Method and circuitry to adaptively charge a battery/cell using the state of health thereof

• US 9,121,910 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qnovo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qnovo, Inc.
• Inventors: Maluf, Nadim, Ghantous, Dania, Berkowitz, Fred, Peabody, Christina
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOATENG, ALEXIS ASIEDUA
• Application Number:
  US14/003,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20140021959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 320/139, 320/141, 320/129, 320/145, 320/151, 320/137, 320/148, 320/157, 320/125, 320/133, 320/127, 320/128, 320/155, 320/156, 324/426, 324/427, 324/429
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/388 involving voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• 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 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00711 with introduction of pulses during the charging process
• 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

The present inventions, in one aspect, are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to determining data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery using the data which is representative of (i) the relaxation time of the battery and/or (ii) the overpotential of the battery. In another aspect the present inventions are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to adapt one or more characteristics of a charge signal using data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery. In yet another aspect the present inventions are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to determine a state of charge of the battery using data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery.

Claims

1. A method to determine a state of health of a battery, wherein the battery includes at least two terminals, the method comprising:

applying a signal to the terminals of the battery, wherein the signal includes at least one pulse;

measuring a terminal voltage of the battery which is a voltage between the terminals of the battery, wherein measuring the terminal voltage of the battery includes measuring a first terminal voltage of the battery at a first predetermined time relative to applying the signal to the terminals of the battery;

monitoring the terminal voltage of the battery after applying the at least one pulse to the terminals of the battery to determine a second terminal voltage, wherein the second terminal voltage of the battery is a voltage which correlates to an equilibrium voltage of the battery; and

calculating data which is representative of the overpotential of the battery using the first terminal voltage of the battery and the second terminal voltage of the battery;

determining data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery using the data which is representative of the overpotential of the battery.

2. The method of claim 1 further including adapting one or more characteristics of the signal using data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the signal further includes a plurality of charge packets, wherein each charge packet includes at least one pulse, and

adapting one or more characteristics of the signal includes changing (i) an amount of time between pulses of temporally successive charge packets of the plurality of charge packets and/or (ii) an amplitude and/or duration of the at least one pulse of a charge packet of the plurality of charge packets.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the signal further includes a plurality of charge packets, wherein each charge packet includes at least one charge pulse and at least one discharge pulse, and

adapting one or more characteristics of the signal further includes adapting an amplitude and/or pulse width of at least one charge pulse and/or at least one discharge pulse of at least one charge packet.

5. The method of claim 1 further including determining a state of charge of the battery using data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery.

6. The method of claim 5 further including:

correlating the data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, to a first relationship between an open circuit voltage and an amount of charge in the battery;

calculating an open circuit voltage of the battery using a terminal voltage of the battery, a current applied to or removed from the battery, and an impedance of the battery; and

determining a state of charge of the battery using (i) the calculated open circuit voltage and (ii) the first relationship of the open circuit voltage to the amount of charge in the battery.

7. The method of claim 1 further including determining the equilibrium voltage of the battery using (i) the second terminal voltage and (ii) characteristics of a decay of the terminal voltage associated with the battery.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

calculating data which is representative of the overpotential of the battery further includes using (i) characteristics of a decay of the terminal voltage of the battery and (ii) an amount of time for the terminal voltage of the battery to decay to the second terminal voltage of the battery.

9. A method to determine a state of health of a battery, wherein the battery includes at least two terminals, the method comprising:

applying a signal to the terminals of the battery, wherein the signal includes at least one pulse;

measuring a voltage at the terminals of the battery, wherein the voltage is a terminal voltage of the battery;

determining data which is representative of a relaxation time of the battery, wherein the relaxation time is an amount of time corresponding to when, in response to the pulse of the signal, the terminal voltage of the battery decays to at least a predetermined voltage; and

determining data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery using the data which is representative of the relaxation time of the battery.

10. The method of claim 9 further including adapting one or more characteristics of the signal using data which is representative of the state of health of the battery, wherein adapting one or more characteristics of the signal includes changing an amount of time between successive pulses of the signal.

11. The method of claim 9 further including adapting one or more characteristics of the signal using data which is representative of the state of health of the battery, wherein adapting one or more characteristics of the signal includes changing an amplitude and/or a pulse width of at least one pulse of the signal.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined voltage is a voltage which is constant or substantially constant after applying the pulse of the signal and before applying another and immediately subsequent pulse of the signal.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined voltage is a voltage at which the relaxation time is capable of being determined using a form, shape and/or rate of decay of the voltage at the terminals of the battery due to the pulse of the signal.

14. The method of claim 9 further including determining a state of charge of the battery using data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery.

15. The method of claim 14 further including:

correlating the data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, to a first relationship between an open circuit voltage and an amount of charge in the battery;

calculating an open circuit voltage of the battery using a terminal voltage of the battery, a current applied to or removed from the battery, and an impedance of the battery; and

determining a state of charge of the battery using (i) the calculated open circuit voltage and (ii) the first relationship of the open circuit voltage to the amount of charge in the battery.

16. A method to determine a state of health of a battery, wherein the battery includes at least two terminals, the method comprising:

applying a signal to the terminals of the battery, wherein the signal includes a plurality of pulses;

measuring a terminal voltage of the battery which is a voltage between the terminals of the battery;

calculating data which is representative of a partial relaxation time of the battery, wherein the partial relaxation time is an amount of time corresponding to when, in response to a pulse of the plurality of pulses of the signal, the terminal voltage of the battery decays to at least a predetermined voltage;

calculating data which is representative of the overpotential of the battery using a first terminal voltage of the battery and a second terminal voltage of the battery, wherein;

the first terminal voltage of the battery is a terminal voltage at a first predetermined time relative to applying a pulse of the plurality of pulses of the signal to the terminals of the battery, and

the second terminal voltage of the battery is a terminal voltage which correlates to an equilibrium voltage of the battery after applying the pulse of the plurality of pulses of the signal to the terminals of the battery; and

determining data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery using the data which is representative of (i) the partial relaxation time of the battery and/or (ii) the overpotential of the battery.

17. The method of claim 16 further including adapting one or more characteristics of the signal using data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the signal further includes a plurality of charge packets, wherein each charge packet includes at least one pulse, and

adapting one or more characteristics of the signal includes changing (i) an amount of time between pulses of temporally successive charge packets of the plurality of charge packets and/or (ii) an amplitude and/or duration of the at least one pulse of a charge packet of the plurality of charge packets.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the signal further includes a plurality of charge packets, wherein each charge packet includes at least one charge pulse and at least one discharge pulse, and

adapting one or more characteristics of the signal includes changing an amplitude and/or pulse width of at least one charge pulse and/or at least one discharge pulse of the charge packets.

20. The method of claim 16 further including determining a state of charge of the battery using data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, of the battery.

21. The method of claim 20 further including:

correlating the data which is representative of the state of health, or a change therein, to a first relationship between an open circuit voltage and an amount of charge in the battery;

calculating an open circuit voltage of the battery using a terminal voltage of the battery, a current applied to or removed from the battery, and an impedance of the battery; and

determining a state of charge of the battery using (i) the calculated open circuit voltage and (ii) the first relationship of the open circuit voltage to the amount of charge in the battery.

22. The method of claim 16 further including determining the equilibrium voltage of the battery using (i) the second terminal voltage and (ii) characteristics of a decay of the terminal voltage associated with the battery.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein calculating data which is representative of the overpotential of the battery further includes using (i) characteristics of a decay of the terminal voltage of the battery and (ii) an amount of time for the terminal voltage of the battery to decay to the second terminal voltage of the battery.