FIELD

An energy storage system and a method to improve performance of batteries may be shown and described.

BACKGROUND

Series and parallel connections are commonly known in the field of electronics. Each type of connection has its own types of advantages and disadvantages and are utilized for various purposes. Multiple power supplies arranged in series may have a larger voltage, whereas multiple power sources in parallel may increase the amperage but not the voltage.

For example, two 12V and 100 Ah batteries connected in series may have an output of 24V and 100 Ah. Comparatively, the same two batteries connected in parallel may have an output of 12V and 200 Ah. Thus, if these batteries were powering a device, the device can be powered with double the voltage (24V compared to 12V) in series, or, alternatively, the device may be powered at the same 12V voltage but for twice as long in parallel (200 Ah instead of 100 Ah).

Further, typical batteries or energy storage systems may not be charged and discharged simultaneously. Thus, they may not be able to drive a load while also receiving charge. This can be problematic when an energy storage system is used with a renewable source. These systems often require a central controller to control the charging and discharging of the system.

SUMMARY

A battery system and method may be shown and described. Two or more batteries may be connected in an identical configuration to an output device. The batteries may be controlled by a control unit or logic chip which may be configured to operate in two phases.

In the first phase, the two or more batteries may be connected in series. The negative terminal of the first energy storage unit may be connected to the positive terminal of the second energy storage unit, and the positive terminal of the first energy storage unit may be connected to the negative terminal of the second energy storage unit as well as the output device.

In the second phase, the two or more batteries may be connected in parallel. The positive terminals of all the batteries may be connected to one another, and the negative terminals may be connected to one another. The positive and negative terminals in a parallel connection may then connect to the output source in the same parallel manner.

Then, the control unit may switch between the two phases at any desirable frequency to produce a desired output voltage and amperage. The switching speed between the two phases may be any number of rotations per second.

