Engineering Commons^™

The Development Of A High-Performance Distributed Battery Management System For Large Lithium Ion Packs, Christopher B. Grasberger

Master's Theses

A high performance battery management system (BMS) for large capacity cells was designed, built, and tested in a cycle of three revisions. The BMS was designed for use in applications where the battery pack configuration is unknown: parallel, series, or any combination. Each of the cells is equipped with its own battery management system to allow a peer-to-peer mesh network to monitor the safety of the cell. The BMS attached to each cell also is equipped with a 25A DC/DC converter to perform active balancing between cells in a string. This converter can transfer charge to (or from) a cell …

Universal Programmable Battery Charger With Optional Battery Management System, Michael Duke Desando

Master's Theses

This report demonstrates improvements made in battery charging and battery management technology through the design of a universal programmable battery charger with optional battery management system attachment. This charger offers improvements in charge efficiency and unique battery charging algorithms to charge a variety of battery chemistries with variety of power requirements. Improvements in efficiency result from a synchronous Buck Controller topology as compared to previous universal chargers that use asynchronous Buck-Boost Converter topologies. This battery charger also surpasses current universal battery chargers by offering different charge modes for different battery chemistries. Charge modes provide the user an option between extending …

Iocean Rgb Sensor, Mark Mcneff, Archit Mendiratta

Electrical Engineering

The goal of this project is to create an accurate ocean color sensor that will communicate effectively with an iPhone. The device will take ocean color measurements at its current location and provide these measurements to the user for scientific study of the variability of ocean color across the globe. The data gathered by the device will also provide ground-truthing of satellite ocean color measurements.

Three-Phase Generation Using Reactive Networks, Tattiana Karina Coleman Davenport

Master's Theses

Household appliances utilize single-phase motors to perform everyday jobs whether it is to run a fan in an air conditioner or the compressor in a refrigerator. With the movement of the world going “green” and trying to make everything more efficient, it is a logical step to start with the items that we use every day. This can be done by replacing single-phase motors with three-phase motors in household appliances. Three-phase motors are 14% more efficient than single-phase motors when running at full load and typically cost less over a large range of sizes [1]. One major downside of incorporating …

Digitally Controlled Zero-Voltage-Switching Quasi-Resonant Buck Converter, Brian R. Luc

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Digitally-Controlled Two-Phase Zero-Voltage-Switching Quasi-Resonant Buck Converter

Brian Luc

This thesis entails the design, construction, and performance analysis of a digitally-controlled two-phase Zero-Voltage Switching Quasi-Resonant (ZVS-QR) buck converter. The converter is aimed to address the issues associated with powering CPUs operating at lower voltage and high current. To evaluate its performance, the Two-Phase ZVS-QR buck converter is compared against a traditional Two-Phase buck converter. The design procedure required to implement both converters through utilizing the characterization curve and formulas derived from their circuit configurations will be presented. Computer simulation of the Two-Phase ZVS-QR buck converter is provided to exhibit its …

A Low-Cost Loop Measurement Tool For Dc-Dc Converters, Shouee B. Lin

Master's Theses

Loop measurements are very important in evaluating dynamic performance of DC-DC converters. In this thesis, a small loop measurement tool as a low-cost alternative to a network analyzer is proposed. The tool is particularly useful when a network analyzer is not always available for use, for example when engineers are working on-site with customers or when a network analyzer is not affordable due to their relatively high cost. The design, simulation, and hardware implementation of the inexpensive loop measurement tool will be presented in this thesis. Results from computer simulation and hardware prototype demonstrate the ability of the proposed tool …

Boost Battery, Samuel Rauch, Alvin Ng, Lacy Sigman

Electrical Engineering

In modern times, the problem of a depleted battery confronts us too often. Whether it appears with a smartphone or with any other electronic device, the situation frustrates all consumers. This project designs and constructs a compact portable battery charger that charges through kinetic energy. Thus, one can perform everyday activities, such as walking or running, and charge up a backup battery with no extra effort or time. Additionally, an attachable band harvests thermal energy to maximize the amount of clean power generated. Energy harvesting from kinetic motion and thermal differences provide users with power when no actual power suppliers …