METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RAPIDLY CHARGING BATTERY

• US 20170310137A1
• Filed: 08/13/2015
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: HA, Jeong-Ho, KIM, Hyo-Mi, LEE, Hyeok-Moo, OH, Song-Taek
• Granted Patent: US 10,236,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• 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 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Provided are a method and an apparatus for rapidly charging a battery, such that a battery can be rapidly charged while having an extended lifetime. The method for charging a battery according to the present invention charges a battery by starting from an initial charging rate higher than 1 C, while stepwise decreasing the charging rate, such that a negative electrode potential of the battery does not drop to a level less than or equal to 0V. An occurrence of Li-plating of a negative electrode of the battery can be prevented by the criteria for preventing the negative electrode potential from dropping to a level less than or equal to 0V, thereby providing an effect of rapidly charging the battery while extending the lifetime of the battery.

Claims

1. A battery charging method which charges a battery, starting from an initial charging rate higher than 1 C and reducing the charging rate in a stepwise manner to prevent a negative electrode potential of the battery from dropping down to 0V or less.

2. The battery charging method according to claim 1, wherein the initial charging rate is from 1.5 C to 5 C.

3. The battery charging method according to claim 1, wherein at SOC in which the negative electrode potential is 0V during charging, next step charging is performed at a reduced charging rate, and this step is performed until the SOC reaches 80%.

4. A battery charging method, comprising:

a step for acquiring data by measuring a negative electrode potential of a battery as a function of SOC at each of different charging rates;

a step for obtaining a protocol from the acquired data, wherein the protocol changes a charging rate in a stepwise manner to prevent the negative electrode potential of the battery from dropping down to 0V or less; and

a step for charging the battery according to the protocol.

5. The battery charging method according to claim 4, wherein the charging rate at the data acquisition step is in a range of 0.25 C˜

5 C.

6. The battery charging method according to claim 5, wherein the protocol has an initial charging rate higher than 1 C.

7. The battery charging method according to claim 6, wherein the protocol has an initial charging rate of from 1.5 C to 5 C.

8. The battery charging method according to claim 4, wherein the protocol includes stepwise decreasing charging rates and charging voltage information after charging completion at each charging rate.

9. The battery charging method according to claim 4, wherein the data acquisition step comprises measuring the negative electrode potential as a function of charging current through a 3 electrode-cell test.

10. The battery charging method according to claim 4, wherein the data acquisition step comprises measuring the negative electrode potential while reducing the charging rate by 0.25 C.

11. A battery charging apparatus, comprising:

a power source unit configured to output a charging voltage inputted from a normal power source; and

a battery charging unit configured to output the charging voltage inputted from the power source unit to a battery as a charging current to charge the battery, and when the charging voltage of the battery reaches a preset step, to change the charging current so that the charging current outputted to the battery is controlled to change in a stepwise manner,

wherein the battery charging unit charges the battery with the charging current that is controlled stepwise according to the protocol that changes the charging rate in a stepwise manner to prevent the negative electrode potential of the battery from dropping down to 0V or less.