Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) has developed a device based on a simple element base that allows batteries to be charged evenly, which prolongs their service life.
According to Andrey Menshchikov, a graduate student at the Faculty of Mechatronics and Automation at NSTU-NETI, the idea of creating a circuit arose in the process of developing battery balancers. The balancer is a system that helps to efficiently charge batteries, maintaining an equilibrium state between the cells and thereby prolong their service life.
The developer noted that during the work it was necessary to study in detail the charging and discharging stage, which is crucial for balancing batteries. During the study, we decided to try to make a scheme aimed at increasing the battery life itself.
"Due to the fact that the cells of almost any battery have a small but unavoidable variation in characteristics, during its operation, after a large number of charge-discharge cycles, chronic undercharging of some cells and overcharging of other cells occur. As a result, key battery characteristics such as capacity and stability deteriorate. This leads to its rapid wear. The developed scheme, unlike the known balancers, has a very simple implementation and protects the battery cells from overcharging. It is based on groups of diodes and capacitors. The battery receives its charge directly from a group of capacitors, and the diodes limit the charging and discharging process. The system does not require a control module, the charging process is controlled naturally due to the properties of the element base and the topology of the connection of capacitors and diodes," said Andrey Menshchikov.
The device is small in size and is implemented on simple elements, which makes it inexpensive in design. A circuit that allows the battery to be charged evenly can be applied wherever rechargeable batteries are used (electric vehicles, uninterruptible power supplies, etc.)
At the moment, an application for an invention has been filed with the patent office. In the future, the developer plans to improve the circuit in order to increase the charge rate.
Earlier, NSTU-NETI developed a methodology for assessing the location of charging stations for electric vehicles, an innovative battery heating system for electric vehicles. The university's engineers, together with the Krasnoyarsk scientific and production enterprise, have also released the first batch of electric charging stations capable of operating at extremely low temperatures.