Abstract:
An improved rechargeable battery which comprises: a plurality of battery cells connected together to discharge in parallel, each of the cells, or each group or groups of the cells having its own respective recharging input; and an electrical switching circuit to switch a number of the battery cells or groups of cells to connect to their respective recharging input for recharging each cell or group of cells individually.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to rechargeable batteries.  
         BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Major advances have been made in recent years in computing and telecommunications electronic hardware, and in part because of the heavy investment in research and development in these high technology areas, advancements are now being pursued in the field of battery design.  
           [0003]    The compelling objectives of increasing battery capacity while reducing their volume and weight and meeting ecological concerns are now being achieved inter alia through the introduction of nickel metal hydride (Ni—MH) batteries. Such batteries offer higher energy densities than Ni—Cad batteries enabling downscaling of the batteries while enhancing the run time of the batteries. A Ni—MH battery has approximately double the capacity of an equivalent sized Ni—Cad battery.  
           [0004]    Although Ni—MH batteries have greater capacity per unit size and weight and are more ecologically acceptable, care must still be taken with these batteries since they are prone to risk of oxygen or hydrogen build up. Oxygen is normally generated at the positive electrode toward the end of charging of the Ni—MH cell and must be consumed to avoid pressure build up. Hydrogen is generated throughout the charging of the battery and is normally stored as the hydride of the metal alloy anode. Mistreatment of the battery may, however, lead to build up of hydrogen. Build up of either of these gases can represent a significant hazard.  
           [0005]    A relatively slower rate of charging than Ni—Cad batteries and lesser high drain capability represent further limitations of NiMH batteries and neither NiCad nor NiMH batteries exist with high current yield (e.g. 64 Amps) or which can be rapidly charged to such a level (e.g. in as little as four hours). This severely limits the usefulness of these batteries. Furthermore these batteries are rendered useless at markedly sub-zero ambient temperatures.  
           [0006]    It is a general objective of the present invention to overcome or significantly mitigate one or more of the aforementioned serious problems.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an improved rechargeable battery which comprises: a plurality of battery cells at least some of which are connected together to discharge in parallel, each of the parallel discharging cells, or each group of parallel discharging groups of the cells, having its own respective recharging input; and an electrical switching means to switch a number of the battery cells or groups of cells from being connected to discharge in parallel to instead connect to their respective recharging input for recharging each of said cells or group of cells individually,  
           [0008]    With this configuration the cells are able to yield a considerably higher current and be recharged far more rapidly than conventional Ni—MH and Ni—Cad batteries. The individual cells or groups of cells that are arranged to discharge in parallel to each other can be substantially simultaneously recharged by being recharged independently of each other leading to great savings in recharging time. The groups of cells that are arranged to discharge in parallel to other groups are suitably battery packs within which a plurality of cells are arranged in series  
           [0009]    Once recharging has been accomplished the switching means may revert, suitably in response to a signal, to re-connect the cells for discharging in parallel.  
           [0010]    The recharging input for each battery cell or group of cells suitably comprises a respective pin of a multi pin plug such as, for example, an Amphenol plug. A corresponding recharging device is suitably provided and which comprises a plurality of recharging means in a housing and having a connector having a plurality of pins or sockets to couple to a said rechargeable battery.  
           [0011]    The switch means that transfers the cells or groups of cells from discharge to recharge may be an electrical component or circuit and is suitably an electrical switching means that can be electrically triggered to switch over multiple cells or groups of cells simultaneously.  
           [0012]    The preferred electrical switching means comprises one or more relays and particularly preferably comprise multi poled relays. In the preferred embodiment the or each relay is a relay having four or more poles.  
           [0013]    Preferably at least one of and suitably both of the recharging inputs and switching means are integrally assembled with the battery suitably being on or within a casing of the battery. These could ,however, be part of an interface module that is coupled to the battery in use.  
           [0014]    The battery preferably further comprises a processing means and sensors to sense and monitor the charge status of the battery.  
           [0015]    Particularly preferably the processing means is adapted to monitor the charge status of each cell or group of cells independently of each other cell or group of cells.  
           [0016]    Particularly preferably the sensors, or further sensors, sense the temperature of at least one of the cells or groups of cells individually or of the cells as a whole and the processing means is adapted to alter the rate of recharging or stop recharging if the temperature exceeds predetermined limits.  
           [0017]    In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention in which the battery has a battery casing adapted for thermal insulation, the casing is made from aluminum or other suitable metal or metal alloy and is coated in nylon and particularly preferably a type of nylon that is known as RILSAN (registered trade mark—ATOCHEM Elf Aquitaine).  
