Abstract:
An apparatus for and method of a charge regulator for a battery that will be easy to use, have less maintenance, and automatically adjust itself to varying conditions of use. This method of charge regulation eliminates some of the problems encountered when a traditional type of charge regulator is used with photovoltaic cells. The charge regulator will determine the initial charge remaining in the battery before charging begins, calculate what is needed to bring the battery to full charge, then start charging the battery. Charging is discontinued after the initial charge plus the charge received equals the equivalent of a fully charged battery.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from Provisional Application No. 60/512,647, filed Oct. 20, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates generally to battery chargers, and in particular, to a charge regulator for lead acid batteries that automatically adjusts to the charging conditions.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0005]     Typically, a stand-alone renewable energy system is comprised of multiple components. These components include a renewable power source (such as photovoltaic cells), a charge regulator, and batteries (such as lead acid batteries).  
         [0006]     Presently, most renewable energy systems use a three-stage charge regulator having three modes of operation. The charge regulator begins operating in a first mode of operation and regulates current into the battery until the battery voltage reaches a predetermined value. At this point, the charge regulator starts operating in a second mode of operation and regulates voltage to the battery. During this second stage, the charging current decreases until the current reaches a low enough level. The charge regulator then operates in a third mode of operation and regulates the voltage to the battery at a lower level, 2.3 volts per cell for a lead acid type of battery, so as to maintain the charge on the battery without overcharging it.  
         [0007]     The inventor has found that when this type of charge regulator is used with a power source that is removed and reapplied on a regular basis, such as photovoltaic cells providing power during daylight hours and no power at night, the battery will become over charged when it is not being used. The overcharge condition results from the repeated application of power to the 3 state charger connected to a fully charged battery. After power has been off for a while, the battery voltage drops to a terminal voltage of 2.1 volts per cell for a fully charged lead acid battery. When power is applied to the charger, the 2.1 volts per cell is less than then the 2.3 volts per cell that the three state battery charger expects to see on the battery thus causing current to flow into the battery which in turn causes the three state battery charger to start charging the battery for a short time. The repeated charging events result in an over charged battery.  
         [0008]     Another drawback to using such an energy system is the maintenance needed to compensate for the variation in the usage of the battery. The use or load demanded from the battery can vary from day to day, or week to week, resulting in a situation of battery being charged too much occasionally. Typically, the user must manually adjust the charge regulator output voltage to be lower to maintain correct battery hydrometer readings when the system is not in use. When a change in usage increases again, the user must make adjustments to raise the voltage again. Time consuming hydrometer measurements to determine the specific gravity of the battery acid must be made to fine tune the charger output voltage to match the actual usage of the battery. The state of charge (SOC) of the battery can be determined from the battery acid specific gravity measurements when the battery is being used. If the battery is not being charged enough, or if it is being overcharged, the life of the battery will be decreased substantially. The charge regulator output voltage must then be adjusted to compensate for any under or overcharge condition.  
         [0009]     Examples of applications where the battery usage changes include: a remote residence or cabin used on the weeked, an out-building on a farm, and marine applications. In these situations, the battery provides power for a few days and then is left unused for days, weeks or months.  
       OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES  
       [0010]     Accordingly, there is a need for a system that automatically makes adjustments to the amount of charge that the battery receives as battery usage changes. Such a system would measure the battery State Of Charge (SOC) before charging and then provide the amount of charge necessary. Such an automated system would provide for increased battery life and system reliability. Several other objects and advantages of the present invention are: 1) the elimination of the maintenance associated with adjusting the battery charger voltage; 2) allows use by a greater number of individuals including those who do not have a technical understanding of batteries and/or electrical power systems; 3) reduced warrantee costs due to the elimination of user errors.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     An embodiment of the present invention provides a charge regulator for a battery. The charge regulator includes a charging circuit operable to selectively couple the battery to a charging source, and a control circuit operable to cause the charging circuit to provide a predetermined amount of charge to the battery based on a measurement of charge flowing into the battery.  
         [0012]     Another embodiment of the present invention provides a system including a charging source, a first battery, and a charge regulator. The charge regulator includes a first charging circuit operable to selectively couple the first battery to the charging source, and a first control circuit operable to cause the first charging circuit to provide a predetermined amount of charge to the first battery based on a measurement of charge flowing into the first battery.  
         [0013]     A further embodiment of the present invention provides a method of regulating charge in a battery. The method includes determining an initial charge of the battery after a rest period during which the battery is open-circuited, charging the battery, monitoring the charge accumulated by the battery, and ending the charging of the battery when the sum of the initial charge and the accumulated charge substantially equals a desired level.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a basic renewable energy system.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a charge regulator of the present invention that allows for the battery to be used during the Charging cycle.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a charge regulator of the present invention, which is a lower cost solution for applications that do use the battery during the charging cycle.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a third embodiment of a charge regulator of the present invention, which is a lower cost solution for applications having a low charge rate.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system that is composed of functions and circuits that are the equivalent of two battery charge regulators of the present invention of the type shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a timing diagram of a startup sequence of a charge regulator of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system that uses multiple charge regulators of the present invention and multiple batteries. 
     
