Batteries for optimizing output and charge balance with adjustable, exportable and addressable characteristics

• US 8,901,888 B1
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher V. Beckman
• Original Assignee: Christopher V. Beckman
• Inventors: Beckman, Christopher V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMADAN, RAMY O
• Application Number:
  US13/943,778
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 320/117, 320/119, 320/122, 320/118, 320/125, 320/134, 320/136
• US Class Current: 320/125
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0422 Cells or battery with cylindrical casing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0431 Cells with wound or folded electrodes H01M10/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0445 Multimode batteries, e.g. containing auxiliary cells or electrodes switchable in parallel or series connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

New battery management systems are provided that maintain voltage, current, cell balance and other electrical characteristics, without wasteful cell-to-cell recharging or resistive bleeding. In some aspects of the invention, a lagging or deteriorated battery may be at least partially bypassed, and the output of another, stronger battery is altered and addressed to supply the resulting power, voltage or other “gap.” In other aspects, the invention is implemented in an insert with battery mimicking and replacement hardware, and with a form factor for installation in a wide variety of possible battery compartments along with ordinary batteries.

Claims

1. A battery power distribution system comprising:

a first battery,

at least one additional second battery(s), wherein each of the first battery and the second battery provides a voltage, current or power output at a specified level to carry out operations for a circuit; and

a control system capable of;

(1) measuring an actual level of the voltage, current or power output of at least one of the at least one second battery(s); and

(2) upon determining that the actual level falls below the specified level and thereby that the at least one second battery(s) requires partial replacement, calculating the difference between the actual level and the specified level;

(3) increasing the voltage, current or power output of said first battery above the specified level by an amount equivalent to the difference between the actual level and the specified level of the second battery, upon determining that said first battery has sufficient available capabilities to additionally provide, or continue to provide, the voltage, current or power output at the specified level to carry out operations for a circuit; and

(4) providing the increased voltage, current or power output of the first battery to carry out the operations for the circuit.

2. The battery power distribution system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of separately electrically connectable sections of anode material within said first battery and

wherein said control system connects amounts of said anode material that vary over time to create a selected average voltage over time.

3. The battery power distribution system of claim 1, wherein said providing the increased voltage, current or power output of the first battery is carried out without decreasing other voltage, current, power or other electrical characteristics output by said first battery.

4. The battery power distribution system of claim 2, wherein said separately electrically connectable sections comprise a section that delivers electrical characteristics to an auxiliary storage device other than a storage device of said first and second battery.

5. The battery power distribution system of claim 1, wherein said control system causes issuance of at least one leading signal prior to arrival of at least one electrical characteristic exported from said first battery and said at least one leading signal is relevant to treatment of said at least one electrical characteristic.

6. The battery power distribution system of claim 5, wherein said at least one leading signal is relevant to said treatment in that said at least one leading signal causes hardware receiving said at least one leading signal:

(1) to utilize said at least one electrical characteristic if said hardware receiving said at least one leading signal is identified as a destination, or

(2) to further convey said at least one electrical characteristic if said hardware receiving said at least one leading signal is not identified as a destination.

7. The battery power distribution system of claim 5, wherein said at least one leading signal is relevant to said treatment in that said at least one leading signal initiates an operation wherein:

(1) said first battery transfers said at least one electrical characteristic,

(2) said first battery is not providing a power output to a load external to said battery power distribution system, and

(3) hardware that is a destination of said at least one electrical characteristic stores or otherwise treats said at least one electrical characteristic as a result of said at least one leading signal.

8. The battery power distribution system of claim 7, further comprising wherein said first battery has an increased level of at least one output electrical characteristic to offset a pause in output due to conducting said operation in which said first battery transfers said at least one electrical characteristic.

9. The battery power distribution system of claim 1, wherein said control system comprises a transformer.

10. The battery power distribution system of claim 1, wherein said first battery further comprises an auxiliary storage device capable of providing supplemental electrical characteristics at a higher rate and with higher efficiency than the rate and efficiency of said at least one battery performing a load-supplying operation without the use of said auxiliary storage device.

11. The battery power distribution system of claim 10, wherein said control system is capable of creating and breaking at least one conduction path between at least one electrode and at least one electrical terminal, and is also capable of creating or breaking at least one conduction path between said auxiliary storage device and an electrical terminal.

12. The battery power distribution system of claim 1, wherein said first battery at least partially replaces said at least one additional, second battery by providing electrical characteristics in increments over time, reassesses the effect of said increments, and determines whether to supply further increments.

13. A battery device comprising:

an insert comprising switchable electrical conduction hardware capable of being at least partially disposed between an electrical contact of a first polarity of a first battery and an electrical contact of a second, different polarity of a second battery or of an appliance;

a control system capable of controlling said conduction hardware and capable of increasing a voltage, current or power output of the first battery upon determining that (1) a second output of voltage, current or power is below a specified level, and (2) said first battery has sufficient available capabilities to additionally provide, or continue to provide, a voltage, current or power output at the specified level to carry out operations for a circuit; and

wherein said insert is capable of at least partial insertion within a cavity capable of housing at least said first battery and said second battery without substantially interfering with installation of said first battery and said second battery.

14. The battery device of claim 13, wherein when a battery held in a common circuit with said insert is sensed to have a failure or other critical condition, in response, said battery device halts the conduction of current to said battery held in a common circuit with said insert.

15. The battery device of claim 14, wherein said battery device comprises an indicator that identifies said battery held in a common circuit with said insert sensed to have a failure or other critical condition.

16. The battery device of claim 14, wherein said battery device, at the election of said control system or a user, bypasses said battery held in a common circuit with said insert sensed to have a failure or other critical condition.

17. The battery device of claim 13, wherein said control system determines or accesses a record of a normal or standard level or prior reading of voltage, current or power output of a battery held in a common circuit with said insert, compares said record to an actual level, and if a battery held in a common circuit with said insert is sensed to be outputting power at a level beneath said normal or standard level or accessed record, said battery device supplies at least one output electrical characteristic or at least partially bypasses said battery held in a common circuit with said insert.

18. The battery device of claim 17, wherein in supplying said at least one output electrical characteristic, said battery device provides part of said at least one output electrical characteristic over time, reassesses the effect of said part of said at least one output electrical characteristic, and then determines whether to provide a further part of said at least one output electrical characteristic or further electrical characteristics.