           [0018]    A double coating of the nylon is suitably applied to both the inner and outer surfaces of the casing. The thermal insulation is highly effective and may be further enhanced by the use of foam-in-place resin such as polyurethane resin that is introduced into the battery within the casing to foam and cure and fill out voids within the casing.  
           [0019]    With these measures it is possible to sufficiently insulate the battery to enable it to operate at temperatures as low as −20 to −25° C. However, for the battery to be able to operate in extreme polar weather conditions further enhancements are required.  
           [0020]    Operation of the battery at temperatures below −25° C. and to as low as −52° C. or thereabouts can be achieved through redesign of the casing, as follows.  
           [0021]    In one aspect of the invention a battery comprising a plurality of the cells is housed within an inner casing that is housed in turn within an outer casing and having an air gap between the inner casing and the outer casing and with heating means being provided to heat the air gap in response to temperature sensing means that senses any reduction of the temperature of the air in the air gap below a predetermined threshold. The heating means is suitably powered by the battery and although it will drain some of the battery&#39;s charge it enables operation in previously impossible operating conditions.  
           [0022]    In a yet further important aspect of the present invention there is provided a rechargeable battery comprising the plurality of battery cells in a casing, the battery cells being of nickel metal hydride type and the casing having an electrically operated vent in the casing and which opens when the battery is coupled to a recharging device. This vent suitably opens automatically on initiation of recharging and closes automatically upon completion of recharging. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]    A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a schematic general circuit diagram of the preferred embodiment of rechargeable battery, here shown as comprising 16 battery packs/groups of cells each having 10 cells in series and with an integral electronic module for monitoring the charge status of the battery;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the battery housed within a casing having an inner and outer shell incorporating temperature regulation of the air gap between the shells and a safety venting means for use during recharging. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]    Referring to FIG. 1, sixteen Ni—MH battery packs BAT  1 -BAT  16  each pack having ten cells in series and storing 4Ah of charge, are positioned inside the battery casing  201  (FIG. 2).  
         [0027]    Each battery pack BAT  1 -BAT  16  contains its own protection devices and allows an in-built redundancy capability down to the last remaining pack.  
         [0028]    The casing  201  for the rechargeable battery comprises an inner shell  202 , an outer shell  203  made from 2 mm rigidised aluminum, in the shape of a box with a removable lid. All corners and joints at least of the outer shell  203  are welded to improve structural strength and to prevent water from entering the rechargeable battery unit.  
         [0029]    Both the inner and outer shells  202 ,  203  are covered with a double coating of ‘Rilsan Nylon’ giving an extremely hard wearing surface as well as reducing internal condensation to a minimum.  
         [0030]    The inner shell  202  is suitably divided into two compartments via a bulk-head,  204  one for the battery packs and the other for the “electronics”.  
         [0031]    A removable plate module  205  situated on the front of the casing  201  contains/presents to the user the necessary plugs and sockets for connecting to a load or to a recharging device, as well as a press to test switch  102 , an LED display unit  101  and a safety venting valve 209 . This module plate  205  is suitably attached to the casing  201  via eight Allen key bolts together with a rubber gasket and silicone compound to prevent water leakage.  
         [0032]    The lid of the casing  201  is suitably also is fitted via eight Allen key bolts together with a rubber gasket and silicone rubber compound.  
         [0033]    To facilitate handling, two ‘D’ handles are suitably situated at the front of the battery. The handles will prevent damage to the sockets as well as providing a carrying capability.  
         [0034]    Electronics  
         [0035]    The positive terminal of each battery pack BAT 1 -BAT 16  is connected to one of four 100 g shock Mil spec four pole relays, Relay  1 - 4 . The park mode terminal within the relay for each battery pack BAT  1 -BAT  16  is fitted with a diode providing feedback current protection. The preferred diode is a Schottky diode, suitably IN5820RL.  
         [0036]    All sixteen outputs from the diodes are connected together via two battery switches SW 1 , SW 2  (or suitably more—e.g. four in one preferred embodiment) designed to avoid the over discharge of the battery packs BAT  1 -BAT  16 . A 12 Amp thermal fuse  105  is fitted to the positive output lead  106 , protecting the battery from accidental short circuit of the output leads  106 ,  107 .  
         [0037]    When the charger (not shown) is plugged into the battery, the relay switches Relay  1 - 4  are changed to the charging terminals which effectively separates the positive output terminals for each of the sixteen battery packs BAT  1 - 16 .  
