Battery monitoring
AssigneeNXP USA, Inc.
InventorGuerric Panis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a method and/or apparatus for use with battery cells having an actual voltage-sourcing level that is at or above a specified battery-output level. Switch circuitry is selectively activated for passing current, and a monitoring circuit is responsive to activation of the switching circuitry by distributing energy corresponding to an actual voltage-sourcing level of a particular one of the battery cells to a voltage node. A voltage-measurement circuit provides an indication of the actual voltage-sourcing level across the particular battery cell by ascertaining voltage differentials between the voltage node and respective voltage nodes of the battery cell, the ascertained voltage differentials being less than the specified battery-output level.
Claims20
An apparatus for use with a plurality of battery cells each having an actual voltage-sourcing level that is at or above a specified battery output-level, the apparatus comprising:
- an intermediate cell terminal operational as a voltage node;
- switching circuitry configured and arranged to be selectively activated for passing current;
- a bridging circuit configured and arranged to, in response to activation of the switching circuitry, pass current to distribute energy from a particular one of the plurality of battery cells to the voltage node, such that the voltage node is intermediate the voltage-sourcing level of the particular battery cell;
- and
- a voltage-measurement circuit configured and arranged to provide an indication of the actual voltage-sourcing level across the particular battery cell by ascertaining, in respective first and second channels of the multichannel battery controller, voltage differentials between the voltage node and respective voltage nodes of the particular battery cell, the ascertained voltage differentials being less than the specified battery output-level, and to combine the ascertained voltage differentials to provide an indication of the actual voltage-sourcing level of the particular battery cell.
A method for operating a plurality of battery cells having an actual voltage-sourcing level that is at or above a specified battery-output level, the method comprising:
- selectively activating switch circuitry for passing current;
- in response to activation of the switching circuitry, passing current to distribute energy to a voltage node with a monitoring circuit, the energy corresponding to an actual voltage-sourcing level of a particular one of the plurality of battery cells, the voltage node being at an intermediate battery cell terminal, such that the voltage node is intermediate the voltage-sourcing level of the particular battery cell;
- and
- using a voltage-measurement circuit, providing an indication of the actual voltage-sourcing level across the particular battery cell by ascertaining, in respective first and second channels of the multichannel battery controller, voltage differentials between the voltage node and respective voltage nodes of the particular battery cell, the ascertained voltage differentials being less than the specified battery-output level, and to combine the ascertained voltage differentials to provide an indication of the actual voltage-sourcing level of the particular battery cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.