Intelligent charger with diagnostic function and charging method

• US 10,205,329 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou Hengyuan Electrical Appliances CO.,LTD
• Original Assignee: China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou Hengyuan Electrical Appliances CO.,LTD
• Inventors: Zhou, Gongbo, Wang, Houlian, Zhu, Zhencai, Li, Zhixiang, Li, Wei, Cao, Guohua
• Primary Examiner(s): Pacheco, Alexis B
• Application Number:
  US15/766,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20180219393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 320107, 320109, 320116, 320118, 320134, 320110, 320112, 320113, 320114, 320120, 320125, 320128, 320132, 320136, 320137
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/387 Determining ampere-hour charge capacity or SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition

Abstract

An intelligent charger with a diagnostic function and a charging method. The intelligent charger includes a control module, a diagnosis module, a charging module, a multi-path switch and a detection module. The control module is sequentially connected to the diagnosis module, the charging module and the multi-path switch; and the detection module is sequentially connected to an external connection terminal of a battery, the multi-path switch and the fault diagnosis module. The charging method includes a charging mode and a diagnosis mode; the diagnosis mode includes a two part function, namely fault diagnosis and lifetime detection; the fault diagnosis is detecting a fault problem which can occur in the battery and providing a prompt; and the lifetime detection is detecting the current capacity of a battery, and determining current battery life through the ratio of current capacity to rated capacity.

Claims

1. An intelligent charger with a diagnostic function, comprising:

a control module, a diagnosis module, a charging module, a multi-path switch, and a detection module;

wherein, the control module is sequentially connected to the diagnosis module, the charging module, and the multi-path switch; and

the detection module is sequentially connected to an external connection terminal of a battery, the multi-path switch and the diagnosis module;

the diagnosis module comprises a fault identification unit and a capacity measurement unit;

output ends of the fault identification unit and the capacity measurement unit are separately connected to an input end of a microcontroller of the control module; and

an input end of the fault identification unit is connected to the detection module, and an input end of the capacity measurement unit is connected to the multi-path switch;

wherein, the fault identification unit stores a current-voltage curve of charging and discharging under various fault conditions of the battery; and

the charging module comprises a charging unit, wherein an input end of the charging unit is connected to the output end of the microcontroller of the control module, and an output end of the charging unit is connected via the multi-path switch to the battery.

3. The intelligent charger with the diagnostic function according to claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a microcontroller, a mode selection button and an LCD display screen;

and wherein the mode selection button, the microcontroller and the LCD display screen are sequentially connected; and

an input end of the microcontroller is connected to the diagnosis module, and an output end of the microcontroller is connected to the charging module.

4. The intelligent charger with the diagnostic function according to claim 1, wherein the detection module comprises a voltage sensor and a current sensor, and wherein the voltage sensor is connected across two output ends of the multi-path switch, an output end of the voltage sensor is connected to an input of a diagnosis unit of the diagnosis module, the current sensor is connected in series to an output line of the multi-path switch, and an output end of the current sensor is connected to the input end of the diagnosis unit of the diagnosis module.

2. A charging method of an intelligent charger with a diagnostic function, wherein the intelligent charger comprises a control module, a diagnosis module, a charging module, a multi-path switch, and a detection module;

wherein the control module is sequentially connected to the diagnosis module, the charging module, and the multi-path switch; and

the detection module is sequentially connected to an external connection terminal of a battery, the multi-path switch and the diagnosis module; and

the control module comprises a microcontroller, a mode selection button and an LCD display screen;

the diagnosis module comprises a fault identification unit and a capacity measurement unit, wherein the fault identification unit stores a current-voltage curve of charging and discharging under various fault conditions of the battery;

the charging module comprises a charging unit and the detection module comprises a voltage sensor and a current sensor;

the charging method comprises two modes;

a charging mode and a diagnosis mode;

a charging function of the charging mode is implemented through charging under conversion of a constant current to a constant voltage like an ordinary charger, or through a stage-wise charging for different power batteries;

the diagnosis mode is configured for diagnosis and lifetime detection, wherein the diagnosis is detecting a fault problem occurring in the battery and providing a prompt; and

the lifetime detection is detecting a current capacity of the battery, and determining a current battery life through a ratio of the current capacity to a rated capacity, wherein

the charging mode or the diagnosis mode is chosen with the mode selection button, and if the charging mode is chosen, charging steps are as follows;

