Battery management system with integrated contactor economizer

1. A system for reducing power consumption, the system comprising:

a switching mechanism comprising a switch;

a battery management system (BMS) including a microcontroller, the microcontroller coupled to the switching mechanism and configured to provide the switching mechanism with an on or off signal, the on or off signal being a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal having both: i) a duty cycle set between 50% and 100%; and ii) a frequency set between 1 KHz and 20 KHz; and

a resistive network comprising a first resistor and a second resistor, the resistive network coupled to the switching mechanism and the microcontroller;

wherein the switching mechanism is coupled to a coil and a voltage source and configured to energize the coil from the voltage source while receiving the on signal;

a coupling mechanism in communication with the coil, wherein the coupling mechanism closes to couple the load to the battery when the coil is energized;

wherein the switching mechanism, the coil, and the voltage source are on a first circuit; and the battery, the coupling mechanism, and the load are on a second circuit isolated from the first circuit;

wherein the switching mechanism is both a semiconductor switch and a low-side switch with a N-channel field effect transistor, where the switching mechanism further comprises a boost circuit for driving the transistor;

wherein the coil is disconnected from the voltage source while the switching mechanism is receiving the off signal;

wherein when the switching mechanism receives the off signal after receiving the on signal, the coil is disconnected from the voltage source, but the coil retains a current sufficiently strong enough to keep the coupling mechanism closed so that the battery remains coupled to the load;

wherein the current in the coil falls while the switch is receiving the off signal; and

wherein a value of the duty cycle and a value of the frequency of the PWM signal are set so when the switching mechanism is receiving the off signal, the coupling mechanism remains closed due to the current in the coil and the switching mechanism receives then on signal before the current in the coil is not sufficiently strong enough to keep the coupling mechanism closed, thereby energizing the coil so that the battery remains continuously coupled to the load by the coupling mechanism and there is no momentary disconnection of the load.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the low-side switch is controlled by the pulse width modulated signal via the resistive network.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is a processor.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling mechanism is in operative communication with the coil.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the duty cycle is 90% and the frequency is about 1 kHz.

6. A method for reducing power consumption of an electric coupling mechanism, the method comprising:

energizing or de-energizing a coil using a system, the system comprising:

a switching mechanism comprising a switch,

a battery management system (BMS) comprising a microcontroller, the microcontroller coupled to the switching mechanism, and wherein the BMS provides the switching mechanism with an on or off signal, the on or off signal being a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal having both: i) a duty cycle set between 50% and 100%; and ii) a frequency set between 1 KHz and 20 KHz; and

a resistive network comprising a first resistor and a second resistor, the resistive network coupled to the switching mechanism and the microcontroller;

wherein the switching mechanism comprises both a semiconductor switch and a low side switch with a N-channel field effect transistor, where the switching mechanism further comprises a boost circuit for driving the transistor;

wherein the switching mechanism is coupled to the coil and a voltage source and configured to energize/de-energize the coil from the voltage source, wherein a coupling mechanism is in communication with the coil;

wherein the switch is closed when the switching mechanism is receiving the on signal so that the coil is energized by the voltage source thereby closing the coupling mechanism and coupling the battery to the load;

wherein the switching mechanism, the coil, and the voltage source are on a first circuit, and the battery, the coupling mechanism, and the load are on a second circuit isolated from the first circuit;

wherein the coil disconnects from the voltage source while the switching mechanism is receiving the off signal;

wherein when the switching mechanism receives the off signal after receiving the on signal, the coil is disconnected from the voltage source, but the coil retains a current sufficiently strong enough to keep the coupling mechanism closed so that the battery remains coupled to the load;

wherein the current in the coil falls while the switch is receiving the off signal; and

wherein a value of the duty cycle and a value of the frequency of the PWM signal are set so when the switching mechanism is receiving the off signal, the coupling mechanism remains closed due to the current in the coil, and the switching mechanism receives the on signal before the current in the coil is not sufficiently strong enough to keep the coupling mechanism closed, thereby energizing the coil so that the battery remains continuously coupled to the load by the coupling mechanism and there is no momentary disconnection of the load.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of:

determining a minimum duty cycle of the pulse width modulated signal where the coupling mechanism remains closed;

by initially providing a 100% duty cycle and after a predetermined amount of time or based on inputs received from a downstream circuitry changing the duty cycle to a number smaller than 100%.

8. A system for reducing power consumption, the system comprising:

a switching mechanism; and

a battery management system (BMS) including a microcontroller, the microcontroller coupled to the switching mechanism and configured to provide the switching mechanism with an on or off signal, the on or off signal being a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal having both: i) a duty cycle set between 50% and 100%; and ii) a frequency set between 1 KHz and 20 KHz;

wherein the switching mechanism is coupled to a coil and a voltage source and configured to energize the coil from the voltage source while receiving the on signal, wherein a coupling mechanism is in communication with the coil and closes to couple the load to the battery when the coil is energized;

wherein the switching mechanism is via a high-side driver disposed between the voltage source and the coil;

wherein the switching mechanism, the coil, and the voltage source are on a first circuit and the battery, the coupling mechanism, and the load are on a second circuit isolated from the first circuit;

wherein the coil is disconnected from the voltage source while the switching mechanism is receiving the off signal;

wherein when the switching mechanism receives the off signal after receiving the on signal, the coil is disconnected from the voltage source, but retains a current sufficiently strong enough to keep the coupling mechanism closed so that the battery remains coupled to the load; and

wherein a value of the duty cycle and a value of the frequency of the PWM signal are set so that when the switch is receiving the off signal, the coupling mechanism remains closed due to the current in the coil and the switching mechanism receives the on signal before the current is not sufficiently strong enough to keep the coupling mechanism closed, thereby energizing the coil so that the battery remains coupled to the load by the coupling mechanism and there is no momentary disconnection of the load.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the switching mechanism is a semiconductor switch.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a resistive network comprising a first resistor and a second resistor, the resistive network coupled to the switching mechanism and the microcontroller.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the switch is controlled by the pulse width modulated signal via the resistive network.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the switching mechanism is a N-channel field effect transistor or a P-channel field effect transistor.