System and Method to Measure Series-Connected Cell Voltages and Verify Measurement Accuracy
AssigneeEnerdel, Inc.
InventorsRonald H. Jaeger, Chad Hartzog
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for measuring voltage of individual cells connected in series includes a single flying capacitor. The capacitor stores the charge of one of the cells such that a primary analog-to-digital converter (ADC) connected to the capacitor may process a representation of the voltage of the cell being measured. A secondary ADC is connected directly to the cell being measured. The measurements of the primary and secondary ADCs are then compared to verify the accuracy of the flying capacitor.
Claims11
A system for measuring voltage of individual cells in a plurality of cells connected in series, said system comprising:
- a capacitor for storing a charge of at least one of the cells;
- at least one switch electrically connected to said capacitor for selectively connecting at least one of the cells to said capacitor;
- a primary analog-to-digital converter (ADC) having an input in electrical communication with said capacitor for receiving an analog voltage supplied by said capacitor and converting the analog voltage into primary digital voltage data;
- and.
- a secondary ADC having an input in electrical communication with at least one of the cells for receiving an analog voltage supplied by the cell and converting the analog voltage into secondary digital voltage data.
A method of measuring voltage of individual cells in a plurality of cells connected in series and verifying measurement accuracy utilizing a system including a capacitor, a primary analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a secondary ADC, said method comprising:
- electrically connecting one of the cells to the capacitor;
- charging the capacitor for a predetermined charge time;
- converting the analog voltage from the charged capacitor to a primary digital voltage signal corresponding to the voltage of the capacitor using the primary ADC in response to an elapse of the predetermined charge time;
- and
- converting the analog voltage from one of the cells to a secondary digital voltage signal corresponding to the voltage of the cell using the secondary ADC.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.