Method and apparatus for rapid charging batteries under sub-optimal interconnect conditions
US6172481A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 2, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 9, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 2, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02J7/007
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for rapid charging a battery that compensates for sub-optimal interconnection between the charger and the battery. In the present invention the effect of an imperfect interconnection between a charger and a battery is empirically characterized. The elements of the imperfect interconnection include any resistive losses between the battery charger output and the battery cells. The battery charger incorporates a control loop that measures the current flowing into the battery and the voltage at the interconnect terminals. The control loop then calculates the voltage at the actual batteries based on the measured values and the predetermined interconnect characterization. The control loop uses the calculation to adjust the output of the charger to achieve the optimal voltage at the batteries. The result of optimizing the charging voltage is a significant charge time reduction.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.