Active bypass circuit for extending energy capacity and operational life of a multi-cell battery
US6265846A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 3, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jul 24, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 3, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/10
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An active bypass circuit for use with a battery pack having a plurality of cells and method of operation thereof. The active bypass circuit includes a first switching device that is series-coupled with a cell in the battery pack (a separate active bypass circuit is utilized for each cell in the battery pack). A second switching device is parallel-coupled across the first switching device and the cell. The first and second switching devices are switched, i.e., turned ON and OFF, in a complementary fashion. The active bypass circuit also includes a monitoring circuit for monitoring an electrical characteristic of the cell and generating a switching control signal, in response to the monitored electrical characteristic, to selectively control the operation of the first and second switching devices. In an advantageous embodiment, the electrical characteristic is a voltage across the cell. In a related embodiment, the active bypass circuit also includes a switching driver circuit that receives the switching control signal from the monitoring circuit and generates, in response thereto, complementary first and second switching signals to the first and second switching devices, respectivel…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.