Battery pack cooling and charging device and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9608461-B2
Application number	US-201314033906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2013
Priority date	Apr 22, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A battery pack cooling and charging device includes a charging module for a battery pack, a cooling fan, a power source module and a cooling fan control module. The cooling fan control module is capable of controlling the cooling fan for cooling and is connected with the cooling fan. During the charging operation, a rotational speed of the cooling fan for cooling the battery pack and a charging module is changed by detecting parameters such as fan operation time, a battery pack internal resistance, a charging module temperature, and a battery pack voltage. The rotational speed of the cooling fan is reasonably adjusted, thus noise of the cooling fan is reduced and energy consumption is reduced according to different phases of the charging process by regarding one parameter or combinations of parameters as conditions for changing the rotational speed of the fan.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack cooling and charging method, the cooling and charging method implemented on a battery pack cooling and charging device having a cooling fan, the method comprising:
receiving a battery pack on the cooling and charging device and performing an electrical connection between the battery pack and the cooling and charging device;
connecting a power supply to the battery pack;
determining whether a charging module of the cooling and charging device and the battery pack are in communication with a microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device and, if the charging module of the cooling and charging device and the battery pack are not in communication with the microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device, disconnecting and reconnecting the power supply repeating the disconnecting and reconnecting process until the charging module of the cooling and charging device and the battery pack are in communication with the microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device;
when the charging module of the cooling and charging device and the battery pack are in communication with the microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device, charging the battery pack, activating the cooling fan for cooling the battery pack, enabling the cooling fan to rotate at a first speed, and setting a control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan;
detecting by the microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device whether to reach a set control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan and, when the set control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan is not yet reached, continuing detection until the set control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan is reached or surpassed whereupon the cooling fan is slowed to rotate at a second speed or switched off by controlling an output voltage of a cooling fan driving circuit; and
determining whether the charging for the battery pack is completed and, when the charging is completed, switching off the cooling fan,
wherein the control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan is a battery pack internal resistance preset limit,
setting the battery pack internal resistance preset limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan to a predetermined value and collecting a charging current signal via a charging current collecting circuit when the cooling fan begins to rotate at the first speed;
calculating by the microprocessor module internal resistance according to the charging current signal collected by the charging current collecting circuit, determining whether the calculated battery pack internal resistance reaches the battery pack internal resistance preset limit, and, when the battery pack internal resistance preset limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan is not yet reached, continuing the step of collecting until the calculated battery pack internal resistance is equal to or greater than the battery pack internal resistance preset limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan whereupon the cooling fan is slowed to rotate at the second speed or switched off by controlling the output voltage of the cooling fan driving circuit.

2. A battery pack cooling and charging method, the cooling and charging method implemented on a battery pack cooling and charging device having a cooling fan, the method comprising:
receiving a battery pack on the cooling and charging device and performing an electrical connection between the battery pack and the cooling and charging device;
connecting a power supply to the battery pack;
determining whether a charging module of the cooling and charging device and the battery pack are in communication with a microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device and, if the charging module of the cooling and charging device and the battery pack are not in communication with the microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device, disconnecting and reconnecting the power supply repeating the disconnecting and reconnecting process until the charging module of the cooling and charging device and the battery pack are in communication with the microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device;
when the charging module of the cooling and charging device and the battery pack are in communication with the microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device, charging the battery pack, activating the cooling fan for cooling the battery pack, enabling the cooling fan to rotate at a first speed, and setting a control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan;
detecting by the microprocessor module of the cooling and charging device whether to reach a set control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan and, when the set control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan is not yet reached, continuing detection until the set control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan is reached or surpassed whereupon the cooling fan is slowed to rotate at a second speed or switched off by controlling an output voltage of a cooling fan driving circuit; and
determining whether the charging for the battery pack is completed and, when the charging is completed, switching off the cooling fan,
wherein the control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan is a charging current preset limit,
setting the charging current preset limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan to a predetermined value and keeping time by the microprocessor module when the cooling fan begins to rotate at the first speed;
determining by the microprocessor module whether a value of time kept reaches the charging current preset limit and when the control limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan is not yet reached, continuing the step of keeping time until the value of time kept is equal to or greater than the time preset limit for slowing or switching off the cooling fan whereupon the cooling fan is slowed to rotate at the second speed or switched off by controlling the output voltage of the cooling fan driving circuit.

3. The battery pack cooling and charging method according claim 2 , wherein the second speed is approximately 80 percent of the first speed.

4. The battery pack cooling and charging method according to claim 1 , wherein a method of calculating the battery internal resistance is calculating I c1 *R i +U o1 =U c1 , I c2 *R i +U o2 =U c2 according to two sets of different data as detected, wherein a detected voltage at both U o2 ends of the battery is assumed as U c , the battery internal resistance as R i , a charging current as I c , and an intra-battery equivalent voltage source U o , providing that a time interval for detecting two sets of data be approximated as U o1 =U o2 , the internal resistance is R i =(U c2 −U c1 )/(I c2 −I c1 ).

Assignees

• Chervon Hk Ltd
• Chevron (Hk) Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Ming
• Duan Junya
• Lin Xiaohong

Classifications

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• H01M10/486

  for measuring temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/48

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• H01M10/6563

  with forced flow, e.g. by blowers · CPC title

• H02J7/0047 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic