Batteries, battery systems, battery submodules, battery operational methods, battery system operational methods, battery charging methods, and battery system charging methods
First Claim
1. A battery comprising:
- a first battery terminal;
a second battery terminal; and
a plurality of submodules individually comprising;
a first submodule terminal;
a second submodule terminal;
a plurality of rechargeable cells electrically coupled with the first and second submodule terminals; and
switching circuitry configured to electrically couple one of the first and second battery terminals with one of the first and second submodule terminals of the respective individual submodule during an engaged mode of operation of the respective individual submodule and to electrically isolate the one of the first and second battery terminals from the one of the first and second submodule terminals of the respective individual submodule during a disengaged mode of operation of the respective individual submodule;
control circuitry configured to control operation of the switching circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to monitor the cells of the submodules during charging of the cells and to control the switching circuitry of the submodules during the charging and responsive to the monitoring of the cells; and
wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the switching circuitry to provide increased current from a charging source external of the battery to the cells of one of the submodules compared with a current provided from the charging source to the cells of another of the submodules during the charging of the one of the submodules.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Batteries, battery systems, battery submodules, battery operational methods, battery system operational methods, battery charging methods, and battery system charging methods are described. According to one aspect, a battery includes a first battery terminal, a second battery terminal, and a plurality of submodules individually comprising a first submodule terminal, a second submodule terminal, a plurality of rechargeable cells electrically coupled between the first and second submodule—terminals, and switching circuitry configured to electrically couple one of the first and second battery terminals with one of the first and second submodule terminals of one of the submodules during an engaged mode of operation of the one of the submodules and to electrically isolate the one of the first and second battery terminals from the one of the first and second submodule terminals of the one of the submodules during a disengaged mode of operation of the one of the submodules.
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Citations
61 Claims
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1. A battery comprising:
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a first battery terminal; a second battery terminal; and a plurality of submodules individually comprising; a first submodule terminal; a second submodule terminal; a plurality of rechargeable cells electrically coupled with the first and second submodule terminals; and switching circuitry configured to electrically couple one of the first and second battery terminals with one of the first and second submodule terminals of the respective individual submodule during an engaged mode of operation of the respective individual submodule and to electrically isolate the one of the first and second battery terminals from the one of the first and second submodule terminals of the respective individual submodule during a disengaged mode of operation of the respective individual submodule; control circuitry configured to control operation of the switching circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to monitor the cells of the submodules during charging of the cells and to control the switching circuitry of the submodules during the charging and responsive to the monitoring of the cells; and wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the switching circuitry to provide increased current from a charging source external of the battery to the cells of one of the submodules compared with a current provided from the charging source to the cells of another of the submodules during the charging of the one of the submodules. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A battery comprising:
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a first battery terminal; a second battery terminal; a plurality of submodules individually comprising; a plurality of rechargeable cells electrically coupled with the first and second battery terminals, and wherein the submodules are individually configured to operate in an engaged mode of operation wherein the rechargeable cells of the individual submodule at least one of supply and receive electrical energy with respect to the first and second battery terminals and to operate in a disengaged mode of operation wherein the rechargeable cells of the individual submodule do not supply nor receive electrical energy with respect to the first and second battery terminals; control circuitry configured to monitor the cells of the submodules during charging of the cells and to control the charging of the cells of the submodules during the charging and responsive to the monitoring of the cells; and wherein the control circuitry is configured to control provision of increased current from a charging source external of the battery to the cells of one of the submodules compared with a current provided from the charging source to the cells of an other of the submodules during the charging of the one and the other of the submodules. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A battery comprising:
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a first battery terminal; a second battery terminal; and a plurality of submodules individually comprising a plurality of rechargeable cells electrically coupled with the first and second battery terminals, wherein the submodules individually comprise storage circuitry storing information with respect to at least one of charging and discharging of the rechargeable cells of the respective individual submodule; wherein the submodules are individually configured to be removable from the battery; and wherein increased current is provided from a charging source external of the battery to the rechargeable cells of one of the submodules compared with a current provided from the charging source to the cells of another of the submodules during the charging of the one of the submodules. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A battery submodule comprising:
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a first submodule terminal; a second submodule terminal; a plurality of rechargeable cells electrically coupled between the first and second submodule terminals; and storage circuitry storing information with respect to the rechargeable cells; wherein the battery submodule is one battery submodule of a battery comprising at least one other battery submodule, wherein the first and second submodule terminals are configured to be electrically coupled with first and second submodule terminals of the at least one other battery submodule when the one battery submodule is operating within the battery during at least one of charging and discharging of the battery; wherein the information is useable by control circuitry to control at least one operation with respect to charging the rechargeable cells; and wherein the control circuitry is configured to control provision of increased current from a charging source external of the battery to the cells of the one battery submodule compared with a current provided from the charging source to the cells of the at least one other battery submodule during the charging of the one and the at least one other battery submodule. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A battery charging method comprising:
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supplying charging electrical energy via a terminal to a plurality of rechargeable cells of a plurality of submodules of a battery to electrically charge the rechargeable cells; monitoring the rechargeable cells of the submodules of the battery during the supplying; using the monitoring, applying different amounts of the charging electrical energy to the rechargeable cells of different ones of the submodules of the battery; and wherein the applying comprises providing increased current from a charging source external of the battery to the cells of one of the submodules compared with a current provided from the charging source to the cells of another of the submodules during the charging of the one and the other of the submodules. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. A battery operational method comprising:
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operating switching circuitry of one of a plurality of submodules of a battery in a conducting state during an engaged mode of operation of the one of the submodules to electrically couple a plurality of rechargeable cells of the one of the submodules with an external device at one moment in time, wherein the external device comprises a charging source which is external of the battery; operating the switching circuitry of the one of the submodules in a nonconducting state during a disengaged mode of operation of the one of the submodules to electrically isolate the rechargeable cells of the one of the submodules from the external device at another moment in time; changing the operation of the one of the submodules from the disengaged mode of operation to the engaged mode of operation; using the switching circuitry of the one of the submodules, limiting an amount of the electrical energy conducted with respect to the rechargeable cells of the one of the submodules during the changing; and providing increased current from the charging source which is external of the battery to the cells of the one of the submodules compared with a current provided from the charging source to the cells of another of the submodules during the charging of the one and the other of the submodules at the one moment in time. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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Specification