TH38232A - A battery with an integrated controller to extend service life. - Google Patents

Abstract

The DC60 (18/08/42) unveiled a rechargeable battery with an integrated controller that extends the battery's service life. This controller can regulate the service life of the rechargeable battery, for example, by stopping discharge cycles at the optimal depth of discharge to maximize charging and discharging cycle efficiency. The controller can also control the charging cycles of each individual electrochemical cell of the rechargeable battery. Rechargeable batteries can be single-cell batteries, universal single-cell batteries, multi-cell batteries, or multi-cell hybrid batteries. Each individual cell should ideally have an integrated controller that regulates the discharge and charging cycles of that cell. Furthermore, rechargeable batteries may incorporate remote charging systems. The DC60 (18/08/42) unveiled a rechargeable battery with an integrated controller that extends the battery's service life. The controller... The service life of a rechargeable battery can be controlled, for example, by stopping the discharge cycle at the optimal depth of discharge to maximize the efficiency of the charging cycle. The controller may also control the charging cycle of each individual electrochemical cell of the rechargeable battery. Rechargeable batteries may be single-cell batteries, universal single-cell batteries, multi-cell batteries, or multi-cell hybrid batteries. Each individual cell should ideally have an integrated controller that regulates the discharge and charging cycle of that cell. Furthermore, rechargeable batteries may incorporate remote charging systems.

Claims (20)

