Apparatus and method for regulating the load applied to a battery

• US 20040000893A1
• Filed: 09/06/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Franz, Martin, Raichle, Kurt
• Granted Patent: US 7,148,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/135
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation

Abstract

A method and apparatus that enables the load applied to a battery to be regulated. Regulation of the load to the battery is based upon a load request from which a set-point is derived in a microprocessor. From this set-point, voltage is either allowed to pass or not to pass through a regulator.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a battery charger; and

a regulator linked to the battery charger that permits a selected load to pass to a battery.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a battery that is linked to the battery charger.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the regulator is a thyristor.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the regulator is a silicon control rectifier.

5. The apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor that is linked to the regulator.

6. The apparatus as in claim 5, wherein a set-point is provided to the microprocessor.

7. The apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the microprocessor calculates what load to pass through the regulator based upon the set-point.

8. The apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the set-point is a position on a rectifier output, which triggers the regulator to pass the load to the battery.

9. The apparatus as in claim 5, wherein the microprocessor is a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

10. The apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the set-point is based upon voltage.

11. The apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the set-point is based upon current.

12. A method for regulating a load to a battery, comprising:

receiving a request for a load to apply when charging a battery;

determining a set-point from the request; and

regulating the load to the battery, in response to the set-point.

13. The method as in claim 12, further comprising preventing power from reaching the battery that falls outside the set-point.

14. The method as in claim 12, further comprising receiving power from a rectifier to apply to the battery.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein the power is a rectified sine wave.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein the set-point is placed at location on the sine wave based upon the requested load.

17. The method as in claim 16, wherein all power from the set-point forward is allowed to pass to the battery.

18. An apparatus for regulating a load to a battery, comprising:

means for receiving a request for a load to apply when charging a battery means;

means for determining a set-point from the request; and

means for regulating the load to the battery means, in response to the set-point.

19. The apparatus as in claim 18, further comprising means for preventing power from reaching the battery means that falls outside the set-point.

20. The apparatus as in claim 18, further comprising means for receiving power from a rectifier means to apply to the battery means.

21. The apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the power is received from a means for rectifying an alternating current supply into a sine wave.

22. The apparatus as in claim 21, wherein the set-point is placed at location on the sine wave based upon the requested load.

23. The apparatus as in claim 22, wherein all power from the set-point forward is allowed to pass to the battery means.