# US 10,312,728 B2 · Charge equalization systems and methods for battery systems and uninterruptible power supplies > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,312,728 B2 - Document ID: US10312728B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/851,001 - Filed: 2017-12-21 - Published: 2018-04-26 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2011-01-22 - Assignees: Alpha Technologies Services, Inc. - Applicants: Alpha Technologies Inc. - Inventors: James Joseph Heidenreich; Michael A. Haass; Thanh Quoc Le; Seth William Jennings - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10312728B2 ## CPC - H02J 9/061: {for DC powered loads} - B60L 58/19: Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules - B60L 58/22: Balancing the charge of battery modules - H02J 7/52: for charge balancing, e.g. equalisation of charge between batteries - H02J 7/56: Active balancing, e.g. using capacitor-based, inductor-based or DC-DC converters - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A battery system comprising a plurality of battery strings, a charge equalization circuit, a relay matrix, and a balance controller. The plurality of battery strings comprises at least three batteries connected in series, where the battery strings are connected in parallel. The charge equalization circuit is capable of equalizing the charge on any pair of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings. The relay matrix is operatively connected between the charge equalization circuit and the plurality of battery strings. The balance controller operates the relay matrix based on at least one of a voltage and a current of any one of the batteries such that the charge equalization circuit is connected across any one of the pairs of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A battery system comprising: a plurality of battery strings comprising at least three batteries connected in series, where the battery strings are connected in parallel; a charge equalization circuit capable of equalizing the charge on any pair of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings; a relay matrix operatively connected between the charge equalization circuit and the plurality of battery strings; and a balance controller that operates the relay matrix based on at least one of a voltage and a current of any one of the batteries such that the charge equalization circuit is connected across any one of the pairs of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The battery system as recited in claim 1, in which the balance controller operates the relay matrix that the charge equalization circuit is sequentially connected across a plurality of pairs of series connected batteries in the plurality of battery strings. ### Claim 3 A UPS system for supplying power to a load based on a power signal provided by a power source, comprising: a plurality of battery strings comprising at least three batteries connected in series, where the plurality of battery strings are connected in parallel; an inverter and charger circuit operatively connected between the power source and the at least one battery string, and the at least one battery string and the load; a charge equalization circuit capable of equalizing the charge on any pair of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings; a relay matrix operatively connected between the charge equalization circuit and the plurality of battery strings; and a balance controller that operates the relay matrix based on at least one of a voltage and a current of any one of the batteries such that the charge equalization circuit is connected across any one of the pairs of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The UPS system as recited in claim 3, in which the balance controller operates the relay matrix such that the charge equalization circuit is connected across a plurality of pairs of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The UPS system as recited in claim 3, further comprising a transformer module operatively connected between: the power source and the load; and the inverter and charger circuit and the load. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The UPS system as recited in claim 3, further comprising a system controller operatively connected to the inverter and charger circuit and the balance controller. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The UPS system as recited in claim 6, further comprising a module controller interface that operatively connects the system controller to the balance controller. ### Claim 8 A UPS system for supplying power to a load based on a power signal provided by a power source, comprising: a plurality of battery strings, where each battery string comprises at least three batteries connected in series, and the battery strings are connected in parallel; an inverter and charger circuit operatively connected between the power source and the at least one battery string, and the at least one battery string and the load; at least one charge equalization circuit capable of equalizing the charge on any pair of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings; a relay matrix operatively connected between the charge equalization circuit and the plurality of battery strings; and a balance controller that operates the relay matrix based on at least one of a voltage and a current of any one of the batteries such that at least one charge equalization circuit is connected across a plurality of pairs of series connected batteries in the plurality of battery strings to equalize charges on the batteries. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The UPS system as recited in claim 8, in which the balance controller operates the relay matrix such that the charge equalization circuit is connected across a plurality of pairs of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The UPS system as recited in claim 8, further comprising a transformer module operatively connected between: the power source and the load; and the inverter and charger circuit and the load. ### Claim 11 A method of supplying power to a load based on a power signal provided by a power source, comprising: providing a plurality of battery strings each comprising at least three batteries connected in series; connecting the battery strings in parallel; operatively connecting an inverter and charger circuit between the power source and the at least one battery string, and the at least one battery string and the load; providing at least one charge equalization circuit capable of equalizing the charge on any pair of series connected batteries in the any one of the plurality of battery strings; operatively connecting a relay matrix between the charge equalization circuit and the plurality of battery strings; and operating the relay matrix such that at least one charge equalization circuit is connected across a plurality of pairs of series connected batteries in the plurality of battery strings to equalize charges on the batteries based on sensed voltage and current of the batteries in the plurality of battery strings. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of providing a balance controller for controlling the relay matrix. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11, in which the relay matrix is operated such that the charge equalization circuit is connected across a plurality of pairs of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of operatively connecting a transformer module between: the power source and the load; and the inverter and charger circuit and the load.