High-Power Energy Storage Control With Current Limiting and Balancing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High-power energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors and electric double-layer capacitors, require safe and controlled charging and discharging to prevent damage from energy spikes, over-voltage, and over-current, which existing technologies often fail to manage effectively, risking damage to the devices and connected equipment.
Innovation Solution
An intelligent energy storage device with a charge storage assembly, a protection device, a current limiting charging device, multiple voltage and current measurement assemblies, and a passive balancing circuit, controlled by a processor to manage energy flow safely and balance voltages across strings, ensuring safe operation within the physical capabilities of all system components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If high-power energy storage devices release large quantities of energy rapidly, then power delivery capability is improved, but device safety and reliability deteriorate due to damage from energy spikes, over-voltage, and over-current
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring voltage and current parameters before dangerous conditions develop. The processor detects potential over-voltage, over-current, or energy spike conditions and activates protection devices preemptively to prevent damage, allowing the system to maintain high power delivery while ensuring safety through advance detection and response.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary protection devices (such as protection circuits, current limiting devices, and balancing circuits) that mediate between the high-power energy storage devices and the external environment. These intermediaries absorb or regulate energy spikes, over-voltage, and over-current conditions, enabling high power delivery while protecting the devices from damage.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple high-power energy storage devices are connected in series to increase voltage, then energy storage capacity is improved, but system complexity increases due to need for voltage balancing across strings
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the processor continuously monitors voltage across each string of series-connected energy storage devices. When voltage imbalances are detected, the system activates balancing circuits to redistribute energy and equalize voltages across strings. This feedback control enables the system to maintain high energy storage capacity through series connections while automatically managing the complexity of voltage balancing.
3Reliability
If protection devices and control circuits are added to manage energy flow, then device safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs protection and control circuits that perform multiple functions simultaneously. The processor not only monitors voltage and current for safety but also manages charging/discharging operations, activates protection devices, and balances voltage across strings. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated circuits for each protection function, thereby improving device safety while minimizing the increase in overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An energy storage device for safely storing and delivering energy includes a charge storage assembly that includes an array of high-power energy storage devices, a protective device for controlling a flow of the energy, a current limiting charging device to limit a current flowing into the charge storage assembly, a passive balancing circuit to balance the energy of the charge storage assembly and a software and hardware processing system to control one or more of the protective device, the current limiting charging device, and the passive balancing circuit.