Electric storage device and method for charging same

• US 9,787,119 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Maxell, Ltd.), Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Maxell, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yamauchi, Shin, Honkura, Kohei, Takahashi, Hirofumi, Kamijoh, Takashi, Kishimi, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kebede, Tessema
• Application Number:
  US14/651,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20150318717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 320162
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/448 End of discharge regulating measures
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Provided are: an electric storage device having improved reliability in charging a storage battery; and a charging method. This electric storage device is provided with: an SOC calculation section which calculates a charge rate when a battery voltage reached a predetermined value, in the cases where the battery voltage reached the predetermined value when a lithium ion storage battery is being charged; a voltage difference calculation section, which calculates a battery voltage difference corresponding to a difference between the charge rate and a charge rate at which lithium is deposited; a charge complete voltage calculation means, which calculates a charge complete voltage by adding the voltage difference to the battery voltage obtained when the battery voltage reached the predetermined value; and a charge control means, which completes the charging of the lithium ion storage battery in the cases where the battery voltage reached the charge complete voltage.

Claims

1. An electric storage device comprising:

SOC calculation section for calculating, in the case where a battery voltage of a lithium ion storage battery during charge has reached a predetermined value, a charge rate of a lithium ion storage battery when the battery voltage has reached the predetermined value;

voltage difference calculation section for calculating, based on no-load characteristics of the lithium ion storage battery, a battery voltage difference corresponding to a difference between the charge rate calculated by the SOC calculation section and a preset charge rate during lithium deposition;

charge complete voltage calculation section for calculating a charge complete voltage that is a criterion for determining whether or not to complete the charge, by adding the battery voltage difference calculated by the voltage difference calculation section to the battery voltage when the battery voltage has reached the predetermined value; and

charge control section for completing the charge of the lithium ion storage battery when the battery voltage of the lithium ion storage battery has reached the charge complete voltage;

wherein the charge complete voltage calculation section resets a maximum allowable voltage as a new charge complete voltage when the charge complete voltage calculated based on the battery voltage difference calculated by the voltage difference calculation section is higher than the maximum allowable voltage preset according to specifications of the lithium ion storage battery, and the charge control section completes the charge of the lithium ion storage battery when the battery voltage of the lithium ion storage battery has reached the reset new charge complete voltage.

2. The electric storage device according to claim 1, wherein the SOC calculation section calculates the charge rate of the lithium ion storage battery based on a charging current average value that is a value obtained by averaging, every predetermined period of time, charging currents of the lithium ion storage battery detected by a battery cell monitoring unit, and also based on a battery voltage of the lithium ion storage battery detected by the battery cell monitoring unit.

3. The electric storage device according to claim 2,

wherein the charge control section executes at least one of

first correction processing of reducing the charge complete voltage when the charging current average value is increased by a predetermined amount or more within a predetermined period of time, and

second correction processing of increasing the charge complete voltage when the charging current average value is reduced by a predetermined amount or more within a predetermined period of time.

4. The electric storage device according to claim 1, wherein the SOC calculation section calculates, in the case where the battery voltage during charge of the lithium ion storage battery has reached a full charge equivalent voltage equivalent to a full charge voltage of the lithium ion storage battery in a no-load state, a charge rate of the lithium ion storage battery when the battery voltage has reached the full charge equivalent voltage, and outputs the charge rate to the voltage difference calculation section.

5. A charging method comprising:

charge rate calculation processing by an SOC calculation section of calculating, in the case where a battery voltage of a lithium ion storage battery during charge has reached a predetermined value, a charge rate of the lithium ion storage battery when the battery voltage has reached the predetermined value;

voltage difference calculation processing of calculating, based on no-load characteristics of the lithium ion storage battery, a battery voltage difference corresponding to a difference between the charge rate calculated by the SOC calculation section and a preset charge rate during lithium deposition;

charge complete voltage calculation processing of calculating a charge complete voltage that is a criterion for determining whether or not to complete the charge, by adding the battery voltage difference to the battery voltage when the battery voltage has reached the predetermined value; and

charge control processing of completing the charge of the lithium ion storage battery when the battery voltage of the lithium ion storage battery has reached the charge complete voltage;

wherein the charge complete voltage calculation processing resets a maximum allowable voltage as a new charge complete voltage when the charge complete voltage calculated based on the battery voltage difference calculated by the voltage difference calculation processing is higher than the maximum allowable voltage preset according to specifications of the lithium ion storage battery, and the charge control processing completes the charge of the lithium ion storage battery when the battery voltage of the lithium ion storage battery has reached the reset new charge complete voltage.