Reconfigurable battery
First Claim
1. A reconfigurable battery, comprising at least one bank of:
- a statically joined plurality of series connected battery cells;
each of said battery cells comprising a first voltage pole and a second voltage pole;
at least one processor controlled switch electrically connected between said first voltage pole of each of said battery cells and a first electrical output connection;
at least one processor controlled switch electrically connected between said second voltage pole of each of said battery cells and a second electrical output connection;
wherein said processor controlled switches are adapted to electrically reconfigure said battery cells by coupling a first voltage pole of one of said battery cells to said first electrical output connection and a second voltage pole of one of said battery cells to said second electrical output connection to provide a reconfigurable battery output voltage between said first and second electrical output connections.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A reconfigurable battery has at least one bank of statically joined series connected battery cells, each cell including a positive and a negative pole. The poles connect through switches to respective output connections. Activating a set of processor controlled switches reconfigures at least some of the battery cells into a configuration to provide a voltage across the output connections. The output battery voltage may vary intermediately between zero volts and the maximum voltage produced by the series connected battery cells.
An alternative configuration of switches divides groups of series connected battery cells into separate battery banks that permit other battery cell configurations. Duty cycle modulation of the switches allows intermediate control of output voltage with reduced switching transients. Reconfigurable battery cells used in combination with an electric motor permit selectable speed control and battery regeneration schemes matched to motor output.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A reconfigurable battery, comprising at least one bank of:
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a statically joined plurality of series connected battery cells; each of said battery cells comprising a first voltage pole and a second voltage pole; at least one processor controlled switch electrically connected between said first voltage pole of each of said battery cells and a first electrical output connection; at least one processor controlled switch electrically connected between said second voltage pole of each of said battery cells and a second electrical output connection; wherein said processor controlled switches are adapted to electrically reconfigure said battery cells by coupling a first voltage pole of one of said battery cells to said first electrical output connection and a second voltage pole of one of said battery cells to said second electrical output connection to provide a reconfigurable battery output voltage between said first and second electrical output connections. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for reconfiguring a battery comprising:
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arranging a portion of a statically joined plurality of series connected battery cells into a first configuration adapted to provide a first battery voltage; and reconfiguring at least a portion of said statically joined plurality of series connected battery cells into a second configuration adapted to provide a second battery voltage; wherein said reconfiguring comprises; closing a first processor controlled switch to electrically couple a first voltage pole of a battery cell in said statically joined plurality of series connected battery cells to a first electrical output connection; and closing a second processor controlled switch to electrically couple a second voltage pole of a battery cell in said statically joined plurality of series connected battery cells to a second electrical output connection. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification