Electronic device comprising battery, and battery charging method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12334768-B2
Application number	US-202318105621-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2023
Priority date	Aug 5, 2020
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device includes: a battery; a power management module configured to control the battery; a memory storing a plurality of state-of-charge reference values related to a charging cycle of the battery; at least one processor configured to: control the power management module to charge the battery such that a charging section of the battery alternately includes a plurality of constant current sections, in which charging is performed with a uniform current, and a plurality of constant voltage sections, in which charging is performed with a uniform voltage, identify the charging cycle of the battery, and set a condition for changing from one constant voltage section of the plurality of constant voltage sections to a constant current section following the one constant voltage section of the plurality of constant current sections, based on a state-of-charge reference value corresponding to the identified charging cycle of the battery from among the plurality of state-of-charge reference values stored in the memory.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a battery;
a power management module configured to control the battery;
a memory storing one or more instructions and a plurality of state-of-charge reference values related to a charging cycle of the battery;
at least one processor operatively connected with the battery, the power management module, and the memory,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the one or more instructions to:
control the power management module to charge the battery such that a charging section of the battery alternately comprises a plurality of constant current sections, in which charging is performed with a uniform current, and a plurality of constant voltage sections, in which charging is performed with a uniform voltage,
identify the charging cycle of the battery, and
set a condition for changing from one constant voltage section of the plurality of constant voltage sections to a constant current section following the one constant voltage section of the plurality of constant current sections, based on a state-of-charge reference value corresponding to the identified charging cycle of the battery from among the plurality of state-of-charge reference values stored in the memory, and

wherein, as the charging cycle of the battery increases, the plurality of state-of-charge reference values decreases.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of state-of-charge reference values comprises a first state-of-charge reference value and a second state-of-charge reference value, and
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions to:
identify a state of charge of the battery,
set that the identified state of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to the first state-of-charge reference value, as a condition for changing from a first constant voltage section to a second constant current section following the first constant voltage section, and
set that the identified state of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to the second state-of-charge reference value, as a condition for changing from a second constant voltage section to a third constant current section following the second constant voltage section.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the charging cycle of the battery comprises a first cycle and a second cycle that is greater than the first cycle,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions to:
in the first cycle,
set that the identified state of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to the first state-of-charge reference value, as the condition for changing from the first constant voltage section to the second constant current section, and
set that the identified state of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to the second state-of-charge reference value, as the condition for changing from the second constant voltage section to the third constant current section, and

in the second cycle,
set that the identified state of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to a third state-of-charge reference value smaller than the first state-of-charge reference value, as the condition for changing from the first constant voltage section to the second constant current section, and
set that the identified state of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to a fourth state-of-charge reference value smaller than the second state-of-charge reference value, as the condition for changing from the second constant voltage section to the third constant current section.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions to set a voltage of the battery and a charging current of the battery, as a condition for changing from the first constant voltage section to the second constant current section following the first constant voltage section.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the condition for changing from the first constant voltage section to the second constant current section is that the voltage of the battery is greater than or equal to a set voltage, the charging current of the battery is smaller than or equal to a set current, and the state of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to a set state-of-charge reference value.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions to set a target voltage of the battery, as a condition for changing from a first constant current section to a first constant voltage section following the first constant current section, and
wherein the condition for changing from the first constant current section to the first constant voltage section is that a voltage of the battery reaches the target voltage.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions to:
charge the battery through the power management module depending on a plurality of steps, wherein a constant current section of a first step of the plurality of steps is adjacent to a constant voltage section of the first step and the constant voltage section of the first step is adjacent to a constant current section of a second step of the plurality of steps, and
set a condition for changing from the constant current section of the first step to the constant voltage section of the first step and a condition for changing from the constant voltage section of the first step to the constant current section of the second step.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising communication circuitry operatively connected with the at least one processor,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions to:
receive the plurality of state-of-charge reference values depending on the charging cycle of the battery from an external device through the communication circuitry, and
store the received plurality of state-of-charge reference values in the memory.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions to change at least one of the plurality of state-of-charge reference values stored in the memory.

10. A method of charging a battery of an electronic device while alternately having a plurality of constant current sections and a plurality of constant voltage sections, the method comprising:
charging the battery with a uniform voltage through a power management module of the electronic device;
identifying a charging cycle of the battery;
determining whether a state of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to a state-of-charge reference value corresponding to the identified charging cycle of the battery; and
based on the state of charge being greater than or equal to the state-of-charge reference value corresponding to the identified charging cycle, charging the battery with a uniform current through the power management module,
wherein, as the charging cycle of the battery increases, the state-of-charge reference value decreases.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the charging the battery comprises:
in a first constant current section, charging the battery while maintaining a charging current of the battery at a first current through the power management module;
in a first constant voltage section, charging the battery while maintaining a voltage of the battery at a first voltage through the power management module;
based on the state of charge being greater

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Yeongil
• Ryu Sanghyun
• Oh Hyunjun

Classifications

• H02J7/82 Primary

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/933 Primary

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

• H02J7/96

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/92

  with prioritisation of loads or sources · CPC title

• G06F1/26

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title