Selective buck-boost equalizer for series battery packs

Abstract

To maximize the capacity and reliability of a series connected battery pack, a new selective equalizer developed from the earlier ramp equalizer is proposed. A set of bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) controlled by a microcontroller is used to route equalization current to the lowest voltage batteries. Since only the lowest voltage batteries are connected to the equalizer, the need for uniform transformer leakage inductance is avoided, and a lower power level can be used since no excess current flows to the other batteries. An equalization experiment has shown that a 37 W selective equalizer had a slightly better effect on a 24-battery pack than a 63 W ramp equalizer.