1. A rechargeable battery is useful to devices that have a cut-off voltage and an external charger that provides a charging current. A rechargeable battery consists of: (a) a container with positive and negative terminals; (b) a rechargeable electrochemical cell placed inside the said container, which has a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a cell voltage measured across the positive and negative electrodes of the said cell, and a nominal voltage; and (c) a controller that electrically connects the said electrodes of the said cell and the said terminals of the said container to generate an output voltage measured across the positive and negative terminals of the said container. The controller is adjusted to stop the discharge cycle of the said cell by electronically disconnecting the said cell electrodes from the terminals. As mentioned earlier, the container is used to control the charging current of the external charging circuit that charges the cell during the charging cycle. 2. Rechargeable batteries under claim 1, which select rechargeable batteries from a group consisting of single-cell batteries, universal single-cell batteries, multi-cell batteries, and multi-cell hybrid batteries. 3. A rechargeable battery of claim 1, which is adjusted to be electrically connected as one integer number of batteries in series with the device, the said output voltage is greater than or equal to the cutoff voltage of the device divided by that integer number of batteries. 4. Rechargeable battery of claim 1, which is a multi-cell battery which is further assembled with positive and negative output terminals; the container, the cells and the controller make up the first cell unit; the first cell unit is one of the integer number of cell units electrically connected in series between the positive and negative output terminals, the output voltage is greater than or equal to the device cutoff voltage divided by the integer number of cell units. 5. The rechargeable battery of claim 1, which adjusts the aforementioned controller, shall disconnect the aforementioned electrodes of the aforementioned cell from the aforementioned terminals of the aforementioned container when the cell voltage drops to a predetermined voltage level during the aforementioned discharge process. 6. The rechargeable battery of claim 1, in which the said cell is further incorporated with an internal impedance which adjusts the said regulator to electronically disconnect the said cell's electrodes from the said terminals of the said container when the said cell has discharged to a predetermined discharge depth as indicated by the said internal impedance during the said discharge cycle. 7. The rechargeable battery of claim 1, which adapts the aforementioned controller to receive the charging current of an external charger from the aforementioned terminals of the aforementioned container. 8. Rechargeable battery of claim 1, in which the said regulator, including the coil element, is electromagnetically coupled with the external charger, during the said charging cycle, in which the said regulator is adjusted to accept the charging current of the external charger, in addition to the coil element. 9. Rechargeable batteries are useful for devices with a cut-off voltage and an external charger that provides a charging current. A rechargeable battery consists of: (a) a container with positive and negative terminals; (b) a rechargeable electrochemical cell placed inside the said container, which has a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a cell voltage measured across the positive and negative electrodes of the cell, and a nominal voltage; and (c) a controller electrically connected between the said electrodes of the cell and the said terminals of the container to generate an output voltage measured across the positive and negative terminals of the container. This controller includes a converter that transforms the said cell voltage into the said output voltage during the battery's discharge cycle, and adjusting the said controller extends the service life. The battery's discharge cycle is stopped by disconnecting the electronic electrodes of the cell from the terminals of the casing. To control the charging current of the external charger that charges the rechargeable cell, the regulator is adjusted to convert the external charger's current into the cell's charging current during the charging cycle. 10. Rechargeable batteries of claim 9, whereby the aforementioned regulator includes a bidirectional converter, whereby the aforementioned bidirectional converter is adjusted by the aforementioned regulator to change the cell voltage to the output voltage during the discharge cycle, and to change the charging current of the external charger to the cell charging current during the charging cycle. 11. Rechargeable batteries of claim 9, whereby the said regulator electronically disconnects the said electrodes of the said cell from the charging current of the charger when the said regulator determines that the said cell has been charged to approximately 100% of its capacity. 12. Rechargeable batteries of claim 9, whereby the aforementioned regulator determines the cell charge level by using one or more conditions of a group selected from the cell voltage, the cell's internal impedance, the cell's hydrogen gas concentration, the cell's temperature, and the cell's gas pressure. 13. A remote battery charging system consisting of: (a) an external charger that provides the charging current, in which the external charger is included; and (b) a rechargeable battery in which (i) a container with positive and negative terminals; (ii) a rechargeable electrochemical cell placed inside the container, in which the cell has a positive electrode electrically connected to the positive terminal of the container, a negative electrode electrically connected to the negative terminal of the container, the cell voltage measured across the positive and negative electrodes of the cell, and the nominal voltage; and (iii) a controller electrically connected between the positive and negative electrodes of the cell, in which the controller includes a secondary coil tuned to the primary coil of the external charger during the charging cycle of the secondary coil. The aforementioned circuit receives the aforementioned charging current from the aforementioned external charger, and the aforementioned controller regulates the aforementioned charging current of the aforementioned charger and converts it into the cell charging current during the aforementioned charging cycle. 14. The remote battery charging system of claim 13, which adapts the aforementioned controller to electrically connect the aforementioned electrodes of the aforementioned cell and the aforementioned terminals of the aforementioned container to generate an output voltage measured across the aforementioned positive and negative terminals of the aforementioned container. 15. The remote battery charging system of claim 14, which adapts the said controller to extend the service time of the said battery by electronically disconnecting the said electrodes of the said cell from the said terminals of the said container during discharge cycles. 16. The remote battery charging system of claim 14, which incorporates the aforementioned controller, is further integrated with a bidirectional converter that changes the aforementioned charging current of the external charger to the cell charging current during the aforementioned charging cycle and changes the aforementioned cell voltage to the aforementioned output voltage during the aforementioned discharge cycle. 17. Methods for extending the service life of rechargeable batteries, which include the following steps: (a) providing a rechargeable battery that includes (i) a container with positive and negative terminals; (ii) a rechargeable electrochemical cell placed inside the said container, which has a positive electrode electrically connected to the positive terminal of the said container, a negative electrode electrically connected to the negative terminal of the said container, a cell voltage measured across the said positive and negative electrodes of the said cell, and a specified voltage; and (iii) a controller electrically connected between the said positive and negative electrodes of the said cell. The said controller includes a secondary coil tuned to the said primary coil of the said external charger. During the charging cycle, the said secondary coil receives the said charging current of the said external charger. and the aforementioned controller controls the aforementioned charging current of the aforementioned charger to the cell charging current during the aforementioned charging cycle; (b) the electrical connection of the aforementioned battery to the device with a cut-off voltage; and (c) the cessation of the discharge cycle of the aforementioned battery by electrically disconnecting the aforementioned cell electrodes from the aforementioned terminals of the aforementioned container when the depth of discharge of the aforementioned battery reaches a predetermined discharge level. 18. The method of claim 17, which is further comprised of the following steps: (d) receiving the charging current; (c) controlling the charging current to charge the aforementioned cell. 19. The method of claim 17, in which the aforementioned predetermined discharge level is the optimal discharge depth. 20. The method of claim 19 in which the stated optimal discharge depth is less than the stated device cutoff voltage (Clause 20, page 6, figure 17).