    
     DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS  
       [0000]    
       
         
           
               12  Battery charge regulator of the present invention.  
               14  Power source—shown as photovoltaic cells.  
               16  Battery.  
               18  Current sensor.  
               20  Control Logic Power—regulated low voltage for a the electronic ICs.  
               22  Measure voltage circuit—circuit that measures the battery voltage  
               28  Total charge on Battery—sum of the initial and accumulated charge.  
               32  On/off latch—a means of remembering the desired state of circuit operation.  
               34  Charge control—Controls the current and/or voltage to the battery.  
               38  Turn on sequence and clock—Provides the correct sequence of functions for the desired operation.  
               40  Transfer switch—Provides a charging system the means of selecting which battery is used and which battery is at rest.  
               42  Load—Item that the customer wants to use, usually a light.  
               44  Connection for second source of power—Second source of power is externally supplied, usually a second battery.  
               48  Battery charging System—uses two or more of the charge regulators of the present invention, or uses multiple functions and circuits described in the present invention.  
               52  Output of the charge control.  
               54  Voltage sense connection.  
               56  Signal that controls when the voltage measurement is made.  
               58  Data that corresponds to the measured state of charge of the battery.  
               60  Control signal that will turn off the on/off latch.  
               62  Control signal that will turn on the on/off latch.  
               64  Charger control on/off signal.  
               66  Current sensor signal that corresponds to charging the battery.  
               68  Current sensor signal that corresponds to current to the load.  
               70  Signal to stop discharging the battery when the battery is low.  
               74  Signal that turns everything off about six hours before the next charge cycle.  
               76  Signal to turn the load on after the battery has charged for awhile.  
           
         
       
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0047]     The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.  
         [0048]      FIG. 1  shows how the present invention  12  would be used with a power source  14  (shown as photovoltaic cells), and a battery  16 .  
         [0049]      FIG. 2  shows a first embodiment of an automatic battery charge regulator  12  of the present invention and includes photovoltaic cells  14  and at least one battery  16 .  
         [0050]     The power source  14  (shown as photovoltaic cells) connect to the battery charge regulator  12  by means of wires  50 . Inside the battery charge regulator  12 , power connects to the charge control  34  and the control logic power  20 . The control logic power  20  connects to all the electronic circuits. The charge control  34  connects to a current sensor  18  by means of wire  52 . The current sense function  18  connects to the battery  16 , and the charge control  34  by means of wire  54 .  
         [0051]     A voltage measure circuit  22  is electronically connected to the battery  16  through wire  54 . The measure voltage circuit  22  connects to the Total Charge on Battery  28  through wire  58 .  
         [0052]     A turn on sequence and clock  38  connects to the measure voltage circuit  22  through wire  56 , connects to the load transfer switch  40  through wire  76 , connects to the total charge on battery  28 , and connects to the on/off latch  32 .  
         [0053]     A load transfer switch  40  connects the load  42 , to the current sensor  18 , and to a connection for second source of power  44 . The connection for second source of power  44  is a place to connect an optional second source. The second source of power would be externally provided by the user. It would most likely be a second battery.  
         [0054]     The current sensor  18  connects to the total charge on battery  28  through wires  66  and  68 . The total charge on battery  28  connects to the load transfer switch  40  through signal  70 , and the on/off latch  32  through signal  60 . The on/off latch  32  connects to the charge control  34  through signal  64 . The turn on sequence and clock  38  connects to the control logic power  20  and to the load transfer switch  40  through signal  74 .  
         [0055]     Operation— FIGS. 2, 3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7   
         [0056]     A representative charging system operation will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 6 .  
         [0057]     When the lead acid battery  16  has been sitting at least six hours without being charged or discharged, the open-circuit battery voltage will relate to the amount of charge remaining in the battery as shown in Table 1. The amount of charge remaining in the battery is referred to as the state-of-charge (SOC).  
                                           TABLE 1                           Battery Voltage vs. State-of-Charge       (after six hours of no battery current flow)                Battery Voltage   State-of-Charge                            12.6   100%           12.5    83%           12.4    67%           12.3    50%           12.2    33%           12.1    17%           12.0    0%                      
 
