Dynamic equalization during charging of serial energy storage elements

A technique is described that equalizes the amount of charge in a serial string of energy-storage cells during charging by using DC-to-DC converters to divert portions of the charging current past selected cells (or groups of cells). When no converters are operating, the charging current through the string is equal to that of the charging source. As the string charges, one cell eventually reaches a threshold voltage V_A. At threshold, a shunt converter is activated to divert current around the cell, thus maintaining it at V_A. The diverted current extracts energy, which is returned to the charging bus and appears as an additional charging current to the source. This positive feedback increases the current available for charging the string and allows the least charged cells, or cells of larger capacity, to be charged at higher rates than available directly from the source. During discharging, the converters across the remaining cells supply energy to the bus, while the converter across the open cell maintains a constant terminal voltage. The maximum current gain of the system is equal to the number of converters used in the system