Method and system for pulse charging of a lithium-based battery
DCFirst Claim
1. A combination comprising:
- a battery pack includinga first battery terminal,a second battery terminal,a plurality of battery cells, each of the battery cells having a lithium-based chemistry and a present state of charge, the battery cells being coupled to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, anda 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 at least one of the battery cells 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 includinga 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, anda 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 pack and a second time interval in which supply of charging current to the battery pack 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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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 plurality of battery cells having a lithium-based chemistry and a present state of charge. The battery pack also includes a battery microcontroller that is operable to measure the present state of charge of at least one of the battery cells to produce battery cell present state of charge measurements. The battery charger includes a charger microcontroller that is 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.
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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 plurality of battery cells, each of the battery cells having a lithium-based chemistry and a present state of charge, the battery cells being coupled to at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, and 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 at least one of the battery cells 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 pack and a second time interval in which supply of charging current to the battery pack 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 lithium-based battery pack having a plurality of battery cells and a battery microcontroller, each of the battery cells having a lithium-based chemistry and a present state of charge, the battery microcontroller operable to measure the battery cell present state of charge of at least one of the battery cells, 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 lithium-based 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 pack and the second time interval being an interval in which supply of charging current to the battery pack 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, each of the battery cells having a lithium-based chemistry; 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