Patent ID: 7605492

Claim:
A power supply system for a vehicle including an electrical system arrangement configured to receive and output electrical energy, the power supply system comprising: first and second energy storage units, each of the units being capable of receiving and storing electrical energy, and further capable of outputting electrical energy; and an electrical converter connected to the first and second energy storage units and the electrical system arrangement, the first and second energy storage units being connected to the converter in an electrical circuit such that the first and second energy storage units are selectively electrically connected in parallel to each other and the converter, the converter being operable to receive energy from the first and second energy storage units and to concurrently transfer the energy received from the first and second energy storage units at differing rates to the electrical system arrangement; and a control system in communication with the converter and including at least one controller, the control system being configured to determine information related to at least one respective operating characteristic of each of the first and second energy storage units, and to independently control the respective rates of energy transferred from each of the first and second energy storage units at least partly in response to the at least one respective operating characteristic.