Method and apparatus for controlling battery cell charging-discharging

• US 10,305,310 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhao, Shuangcheng, Lin, Weizhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M Baye
• Application Number:
  US15/498,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20180006469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 320134
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/10 Temperature sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method includes detecting a present temperature value of a battery cell of a battery, determining whether the present temperature value is higher than a lowest threshold temperature value and lower than a highest threshold temperature value, detecting a present electric current value of the battery in association with a determination that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the highest threshold temperature value, determining whether the present electric current value is higher than a threshold current value corresponding to the present temperature value, and stopping a charge-discharge process of the battery cell in response to determining that the present electric current value is higher than the threshold current value.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, through a temperature detector, a present temperature value of a battery cell of a battery;

determining, by a processor, whether the present temperature value is higher than a lowest threshold temperature value and lower than a highest threshold temperature value;

detecting, through a current detector in association with a determination that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the highest threshold temperature value, a present electric current value of the battery;

determining, by the processor, whether the present electric current value is higher than a threshold current value corresponding to the present temperature value; and

stopping, by the processor in response to determining that the present electric current value is higher than the threshold current value, a charge-discharge process of the battery cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining, in response to determining that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the highest threshold temperature value, a temperature sub-range within which the present temperature value falls,

wherein the threshold current value corresponding to the present temperature value includes a threshold current value corresponding to the temperature sub-range.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein stopping the charge-discharge process includes turning off a charge-discharge circuit coupled to the battery.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in association with a determination that the present temperature value is lower than or equal to the lowest threshold temperature value or is higher than or equal to the highest threshold temperature value, stopping the charge-discharge process.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, after the charge-discharge process is stopped, the present temperature value and the present electric current value in real-time;

determining whether the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than a regional threshold temperature value;

determining, in association with a determination that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the regional threshold temperature value, whether the present electric current is lower than a threshold current value corresponding to the lowest threshold temperature value; and

restarting, in response to determining that the present electric current is lower than the threshold current value corresponding to the lowest threshold temperature value, the charge-discharge process.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the present temperature value includes detecting the present temperature value in real-time using a thermistor arranged over the battery cell.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the present electric current value includes detecting the present electric current value using a precision resistor coupled to the battery.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a controller;

a temperature detector coupled to the controller, the temperature detector detecting a present temperature value of a battery cell of a battery; and

a current detector coupled to the controller, the current detector detecting a present electric current value of the battery,

wherein the controller;

determines whether the present temperature value is higher than a lowest threshold temperature value and lower than a highest threshold temperature value and, in association with a determination that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the highest threshold temperature value, determines a present electric current value; and

determines whether the present electric current value is higher than a threshold current value corresponding to the present temperature value and, in response to determining that the present electric current value is higher than the threshold current value, controls to stop a charge-discharge process of the battery cell.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the controller further determines, in response to determining that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the highest threshold temperature value, a temperature sub-range within which the present temperature value falls, and

the threshold current value corresponding to the present temperature value includes a threshold current value corresponding to the temperature sub-range.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller further controls a charge-discharge circuit to turn off to stop the charge-discharge process.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller further controls to stop the charge-discharge process in association with a determination that the present temperature value is lower than or equal to the lowest threshold temperature value or is higher than or equal to the highest threshold temperature value.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller further:

detects, after the charge-discharge process is stopped, the present temperature value and the present electric current value in real-time;

determines whether the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than a regional threshold temperature value;

determines, in association with a determination that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the regional threshold temperature value, whether the present electric current is lower than a threshold current value corresponding to the lowest threshold temperature value; and

restarts, in response to determining that the present electric current is lower than the threshold current value corresponding to the lowest threshold temperature value, the charge-discharge process.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the temperature detector detects the present temperature value in real-time using a thermistor arranged over the battery cell.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the current detector detects the present electric current value using a precision resistor coupled to the battery and performs an analog-to-digital conversion to convert the present electric current value to a value to be processed by the controller.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a battery;

a processor powered by the battery;

a memory;

a temperature detector coupled to the processor, the temperature detector detecting a present temperature value of a battery cell of the battery; and

a current detector coupled to the processor, the current detector detecting a present electric current value of the battery,

wherein code stored in the memory and executed by the processor;

determines whether the present temperature value is higher than a lowest threshold temperature value and lower than a highest threshold temperature value and, in association with a determination that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the highest threshold temperature value, determines a present electric current value; and

determines whether the present electric current value is higher than a threshold current value corresponding to the present temperature value and, in response to determining that the present electric current value is higher than the threshold current value, controls to stop a charge-discharge process of the battery cell.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:

the code further determines, in response to determining that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the highest threshold temperature value, a temperature sub-range within which the present temperature value falls, and

the threshold current value corresponding to the present temperature value includes a threshold current value corresponding to the temperature sub-range.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the code further controls a charge-discharge circuit to turn off to stop the charge-discharge process.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the codes further controls to stop the charge-discharge process in association with a determination that the present temperature value is lower than or equal to the lowest threshold temperature value or is higher than or equal to the highest threshold temperature value.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the code further:

detects, after the charge-discharge process is stopped, the present temperature value and the present electric current value in real-time;

determines whether the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than a regional threshold temperature value;

determines, in association with a determination that the present temperature value is higher than the lowest threshold temperature value and lower than the regional threshold temperature value, whether the present electric current is lower than a threshold current value corresponding to the lowest threshold temperature value; and

restarts, in response to determining that the present electric current is lower than the threshold current value corresponding to the lowest threshold temperature value, the charge-discharge process.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the temperature detector detects the present temperature value in real-time using a thermistor arranged over the battery cell.