Battery pack system
First Claim
1. A switcher chip for use in interconnecting a set of cells, comprising:
- a main negative terminal;
a cascading negative terminal;
a main positive terminal;
a cascading positive terminal;
a plurality of cell terminals; and
a plurality of switches, whereinthe switcher chip is configured such that;
when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a first subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, the set of cells are connected in parallel with each other and current is able to flow out the main positive terminal but is not able to flow out the cascading positive terminal,when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a second subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, the set of cells are connected in series with each other and current is able to flow out the main positive terminal but is not able to flow out the cascading positive terminal,when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a third subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, at least two of the cells in the set of cells are connected in series with each other and current is able to flow out the cascading positive terminal but is not able to flow out the main positive terminal,when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a fourth subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, a subset set of cells are connected in parallel with each other, at least one cell is electrically disconnected from each of the other cells, and current is able to flow out the main positive terminal but is not able to flow out the cascading positive terminal, andwhen a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a fifth subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, a subset set of cells are connected in series with each other and at least one cell from the set is electrically disconnected from each of the other cells of the set.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A source of environmental pollution is the burning of fuel by the transportation vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks). The use of electric vehicles (EVs) is perceived as an essential step towards better utilization of energy. Current EVs make use of an electric engine and a battery pack that provides energy to that engine. The technology of electric engines is well developed because of the common use of such engines in trains, submarines and industrial facilities. But, while the battery packs used in EVs have made a lot of progress in the last couple of years, these battery packs still have problems. These battery packs are expansive, heavy, and limited in the amount of energy that they can provide. This obstacle is a major factor that limits the use of EVs today in the mass market. Described herein is an improved EV battery pack system.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A switcher chip for use in interconnecting a set of cells, comprising:
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a main negative terminal; a cascading negative terminal; a main positive terminal; a cascading positive terminal; a plurality of cell terminals; and a plurality of switches, wherein the switcher chip is configured such that; when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a first subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, the set of cells are connected in parallel with each other and current is able to flow out the main positive terminal but is not able to flow out the cascading positive terminal, when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a second subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, the set of cells are connected in series with each other and current is able to flow out the main positive terminal but is not able to flow out the cascading positive terminal, when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a third subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, at least two of the cells in the set of cells are connected in series with each other and current is able to flow out the cascading positive terminal but is not able to flow out the main positive terminal, when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a fourth subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, a subset set of cells are connected in parallel with each other, at least one cell is electrically disconnected from each of the other cells, and current is able to flow out the main positive terminal but is not able to flow out the cascading positive terminal, and when a set of cells are connected to the switcher chip via the plurality of cell terminals and a fifth subset of the plurality of switches are closed and the remainder of the switches are open, a subset set of cells are connected in series with each other and at least one cell from the set is electrically disconnected from each of the other cells of the set. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A battery module, comprising:
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a switcher chip comprising;
a plurality of switches, a main positive terminal, a main negative terminal, a cascading positive terminal and a cascading negative terminal; anda set of cells, the set of cells comprising; (i) a first cell having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, the positive terminal being connected to a first cell terminal of the switcher chip and the negative terminal being connected to a second cell terminal of the switcher chip, and (ii) a second cell having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, the positive terminal is connected to a third cell terminal of the switcher chip and the negative terminal is connected to a fourth cell terminal of the switcher chip, wherein the switcher chip is operable to; (i) configure the switches such that (a) the cells are connected in series, (b) current is able to flow out of the switcher chip via the main positive terminal but is not able to flow out the switcher chip via the cascading positive terminal, and (c) current is able to flow into the switcher chip via the main negative terminal but is not able to flow into the switcher chip via the cascading negative terminal, (ii) configure the switches such that (a) the cells are connected in series, (b) current is able to flow out of the switcher chip via the cascading positive terminal but is not able to flow out the switcher chip via the main positive terminal, and (c) current is able to flow into the switcher chip via the cascading negative terminal but is not able to flow into the switcher chip via the main negative terminal, and (iii) configure the switches such that (a) the cells are connected in parallel, (b) current is able to flow out of the switcher chip via the main positive terminal but is not able to flow out the switcher chip via the cascading positive terminal, and (c) current is able to flow into the switcher chip via the main negative terminal but is not able to flow into the switcher chip via the cascading negative terminal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A battery pack system comprising a battery pack, the battery pack comprising:
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a first cluster of battery modules comprising a first column of battery modules and a second column of battery modules; a first circuit for connecting the first column of battery modules in parallel with the second column of battery modules; a second circuit for connecting the first column of battery modules in series with the second column of battery modules; a second cluster of battery modules comprising a third column of battery modules and a fourth column of battery modules; a third circuit for connecting the third column of battery modules in parallel with the fourth column of battery modules; a fourth circuit for connecting the third column of battery modules in series with the fourth column of battery modules, wherein at least one of the battery modules in the first column has (i) a switch for connecting and disconnecting a main output of the battery module to the first circuit and (ii) a switch for connecting and disconnecting a cascading output of the battery module to the second circuit, at least one of the battery modules in the second column has (i) a switch for connecting and disconnecting a main output of the battery module to the first circuit and (ii) a switch for connecting and disconnecting a cascading output of the battery module to the second circuit, at least one of the battery modules in the third column has (i) a switch for connecting and disconnecting a main output of the battery module to the third circuit and (ii) a switch for connecting and disconnecting a cascading output of the battery module to the fourth circuit, and at least one of the battery modules in the fourth column has (i) a switch for connecting and disconnecting a main output of the battery module to the third circuit and (ii) a switch for connecting and disconnecting a cascading output of the battery module to the fourth circuit. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification