Patent ID: 8018202

Claim:
An electronic circuit for controlling a group of k.N batteries in series, k an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N an integer greater than 1, comprising k integrated control circuit microchips each associated with a sub-group of N batteries in series, wherein: each control microchip comprises a substrate connected to an endmost terminal of the set of N batteries, and a control circuit formed in the substrate, each microchip comprises N voltage measurement and discharge control cells, each supplied by a respective battery and providing a numerical measurement of the voltage of the battery, each cell being able to receive from the control circuit a control command ordering partial discharge of the battery and to establish a current discharge path in parallel with the battery on receipt of this command, each cell, with the exception optionally of a first cell of the sub-group of N batteries, is produced inside a respective well insulated from the substrate of the microchip and insulated from the wells corresponding to the other cells, this well being brought to the potential of one of the terminals of the battery associated with the cell, with each cell is associated a voltage level translation circuit so as to allow the transmission of logic levels between a cell supplied through a battery and the control circuit formed in the substrate, the level translation circuit comprising a part formed in the well associated with the cell and a part formed in the substrate.