Mobile terminal and rapid charging method

• US 10,097,022 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hisense International Company Limited (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.), Hisense USA Corporation (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hisense International Company Limited (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.), Hisense Mobile Communications Technology Co., Ltd. (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.), Hisense USA Corporation (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Chunqian, Zhao, Yufeng, Du, Wenjuan, Yu, Maoxue
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/076,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20170040821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 320107, 320114, 320162
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007184 in response to battery voltage gradient

Abstract

The application discloses a rapid charging method and a mobile terminal, which are proposed for a power source adaptor outputting dynamically adjustable voltage, where voltage of a battery core is divided into several intervals, and further in a segmented constant-current-like charging mode, a volt value of charging voltage output by the power source adaptor is adjusted dynamically according to an interval in which the core voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal while the battery is being charged lies, and the battery is DC-charged directly using the charging voltage output by the power source adaptor.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a battery configured to store electrical energy;

a universal serial bus (USB) interface configured to be operatively connected with a direct current (DC)-charging power source adaptor; and

a microprocessor configured to;

detect a voltage of the battery upon detecting that the USB interface is connected with the DC-charging power source adaptor;

when the voltage of the battery lies in a range [S1, S2] delimited by preset DC-charging thresholds, search, using an interval in which the voltage of the battery lies, a preset reference table for a target charging voltage V_out corresponding to the interval;

send the target charging voltage V_out to the DC-charging power source adaptor;

control a charging voltage output by the DC-charging power source adaptor to DC-charge the battery, wherein the charging voltage is output by the DC-charging power source adaptor according to the received target charging voltage V_out.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a DC-charging switch connected between the USB interface and the battery, wherein the microprocessor is configured to control the DC-charging switch to close upon detecting that the voltage of the battery lies in the range [S1, S2] delimited by the preset DC-charging thresholds, to transfer the charging voltage output by the DC-charging power adaptor directly to the battery to DC-charge the battery; and

a power managing chip connected between the USB interface and the battery, wherein the microprocessor is configured to control the power managing chip to receive the charging voltage output by the DC-charging power adaptor and charge the battery upon detecting that the voltage of the battery leaves the range [S1, S2] delimited by the preset DC-charging thresholds.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the microprocessor is configured to:

upon detecting that the voltage of the battery is less than S1, communicate with the DC-charging power source adaptor to instruct the DC-charging power source adaptor to output a default constant charging voltage, and control the power source managing chip to pre-charge the battery using a small current;

or

upon detecting that the voltage of the battery is more than S2, instruct the DC-charging power source adaptor to output the default constant charging voltage and control the power source managing chip to charge the battery using the default constant charging voltage.

4. A rapid charging method executable by a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

detecting a voltage of a battery of the mobile terminal;

when the voltage of the battery lies in a range [S1, S2] delimited by preset DC-charging thresholds, searching, using an interval in which the voltage of the battery lies, a preset reference table for a target charging voltage V_out corresponding to the interval, and sending the target charging voltage V_out to a DC-charging power source adaptor; and

transferring a received charging voltage output by the DC-charging power source adaptor to the battery to DC-charge the battery, wherein the charging voltage is a target charging voltage adjusted and output by the DC-charging power source adaptor according to the received target charging voltage V_out.

5. The rapid charging method according to claim 4, further comprising:

searching the reference table for a target charging current I_targ corresponding to the interval in which the voltage of the battery lies;

detecting a real charging current I_chg received by the mobile terminal; and

when the real charging current I_chg is less than the target charging current I_targ, adding the target charging voltage V_out and a preset value Δ

V to calculate an adjusted target charging V_out′

, wherein V_out′

is a sum of the target charging voltage V_out and the preset value Δ

V.

6. The rapid charging method according to claim 4, further comprising:

searching the reference table for a target charging current I_targ corresponding to the interval in which the voltage of the battery lies;

detecting a real charging current I_chg received by the mobile terminal; and

when an absolute value of a difference between the real charging current I_chg and the target charging current I_targ is more than a preset value I_e, stopping charging of the battery, wherein I_e represents a controllable value of the difference between the real charging current I_chg and the target charging current I_targ.

7. The rapid charging method according to claim 4, further comprising:

searching the reference table for a maximum charging current I_max corresponding to the interval in which the voltage of the battery lies;

detecting a real charging current I_chg received by the mobile terminal; and

when the real charging current I_chg is more than the maximum charging current I_max, stopping charging of the battery.

8. The rapid charging method according to claim 7, wherein:

the maximum charging current I_max is determined based on a maximum terminal voltage supported by the battery and an inner resistance of the battery;

the target charging current I_targ is determined based on the maximum charging current I_max; and

the target charging voltage V_out is determined based on the target charging current I_targ, a resistance of a charging line, a resistance of a circuit board of the mobile terminal, and the inner resistance of the battery.

9. The rapid charging method according to claim 8, wherein:

the voltage of the battery is a voltage of a battery core V_{bat_real}; and

V_out, I_targ, and I_max, corresponding to each interval within the range [S1, S2], are calculated according to;

I_max=a minimum between (V_{bat_max}−

V_{bat_real})/R_bat and I_allow;

I_targ=I_max−

Δ

I; and

V_out=V_{bat_real}+I_targ*(R_line+R_board+R_bat),

where R_line represents the resistance of the charging line, R_board represents the resistance of the circuit board of the mobile terminal, R_bat represents the inner resistance of the battery, V_{bat_max} represents the maximum terminal voltage supported by the battery, I_allow represents a maximum safe charging current selected while ensuring the safety of the battery being charged, and Δ

I represents a preset current difference.

10. The rapid charging method according to claim 9, wherein:

a target charging voltage V_out corresponding to a first interval of the intervals within the range [S1, S2] is calculated according to the equation

V_out=V_{bat_real}+I_targ*(R_line+R_board+R_bat),

where V_{bat_real} is equal to a lower bound value x_i1 of the first interval;

a maximum charging current I_max corresponding to the first interval is calculated according to the equation I_max=a minimum between (V_{bat_max}−

V_{bat_real})/R_bat and I_allow; and

V_{bat_real} equals to an upper bound value x_i2 of the first interval.

11. The rapid charging method according to claim 4, further comprising:

instructing, upon detecting that the voltage of the battery thereof is less than S1, the DC-charging power source adaptor to output a default constant charging voltage, and to transfer the constant charging voltage to a power source managing chip in the mobile terminal, and starting the power source managing chip to pre-charge the battery using a small current;

or

instructing, upon detecting that the voltage of the battery thereof is more than S2, the DC-charging power source adaptor to output the default constant charging voltage, and to transfer the constant charging voltage to the power source managing chip, and starting the power source managing chip to charge the battery using the constant voltage.