Battery charging method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10536018-B2
Application number	US-201615255482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2016
Priority date	Nov 2, 2015
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

A battery charging method includes determining a battery overpotential based on a reference physical quantity and a battery physical quantity corresponding to a charging capacity of a battery while charging the battery in an initial charging step, determining whether a condition for changing a battery charging step is satisfied based on the battery overpotential, and changing the battery charging step from the initial charging step to an adjusted charging step in response to the condition being satisfied.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery charging method comprising:
calculating a reference physical quantity based on a charging capacity of a battery;
determining a battery overpotential in an initial charging step of a fast charging mode based on a difference between the reference physical quantity and a battery physical quantity corresponding to the charging capacity;
determining whether a condition for changing a battery charging step is satisfied based on the battery overpotential; and
changing the battery charging step from the initial charging step of the fast charging mode to an adjusted charging step in response to the condition being satisfied, wherein although time assigned to the initial charging step does not pass, the initial charging step is early terminated in response to the condition being satisfied.

2. The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein a charging current value in the adjusted charging step is less than a charging current value in the initial charging step.

3. The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein the condition comprises a first condition in which the battery overpotential is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage.

4. The battery charging method of claim 3 , wherein the threshold voltage is determined based on a function in which a value corresponding to the charging capacity decreases as the charging capacity increases.

5. The battery charging method of claim 3 , wherein the condition further comprises:
a second condition in which a charging time of the battery in the initial charging step is greater than or equal to a duration of the initial charging step; and
a third condition in which the battery physical quantity in the initial charging step is greater than or equal to a step voltage value of the initial charging step; and
the changing comprises changing the battery charging step to the adjusted charging step in response to any one of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition being satisfied.

6. The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein the changing comprises:
updating a battery charging step index in response to the early termination of the initial charging step;
comparing the updated charging step index to a preset number of charging steps; and
changing the battery charging step to the adjusted charging step in response to the updated charging step index being less than or equal to the preset number of steps.

7. The battery charging method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing a battery physical quantity measured before charging the battery in the initial charging step to a preset physical quantity;
determining the initial charging step based on the measured battery physical quantity in response to the measured battery physical quantity being greater than the preset physical quantity; and
charging the battery in the initial charging step in response to the determining of the initial charging step.

8. The battery charging method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing a battery physical quantity measured before charging the battery in the initial charging step to a preset physical quantity;
charging the battery with a constant current in response to the measured battery physical quantity being less than or equal to the preset physical quantity;
comparing a battery physical quantity of the battery charged with the constant current to the preset physical quantity; and
charging the battery in the initial charging step in response to the battery physical quantity of the battery charged with the constant current being greater than the preset physical quantity.

9. A battery charging method comprising:
charging a battery in a slow charging mode based on battery state information;
charging the battery in an initial charging step of a fast charging mode comprising a plurality of battery charging steps in response to the charging in the slow charging mode;
determining whether a condition for changing a battery charging step of the fast charging mode is satisfied based on a result of the charging performed in the initial charging step;
changing from the initial charging step to an adjusted charging step in response to the condition being satisfied, wherein although time assigned to the initial charging step does not pass, the initial charging step is early terminated in response to the condition being satisfied; and
charging the battery in the adjusted charging step;
wherein the condition comprises a first condition in which a battery overpotential is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage, the battery overpotential being determined based on a difference between a battery physical quantity corresponding to a charging capacity of the battery and a reference physical quantity corresponding to the charging capacity of the battery.

10. The battery charging method of claim 9 , wherein a charging current value in the adjusted charging step is less than a charging current value in the initial charging step.

11. The battery charging method of claim 9 , wherein the threshold voltage is determined based on a function in which a value corresponding to the charging capacity decreases as the charging capacity increases.

12. The battery charging method of claim 9 , wherein the condition further comprises:
a second condition in which a charging time of the battery in the initial charging step is greater than or equal to a duration of the initial charging step; and
a third condition in which the battery physical quantity in the initial charging step is greater than or equal to a step voltage value of the initial charging step; and
the changing comprises changing the battery charging step to the adjusted charging step in response to any one of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition being satisfied.

13. The battery charging method of claim 9 , wherein the changing comprises:
performing an early termination of the initial charging step in response to the battery overpotential being greater than the threshold voltage;
updating a battery charging step index in response to the early termination of the initial charging step;
comparing the updated battery charging step index to a preset number of steps; and
changing the battery charging step to the adjusted charging step in response to the updated battery charging step index being less than or equal to the preset number of steps.

14. The battery charging method of claim 9 , wherein the charging of the battery in the slow charging mode comprises:
comparing a measured battery physical quantity to a preset physical quantity;
determining the initial charging step based on the measured battery physical quantity in response to the measured battery physical quantity being greater than the preset physical quantity; and
charging the battery with a constant current for a desired period of time in response to the determining of the initial charging step.

15. The battery charging method of claim 9 , wherein the charging of the battery in the slow charging mode comprises:
comparing a measured battery physical quantity to a preset physical quantity;
charging the battery with a constant current in response to the measured battery physical quantity being less than or equal to the preset physical quantity;
comparing a battery physical quantity of the battery charged with the constant current to the preset physical quantity; and
continuing to charge the battery with the constant current until the battery physical quantity of the battery charged with the constant current is greater than the preset physical quantity.

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Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Daeryong

Classifications

• H02J7/62

  against overcurrent · CPC title

• H02J7/61

  against overcharge · CPC title

• H02J7/933

  the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters · CPC title

• H02J7/96

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/94

  in response to battery current · CPC title