         [0058]     With reference to  FIG. 2 , an embodiment of the battery charge regulator  12  of the present invention.  
         [0059]     Operation begins with the battery  16  being at rest, no charging or discharging. Power (shown as photovoltaic cells  14 ) is applied to the battery charge regulator  12  by wire  50 , which then provides power to control logic power  20  and the charge control  34 . The control logic power  20  supplies regulated low voltage to all the electronic circuits within the battery charge regulator  12  of the present invention.  
         [0060]     This is the beginning of the start up sequence. With control logic power  20  available, the turn on sequence and clock  38  provide the necessary sequence of signals for the desired operation as shown in  FIG. 6 . Next the measure voltage circuit  22  is directed by signal  56  to measure the battery  16  voltage through wire  54 . The battery  16  voltage is used to determine the battery  16  State Of Charge (SOC).  
         [0061]     The turn on sequence and clock  38  signals the SOC data to be loaded into the total charge on battery  28  function. The SOC data is moved from the measure voltage circuit  22  to the total charge on battery  28  by signal  58 . The turn on sequence and clock  38  then provides a signal  62  to turn on the on/off latch  32 . Signal  64  from the on/off latch  32  holds the charge control  34  in the desired on or off state. With the charge control  34  turned on, the start up sequence is complete and the battery  16  is now being charged. This start-up sequence happens each time the source of power  14  becomes available to battery charge regulator  12 .  
         [0062]     After the start-up sequence is complete and the charge control  34  is on, current from the power source  14  flows by means of wire  50  to the charge control  34 . The current flows through the charge control  34 , through wire  52  to current sensor  18 , through current sensor  18 , through wire  54  to battery  16  thereby charging the battery  16 . The charge current is continuously monitored by the current sensor  18 .  
         [0063]     After the battery  16  has charged for a short time, the signal to turn the load on  76  causes the load  42  to be electronically reconnected to the battery  16  being charged. It is reconnected through the current sensor  18 .  
         [0064]     During installation, the user only needs to set the amp-hour rating of the battery into the battery charge regulator  12 . The battery amp-hour information is used to create a relationship between the charging current and the amount of charge the battery  16  has received.  
         [0065]     The battery amp hour information is then used to modify the rate at which the value in the total charge on battery  28  changes for a given current.  
         [0066]     When the battery is being charged, the current sensor signal  66  causes the value in the total charge on battery  28  is increasing. When the battery is being discharged, the current sensor signal  68  causes the value in the total charge on the battery  28  to be decreasing.  
         [0067]     When the value in the total charge on battery  28  increases to a point that corresponds to the battery being fully charged, a signal on wire  60  goes to the on/off latch  32  causing it to turn off the charge control  34 . This discontinues the charging current to the battery  16 .  
         [0068]     Another method of discontinuing charging is to have the voltage of charge control  34  regulate to 12.6 volts for the purpose of being able to power load  42  connected to the battery  16  without discharging or charging the battery  16  when power is available.  
         [0069]     If the load  42  on the battery  16  is greater than the current charging the battery  16 , then the value in the total charge on battery function  28  will be decreasing. When this value reaches a point that corresponds to a safe level of discharge, the signal to stop discharging the battery  70  will cause the load  42  to be shut off or transferred to the connection for second source  44  by the transfer switch  40 . When power is connected to the connection for second source  44 , the load will continue working when the battery  16  is depleted and during the rest time for the battery  16 .  
         [0070]     When the battery charge regulator  12  is used with photovoltaic cells, power becomes available at sunrise. The total cycle time equals 24 hours. The turn on sequence and clock  38  is set to turn everything back of after 18 hours. After 18 hours has elapsed, six hours before the start of the next charge cycle, the turn on sequence and clock  38  provides a signal  74  to the transfer switch  40  to turn off the load  42  from the battery  16 . Signal  74  also turns off the control logic power  20 . At this time there is no current flow into or out of the battery.  
         [0071]      FIG. 3  shows a second embodiment of a charge regulator of the present invention, which is a lower cost solution of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , for applications that do not use the battery during the charging cycle. The second embodiment of  FIG. 3  has the same functional operation as that of the first embodiment of  FIG. 2  with the only difference being the details of how the electronic circuits determine the point at which the charging stops. When the battery is not used during the charge cycle, we can assume a constant charge current and there for only need to control the time during which the charging current flows. The time that the charging current flows will correspond to the amount of charging that the battery needs.  
         [0072]      FIG. 4  shows a third embodiment of a charge regulator of the present invention. The third embodiment has the same functional operation as that of the first embodiment of  FIG. 2  with the only difference being the details of how the electronic circuits determine the amount of charge to provide the battery. When power for charging the battery is low (such as low cost photovoltaic cells) compared to the capacity of the battery such that it takes many days to fully charge the battery, the measurement of charge the battery has received can be simplified. This simplified alternative only has to make a measurement at the beginning of each charge cycle (each day when used with photovoltaic cells) and then reduces the voltage for charging when the battery is approaching a full charge condition.  
         [0073]     The following is a typical sequence of operation when the charge regulator of the present invention is used with photovoltaic cells. 
        i. Before sunrise the battery is at rest, no charging or discharging.     ii. At sunrise, power is available to the charge regulator and the start sequence begins.     iii. The battery voltage is accurately measured. This voltage relates to the state of charge.     iv. The battery state of charge information is stored. A calculation is made to determine how much to charge the battery.     v. The charge regulator is turned on and battery charging begins.     vi. Charging is stopped when the initial state of charge plus the charge received equals the amount that will correspond to a fully charged battery.     vii. The battery is available for use.     viii. The battery is allowed to rest, no charge or discharge, for six hours before the start of the next charging cycle for the same battery.        
 