         [0038]    The relay charging terminals are connected to a forty one pin Amphenol plug  208  situated on the battery front plate module  105 .  
         [0039]    One of the 10K NTC thermistor legs from each battery pack BAT  1 -BAT  16  is also connected to a pin of the forty one pin Amphenol plug  208 . The other leg being joined together with the other packs BAT  1 -BAT  16  in turn connected to the forty one pin plug  208  as a common negative.  
         [0040]    All sixteen battery pack BAT  1 -BAT  16  negative terminals are joined together as a common negative line  17  which in turn is split into two legs, one of which runs to the negative output  107  and the other of which runs to the forty one pin plug  208 .  
         [0041]    A separate 12 volt feed is also connected to the forty one pin plug  208  enabling the relays Relay  1 -Relay  4  to be switched when the charger is connected.  
         [0042]    An on-board battery analyser  100  together with a gas gauge (not shown) is fitted to the unit allowing an accurate indication of battery state as well as cycle count to be obtained.  
         [0043]    A four segment LED display  101  informs the user via a push button  102  (press to test) the exact state of battery capacity including low battery indication.  
         [0044]    Smart Battery Module  
         [0045]    This comprises the on-board battery analyser  100  and gauge together with the display  101 .  
         [0046]    Short benefits  
         [0047]    Instant display of battery capacity via LEDs including low battery indication.  
         [0048]    Battery state, including cycle count, via the SMBus.  
         [0049]    Possibility to integrate monitor with host end equipment processor  
         [0050]    Features  
         [0051]    Compliant with SMBus specification revision 1.0.  
         [0052]    Based on the BQ2040.  
         [0053]    Accurate battery capacity measurement using coulomb counter.  
         [0054]    LED display on demand.  
         [0055]    Low power consumption  
         [0056]    Low battery indication on demand via LEDs.  
         [0057]    Full host communication on SMBus.  
         [0058]    The gas gauge uses a sophisticated Voltage to Frequency Converter (VFC) to measure the voltage due to discharge/charge current through a milliohm sense resistor, The wide dynamic range and noise resistance inherent in the integration methodology of the VFC is idea for battery applications. It is also non-quantitised and resolution is theoretically infinite (time dependant).  
         [0059]    The data acquired by the VFC is conditioned according to ‘rules’ laid out in the configuration EEprom by an on board RISC processor. This conditioning is dynamic and takes into account the rate and temperature compensation for the battery chemistry used. (Defined in the configuration data held in the EEprom).  
         [0060]    Data is provided to a host on demand via a two wire (relative to common) serial interface bus according to the SMBus revision 1.0 specification. The module will also broadcast critical data on the bus.  
         [0061]    LED indication is provided on demand by a switch contact. There are four LEDs rated each at 25% capacity. LED number  4  (last 25%) also flashes on low battery capacity when the switch demand is applied.  
         [0062]    The module can measure in absolute mode (remaining capacity against design capacity) or relative mode (remaining capacity against full charge capacity—FCC).  
         [0063]    Cycle count is also stored where cycle count is defined as a minimum charge/discharge movement.  
         [0064]    Self-discharge compensation according to the chemistry is available and dynamically adjusts with temperature.  
         [0065]    Initially the module must learn the battery capacity by going from a valid discharge to a full charge (to FCC which is initially set lower than the design capacity to ensure that the ensuing ‘count down’ from the FCC to the end voltage is valid and then this sets the FCC). As the battery ages the capacity is tracked. Actual capacity versus design capacity at the end of a valid charge is a figure of merit for the battery condition.  
         [0066]    Power consumption  
         [0067]    Typical 230 micro Amps  
         [0068]    Maximum 300 micro Amps  
         [0069]    Display  
         [0070]    Each LED ( 1 - 4 ) represents 25% of the capacity mode selected (absolute or relative). Default is relative mode. The display will run for about 4 seconds on application of the switch.  
         [0071]    Threshold switching accuracy is of the order of 5% between LED segments.  
         [0072]    LED  4  will flash on low battery at about 10%.  
         [0073]    Low Voltage Protection Switch  
         [0074]    Low impedance  
         [0075]    Lower power consumption  
         [0076]    Configurable in profile and performance  
         [0077]    LED warning indicator when switch is about to operate.  
         [0078]    High speed electronic switching.  
         [0079]    The switch  108  is a battery switch designed to avoid the over discharging of the internal battery packs within the rechargeable battery.  
