Charging method using compensation impedance in CV charging mode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9837836-B2
Application number	US-201514751166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2015
Priority date	Jan 23, 2015
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

A charging method and a portable electronic device using the same are provided. The charging method includes following steps: detecting a battery voltage and a charging current of a battery module; determining whether the portable electronic device operates at a constant voltage (CV) charging mode; executing an impedance calculation at the CV charging mode to obtain a first battery voltage corresponding to a first predetermined current and a second battery voltage corresponding to a second predetermined current; calculating a compensation impedance according to the predetermined current and the battery voltages; setting a maximum charging voltage according to the compensation impedance and executing a CV charging to the battery module accordingly; determining whether a current variation of the charging current is larger than a threshold value; re-executing the impedance calculation; updating a setting value of the maximum charging voltage when the current variation is larger than the threshold value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charging method for a portable electronic device, adapted to receive an input current and charge a battery module of the portable electronic device, the charging method comprising following steps:
detecting a battery voltage and a charging current of the battery module;
determining whether the portable electronic device operates at a constant voltage (CV) charging mode according to the battery voltage;
executing an impedance calculation to obtain a first battery voltage corresponding to a first predetermined current and a second battery voltage corresponding to a second predetermined current of the battery module when the portable electronic device operates at the CV charging mode;
calculating a compensation impedance according to the first predetetermined current, the second predetermined current, the first battery voltage and the second battery voltage;
setting a maximum charging voltage according to the compensation impedance and executing a CV charging to the battery module;
determining whether a current variation of the charging current is larger than a threshold value; and
re-executing the impedance calculation to recalculate the compensation impedance in the CV charging mode and updating a setting value of the maximum charging voltage according to the recalculated compensation impedance when the current variation is larger than the threshold value.

2. The charging method for the portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the step of executing the impedance calculation to obtain the first battery voltage corresponding to the first predetermined current and the second battery voltage corresponding to the second predetermined current of the battery module includes:
charging the battery module with the first predetermined current during a first period;
detecting the battery voltage in the first period as the first battery voltage, and detecting the charging current in the first period as a first charging current;
charging the battery module with the second predetermined current during a second period; and
detecting the battery voltage in the second period as the second battery voltage, and detecting the charging current in the second period as a second charging current.

3. The charging method for the portable electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the value of the first predetermined current is zero, and the first battery voltage is an actual voltage of the battery module.

4. The charging method for the portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the step of calculating the compensation impedance according to the first predetermined current, the second predetermined current, the first battery voltage and the second battery voltage includes:
calculating a voltage difference between the first battery voltage and the second battery voltage;
calculating a current difference between the first charging current and the second charging current; and
calculating the compensation impedance according to the voltage difference and the current difference.

5. The charging method for the portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the step of setting the maximum charging voltage according to the compensation impedance and executing the CV charging to the battery module includes:
calculating product of the charging current and the compensation impedance to obtain a compensation voltage; and
setting the maximum charging voltage to be as a sum of a full charge voltage and the compensation voltage.

6. The charging method for the portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the portable electronic device operates at the CV charging mode according to the battery voltage includes:
determining whether the battery voltage is greater than or equals to a full charge voltage and whether the input current is less than a maximum current threshold value;
determining that the portable electronic device operates at the CV charging mode when the battery voltage is greater than or equals to the full charge voltage and the input current is less than the maximum current threshold value; and
determining that the portable electronic device does not operate at the CV charging mode when the battery voltage is less than the full charge voltage or the input current is greater than or equals to the maximum current threshold value.

7. The charging method for the portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the charging method further includes:
determining whether the charging current meets a full charge condition;
stopping charging the battery module when the charging current meets the full charge condition; and
repeating the step of determining whether the current variation is larger than the threshold value when the charging current does not meet the full charge condition.

8. A portable electronic device, comprising:
a function module;
a battery module coupled to the function module to provide power to the function module; and
a charging control module coupled to the battery module to charge the battery module according to an input current, wherein the charging control module detects a battery voltage and a charging current of the battery module, and determines whether the portable electronic device operates at a constant voltage (CV) charging mode according to the battery voltage,
wherein when the portable electronic device operates at the CV charging mode, the charging control module executes an impedance calculation to obtain a first battery voltage corresponding to a first predetermined current and a second battery voltage corresponding to a second predetermined current of the battery module, and calculates a compensation impedance according to the first battery voltage and the second battery voltage, and the charging control module sets a maximum charging voltage according to the compensation impedance, executes a CV charging to the battery module, and determines whether a current variation of the charging current is larger than a threshold value, when the current variation is larger than the threshold value, the charging control module re-executes the impedance calculation to recalculate the compensation impedance in the CV charging mode, and updates a setting value of the maximum charging voltage according to the recalculated compensation impedance.

9. The portable electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the charging control module includes:
a power convert circuit receiving a direct current (DC) power and converting the DC power to a working power supply;
a power switch coupled to the power convert circuit to receive the working power supply, switching according to a control signal, and controlling the working power supply provided to the battery module; and
a control circuit controlling power conversion of the power convert circuit, and providing the control signal to control the power switch, wherein the control circuit detects the battery voltage and the charging current of the battery module as a basis of adjusting the control signal.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein when the charging control module executes the impedance calculation, the charging control module charges the battery module with the first predetermined current during a first period, detects the battery voltage in the first period as the first battery voltage, and detects the charging current in the first period as a first charging current; and the charging control module charges the battery module with the second predetermined current during a second period, detects the battery voltage in the second period as the second battery voltage, and detects the charging current in t

Assignees

• Asustek Comp Inc

Inventors

• Li Ching-Han
• Hung Hsiang-Jui
• Tu Wei-Chen
• Tsai Ming-Ting

Classifications

• H02J7/61

  against overcharge · CPC title

• H02J7/90

  Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/953 Primary

  in response to charge current gradient · CPC title

• H02J7/007

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J7/0029 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic