Battery Combiner Isolates Electronics From Starter Surges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural machines, such as self-propelled sprayers, face power surges and voltage drops during engine startup, leading to unacceptable power losses and potential damage to control systems and electrical devices due to increasing power demands.
Innovation Solution
A battery combiner system that electrically isolates batteries during excessive power draw and connects them for charging when safe, using a two-position rocker switch and relay to provide a switched or continuous power source, ensuring reliable operation and preventing engine start issues with a dead battery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single battery is used to power both the mechanical drive system and control system, then the device complexity is reduced, but the control system experiences power losses and potential damage during engine startup due to excessive power draw
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical system is segmented into two separate batteries: a first battery (starter battery) dedicated to the mechanical drive system and starting functions, and a second battery (electronics battery) dedicated to the control system and electrical devices. This segmentation prevents power draw from the control system battery during engine startup, eliminating voltage drops and power losses while maintaining manageable system complexity through functional separation.
2Reliability
If two separate batteries are used for mechanical drive and control system, then the control system power stability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The two separate batteries are merged into a single electrical system through a battery combiner device that electrically connects both batteries to a common electrical bus. This allows the system to function as two separate power sources when needed (improving reliability) while presenting a unified interface to the electrical loads (managing complexity). The combiner enables intelligent power management where the starter battery handles high-current starting demands and the electronics battery supplies stable power to control systems.
3Device complexity
If the batteries are always connected together, then the charging system is simplified with a single alternator, but the control system is vulnerable to power surges and voltage drops during engine cranking
Solution Approach 1:
The battery combiner implements dynamic connection management between the two batteries based on system state. During engine cranking, the combiner isolates the electronics battery from the starter battery, preventing harmful voltage drops and power surges from affecting the control system. Once the engine is running and the alternator is producing sufficient voltage, the combiner dynamically connects both batteries together, allowing the alternator to charge both batteries simultaneously. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction by adapting the connection state to operational requirements.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a manual override switch is added to allow access to electronics battery for cranking, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manual override switch on the battery combiner provides multi-functionality: in normal operation, the combiner automatically manages battery connections based on voltage thresholds; when the override switch is activated, it manually connects both batteries together, allowing the electronics battery to be used for engine cranking if needed. This universal design maintains the primary automated protection function while adding adaptability for exceptional situations, such as when the starter battery is depleted but the electronics battery remains charged. The single override switch adds minimal complexity while providing versatile emergency access capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The battery combiner system effectively isolates batteries during high power demand periods, preventing damage and ensuring reliable operation by providing a stable power source, and automatically connects them for charging when safe, thus maintaining battery health and preventing engine start failures.
Implementation Method 1
The combiner may sense voltage levels on one or more ports connected to the first and second batteries, and compare the voltage levels to one or more thresholds for determining whether to connect/combine the batteries or disconnect/isolate the batteries
Implementation Method 2
an alternator for producing an electrical charge
Implementation Method 3
a starter motor for starting the agricultural machine
Data Source
AI summary
A battery combiner may be used to electrically isolate first and second batteries during conditions in which a first battery required for a mechanical drive system may experience excessive power draw. The second battery may be used to provide a switched and/or continuous power source to a control system and/or other electrical devices for reliable operation, and the combiner may join the first and second batteries together such that both are electrically charged by a single alternator during conditions when it is safe.