Battery fast-charging system and method of operating same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11444339-B2
Application number	US-201916519891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	Jul 23, 2019
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a rechargeable battery comprising an anode, a cathode, an electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode, a protective housing that at least partially encloses the anode, the cathode and the electrolyte, a heat-spreader element disposed at least partially inside the protective housing and configured to receive heat from an external heat source at a desired heating temperature Th to heat up the battery to a desired temperature Tc for battery charging. Preferably, the heat-spreader element does not receive an electrical current from an external circuit (e.g. battery charger) to generate heat for resistance heating of the battery. Charging the battery at Tc enables completion of the battery in less than 15 minutes, typically less than 10 minutes, and more typically less than 5 minutes without adversely impacting the battery structure and performance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery charging system comprising at least one charging circuit to charge at least one rechargeable battery cell and a heat source to provide heat that is transported through a heat spreader element, implemented fully or partially inside said at least one battery cell, to heat up said battery cell to a desired temperature Tc before or during charging of said battery cell, wherein said heat source is disposed outside said at least one battery cell.

2. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein said rechargeable battery cell comprises an anode, a cathode, an electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode, and a protective housing that at least partially encloses the anode, the cathode and the electrolyte, wherein said heat-spreader element is disposed partially or entirely inside the protective housing and configured to receive heat from said heat source at a desired heating temperature T h to heat up the battery cell to the desired temperature Tc for battery cell charging.

3. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein said system comprises multiple charging stations to heat and charge multiple rechargeable battery cells and wherein each charging station comprises one charging circuit and one heat source.

4. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the heat-spreader element does not receive an electrical current from said charging circuit to generate heat inside the battery cell for resistance heating of the battery cell.

5. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein said at least a battery cell comprises at least a temperature sensor for measuring an internal temperature of the battery and sending a signal of said internal temperature to said charging circuit.

6. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the heat-spreader element acts as a temperature sensor for measuring an internal temperature of the battery.

7. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein said heat-spreader element comprises a high thermal conductivity material having a thermal conductivity no less than 10 W/mK.

8. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein said heat-spreader element comprises a material selected from a graphene film, flexible graphite sheet, artificial graphite film, Ag, Ag, Cu, Al, brass, steel, Ti, Ni, Mg alloy sheet, silicon nitride, boron nitride, aluminum nitride, boron arsenide, a composite thereof, or a combination thereof.

9. The battery charging system of claim 8 , wherein said graphene film contains a graphene selected from pristine graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, graphene chloride, graphene bromide, graphene iodide, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, chemically functionalized graphene, or a combination thereof.

10. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the heat source is heated by using laser heating, resistance heating, dielectric heating, thermal-electric heating, microwave heating, radio frequency heating, hot fluid heating, or a combination thereof.

11. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the heat-spreader element is in a heat-spreading relation to an anode or a cathode of a battery cell and provides heat thereto before or during charging of the battery cell.

12. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the heat source has an attachment clip to reversibly grip or connect with a tab of said heat spreader element.

13. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the heat-spreader element has a tab protruded outside of the protective housing, wherein said tab is configured to controllably make thermal contact with the external heat source and get disconnected with the external heat source when a battery temperature reaches the desired temperature Tc.

14. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the battery has an anode terminal and a cathode terminal for operating the battery and the heat-spreader element is in thermal contact with the anode terminal or the cathode terminal wherein the anode terminal or the cathode terminal is configured to receive heat from the external heat source.

15. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the heat-spreader element is in thermal contact with the protective housing or a cap of the protective housing.

16. The battery charging system of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a lithium-ion battery, lithium metal secondary battery, lithium-sulfur battery, lithium-air battery, lithium-selenium battery, sodium-ion battery, sodium metal secondary battery, sodium-sulfur battery, sodium-air battery, magnesium-ion battery, magnesium metal battery, aluminum-ion battery, aluminum metal secondary battery, zinc-ion battery, zinc metal battery, zinc-air battery, nickel metal hydride battery, lead acid battery, lead acid-carbon battery, lead acid-based ultra-battery, lithium-ion capacitor, or supercapacitor.

17. A method of operating a battery charging system comprising multiple charging stations, said method comprising: (a) positioning multiple rechargeable battery cells respectively in said multiple charging stations; (b) operating at least a heat source in said battery charging system to provide heat that is transported through a heat spreader element, implemented fully or partially inside each of said battery cells, to heat up said battery cells to a desired temperature Tc, wherein said heat source is disposed outside said battery cells; and (c) activating at least one charging circuit in said battery charging system to charge said battery cells at or near Tc until said battery cells reach a desired degree of charge.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each of said battery cells comprises therein a heat spreader element having an end connected to an electrode terminal of the battery cell or having a tab protruded out of a protective housing of the battery cell and wherein said step (b) comprises bringing the electrode terminal or the tab in thermal contact with said external heat source, allowing heat from the heat source to transfer into the battery cell for heating the battery to a desired temperature Tc.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising a step of operating a temperature sensor for measuring an internal temperature of the battery cells.

20. A method of operating a battery charging system comprising multiple charging stations, said method comprising: (a) positioning multiple rechargeable battery cells respectively in said multiple charging stations; (b) operating at least a heat source in said battery charging system to provide heat that is transported through a heat spreader element, implemented fully or partially inside each of said battery cells, to heat up said battery cells to a desired temperature Tc, wherein a time for heating the battery cells to temperature Tc is no greater than 15 minutes; and (c) activating at least one charging circuit in said battery charging system to charge said battery cells at or near Tc until said battery cells reach a desired degree of charge.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein said heat-spreader element comprises a material selected from graphene film, flexible graphite sheet, artificial graphite film, Ag, Ag, Cu, Al, brass, steel, Ti, Ni, Mg alloy sheet, silicon nitride, boron nitride, aluminum nitride, boron arsenide, a composite thereof, or a combination thereof.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein said graphene film contains a graphene selected from pristine graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, graphene chloride, g

Assignees

• Global Graphene Group Inc

Inventors

• Su Yu-Sheng
• Chen Yu-Ming
• Chang Hao-Hsun
• Jang Bor Z

Classifications

• H02J7/977

  of the battery · CPC title

• H02J7/575

  Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/485 Primary

  with provisions for charging different types of batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/443 Primary

  in response to temperature · CPC title