Segmented battery charger for high energy 28 V lithium ion battery

Since they were first introduced in the early 1990s, lithium ion batteries have enjoyed unprecedented growth and success in the consumer marketplace. Combining excellent performance with affordability, they have become the product of choice for portable computers and cellular phones. Building on the same energy and life cycle attributes, which marked their consumer market success, but adding new high power storage capability, lithium ion technology is now poised to play a similar role in the transportation, military, and space sectors. With major programs in various aspects of electric and hybrid electric vehicles, Saft has developed a family of battery products which address the power and energy storage where light weight, long life, and excellent energy or power storage capabilities are needed. Significant progress in the packaging and control of high power, yet compact, batteries has been accomplished for a variety of vehicle applications. This paper discusses the charger and balancing strategies of one of this family of products.