Charging system, charger, and battery pack

• US 8,183,832 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Otsu, Takahisa, Kiyohara, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US12/527,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20100102778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320/162, 320/128
• US Class Current: 320/116
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

After the initial current set processing is performed, by which a feed amount of a charge current Ic by a charge current feed portion 35 is set to a first current value I1 exceeding a reference current value Ie preset as a current value of the charge current at which the charge current is flown without causing substantially any deterioration in secondary batteries 141, 142, and 143 while negative electrode potential of the secondary batteries 141, 142, and 143 has dropped to substantially 0 V, the charge current is changed in such a manner that the current value keeps decreasing with an increase of a terminal voltage Vt detected by a voltage detection portion 15 until the terminal voltage Vt detected by the voltage detection portion 15 reaches an end voltage Vf, which is the terminal voltage across a set battery 14 when the negative electrode potentials of the secondary batteries 141, 142, and 143 have dropped to substantially 0 V.

Claims

1. A charging system, comprising:

a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery;

a charge current feed portion that feeds a charge current to the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery;

a voltage detection portion that detects a terminal voltage across the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery;

a first charge control portion that performs initial current set processing by which the charge current feed portion is controlled to feed, as a feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion, the charge current at a first current value exceeding a reference current value preset as a current value of the charge current at which the charge current is flown without causing any deterioration in the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery while negative electrode potential of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is substantially 0 V; and

a second charge control portion that causes, after the initial current set processing is performed by the first charge control portion, the feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion to change so that the current value decreases as the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion increases until the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion reaches an end voltage, which is the terminal voltage across the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery when the negative electrode potential of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is substantially 0 V.

2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein:

the second charge control portion maintains the feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion at the reference current value after the feed amount of the charge current is reduced to the reference current value until the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion reaches the end voltage.

3. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein:

the second charge control portion sets the feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion to the reference current value in a case where the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion has become as high as or higher than a first threshold value voltage preset to a value falling short of the end voltage.

4. The charging system according to claim 2, wherein:

the second charge control portion sets the feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion to the reference current value in a case where the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion has become as high as or higher than a first threshold value voltage preset to a value falling short of the end voltage.

5. The charging system according to claim 3, wherein:

the second charge control portion further sets, in a case where the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion becomes a voltage as high as or higher than a second threshold value voltage preset to a value falling short of the first threshold value voltage and less than the first threshold value voltage, the feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion to a second current value preset to a value falling short of the first current value and exceeding the reference current value.

6. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein:

the second charge current control portion further starts, when the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion has reached the end voltage, constant voltage charge by which the feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion is kept reduced so that the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion maintains the end voltage.

7. A charger, comprising:

a connection terminal that is connected to a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery;

a charge current feed portion that feeds a charge current for charging the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery to the connection terminal;

a voltage detection portion that detects a terminal voltage across the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery connected to the connection terminal;

a first charge control portion that performs initial current set processing by which the charge current feed portion is controlled to feed, as a feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion, the charge current at a first current value exceeding a reference current value preset as a current value of the charge current at which the charge current is flown without causing deterioration in the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery while negative electrode potential of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is substantially 0 V; and

a second charge control portion that causes, after the initial current set processing is performed by the first charge control portion, the feed amount of the charge current by the charge current feed portion to change so that the current value decreases as the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion increases until the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion reaches an end voltage, which is the terminal voltage across the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery when the negative electrode potential of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is substantially 0 V.

8. A battery pack connected to a charger that outputs a charge current for charging a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to a request from an outside, comprising:

a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery;

a voltage detection portion that detects a terminal voltage across the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery;

a first charge control portion that performs initial current set processing by which a command is issued to the charger to set a feed amount of the charge current to a first current value exceeding a reference current value preset as a current value of the charge current at which the charge current is flown without causing deterioration in the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery while negative electrode potential of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is substantially 0 V; and

a second charge control portion that calculates, after the initial current set processing is performed by the first charge control portion, the feed amount of the charge current so that the current value decreases as the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion increases until the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection portion reaches an end voltage, which is the terminal voltage across the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery when the negative electrode potential of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is substantially 0 V, and makes a notification and/or a request about the calculated feed amount to the charger.

9. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein:

the battery pack is formed by connecting a plurality of cells in series; and

the voltage detection portion is configured to detect a voltage across each cell.