Systems, apparatus and methods for battery charge management
Systems, apparatus, and methods for automobile battery management is provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to a battery pack is provided. The apparatus uses microcontrollers to determine a charge level of the batteries, and correspondingly controls a power balancer to apply a charge current to the battery in relation to the charge level, and dissipates the remaining charge current as heat energy. In one embodiment, a system controller controls a balanced charging operation of the battery system, provides an interface for a user to monitor cell-level parameters, and protects the battery cells from undercharging or overcharging during the charging or discharging operations.
1. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells, the apparatus comprising:
a first power balancer configured to regulate a charge current applied to a first battery cell of the plurality of battery cells; and
a microcontroller configured to monitor a charge level of the first battery cell, wherein the microcontroller controls the first power balancer such that an effective amount of the charge current applied to the first battery cell is proportional to the charge level of the first battery cell, and wherein an unused portion of the charge current is dissipated as heat energy through a heat sink associated with the first power balancer.
2. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , wherein the unused portion of the charge current is a difference between the charge current and the effective amount of the charge current.
3. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first power balancer is a transistor device.
4. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 3 , wherein the transistor device includes at least one of a bipolar junction transistor, a power transistor, or an epitaxial transistor, or a metal-oxide semiconductor transistor.
5. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first battery cell is at least one of: a Lithium-ion battery cell, a Nickel-Zinc battery cell, a Nickel Metal Hydride cell or a Lead-acid cell.
6. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of battery cells are connected in series.
7. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is a PID controller.
8. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 7 , wherein the microcontroller monitors the charge level and controls the first power balancer using PID algorithms.
9. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first power balancer receives the charge current and in response generates a balancing current and an effective charging current, wherein the effective charging current is applied to the first battery cell and the balancing current is dissipated as heat energy through the heat sink associated with the first power balancer.
10. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 9 , wherein the microcontroller controls the first power balancer such that the effective charging current is proportional to the charge level of the first battery cell, and wherein the balancing current is the unused portion of the charging current that is subsequently dissipated as heat energy.
11. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 10 , wherein a battery jumper is used to dissipated the heat energy generated by the first power balancer.
12. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second power balancer to regulate a charge current applied to a second battery cell of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the second battery cell is connected in series to the first battery cell, and wherein the microcontroller individually monitors a charge level of the second battery cell and controls the second power balancer such that an effective amount of charging current applied to the second battery cell is proportional to the charge level of the second battery cell.
13. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 12 , wherein the microcontroller controls the first power balancer and the second power balancer such that a final charge level of the first battery cell is balanced against a final charge level of the second battery cell.
14. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
an optical isolator for the first power balancer, wherein the optical isolator prevents a failure of the first power balancer to propagate to the microcontroller.
15. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , the apparatus further comprising:
a temperature sensor, wherein the temperature sensor senses an overall temperature of the plurality of battery cells.
16. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , the apparatus further comprising:
a status indicator, wherein the microcontroller controls a status information that is outputted by the status indicator.
17. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller logs cell parameter values corresponding to the first battery cell.
18. An apparatus for providing balanced and individualized charging to each battery cell in a plurality of battery cells as recited in claim 17 , wherein the cell parameter values include at least one of:
a voltage level of each of the plurality of battery cells;
a current level of each of the plurality of battery cells;
a temperature level of each of the plurality of battery cells; or
a charge rate of each of the plurality of battery cells.