Charge Balancing Power Supply System with Modular Transfer Units
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automotive power supply systems face challenges in charge balancing due to variations in capacitance among battery modules, leading to uneven charging and discharging, which requires high voltage insulation and is costly to implement, especially when modules are distributed throughout a vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A power supply system with a series circuit of charge storage modules and a second charge storage unit, featuring a charge transfer arrangement that includes charge transfer units to balance electrical charge among modules, using a control circuit to monitor and manage the transfer of energy between modules, thereby balancing charging states without the need for high voltage insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a known charge balancing circuit with transformer and second winding is used, then charge can be transferred between modules, but high voltage insulation means are required which are difficult to implement and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the charge storage system into multiple independent modules, each with its own charge transfer unit. This segmentation allows each unit to operate at lower voltage levels individually, avoiding the need for high voltage insulation while still achieving system-level charge balancing. The modular architecture enables distributed charge management without requiring centralized high voltage components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a capacitor as an intermediary energy storage element in the charge transfer path. This capacitor acts as a buffer that decouples the high voltage battery module from the low voltage load terminal, enabling charge transfer without exposing sensitive components to high voltage. The intermediary capacitor simplifies the insulation requirements while maintaining charge balancing functionality.
2Reliability
If charge balancing is implemented to prevent overcharging and deep discharging, then module reliability is improved, but the system requires complex charge transfer arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements charge balancing by providing individual charge transfer units to specific battery modules that require charge transfer, rather than requiring a complex centralized system for all modules. This local quality approach allows the system to address charge imbalances only where needed, simplifying the overall architecture while maintaining reliable charging state management across all modules.
3Power
If multiple battery modules are connected in series to increase supply voltage, then power output is improved, but voltage variations among modules cause uneven charging and discharging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates control circuits that monitor the charging states of individual battery modules and provide feedback signals. Based on this feedback, the system activates charge transfer units to redistribute charge among modules, ensuring uniform charging states while maintaining the high supply voltage achieved through series connection. This feedback mechanism stabilizes the system composition despite inherent module variations.
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 system efficiently balances charging states across multiple battery modules, preventing overcharging or deep discharging, and reduces the complexity and cost of implementing charge balancing, as the high supply voltage is only present at the load terminals, not within the charge transfer modules.
Implementation Method 1
The charge transfer unit is configured to transfer upon request electrical charge from the one charge storage module to the second charge storage
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply system includes a first charge storage. A series circuit with a plurality of n charge storage modules is connected between load terminals. A second charge storage includes load terminals. A charge transfer arrangement includes at least one charge transfer unit coupled between one of the charge storage modules and the load terminals of the second charge storage. The charge transfer arrangement is configured to transfer upon request electrical charge from the one charge storage module to the second charge storage.