Apple may have abandoned plans for an Apple Car, but it’s still being granted patents regarding vehicles. The latest is number US 11996711 B2 for “Single State Charger for High Voltage Batteries.”
About the patent
In the patent Apple says that there have been many recent developments in AC-DC systems that include batteries for energy storage. Some such system may include relatively high voltages and/or relatively high power levels. Applications of such systems include, but are not limited to, electric vehicles, grid battery systems, battery systems for solar systems, and the like.
Additionally, in some arrangements, such AC-DC systems may include multiple batteries (each comprising multiple cells), each having their own charging system as well as a system for balancing charge between the multiple batteries. Depending on the implementation of such arrangements a relatively high number of power converters, which means a relatively high number of switching devices may be provided.
Apple says this increased number of converters and switching devices can lead to increases in complexity and cost as well as decreases in reliability and efficiency. The tech giant’s solution is to provide switching power converters that integrate multiple converters into a single converter that reduces the number of switching devices required. Additionally, in multi-battery embodiments, it may be desirable to provide includes integrated charger/balancer circuitry, thereby reducing the number of converters and switching devices required to achieve the functional objectives of the system.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “Acharger for a battery power system can include first and second switching bridges with inputs couplable to an AC source, at least one transformer having two or more primary windings (connected in series and coupled to the switching bridges) and at least two secondary windings, and second rectifier/chargers, each coupled to at least one of the secondary windings and couplable to at least one battery.
“The switching bridges may be respectively operable during positive and negative half cycles of the AC source to deliver an AC voltage to the transformer. The rectifier/chargers may be operable in a first mode to receive an AC voltage from the transformer and deliver a DC voltage for charging the respective battery. In some multi-battery embodiments, the rectifier/chargers may also be operable in a second mode to deliver an AC voltage from a respective battery to the transformer to balance charge between the batteries.”
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