Patent ID: 9692239
Date: 2017-06-27
CPC Classifications: H02J

Claim:
1. A method of equalizing a battery, including: measuring a total voltage of a battery containing N battery cells arranged in series with each other; determining an optimum cell voltage based on the measured total voltage and the value of N; measuring a selected cell voltage of a selected battery cell from the N battery cells; determining whether the measured cell voltage is less than the optimum cell voltage; connecting the selected battery cell to a voltage output of a generator during a portion of a positive cycle of the voltage output of the generator, when it is determined that the measured cell voltage is less than the optimum cell voltage; determining whether the measured cell voltage is greater than the optimum cell voltage; and connecting the selected battery cell to the voltage output of the generator during a negative cycle of the voltage output of the generator, when it is determined that the measured cell voltage is greater than the optimum cell voltage, where N is an integer greater than 1; wherein the operations of measuring the total voltage of the battery, determining the optimum cell voltage, measuring the selected cell voltage, determining whether the measured cell voltage is less than the optimum cell voltage, connecting the selected battery cell to the voltage output of a generator during a positive cycle of the generator when it is determined that the measured cell voltage is less than the optimum cell voltage, determining whether the measured cell voltage is greater than the optimum cell voltage, and connecting the selected battery cell to the voltage output of the generator during a negative cycle of the generator when it is determined that the measured cell voltage is greater than the optimum cell voltage are repeated N times to allow each of the N battery cells to serve as the selected cell once.