Capacitor-Based Cell Voltage Measurement Circuit

The patent introduces a capacitor as an intermediary energy storage element between the cell and the measuring circuit. The capacitor is charged from the cell and then discharged through the measuring resistor, allowing the voltage measurement to be performed without continuously loading the cell. This mediator approach transfers the measurement function from direct cell connection to indirect measurement via the capacitor, significantly reducing the electrical load on the cell while maintaining measurement capability.

The patent extracts the capacitor from each individual measuring circuit and consolidates it into a single shared capacitor for the entire cell array. Instead of having separate measuring circuits with their own resistors and capacitors for each cell, the invention uses one common capacitor that is sequentially charged from different cells. This extraction and consolidation approach dramatically simplifies the circuit architecture while preserving the ability to measure individual cell voltages.

The patent replaces the electronic analog-to-digital conversion system with a timing-based measurement approach. Instead of using complex ADC circuits to convert analog voltage signals to digital values, the invention measures the charging time of the capacitor, which is proportional to the cell voltage. This time measurement can be performed using simple counter circuits that count clock pulses during the charging period, achieving high resolution measurements with much simpler and more cost-effective electronics.