         [0082]      FIG. 5  shows an embodiment of a charge regulator system  48  that uses most of the functions and circuits of the battery charge regulator  12  of the present invention. This system resembles the charge regulator in  FIG. 2 , except that the system in  FIG. 5  utilizes two of most of the functions and circuits of  FIG. 2  and two batteries  16   a  and  16   b . By using two batteries, one battery can be at rest while the other battery is supplying the load. In this manner, power can be continuously supplied to the load. The operation of the system is the same as described in the first embodiment of  FIG. 2  except that the rest time for the battery alternates between the two batteries. When used with photovoltaic cells, this rest period will be every other day for each battery. The first battery is able to supply power during the rest time required by the second battery, and at a later time the second battery can supply power during the rest period of the first battery. It should be noted that although the system in  FIG. 5  uses the embodiments shown in  FIG. 2 , the system could be comprised using the embodiments of  FIG. 3  or  FIG. 4 . Functional blocks designated #a and #b have the same function for the same # as described for  FIG. 2 .  
         [0083]      FIG. 7  is an embodiment of a charge regulator system  48  that uses multiple charge regulators  12   a , . . .  12   n  of the present invention as they are in  FIG. 2 , and multiple batteries  16   a , . . .  16   n . The operation of this embodiment is the same as the embodiment of  FIG. 5  except it is not limited to two battery charge regulators  12  of the present invention and multiple batteries can be used when one battery is at rest.  
         [0084]     From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention.