US 11,703,547 B2
Software-configurable battery management systems and methods
Antoine D. Fifield, Mesa, AZ (US); Jiuhui Wang, Gilbert, AZ (US); and Daniel James Miller, Gilbert, AZ (US)
Assigned to Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 2, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/372,964.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/652,225, filed on Apr. 3, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2019/0302186 A1, Oct. 3, 2019
Int. Cl. G01R 31/367 (2019.01); G01R 31/3835 (2019.01); H01M 10/42 (2006.01); H01M 10/48 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 31/367 (2019.01) [G01R 31/3835 (2019.01); H01M 10/425 (2013.01); H01M 10/482 (2013.01); H01M 2010/4271 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A software-configurable battery management circuit, the battery management circuit comprising:
a plurality of cells arranged within a battery stack and configured to couple to a voltage node;
a plurality of switches coupled to the plurality of cells and configured to couple one or more of the plurality of cells to the voltage node;
an amplifier coupled to the voltage node via a resistive voltage divider, the amplifier amplifying:
individual cell voltages of the one or more of the plurality of cells; and
a voltage representative of a voltage at a top of the battery stack; and
a processor coupled to the amplifier, the processor performing steps comprising:
comparing a sum of the individual cell voltages of the one or more of the plurality of cells to the voltage at the top of a battery stack, including any wire voltage or bus bar voltage, to obtain a comparison result; and
based on the comparison result, determining whether the battery stack comprises at least one of a wire or a bus bar.