supplied 3-phase AC voltage with a 3-phase transformer to yield an input 3-phase AC voltage; bridge rectifying the input 3-phase AC voltage to produce a rectified bus voltage; conditioning the rectified bus voltage, by conditioning circuitry including a first electronic switch, a pulse width modulation circuit driving said first electronic switch, and a second electronic switch providing a current path when the first electronic switch is off in a pulse width modulation cycle of said pulse width modulation circuit, and at least one film capacitor minimally filtering the rectified bus voltage for the first electronic switch, to produce a conditioned power output; and inductively filtering said conditioned power output to produce a filtered fast charging power output adapted for fast charging of the at least one high capacity battery.
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Specification