Battery Pack Charging Path With Current Limiting for Battery Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery packs lack reliable monitoring capabilities for secondary batteries, particularly in vehicles, leading to inefficiencies and safety issues due to uncontrolled charging and discharging states.

Innovation Solution

A battery pack design incorporating a secondary battery, positive and negative terminals, a control circuit with a power supply terminal, a charging terminal, and a current limiting element, which monitors the battery state and controls charging to prevent deep discharge and overcharge, using diodes and resistive elements to manage current flow and voltage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a battery pack includes a rechargeable battery without a current limiting element, then the structure is simpler, but the battery cannot be reliably monitored and is vulnerable to deep discharge or overcharge

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery state monitoring reliabilityVSAvoidbattery pack structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A current limiting element is introduced as an intermediary component in the charging current path. This element actively limits the charging current to prevent overcharge, thereby resolving the contradiction by adding a specific functional component that enhances reliability without unnecessarily complicating the overall structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The control circuit utilizes the existing power supply terminal and internal resources to monitor battery state and control charging operations. By self-managing the charging process through integrated monitoring and control functions, the system achieves reliable battery state monitoring without requiring additional complex external devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If charging current is unlimited, then charging speed is faster, but the battery may suffer from overcharge and deep discharge damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecharging speedVSAvoidbattery safety
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control circuit continuously monitors the battery state and adjusts the charging current accordingly. By implementing feedback control that responds to battery voltage and current conditions, the system maintains safe charging speeds while preventing overcharge and deep discharge, thus resolving the contradiction between charging speed and battery safety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The charging current parameter is dynamically adjusted based on battery state. The current limiting element modifies the charging current parameter in real-time to prevent excessive current that could cause overcharge, while still allowing sufficiently high current to maintain acceptable charging speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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

This design enables more reliable monitoring and control of secondary battery states, preventing damage from deep discharge or overcharge, ensuring safe and efficient operation of vehicles by limiting charging current and maintaining battery health.

Implementation Method 1

a current limiting element which limits a charging current flowing into the secondary battery

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical Resistance: Electrical Resistance

Data Source

PatentUS20240178467A1Battery pack and vehicle
Publication Date: 2024.05.30 MURATA MFG CO LTD
  • US20240178467A1 patent drawing
  • US20240178467A1 patent drawing
  • US20240178467A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A battery pack is provided and includes a secondary battery, a positive terminal and a negative terminal that are connected to the secondary battery, a control circuit that includes a power supply terminal and is capable of monitoring the secondary battery, a charging terminal guided to the power supply terminal of the control circuit, and a current limiting element provided in a current path connecting a first terminal, which is one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal, and the charging terminal.