Supercapacitor Jump Starter Charging for Ultra-Low Temperature Starts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional emergency start-up power supplies fail to start vehicles promptly at extremely low temperatures, such as −40° C. or below, due to insufficient power heating and slow charging of supercapacitors when the vehicle battery is dead or low.
Innovation Solution
An ultra-low temperature emergency start-up power supply system that includes a rechargeable battery and a supercapacitor module, utilizing three power sources to quickly charge the supercapacitor, with a control module that automatically selects the optimal charging source and method to achieve high instantaneous discharge current and power density, enabling vehicle starting without external power input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a battery heating module is included to enable operation below −40° C., then the operating temperature range is improved, but the charging time becomes prohibitively long because the internal system cannot provide enough power to heat the battery
Solution Approach 1:
The supercapacitor module is pre-charged to a high voltage state before the heating process begins. This preliminary energy storage allows the heating module to operate immediately without waiting for slow battery charging, thereby reducing the overall charging time while maintaining the extended temperature range capability
2Productivity
If supercapacitors are used to enable quick charging and high instantaneous discharge current, then the startup speed is improved, but the charging speed becomes slow when the vehicle battery is dead or low
Solution Approach 1:
A high-voltage switching circuit acts as an intermediary between the low-voltage battery and the supercapacitor module. This switching circuit enables efficient energy transfer by converting the low-voltage battery output to the high voltage required by the supercapacitor, thereby achieving fast charging even when the vehicle battery has low power
3Power
If the supercapacitor module is charged to full threshold voltage, then the power density is improved, but the risk of overvoltage damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control module continuously monitors the supercapacitor module voltage and provides feedback control. When the voltage reaches the full threshold, the control module automatically stops charging, preventing overvoltage damage while maintaining maximum power density. The switching circuit responds to this feedback by disconnecting the charging path at the appropriate moment
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
Enables quick vehicle starting at extremely low temperatures by efficiently charging the supercapacitor module, reducing charging time, and providing sufficient power to boost the vehicle battery, even when the vehicle battery is dead or low.
Implementation Method 1
a supercapacitor module, and an output configured to be coupled to terminals of a vehicle battery
Implementation Method 2
A battery, a supercapacitor module, and an output configured to be coupled to terminals of a vehicle battery
Implementation Method 3
The control module configured to detect a voltage of a supercapacitor module, determine, that the voltage of the supercapacitor module is above a voltage of the battery
Data Source
AI summary
A start-up power supply is provided that includes a battery, a supercapacitor module, and a switch module coupling an output of the supercapacitor module to an output connected to terminals of a vehicle battery. A charging circuit is coupled between the battery and the supercapacitor module and also to the output. A control module is coupled to the charging circuit, the switching module, the battery, and the supercapacitor module. The control module configured to first charge the supercapacitor module until the voltage of the supercapacitor module is higher than a pre-charge voltage of the supercapacitor module. Then to connect the battery and the supercapacitor module in parallel enabling the voltage of the supercapacitor module to charge to a voltage of the battery. Finally, to charge the supercapacitor module until the voltage of the supercapacitor module reaches a voltage of a full threshold of the supercapacitor module.