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US 5,629,601 AGranted
Compound battery charging system
OwnerRobert S. Feldsteininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for charging a string of serially connected batteries. A system charger is connected across the string of batteries to charge the batteries to a percentage of full charge capacity. Then, individual battery chargers independently charge each of the batteries to full charge capacity.
Claims32
A compound charging system for charging a plurality of batteries serially connected to each other, comprising:
- a system charger connected across said plurality of batteries for charging said plurality of batteries in response to the overall voltage across said plurality of batteries;
- and
- a plurality of individual battery chargers each connected across a corresponding one of said plurality of batteries for independently charging said corresponding one of said plurality of batteries in response to the voltage across said corresponding one of said plurality of batteries.
A method of charging a plurality of batteries serially connected to each other, comprising the steps of:
- charging said serially connected plurality of batteries with full charging current from a system charger when the overall voltage across said serially connected plurality of batteries is between a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage higher than said first reference voltage;
- and
- independently charging one of said plurality of batteries with individual fall charging current from a corresponding one of a plurality of individual battery chargers each connected across a corresponding one of said plurality of batteries when the voltage across said corresponding one of said plurality of batteries is between a third reference voltage and a higher fourth reference voltage corresponding to about 100% of the full charge voltage of said corresponding one of said plurality of batteries.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.