Methods and apparatus for optimal fast battery charging

• US 10,566,819 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Barsukov, Yevgen Pavlovich, Vega, Michael A., Alongi, Brian Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Henze-Gongola, David V
• Application Number:
  US16/056,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20190006871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for fast charging a battery with optimal charging. In an arrangement, a system includes a battery charger for applying a voltage to a rechargeable battery; and a controller coupled to the battery charger and monitoring at least one of a battery voltage, a battery temperature, and the current flowing into the battery; wherein the system is configured to apply a charging current from the battery charger by calculating an open cell anode voltage and an anode resistance of the battery, and determining the charging current. In additional arrangements, lithium ion plating is prevented by the charging current. Additional methods and arrangements are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for charging a rechargeable lithium ion battery including an anode electrode, comprising:

a battery charger responsive to charging control signals to apply a current to the anode electrode of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery; and

a controller coupled to the battery charger and configured to generate the charging control signals based on at least one of a battery voltage, a battery temperature, and current flowing into the battery;

the battery charger wherein the system is configured to apply a charging current from the battery charger to the battery during a battery charging cycle, the charging current based on a charging voltage in which a potential of the anode electrode is less than a lithium metal potential of the lithium-ion battery, including;

calculating an open cell anode potential and calculating an anode resistance of the battery, and

generating the charging current proportional to the calculated open cell anode potential divided by the calculated anode resistance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to compute the anode resistance using stored parameters for the anode resistance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a data store containing stored parameters for the battery including anode resistance parameters compensated for depth of discharge.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a data store containing stored parameters for the battery including resistance parameters compensated for battery temperature.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises inputs configured to receive a battery voltage, a battery temperature from a temperature sensor for the battery, and a battery current from a current sensor for the battery.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the battery charger to apply the charging current to the battery until a predetermined battery voltage is reached.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to control the battery charger to apply a constant voltage to the battery subsequent to the predetermined battery voltage being reached.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable lithium-ion battery is coupled to the battery charger and the controller.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the system is configured to apply a charging current from the battery charger computed to avoid lithium plating within the lithium ion battery.

10. A method for charging a lithium-ion battery including an anode electrode, comprising:

determining a charging current based on a charging voltage in which a potential of the anode electrode is less than a lithium metal potential of the lithium-ion battery, including;

calculating an open cell anode voltage and an anode resistance for the battery; and

determining the charging current proportional to the calculated open cell anode potential divided by the calculated anode resistance; and

applying the charging current to the battery.

11. The method of claim 10, and further comprising:

determining whether a predetermined battery voltage has been reached;

if the predetermined battery voltage has not been reached, computing the charging current from another computed open cell anode voltage and an anode resistance of the battery, dynamically adjusting the charging current, and applying the adjusted charging current to the battery; and

if the predetermined battery voltage has been reached, computing a battery voltage from an open cell anode voltage computation, and applying the battery voltage from the battery charger.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein computing the charging current further comprises computing a maximum charging current that can be applied without causing lithium plating.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the charging current by computing an open cell anode voltage for the battery and determining the charging current from the computed open cell anode voltage is based on one of:

open cell anode voltage parameterized by temperature, and open cell anode voltages characterized by battery depth of discharge.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the open cell anode voltage, a depth of discharge, and a temperature dependency are obtained by performing direct measurement with a three electrode battery that includes a reference electrode, a cathode electrode and an anode electrode.

15. The method of claim 10 where an anode factor is obtained by direct measurement of full cell impedance and of anode impedance using a three electrode battery that includes a reference electrode, a cathode electrode and an anode electrode.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the open cell anode voltage, a depth of discharge, and a temperature dependency are obtained by performing a decomposition of a full cell open cell voltage profile for a depth of discharge into known anode and cathode open cell voltage profiles;

the decomposition being accomplished through optimization of an anode state of charge, a cathode state of charge and using anode to cathode material ratios to achieve a closest match of the open cell voltage profiles for a depth of discharge OCV(DOD) to the relationship;

the open cell voltage cathode for the depth of discharge (OCVcathode(DOD)) minus the open cell voltage anode for the depth of discharge (OCVanode(DOD)).

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the anode resistance is determined by one of:

fitting cycling data obtained at nominal and elevated charge rates for a battery to a degradation model that includes lithium plating degradation effects dependent on the anode resistance; and

performing a pulse scan test on a battery, wherein a combination of charge pulse, relaxation, discharge pulse and relaxation is applied to the battery at different rates until a rate is determined where effective impedance derived from a response to a charge pulse differs from the impedance derived from discharge pulse;

subsequently, after finding a limiting charge rate, the anode resistance is found by using known total cell impedance and the open cell voltage anode for the depth of discharge and the battery temperature of the test.

18. A system for charging a lithium ion battery including an anode electrode, comprising:

a battery charger integrated circuit having a battery output for outputting a battery charging current and a battery charging voltage to the lithium ion battery; and

a battery gauge integrated circuit coupled to the battery charger integrated circuit and having inputs coupled to sense the battery voltage, a battery temperature from a temperature sensor coupled to the battery, and a battery current from a current sensor coupled to the battery;

wherein the battery gauge integrated circuit is further configured to determine a charging current for charging the battery based on a charging voltage in which a potential of the anode electrode is less than a lithium metal potential of the lithium-ion battery, including;

calculating an open cell anode voltage and an anode resistance, and

generating the charging current proportional to the calculated open cell anode potential divided by the calculated anode resistance.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the charging current is computed to be a maximum charging current that will result in an open cell anode voltage that avoids lithium plating.