Method of charging and discharging battery and power source apparatus adopting the same

Claim 3

A method according to Claim 1, wherein said booster means includes a boosting coil and a transistor connected in series to each other and disposed in the path for short-circuitting both terminals of one of said plurali­ty of battery blocks, and said transistor is turned on and off.

Claim 4

A method according to Claim 1, wherein said step for fully discharging one battery block is finished when both terminal voltages of said battery block become zero.

Claim 5

A method according to Claim 1, wherein said step for fully discharging one block is repeated at every prede­termined period of time while an electric vehicle is stopped.

Claim 6

A power source apparatus comprising: electrochemical cells for dissolving an active material from the electrodes into the electrolyte in the discharging process and depositing said active material on the surfaces of said electrodes in the charging process; battery blocks each of which is composed of a plurality of said electrochemical cells connected in series to each other; a battery composed of a plurality of said battery blocks connected to each other; a booster means which is connected to any given battery block among said plurality of blocks for raising the output voltage of said given battery block; a charge transfer passage for connecting the output side of said booster means to at least one of the other battery blocks; and a control circuit for controlling the boosting opera­tion of said booster means and the charges transferred through said charge transfer passage; whereby each of said battery blocks experiences at least one cycle of full discharge within a predetermined period of time.

Claim 7

A power source apparatus comprising: electrochemical cells for dissolving an active material from the electrodes into the electrolyte in the discharging process and depositing said active material on the surfaces of said electrodes in the charging process; battery blocks each of which is composed of a plurality of said electrochemical cells connected in series to each other; a battery composed of a plurality of said battery blocks connected to each other; a booster means which is connected to any given battery block among said plurality of blocks for raising the output voltage of said given battery block; a charge transfer passage for connecting the output side of said booster means to at least one of the other battery blocks; and a control circuit for controlling the boosting opera­tion of said booster means and the charges transferred through said charge transfer passage; whereby each of said battery blocks experiences at least one cycle of full discharge within a predetermined period of time.

Claim 8

A power source apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said booster means includes a boosting coil and a transistor disposed in the path for connecting both termi­nals of said battery blocks.

Claim 9

A power source apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said control circuit has a multivibrator for inter­mittently turning on said transistor.

Claim 10

A power source apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said charge transfer passage has a diode which is disposed in the path for connecting both terminals of said battery blocks and flows a current only toward the positive electrode sides thereof.

Claim 11

A power source apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said battery is composed of two of said battery blocks connected in series to each other; one terminal of said boosting coil is connected to the connecting portion of said battery blocks; and two sets of transistors and diodes connected in parallel are disposed between the other terminal of said boosting coil and both terminals of said battery; said transistors and said diodes flowing a current from the positive electrode sides to the negative electrode sides of the respective battery blocks.

Claim 12

A power source apparatus according to Claim 9, further comprising a switch for selecting either of said transistors and supplying an of/off signal from said control circuit to the selected transistor.

Claim 13

A power source apparatus according to Claim 10, further comprising a voltage detection circuit for detecting a voltage of each battery block, and said control circuit and said switch are controlled in accordance with the detected value so as to finish the on/off operation of said selected transistor and switch said transistors which are turned on and off.

Claim 14

A power source apparatus according to Claim 5, further comprising a boosting coil one terminal of which is connected to the connecting portion of two of said battery blocks; diodes for flowing a current from the positive elec­trode sides to the negative electrode sides of the respec­tive battery blocks; switches connected in parallel to the respective diodes for leading one terminal of each of said diodes to the outside; and a transistor for connecting the lead terminals of said switches; said diodes, said switches and said transistor being disposed in the path between the other terminal of said boosting coil and the other terminals of said two battery blocks; and said transistor being connected in parallel to one of said diodes by the operation of said switches.

Claim 15

A power source apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said battery is composed of two of said battery blocks connected in parallel to each other; and two connection passages on the positive electrode side and on the negative electrode side are provided with a first boosting coil and a first diode connected to said first boosting coil; a second boosting coil and a second diode connected to said second boosting coil for flowing a current in the opposite direction to the direction in which said first diode flows a current; said first boosting coil, said first diode and said second boosting coil, said second diode being disposed in parallel to each other; the connecting point of said first boosting coil and said first diode and the connecting point of said second boosting coil and said second diode being connected to the other terminals of the respective battery blocks by the respective transistors; and each of said transistors flowing a current from the positive electrode side to the negative electrode side of said battery block.

Claim 16

A power source apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said battery is composed of two of said battery blocks; either of positive sides or negative sides of said two battery blocks are connected to each other so as to form a comnon terminal; the other terminal of either of said two battery blocks is connected to said common terminal by a boosting coil and a transistor, said transistor flowing a current from the positive electrode side to the negative electrode side of said block; the connecting point of said boosting coil and said transistor is connected to the positive side of the other battery block through a diode, said diode flowing a current from the positive electrode side to the negative electrode side of said block; and a switch for subsequently switching between said battery block which is connected to said boosting coil and said battery block which is connected to said diode.

Claim 17

A power source apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said battery is composed of two of said battery blocks; either of positive sides or negative sides of said two battery blocks are connected to each other so as to form a common terminal; the other terminals (the opposite side of said common terminal) of said two battery blocks are connected to each other by the series connection of the following four mem­bers: a first diode for flowing a current in one direction, a first boosting coil connected to said first diode, a second boosting coil connected to said first boosting coil and a second diode connected to said second boosting coil and flowing a current in the opposite direction to the direction in which said first diode flows said current;