Method and system for battery charging
First Claim
1. A combination comprising:
- a battery pack including a first battery terminal, a second battery terminal, a battery cell having a present state of charge, the battery cell being coupled to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal;
a battery microcontroller coupled to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, the microcontroller being operable to measure the present state of charge of the battery cell to produce battery cell present state of charge measurements; and
a battery charger operable to supply a charging current to the battery pack, the battery charger including a first charger terminal configured to couple to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, the first charger terminal configured to supply charging current to the battery pack, a second charger terminal configured to couple to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, and a charger microcontroller coupled to the second charger terminal and operable to receive the battery cell present state of charge measurements from the battery microcontroller, the charger microcontroller also operable to supply the charging current to the battery pack in pulses, wherein each pulse includes a first time interval in which charging current is being supplied to the battery and a second time interval in which supply of charging current to the battery is suspended, the microcontroller being further operable to modify the first time interval of a pulse based at least in part on the battery cell present state of charge measurements received from the battery microcontroller.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A combination including a battery pack and a battery charger operable to supply a charging current to the battery pack. The battery pack includes a first battery terminal, a second battery terminal, and a battery cell having a present state of charge. The battery cell is coupled to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal. The battery pack also includes a battery microcontroller coupled to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal. The microcontroller is operable to measure the present state of charge of the battery cell to produce battery cell present state of charge measurements. The battery charger includes a first charger terminal configured to couple to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal and a second charger terminal configured to couple to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal. The first charger terminal is configured to supply charging current to the battery pack. The battery charger also includes a charger microcontroller coupled to the second charger terminal and operable to receive the battery cell present state of charge measurements from the battery microcontroller. The charger microcontroller is also operable to supply the charging current to the battery pack in pulses, wherein each pulse includes a first time interval where charging current is being supplied to the battery and a second time interval where charging current is being suspended from the battery. The microcontroller is further operable to modify the first time interval of a pulse based at least in part on the battery cell present state of charge measurements received from the battery microcontroller.
108 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A combination comprising:
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a battery pack including a first battery terminal, a second battery terminal, a battery cell having a present state of charge, the battery cell being coupled to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal;
a battery microcontroller coupled to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, the microcontroller being operable to measure the present state of charge of the battery cell to produce battery cell present state of charge measurements; and
a battery charger operable to supply a charging current to the battery pack, the battery charger including a first charger terminal configured to couple to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, the first charger terminal configured to supply charging current to the battery pack, a second charger terminal configured to couple to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, and a charger microcontroller coupled to the second charger terminal and operable to receive the battery cell present state of charge measurements from the battery microcontroller, the charger microcontroller also operable to supply the charging current to the battery pack in pulses, wherein each pulse includes a first time interval in which charging current is being supplied to the battery and a second time interval in which supply of charging current to the battery is suspended, the microcontroller being further operable to modify the first time interval of a pulse based at least in part on the battery cell present state of charge measurements received from the battery microcontroller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A battery charger operable to supply a charging current to a battery pack having a battery cell with a present state of charge and a battery microcontroller operable to measure the battery cell present state of charge, the battery charger comprising:
a charger microcontroller operable to receive the battery cell present state of charge from the battery microcontroller, the charger microcontroller also operable to supply the charging current to the battery pack in pulses, wherein each pulse includes a first time interval and a second time interval, the first time interval being an interval in which charging current is supplied to the battery and the second time interval being an interval in which supply of charging current to the battery is suspended, the microcontroller being further operable to modify the first time interval of a pulse based at least in part on the battery cell present state of charge received from the battery microcontroller. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of pulse charging a battery having a plurality of battery cells, the method comprising:
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measuring a state of charge for each battery cell in the plurality of battery cells;
applying a first pulse of charging current to the battery, the first pulse having a first time interval in which charging current is supplied to the battery and a second time interval in which supply of charging current to the battery is suspended; and
applying a second pulse of charging current to the battery, the second pulse having a third time interval in which charging current is supplied to the battery and a fourth time interval in which supply of charging current to the battery is suspended, the third time interval based at least in part on the state of charge of a battery cell and the third time interval being less than the first time interval. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification