Arris International, Inc.

American Power Conversion Corporation

Antec, Incorporated

Ehsan Chitsazan

John Gary Batson

Joey Goodroe

Doug Westrom

James M Rhodes

A method and system for equalizing the voltage of batteries in a battery string to a desired voltage. An equal string current is drawn from the batteries of the battery string and redistributed as a plurality of secondary currents to each battery depending upon the comparative voltage of the individual batteries. A larger secondary current is provided to batteries having a low voltage and a smaller secondary current is provided to batteries having a high voltage. A transformer is provided electrically connected to the battery string having an input winding connected to the battery string such that it receives an equal string current from each battery. The transformer has a plurality of output windings having an equal turn ratio, each output winding in parallel with a battery of the battery string, to provide a secondary charging current to a battery in the battery string.

Battery equalizer using total string current

A battery voltage regulation circuit is provided for regulation the charging voltage of a battery. The system of the present invention includes a battery charger and a plurality of series connected batteries. Each of the plurality of series connected batteries are connected in parallel with a battery voltage regulator circuit. Each battery voltage regulator identifies excess battery current by using a voltage temperature compensation factor to compare the voltage of a battery to a reference voltage. A battery bypass circuit is used to remove excess battery current from a battery bath. In addition to being used in conjunction with a plurality of series connected batteries, the present invention may be used with a single charging battery to achieve the same results.

Battery voltage regulation circuit

A multi-voltage transformer includes an average current loop circuit, a pulse width generator, a push-pull driver, and a pulse width modulator coupled to the average current loop circuit, the pulse width generator, and the push-pull driver for generating pulses for driving a power supply. In a standard operating mode, the power supply is powered by an AC power source. The power supply uses the AC power source to drive the output of the power supply and to recharge the batteries associated with the power supply. When the power supply is operating on AC power, it translates the AC sinusoidal wave signal into a saw tooth wave signal that drives a pulse width modulator. When the AC power source is interrupted, the transformer switches the power source from the AC power source to a battery backup source. The transformer is designed to operate with a variety of battery voltages. The transformer monitors the voltage and current loads on the power supply and determines a duty cycle setting that will meet the demands of the system. An exemplary embodiment described herein operates with either 36 volt batteries or 48 volt batteries.

Multi-voltage transformer

An uninterruptable power supply includes a rechargeable battery, having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, and a transformer. The transformer includes a battery side transformer winding having a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal; a load side transformer winding inductively coupled to the battery side transformer winding via a core; and a power supply side transformer winding that is inductively coupled to the battery side transformer winding via the core. An inverter bridge circuit couples the positive terminal of the battery to the first terminal of the battery side transformer winding and couples the negative terminal of the battery to the second terminal and the third terminal of the battery side transformer winding. The inverter bridge circuit includes a switching circuit that forms a bridge circuit that allows current from the battery side transformer winding to flow in only one direction into the battery when the switching circuit is in a first switching state so that current from the power supply slide transformer winding induces an alternating current in the battery side transformer winding that passes through the bridge circuit to generate a direct current that charges the battery when the switching circuit is in the first switching state. The switching circuit also forms an inverter circuit that generates an alternating current from a direct current supplied by the battery when the switching circuit is in a second switching state, thereby inducing an alternating current in the load side transformer winding. A control circuit drives the switching circuit into the first switching state when at least a predetermined power level is supplied to the power side transformer winding. The control circuit also drives the switching circuit into the second switching state when less than the predetermined power level is supplied to the power side transformer winding.

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Cumming, GA, United States of America

Ehsan Chitsazan