A1;

controlling, by the microcontroller, connection of a first pin and a second pin, and connection of a third pin and a fourth pin of a multi-path switch;

such that a charging unit is connected to an external battery pack to implement charging;

A2;

detecting, by the current sensor, the magnitude of a current; and

proceeding to the step A1 if the current is greater than 0.1 C, or to a next step if the current is less than 0.1 C;

A3;

controlling, by the microcontroller, disconnection of the first pin and the second pin, and disconnection of the third pin and the fourth pin of the multi-path switch, such that the charging unit is disconnected from the battery pack; and

A4;

displaying, by the LCD display screen, completion of the charging;

or

if the diagnosis mode is chosen, diagnosis steps are as follows;

B1;

controlling, by a microcontroller, connection of the first pin and the second pin, and connection of the third pin and the fourth pin of a multi-path switch;

such that the charging unit is connected to an external battery pack to implement charging;

B2;

detecting, by the current sensor, the magnitude of a current; and

proceeding to step B1 if the current is greater than 0.1 C, or to a next step if the current is less than 0.1 C;

B3;

controlling, by the microcontroller, connection of a fifth pin and the second pin, and connection of a sixth pin and the fourth pin of the multi-path switch;

such that the capacity measurement unit is connected to the external battery pack to implement discharging;

B4;

discharging, by the capacity measurement unit, the battery at a constant current; and

starting, by a control module, recording of the time duration of the discharging;

B5;

sending, by the detection module, detected current and voltage data to a fault identification unit in which a charging/discharging curve of the battery with various types of faults is set; and

comparing, by the fault identification unit, the received data with the internally set fault curve, to identify and determine a battery fault type in a discharge status;

B6;

detecting, by the voltage sensor, the magnitude of a voltage; and

proceeding to the step B3 when a voltage value is greater than a discharge cut-off voltage, or to the step B7 when a voltage value is equal to a discharge cut-off voltage;

B7;

dividing a capacity measured by the capacity measurement unit by a rated capacity, to obtain battery life, and displaying the data on the LCD display screen;

B8;

controlling, by the microcontroller, disconnection of the fifth pin and the second pin, and disconnection of the sixth pin and the fourth pin of the multi-path switch, that is, disconnecting a discharge loop; and

controlling connection of the first pin and the second pin, and connection of the third pin and the fourth pin of the multi-path switch, to connect a charging loop;

B9;

measuring, by the detection module, voltage and current data, and sending the measured data to the fault identification unit;

comparing, by the fault identification unit, the received data with the internally set fault curve again, to identify and determine a battery fault type in a charging status;

synthetically determining the battery fault types in combination with the step B5, and forwarding the determined battery fault types to the microcontroller;

B10;

detecting, by the current sensor, the magnitude of the current; and

proceeding to the step B8 if the current is greater than 0.1 C, or to a next step if the current is less than 0.1 C; and

B11;

displaying, by the LCD display screen, full charging of the battery.

5. The charging method of the intelligent charger with the diagnostic function according to claim 2, wherein the mode selection button, the microcontroller and the LCD display screen are sequentially connected;

and an input end of the microcontroller is connected to the diagnosis module, and an output end of the microcontroller is connected to the charging module.

6. The charging method of the intelligent charger with the diagnostic function according to claim 2, wherein output ends of the fault identification unit and the capacity measurement unit are separately connected to an input end of a microcontroller of the control module;

and an input end of the fault identification unit is connected to the detection module, and an input end of the capacity measurement unit is connected to the multi-path switch.

7. The charging method of the intelligent charger with the diagnostic function according to claim 2, wherein an input end of the charging unit is connected to the output end of the microcontroller of the control module, and an output end of the charging unit is connected to the multi-path switch.

8. The charging method of the intelligent charger with the diagnostic function according to claim 2, wherein the voltage sensor is connected across two output ends of the multi-path switch, an output end of the voltage sensor is connected to an input of a diagnosis unit of the diagnosis module, the current sensor is connected in series to an output line of the multi-path switch, and an output end of the current sensor is connected to the input end of the diagnosis unit of the diagnosis module.