An electronic device may include a power management subsystem that soft-starts freshly charged batteries upon connection. The device may be configured to operate on power from a number of batteries less than the greatest number of batteries that may be concurrently connected. Because the soft-start reduces current inrush upon connection of a fresh battery, the device may continue operating as fresh batteries are connected and depleted batteries are disconnected.

A method includes determining a first voltage level of a first battery and a second voltage level of a second battery. Based on a difference between the first voltage level and the second voltage level satisfying a first threshold and a magnitude of a current failing to satisfy a second threshold, one of the first battery or the second battery is disconnected from the one or more components, and the one or more components of the portable device are powered using the other of the first battery or the second battery. Based on one or more of the difference between the first voltage level and the second voltage level failing to satisfy the first threshold or the magnitude of the current failing to satisfy the second threshold, the one or more components of the portable device are powered using the first battery and the second battery.

A battery management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a state of health (SOH) calculating unit calculating an SOH of each of a plurality of battery cells and a balancing target determining unit selecting, as a second battery cell, a battery cell having a state of charge (SOC) difference from a first battery cell having a lowest SOC among the plurality of battery cells, the SOC difference being greater than or equal to a reference value, and determining a balancing target by comparing an SOH of the first battery cell with an SOH of the second battery cell.

The application provides a battery management method and a power supply system. The battery management method includes: providing the power supply system comprising a power supply device and a plurality of battery systems connected in parallel, the power supply device electrically configured to control the charging or discharging of each of the plurality of battery systems connected to each of the plurality of battery systems; detecting an actual voltage of each battery system; controlling the start of battery systems with a low actual voltage for charging or discharging; and controlling the start of battery systems with a high actual voltage after the actual voltage of each battery system is balanced. The battery systems are directly controlled by the power supply device when connected in parallel to the power supply system, such that unlimited capacity expansion may be realized without redesigning the battery systems or adding a BMS.

A temperature-sensitive battery connector is disclosed. The connector can include a connector body and at least one conductor mounted to the connector body and configured to convey a current signal used to measure voltage from a battery pack or battery cell to a battery management system (BMS). The connector can include a thermal switching device mounted to the connector body and thermally coupled to a terminal of a battery pack or a battery cell. The thermal switching device can be configured to provide an overtemperature signal to the BMS by changing or interrupting a current conducted by at least one conductor when a temperature of the battery pack or battery cell exceeds a threshold temperature.

Provided is a device to be charged. The device includes: a battery supply circuit, including first and second cells configured to switch between being coupled in parallel with each other and being coupled in series with each other; a charging interface, through which the device receives output voltage and current of an adapter; a first charging circuit coupled between the charging interface and the battery supply circuit, and configured to convert the output voltage and apply the converted output voltage on both ends of the first and second cells coupled in parallel; and a second charging circuit coupled between the charging interface and the battery supply circuit, and configured to directly apply the output voltage and current on both ends of the first and second cells coupled in series, or directly apply the output voltage and current on both ends of the first and second cells coupled in parallel.

A method of controlling an electric system including electric cells. The method includes the steps of: a) determining a first (second) priority table including first (second) cell priority levels for a system charge (discharge) operation; b) determining the average current exchanged by each cell over a time window according to the cell implementation number in a cell connection sequence; c) determining a classification of the cell implementation numbers by increasing or decreasing order of the average current; d) assigning the implementation numbers according to the order of the classification to the cells by increasing or decreasing number of the priority levels of the first or second priority table; and e) connecting or disconnecting the cells according to the order of the assigned implementation numbers.

A battery system including a number of first battery modules each including a number of battery cells, and a number of second battery modules each including a number of battery cells. Each second battery module includes a power electronics unit having a DC/DC converter. The first and second battery modules are connected in series. The first battery modules are connected directly in series and the second battery modules are connected via their power electronics units.

The teachings of the present disclosure may be employed for buffering electric power in a virtual storage power plant. For example, a virtual power plant for buffering electric power may include: distributed electrical energy storage systems electrically interconnected by transmission lines of an electrical power plant network; a measuring device detecting a state of charge of each of the storage systems; and a control device adjusting the states of charge between a lower limit and an upper limit. The states of charge are adjusted as needed by means of a charge equalization including transmitting electrical equalization charges from energy storage systems having a relatively high state of charge to energy storage systems having a relatively low state of charge, via the electrical power plant network.

[Object] To provide a power control device capable of equalizing power between storage batteries in supplying direct-current power through three wires, that is, the positive electrode wire, the neutral wire, and the negative electrode wire. The storage batteries are connected in series between the positive electrode wire and the neutral wire and between the neutral wire and the negative electrode wire.

[Solution] The power control device including: a comparison unit configured to acquire a charging condition of a first battery and a charging condition of a second battery from the first battery and the second battery and to compare the charging conditions with each other, the first battery being provided between a positive electrode wire to which a positive potential is applied and a neutral wire to which a ground potential is applied, the second battery being provided between the neutral wire and a negative electrode wire to which a negative potential is applied; and a power control unit configured to control power interchange between the first battery and the second battery such that the charging condition of the first battery and the charging condition of the second battery are balanced against each other on the basis of a comparison result obtained by the comparison unit.