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US 9,425,631 B2Granted
System and method for battery management
AssigneeInfineon Technologies Austria AG
InventorWolfgang Furtner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In accordance with an embodiment, a bi-directional charging circuit has a battery coupling node output configured to be coupled to a battery cell, an input coupled to a common node of the battery management system, and a controller coupled to the bi-directional charging circuit. The controller is configured to operate the bi-directional charging circuit in a charging mode to transfer charge from the common node to the battery coupling node, and operate the bi-directional charging circuit in a discharge mode to transfer change from the battery coupling node to the common node.
Claims23
A battery management system comprising:
- a plurality of bi-directional charging circuits coupled in parallel, each comprising:
- a respective battery coupling node output configured to be coupled to a corresponding battery of a plurality of batteries, and
- an input coupled to a common node of the battery management system;
- a charge balancing circuit;
- and
- a controller coupled to the plurality of bi-directional charging circuits, the controller configured to:
- operate the plurality of bi-directional charging circuits in a charging mode to transfer charge from the common node to the respective battery coupling nodes,
- operate the plurality of bi-directional charging circuits in a discharge mode to transfer change from the respective battery coupling nodes to the common node, wherein during the discharge mode the controller controls a respective contributed voltage at the common node to be different from a respective output voltage at the respective battery coupling nodes, independently for each one of the plurality of bi-directional charging circuits, and
- operate the charge balancing circuit to adjust the charging and discharging of each of the corresponding plurality of batteries according to a charge level of each of the corresponding plurality of batteries,
- wherein each of the plurality of bi-directional charging circuits comprises a bi-directional voltage converter, configured to convert an input voltage into a higher or lower output voltage in either direction, and
- wherein each of the plurality of bi-directional charging circuits comprises a series switch, a parallel switch, and a series inductor.
8 more elements
A controller for a battery management system comprising:
- a plurality of pulse modulators configured to be coupled to a corresponding plurality of parallel bi-directional switching power supplies coupled between a supply rail and a corresponding plurality of batteries, each of the plurality of pulse modulators having switching outputs configured to operate a corresponding bi-directional switching power supply in a charging mode and in a discharging mode;
- a supply rail control circuit configured to control a voltage of the supply rail during the discharging mode, wherein controlling the voltage of the supply rail includes controlling each of the bi-directional switching power supplies to provide a respective contributing supply rail voltage sourced from a respective corresponding battery, wherein the respective contributing supply rail voltage of each switching power supply is different from a voltage available at the corresponding battery for each switching power supply;
- a charge balancing circuit configured to adjust the charging and discharging of each of the corresponding plurality of batteries according to a charge level of each of the corresponding plurality of batteries;
- and
- a plurality of battery charging control circuits configured to control a charging voltage or charging current to each of the corresponding plurality of batteries during the charging mode,
- wherein each of the plurality of bi-directional switching power supplies comprises a bi-directional voltage converter, configured to convert an input voltage into a higher or lower output voltage in either direction, and
- wherein each of the plurality of bi-directional charging circuits comprises a series switch, a parallel switch, and a series inductor.
4 more elements
A method of operating a plurality of parallel connected bi-directional power supply circuits that are each coupled to a corresponding battery and to a common power supply node, the method comprising:
- operating the plurality of bi-directional power supply circuits in a charge mode, the operating the plurality of bi-directional power supply circuits in the charge mode comprising sequencing switch signals coupled to the bi-directional power supply circuits to transfer charge from the common power supply node to each of the corresponding batteries;
- operating the plurality of bi-directional power supply circuits in a discharge mode, operating the plurality of bi-directional power supply circuits in the discharge mode comprising:
- sequencing switch signals coupled to the bi-directional power supply circuits to transfer charge from each of the corresponding batteries to the common power supply node, and
- controlling a voltage at the common power supply node using feedback, wherein the voltage at the common power supply is controlled to be different from a voltage of each of the corresponding batteries;
- and
- charge balancing each of the corresponding batteries, the charge balancing comprising adjusting the charging and discharging of each of the corresponding batteries according to a charge level of each of the corresponding batteries,
- wherein each of the plurality of bi-directional power supply circuits comprises a bi-directional voltage converter, configured to convert an input voltage into a higher or lower output voltage in either direction, and
- wherein each of the plurality of bi-directional charging circuits comprises a series switch, a parallel switch, and a series inductor.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.