Patent ID: 8363370

Claim:
An over-voltage protection circuit for connection to a charging circuit for maintaining a voltage across a plurality of electrical energy storage devices at or below a predetermined voltage during charging, comprising: a first electrical energy storage device connected from a top voltage rail to a primary junction; a second electrical energy storage device connected from the primary junction to a bottom voltage rail; and an inductor; the over-voltage protection circuit to perform a first procedure in which a charge is drawn from the first electrical energy storage device through the inductor to energize the inductor, for the inductor to then cause a current that charges the second storage device; the over-voltage protection circuit to perform a second procedure in which a charge is drawn from the second electrical energy storage device through the inductor to energize the inductor, for the inductor to then cause a current that charges the first storage device; and a dissipation controller to perform a third procedure in which a charge is discharged from the energized inductor upon detection of an over-voltage condition.