         [0080]    Over discharging cells can reduce life cycle expectancy. It can also result in cell reversal where individual cell(s) within the pack reverse polarity due to the action of ‘better’ cells within the pack during the discharge process towards the end of remaining pack capacity. Cell reversal will permanently damage the pack which will become unserviceable.  
         [0081]    Power consumption is around 250 micro amps and is a compromise between cost and consumption relevant to a practical realisation in such a multiple cell configuration.  
         [0082]    The control circuit is a FET switch driven by control logic fronted by a sensitive quad comparator which has an internal reference.  
         [0083]    On power up the control circuit will lock in around 7V and if the supply is greater than 12.5V the control FET will be switched on due to the resolution of the battery voltage measured by the potential divider versus the rising comparator.  
         [0084]    If the voltage is less than 12.3V on the application of power to the circuit the FET will remain off until a charging supply causes the voltage to exceed this limit. NOTE: this status DOES NOT mean there is any particular capacity in the battery.  
         [0085]    In use, as the battery reaches the knee of its discharge curve the falling voltage comparator will cut in and switch on the LED warning. This voltage is set at 10.5 volts. The load, if applied, will be disconnected by the control FET being switched to high impedance. In this state the current consumption is less than 2.5 mA.  
         [0086]    As the battery potential falls further than 9.5V the LED drive is cut off and the current consumption of the circuit falls to less than 250 micro amps. The circuit will remain in this state until the battery is recharged beyond 12.3V when the discharge control FET will be switched on allowing a load to be connected to the battery.  
         [0087]    If during the low battery standby condition the voltage falls below about 7V then the circuit operation will become indeterminate. Note, on rising voltage from a very low battery (&lt;9V) the LED will illuminate as the voltage rises past 9.5v but will extinguish at 12.3V, coinciding with the FET switching on and so allowing normal discharge.  
         [0088]    As the switch is disconnected for charging and reconnected for operation use then providing the battery voltage is greater than 12.5V the control FET will be switched on allowing load current to flow.  
         [0089]    The design is ‘well sedated’ to allow for resistance to circuit transients due to load disturbances. This includes filtering of the power supply circuit and comparator inputs.  
         [0090]    A Schottky diode across the control FET ensures its integrity under negative spikes. It also allows a charge path when the FET is turned off. Across the load side of the circuit a fast clamp is provided to ensure that the voltage breakdown of the circuit cannot be exceeded.  
         [0091]    To summarise, two potentials exist on the hestarisis curve, one rising and one falling.  
         [0092]    When the battery is in operation and it is under load, the battery will continue to operate until it reaches around 9.5V to 10.5V depending on conditions. At that point the switch will switch the battery off.  
         [0093]    If the battery is left in a discharged state and then brought into operation (without charging), it will not function until the battery has been charged to above 12.3V.  
         [0094]    Electronic Battery Charger  
         [0095]    This is suitably designed to provide all the intelligence to safely, consistently and efficiently fast charge the rechargeable battery.  
         [0096]    At ‘switch on’ from the mains a row of LEDs on the charger will give two flashes to confirm that the charging circuits are operating correctly and that there is no malfunction with the charger. The unit is fitted with a switchable buzzer to inform the operator when the battery is fully charged.  
         [0097]    Two seconds after the flashes have finished, the charger is ready for use. Once a start button has been pressed the charging process begins. Both a second and third row of LEDs of the charger will be on, with the top row flashing. This indicates that all the charging circuits are operating correctly. When the charge cycle is complete the second and third row of LEDs will be off and the top row will all be constant.  
         [0098]    If the buzzer is switched in, it will sound when the last flashing LED is constant informing the operator that the battery is fully charged.  
         [0099]    The charger suitablyhas an automatic heat sensing shut down system as well as delta peak sensing to provide an added safeguard.  
         [0100]    Ni—MH batteries have a lower negative delta V than Ni—Cads so Peak Voltage Detect (PVD) is used.  
         [0101]    Validation checks if the temperature range of the battery is outside limits or its end voltage (Edv) is too low then the charger enters its pending stage until such time as these validation parameters come within limits.  
         [0102]    After the validation phase, a sense resistor connected between battery negative and the charger zero volt (Vss) provides the necessary signal to the servo control loop which regulates the charging current.  
         [0103]    The charger unit consists of sixteen individual chargers, each delivering 0.3C (900 mA) to each internal pack.  
         [0104]    Should one or more of the charging cards fail the unit will still be able to charge, which gives the charger a large redundancy capability.