Method and system for determining and charging Li-ion battery in an integrated power system
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for monitoring and charging a battery in an integrated power system, the apparatus comprising:
- a direct current (DC) bus electrically connected to the battery;
a DC generator electrically connected to the DC bus;
a generator control unit adapted to regulate the output voltage of the generator;
a converter electrically connected to the DC bus; and
a plurality of current sensors positioned between the DC bus and the battery, wherein;
at least one of the generator control unit and the converter is configured to supply a constant current to the battery by varying the voltage of the DC bus, based at least partly on current sensed by the plurality of current sensors, wherein the voltage of the DC bus is varied between twenty-two and thirty volts,the battery is charged while floating on the DC bus, anda dedicated battery charger is not required to charge the battery.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus of determining the state of charge and charging Li-ion batteries while the batteries remain floating on the direct current (DC) bus without the need for a dedicated charger is described. The system includes a battery, a DC generator and a converter, each electrically connected to a DC bus. A charging control algorithm may be used to monitor and control the charging current supplied to the battery. The voltage on the DC bus may be varied to help control the charging current supplied to the battery, based on the battery'"'"'s internal impedance and the battery'"'"'s state of charge.
22 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for monitoring and charging a battery in an integrated power system, the apparatus comprising:
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a direct current (DC) bus electrically connected to the battery; a DC generator electrically connected to the DC bus; a generator control unit adapted to regulate the output voltage of the generator; a converter electrically connected to the DC bus; and a plurality of current sensors positioned between the DC bus and the battery, wherein; at least one of the generator control unit and the converter is configured to supply a constant current to the battery by varying the voltage of the DC bus, based at least partly on current sensed by the plurality of current sensors, wherein the voltage of the DC bus is varied between twenty-two and thirty volts, the battery is charged while floating on the DC bus, and a dedicated battery charger is not required to charge the battery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for monitoring and charging a battery in an integrated power system, comprising:
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an external power source providing a first source of power; a converter connected to said first power source to convert the external power source into a direct current; a direct current bus connected to the converter to receive the first source of power; a direct current generator also connected to the direct current bus providing a second source of power; and a generator control unit connected to the direct current generator to control the second source of power; wherein a charging algorithm used to charge the battery is implemented in the generator control unit or said converter, or both, wherein the charging algorithm determines whether the battery is in a first range of a state of charge or a second/final range of a state of charge, wherein the charging algorithm varies a direct current bus voltage based at least partly on a current measured by a plurality of current sensors connected to the direct current bus to provide a constant charging current to the battery in the first range of the state of charge of the battery, wherein the direct current bus voltage is varied within a range between twenty-two and thirty volts, wherein the charging algorithm maintains a constant direct current bus voltage to decrease the charging current to the battery in the second/final range of the state of charge of the battery, and wherein the charging algorithm discontinues charging the battery after the charging current decreases to a predetermined minimum in the second/final range of the state of charge of the battery. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for charging a battery in an integrated power system, the method comprising:
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regulating a charging current to a constant predetermined maximum current value by varying a voltage level on a direct current (DC) bus, in a range between twenty-two and thirty volts, during a first predetermined state of charge range, the regulating being based at least partly on a current sensed by a plurality of current sensors coupled to the DC bus; supplying the charging current to the battery until a state of charge of the battery reaches a predetermined state of charge (SOC) value while increasing the voltage level as the internal impedance of the battery increases; reducing the charging current to the battery while maintaining a constant voltage on the DC bus through an entire final predetermined state of charge range after the state of charge of the battery surpasses the predetermined SOC value; and discontinuing charging of the battery when the charging current in the final predetermined state of charge range decreases to a value of about 1% of the battery nominal amp-hour capacity. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification