Battery Voltage Balancing via Selective Parallel Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Voltage differences among battery cells connected in series lead to inaccurate charging state assessment and inefficient power control, as existing methods like using resistance to reduce high-voltage cells' power consume unnecessary energy, especially with increasing numbers of high-voltage cells.
Innovation Solution
An adjusting device with charging, switching, detection, and control means that identifies and connects the battery cell with the lowest voltage in parallel to the charger, turning off other connections to balance voltages across the series cell unit, thereby reducing power consumption and voltage disparities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If resistance is used to decrease voltage of high-voltage cells by consuming their energy, then voltage differences among battery cells are reduced, but unnecessary power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of decreasing the voltage of high-voltage cells through energy consumption by resistance, the invention inverts the approach by selectively charging only the low-voltage cells. This is achieved by using switching means to connect only the lowest voltage cell to the charging means in parallel, thereby raising its voltage to match the others without wasting energy on high-voltage cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging system serves itself by automatically identifying and charging only the cells that need it. The detection means detects individual cell voltages, and the control means automatically activates switching means for only the low-voltage cells, making the system self-regulating without external intervention or energy waste.
2Productivity
If all battery cells are connected to charging means in parallel, then charging efficiency is high, but voltage differences among cells cannot be addressed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by treating each battery cell individually based on its voltage state. Instead of uniform parallel charging of all cells, the switching means selectively connects only the low-voltage cells to the charging means, providing localized charging where needed while maintaining overall system efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging process is segmented by dividing the battery cells into groups based on their voltage levels. The control means segments the charging current by activating switching means only for cells that require charging, rather than applying charge uniformly to all cells in parallel.
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 approach effectively reduces unnecessary power consumption and ensures accurate charging by balancing voltages across battery cells, maintaining efficient charging and discharging operations while minimizing energy waste.
Implementation Method 1
each switching means that corresponds to each of the plurality of storage batteries, that connects corresponding storage battery to the charging means in parallel when turned ON
Data Source
AI summary
An adjusting device that adjusts voltage differences among a plurality of storage batteries that are connected in series is provided with: charging means that charges said storage batteries; each switching means that corresponds to each of said plurality of storage batteries, that connects a corresponding storage battery to said charging means in parallel when turned ON, and that releases the connection between the corresponding storage battery and said charging means when turned OFF; detection means that detects each voltage of said plurality of storage batteries; and control means that turns ON, from among a plurality of said switching means, the control-object switching means that corresponds to the charge-object storage battery, which has the lowest voltage that is detected by said detection means, from among said plurality of storage batteries, and moreover, that turns OFF switching means other than said control-object switching means.