Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Serially connected batteries or cells – With discharge of cells or batteries
Patent
1982-08-12
1983-12-20
Shoop, William M.
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Serially connected batteries or cells
With discharge of cells or batteries
320 53, 320 59, H02J 700
Patent
active
044220316
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method and a device for charging an electrical accumulator battery by means of solar-cell panels. Such panels consist of a plurality of solar-cells which are coupled in series and/or in parallel so as to obtain a suitable voltage and current from the solar-cell panel.
PRIOR ART
Energy generators driven by solar-cells consist usually of a solar panel from which the generated current is conveyed to a battery to charge it. There is a charging regulator which, with a low terminal voltage at the battery during the charging, permits a higher current to charge the battery while, at the maximum voltage of the battery, the charging current is very low and serves as a maintenance current to compensate for self-discharge of the battery. A load is connected via the battery. When the load is connected and the battery is discharged, the terminal voltage drops. The charging regulator then regulates voltage and current from the solar panel to a suitable value in relation to the state of the battery.
Solar energy generators with solar-cells have manifold applications as power sources. It is typical of the majority of applications that the driven devices or measuring instruments are situated in remote and isolated places where no electrical energy is available. The size of the solar panels and batteries naturally varies within wide limits depending on the required installation. Examples of such unmanned installations where solar energy is used are telephone communication in the microwave range, slave stations for VHF radio, emergency radio transmitters, signals and safety equipment on railways, weather stations and other remotely situated measuring stations, navigation aids and other off-shore equipment, fire protection devices and fire alarms, cathode protection, electric fences etc.
Solar energy devices can be expected to work at extreme temperatures, both high and low. Despite this, the installation must be so reliable in operation that intervals in maintenance go up to a year or more.
A major problem is that the battery may be exposed to powerful overcharging when it has reached its fully charged state with maximum terminal voltage. The charging current then causes decomposition of the water in the electrolyte, which leads to the water being carried away. In hot regions, in in particular, this is a problem since the temperature is normally so high that a certain evaporation occurs. It is therefore necessary to regulate the charging voltage so that only insignificant overcharging occurs at the maximum terminal voltage of the battery. Heavy demands are thus imposed on the operational reliability and life of the charging regulator.
THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to achieve rapid charging of batteries by means of high current intensities while at the same time the risk of water losses and disturbances in operation is minimized so that long service intervals are achieved, besides which the method discovered and the device intented have an astonishingly low cost.
While high current intensities can be caused during charging according to the invention, at the same time very low current intensities can also be used, particularly when the battery consists of nickel-cadmium cells.
This is brought about as a result of the fact that the battery is charged by means of two or more solar panels included in charging branches connected in parallel and having substantially the same power, one or more diodes being connected in series between at least one of the solar panels and the battery so that at least one charging branch is permitted to charge the accumulator battery to a higher voltage than the other charging branch or branches.
As a result, a high current intensity is obtained at the beginning of the charging and a low current intensity at the end of the charging which does not cause any appreciable decomposition of the water.
It is also possible to charge the battery as a result of the fact that only the charging branch or branches which charge to the highest v
REFERENCES:
patent: 3217228 (1965-11-01), Jardine
patent: 4164698 (1979-08-01), Kleeberg
patent: 4243928 (1981-01-01), Nazimek
Ault Anita M.
Brown Laurence R.
SAB Nife AB
Shoop William M.
LandOfFree
Method and device for charging an electrical accumulator battery does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and device for charging an electrical accumulator battery, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and device for charging an electrical accumulator battery will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-109736