# US 2014/0197684 A1 · Secondary battery charging device, method of charging in secondary battery charging device, photovoltaic generator, method of power generation in photovoltaic generator, photovoltaic-charged secondary battery system, electronic device, and electrical vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197684 A1 - Document ID: US20140197684A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/343,316 - Filed: 2012-09-07 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2011-09-20 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Tsuyoshi Masato; Shinichi Uesaka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197684A1 ## CPC - B60L 53/34: Plug-like or socket-like devices specially adapted for contactless inductive charging of electric vehicles (positioning means for charging devices using inductive energy transfer B60L53/38) - B60L 53/305: {Communication interfaces} - B60L 53/51: Photovoltaic means - B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control - B60L 58/19: Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules - B60L 58/21: having the same nominal voltage - B60R 16/033: characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) - H01M 10/441: {for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially} - H02J 7/342: {The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68)} - H02J 7/35: with light sensitive cells - H02J 7/575: {Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit} - B60L 2240/665: Light intensity - B60L 2240/72: Charging station selection relying on external data - B60L 2260/44: by parameter estimation - H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV] - Y02B 10/10: Photovoltaic [PV] - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - 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 - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A battery charging device includes a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells connected in series, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to change a series connection of the battery cells in response to a variation in output voltage of a solar battery. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A battery charging device comprising: a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells connected in series; and a control unit configured to change a series connection of the battery cells in response to a variation in output voltage of a solar battery. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The battery charging device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to increase or decrease the number of battery cells in the series connection in response to the variation in output voltage of the solar battery. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The battery charging device according to claim 2, wherein when the output voltage of the solar battery increases, the control unit is configured to decrease the number of battery cells in the series connection, and wherein when the output voltage of the solar battery decreases, the control unit is configured to increase the number of battery cells in the series connection. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The battery charging device according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes a plurality of series-connection packs connected in parallel, and each series-connection pack includes a plurality of battery cells connected in series. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The battery charging device according to claim 4, wherein at a time of charging the battery cells, in a case where a number of battery cells forming the series-connection packs is reduced, the control unit is configured to combine a battery cell not serially connected in one of the series-connection packs with battery cells not serially connected in other series-connection packs to form a different series connection pack. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The battery charging device according to claim 1, wherein a current backflow prevention circuit is arranged in an input section of the battery charging device, and is connected between the solar battery and the control unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The battery charging device according to claim 6, wherein an MPPT circuit is arranged in parallel with the current backflow prevention circuit, and the control unit is configured to control switching between the current backflow prevention circuit and the MPPT circuit through a switch. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The battery charging device according to claim 1, wherein M*(Vcell+ΔVch)≦VPV<(M+1)*(Vcell+ΔVch) is satisfied, where Vcell is an open-circuit voltage in a charge state for one battery cell, M is the number of battery cells connected in series, ΔVch is a voltage increase at a time of charge due to an internal resistance of the battery cell, and VPV is an output voltage from a photovoltaic generator connected to the battery pack. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The battery charging device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit estimates the output voltage at which output electrical power of the solar battery becomes a maximum based on solar radiation intensity measured by an optical sensor connected to the control unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The battery charging device according to claim 1, further comprising a switching device arranged between the control unit and the respective battery cells, wherein the switching device is a relay circuit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The battery charging device according to claim 10, wherein the control unit includes, a microcomputer configured to control an operation of the control unit, an electrical power meter configured to accumulate electrical power from the solar battery, a current/voltage measurement circuit for measuring a current and a voltage from the solar battery, a switching device control section configured to control an operation of the switching device, and an optical sensor for detecting outside light. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) An electronic device comprising the battery charging device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to supply power to at least one electrical power consuming device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) An electric vehicle comprising: the battery charging device according to claim 1; and a converter configured to receive a supply of electric power from the battery charging device, and to supply the power to a component of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 14 A method of charging a battery charging device including a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells connected in series, the method comprising: changing a series connection of the battery cells in response to a variation in output voltage of a solar battery. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of charging a battery charging device according to claim 14, further comprising increasing or decreasing the number of battery cells in the series connection in response to the variation in output voltage of the solar battery. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of charging a battery charging device according to claim 15, further comprising: decreasing the number of battery cells in the series connection when the output voltage of the solar battery increases; and increasing the number of battery cells in the series connection when the output voltage of the solar battery decreases. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of charging a battery charging device according to claim 14, wherein M*(Vcell+ΔVch)≦VPV<(M+1)*(Vcell+ΔVch) is satisfied, where Vcell is an open-circuit voltage in a charge state for one battery cell, M is the number of battery cells connected in series, ΔVch is a voltage increase at a time of charge due to an internal resistance of the battery cell, and VPV is an output voltage from a photovoltaic generator connected to the battery pack. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) A method of operating an electronic vehicle comprising: charging a battery charging device according to claim 14; and receiving a supply of electric power from the battery charging device, and supplying the power to a component of the electric vehicle. ### Claim 19 A photovoltaic generator comprising: a solar battery including a plurality of solar battery cells connected in series; and a control unit configured to change a series connection of the solar battery cells in response to a variation in output voltage of the solar battery. ### Claim 20 A method of generating power in a photovoltaic generator including a solar battery including a plurality of solar battery cells connected in series, the method comprising: changing a series connection of the solar battery cells in response to a variation in output voltage of the solar battery.