Fault detector for a plurality of batteries in battery backup systems
US5254930A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 10, 1992 |
| Grant date | Oct 19, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 10, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S320/29
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
According to the invention a battery charger for charging a plurality of batteries includes a voltage supply connected by a pair of switches to a power converter including a transformer having a primary winding and a plurality of secondary windings. Each secondary winding is coupled to a battery. Voltage is transferred from the voltage supply to the primary winding when the switches are closed and current is transferred from the secondary windings to the batteries when the switches are open. Charge control circuitry monitors the voltage of each battery and the total battery voltage and determines the amount of current to supply to the batteries. Supervisory logic monitors the current received from the secondary windings by each of the batteries and the voltage of each of the batteries to determine the charge status of each battery and the operating status of the power converter. If one battery continues drawing a greater proportion of the maximum current relative to the remaining batteries after the predetermined voltage limit has been reached, this indicates that there is a short circuited cell causing one battery to draw a greater proportion of current or that there is a cell wit…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.