Battery charging method and battery charging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017194797-A1
Application number	US-201715400490-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 6, 2017
Priority date	Jan 6, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A battery charging method and corresponding apparatus include charging a battery based on an initial charging operation, and verifying whether a change event, with respect to a charging operation, occurs based on the charging of the battery. The battery charging method and corresponding apparatus also include changing the charging operation to an adjusted charging operation in response to verifying that the change event, with respect to the charging operation, occurs. The change event includes a physical quantity event in which a physical quantity of the battery sensed during a charging rest time of the initial charging operation is greater than or equal to a threshold physical quantity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery charging method, comprising:
charging a battery based on an initial charging operation; verifying whether a change event, with respect to a charging operation, occurs based on the charging of the battery; and changing the charging operation to an adjusted charging operation in response to verifying that the change event, with respect to the charging operation, occurs, wherein the change event comprises a physical quantity event in which a physical quantity of the battery sensed during a charging rest time of the initial charging operation is greater than or equal to a threshold physical quantity.

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

3 . The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein the change event further comprises a time event in which a charging time of the battery is greater than or equal to a duration corresponding to the initial charging operation.

4 . The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein the sensed physical quantity comprises a voltage sensed during the charging rest time.

5 . The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein the sensed physical quantity comprises a physical quantity sensed during the charging rest time after the battery is discharged.

6 . The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein the changing of the charging operation comprises terminating the initial charging operation in response to the sensed physical quantity being greater than or equal to the threshold physical quantity.

7 . The battery charging method of claim 1 , further comprising:
charging the battery in a slow charging mode prior to the battery being charged during the initial charging operation.

8 . The battery charging method of claim 7 , wherein the charging of the battery in the slow charging mode comprises:
comparing another sensed physical quantity of the battery to a preset physical quantity, and in response to the another sensed physical quantity exceeding the preset physical quantity, determining a start operation of the charging operation based on the another sensed physical quantity and charging the battery with a constant current for a period of time, wherein, in response to the period of time expiring, the charging of the battery based on the initial charging operation comprises charging the battery based on the initial charging operation determined to be the start operation.

9 . The battery charging method of claim 7 , wherein the charging of the battery in the slow charging mode comprises:
comparing another sensed physical quantity of the battery to a preset physical quantity; and in response to the another sensed physical quantity being less than or equal to the preset physical quantity, charging the battery with a constant current, wherein, in response to the another sensed physical quantity of the battery charged with the constant current exceeding the preset physical quantity, the charging of the battery based on the initial charging operation comprises charging the battery based on the initial charging operation corresponding to a first charging operation of the charging operation.

10 . The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein
a current value of the initial charging operation is determined before the initial charging operation is initiated, in response to verifying that the change event occurs, the current value of the initial charging operation is determined to be less than a corresponding current value of a corresponding charging operation included in a charging cycle, which is previous to a charging cycle including the initial charging operation, in response to verifying that the change event is absent, the current value of the initial charging operation is determined to be equal to the corresponding current value, and the corresponding charging operation corresponds to the initial charging operation.

11 . The battery charging method of claim 10 , wherein the change event comprises at least one of:
a voltage event in which a maximum voltage of the battery charged based on the corresponding charging operation is greater than or equal to a preset voltage, an over-potential event in which an over-potential of the battery charged based on the corresponding charging operation is greater than or equal to a preset over-potential, and a ratio event in which a ratio of a variance in the over-potential to a variance in a relaxation voltage is greater than or equal to a ratio, wherein the relaxation voltage is a voltage of the battery sensed during a charging rest time of the corresponding charging operation, and the over-potential is a difference between the voltage of the battery charged based on the corresponding charging operation and the relaxation voltage.

12 . The battery charging method of claim 1 , wherein the initial charging operation and the adjusted charging operation are included in a pulse charging mode, in which a pulse current is applied to a battery.

13 . A charging current determining method, comprising:
verifying whether physical quantity data corresponding to a target charging operation is present; in response to verification that the physical quantity data is present, determining a corresponding current value of a corresponding charging operation included in a charging cycle, subsequent to another charging cycle including the target charging operation, based on a current value of the target charging operation; and in response to verifying that the physical quantity data is present, verifying whether a current change event occurs based on the physical quantity data, wherein the corresponding charging operation corresponds to the target charging operation.

14 . The charging current determining method of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining an over-potential indicating a difference between a voltage of the battery and a relaxation voltage sensed during a charging rest time of the target charging operation based on the physical quantity data.

15 . The charging current determining method of claim 14 , wherein the current change event comprises at least one of:
a voltage event in which a maximum voltage of the battery is greater than or equal to a preset voltage, an over-potential event in which the over-potential is greater than or equal to a preset over-potential, and a ratio event in which a ratio of a variance in the over-potential to a variance in the relaxation voltage is greater than or equal to a ratio.

16 . The charging current determining method of claim 13 , wherein
in response to verifying that the current change event occurs, the corresponding current value is determined to be less than the current value of the target charging operation, and in response to verification that the current change event is absent, the corresponding current value is determined to be equal to the current value of the target charging operation.

17 . The charging current determining method of claim 13 , wherein, in response to verification that the physical quantity data being absent, the corresponding current value is determined to be equal to the current value of the target charging operation.

18 . The charging current determining method of claim 13 , wherein the target charging operation and the corresponding charging operation are included in a pulse charging mode in which a pulse current is applied to a battery.

19 . A battery charging apparatus, comprising:
an

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Daeryong

Classifications

• H02J7/971

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

• H02J7/927

  with introduction of pulses during the charging process · CPC title

• H02J7/933

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

• H02J7/96 Primary

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/0047

  Electricity · mapped topic