Voltage recovery method for a zinc-air battery

• US 6,091,230 A
• Filed: 09/18/1998
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Timex Group USA Incorporated (Tanager Group BV)
• Original Assignee: Timex Corporation (Tanager Group BV)
• Inventors: Winzer, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TOATLEY, GREGORY J
• Application Number:
  US09/157,344
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 320/132, 320/134, 320/162, 320/157, 320/158, 429/91, 429/17, 429/22, 429/50, 429/52, 429/61
• US Class Current: 320/158
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 12/06 with one metallic and one gaseous electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 12/08 composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/50 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance, e.g. for maintaining operating temperature constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method of recovering and restoring the voltage in a zinc-air battery that has dropped below a first threshold. The method includes the steps of decoupling essentially all loads from the zinc-air battery and permitting the voltage to stabilize, sampling the voltage to determine if the voltage of the zinc-air battery is below a second predefined threshold, starting a timer and determining if the voltage has recovered to at least a third predefined threshold prior to the timing out of the timer, and periodically sampling the voltage to determine if the voltage has recovered to a voltage above a fourth predefined threshold for a sustained period of time, the periodic sampling being done if the zinc-air battery fell below the first predefined threshold but did not fall below the second predefined threshold, and upon determination that the voltage of the zinc-air battery has recovered to above the fourth predefined threshold, coupling the loads, previously decoupled from the battery, back to the battery.

Claims

1. A method of recovering and restoring the voltage in a zinc-air battery when the voltage has fallen below a first predefined threshold, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) decoupling essentially all loads from the zinc-air battery and permitting the voltage to stabilize;

(b) sampling the voltage to determine if the voltage of the zinc-air battery is below a second predefined threshold;

(c) starting a timer and determining if the voltage has recovered to at least a third predefined threshold prior to the timing out of the timer; and

(d) periodically sampling the voltage to determine if the voltage has recovered to a voltage above a fourth predefined threshold for a sustained period of time, the periodic sampling being done if the zinc-air battery fell below the first predefined threshold but did not fall below the second predefined threshold, and upon determination that the voltage of the zinc-air battery has recovered to above the fourth predefined threshold, coupling the loads, previously decoupled from the battery, back to the battery.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, including the steps of:

setting the first predefined threshold to at least essentially 0.95V, setting the second predefined threshold to at least essentially 0.8V, setting the third predefined threshold to at least essentially 1.1V, and setting the fourth predefined threshold to at least essentially 1.2V.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the voltage of the zinc-air battery has recovered to above the fourth predefined threshold for the sustained period of time includes the further steps of:

adding to an accumulator a scaling value each time the sampled voltage is above the fourth predefined threshold and subtracting from the accumulator a scaling value each time the sampled voltage is below the fourth predefined threshold; and

repeating the adding or subtracting step each time the voltage is periodically sampled until it is determined that the accumulator has reached a predetermined maximum value.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, including the steps of:

resetting a flag when the accumulator has reached the predetermined maximum value; and

skipping said adding or subtracting steps if the flag is set.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, including the steps of resetting the flag if the sampled voltage sampled in step (b) is below the second predefined threshold and setting the flag when the sampled voltage sampled in step (b) is below the first predefined threshold and above the second predefined threshold.

6. A method of recovering and restoring the voltage in a zinc-air battery when the voltage has fallen below a first predefined threshold, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) decoupling essentially all loads from the zinc-air battery and permitting the voltage to stabilize;

(b) sampling the voltage to determine if the voltage of the zinc-air battery is below a second predefined threshold;

(c) starting a timer and determining if the voltage has recovered to at least a third predefined threshold prior to the timing out of the timer; and

(d) if the voltage sampled in step (b) was not below the second predefined threshold,

periodically sampling the voltage to determine if the voltage has recovered to a voltage above a fourth predefined threshold for a sustained period of time, the periodic sampling being done if the zinc-air battery fell below the first predefined threshold but did not fall below the second predefined threshold, and upon determination that the voltage of the zinc-air battery has recovered to above the fourth predefined threshold, coupling the loads, previously decoupled from the battery, back to the battery.