摘要 |
<p>A cell balancing circuit monitors the voltage between serially connected cells and compares it to a reference voltage. From that comparison, the cell balancing circuit sources or sinks current into a midpoint node between rechargeable cells to keep the cells balanced during the charging process. In one preferred embodiment, the cell balancing circuit includes an op-amp, connected in a unity gain configuration. A voltage divider establishes a reference voltage equal to the average of the two cell voltages. The op-amp compares this average to the measured voltage at the midpoint node. When the average voltage exceeds the voltage at the midpoint node, the op-amp sources current into the midpoint node. When the average voltage falls below the voltage at the midpoint node, the op-amp sinks current from the midpoint node. By sourcing or sinking current, the cell balancing circuit allows the lesser charged cell to catch up with the more fully charged cell.
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