Importance

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Abstract

The present application is directed to a bidirectional voltage converter for multi-cell series batteries. A power module may comprise a battery including at least two cells and a converter module to generate a single-cell voltage and a two-cell series voltage from battery power while controlling charging and/or discharging of the cells to be at substantially the same rate. A converter module may comprise a first capacitor coupled across a first cell, a second capacitor coupled across a second cell and a third capacitor that may be flexibly coupled. When balancing charge and/or discharge rate, the third capacitor may be coupled across the second capacitor for a set on time and then coupled across the first capacitor for the set on time. A variable off time between couplings may be determined based on the difference between the voltage in the third capacitor and first capacitor.

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First Claim