Method and system for charging multi-cell lithium-based battery packs
First Claim
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1. An electrical combination comprising:
- a battery charger including a housing;
at least one terminal to electrically connect to a battery pack supported by the housing, the battery pack including a plurality of lithium-based battery cells, each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells having an individual state of charge; and
a controller operable to control the battery charger to supply a charging current to the battery pack through the at least one terminal, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack based at least in part on the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell, the controller being further operable to control the battery charger to supply the charging current to the battery pack by controlling the battery charger to supply the charging current in a plurality of pulses of charging current, the plurality of pulses each having a first period of time, in which the charging current is being supplied to the battery pack at a predefined amplitude, and a second period of time, in which the supply of charging current is suspended, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack by modifying the first period of time and controlling the second period of time to be constant.
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Abstract
A method and system for charging multi-cell lithium-based batteries. In some aspects, a battery charger includes a housing, at least one terminal to electrically connect to a battery pack supported by the housing, and a controller operable to provide a charging current to the battery pack through the at least one terminal. The battery pack includes a plurality of lithium-based battery cells, with each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells having an individual state of charge. The controller is operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack at least in part based on the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell.
131 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An electrical combination comprising:
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a battery charger including a housing; at least one terminal to electrically connect to a battery pack supported by the housing, the battery pack including a plurality of lithium-based battery cells, each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells having an individual state of charge; and a controller operable to control the battery charger to supply a charging current to the battery pack through the at least one terminal, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack based at least in part on the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell, the controller being further operable to control the battery charger to supply the charging current to the battery pack by controlling the battery charger to supply the charging current in a plurality of pulses of charging current, the plurality of pulses each having a first period of time, in which the charging current is being supplied to the battery pack at a predefined amplitude, and a second period of time, in which the supply of charging current is suspended, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack by modifying the first period of time and controlling the second period of time to be constant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of operating an electrical combination, the electrical combination including a battery charger including a housing, at least one terminal to electrically connect to a battery pack supported by the housing, the battery pack including a plurality of lithium-based battery cells, each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells having an individual state of charge, and a controller, the method comprising:
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controlling, with the controller, the battery charger to supply a charging current to the battery pack through the at least one terminal, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack based at least in part on the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell; and controlling, with the controller, the battery charger to supply the charging current to the battery pack by controlling the battery charger to supply the charging current in a plurality of pulses of charging current, the plurality of pulses each having a first period of time, in which the charging current is being supplied to the battery pack at a predefined amplitude, and a second period of time, in which the supply of charging current is suspended, controlling the battery charger to supply the charging current including modifying, with the controller, the first period of time and controlling, with the controller, the second period of time to be constant. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification