Battery With an Integrated Voltage Converter Having a Bypass Circuit

• US 20080238372A1
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Nanjundaswamy, Kirakodu S., Faranda, Leo, Batson, David C., Cintra, George M., Riemer, Joern, Kaplan, Alexander, Kressmann, Frank, DeMuth, David Leigh, Pinnell, Leslie J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/137
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• 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 10/058 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0587 of accumulators having only wound construction elements, i.e. wound positive electrodes, wound negative electrodes and wound separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/5825 Oxygenated metallic salts or polyanionic structures, e.g. borates, phosphates, silicates, olivines
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Disclosed is a battery having an internally integrated voltage converter module. The battery includes at least one electrochemical cell having an internal bore, a voltage converter module electrically coupled to the at least one electrochemical cell and disposed within a portion of the internal bore, the voltage converter configured to convert a first voltage produced by the at least one electrochemical cell into a second, different voltage, a set of terminals being electrically coupled to the voltage converter, and a bypass circuit coupled between one of the terminals of the set of terminals and the at least one electrochemical cell to direct charging current applied from an external source to the at least one electrochemical cell.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

at least one electrochemical cell having an internal bore therethrough;

a voltage converter module electrically coupled to the at least one electrochemical cell and disposed within a portion of the internal bore, the voltage converter configured to convert a first voltage produced by the at least one electrochemical cell into a second, different voltage;

a set of terminals being electrically coupled to the voltage converter; and

a bypass circuit coupled between one of the terminals of the set of terminals and the at least one electrochemical cell to direct charging current applied from an external source to the at least one electrochemical cell.

2. The battery of claim 1 wherein the bypass circuit is configured to direct substantially all the applied charging current to the electrodes.

3. The battery of claim 1 wherein the bypass circuit includes a diode connected to at least one of the set of terminals, the diode being further connected to at least one of the electrodes.

4. The battery of claim 3 wherein the diode is one of:

a zener diode and a Schottky diode.

5. The battery of claim 1 wherein the voltage converter module includes an integrated circuit configured to become disabled when the charging current is applied to the set of terminals.

6. The battery of claim 5, further comprising a mechanism configured to generate a signal to cause the integrated circuit to become disabled.

7. The battery of claim 1 wherein the at least one electrochemical cell is configured to be charged to a charge level of at least 90% capacity of the at least one electrochemical cell in fifteen minutes or less.

8. The battery of claim 1 wherein the at least one electrochemical cell includes a lithium-iron-phosphate cell.

9. The battery of claim 1 wherein the voltage converter module comprises:

an electronic switching device; and

a controller electrically coupled to the electronic switching device, the controller configured to control the electronic switching device to cause one of;

a voltage step-down conversion operation and a voltage step-up conversion operation.

10. A battery comprising:

at least one electrochemical cell;

a voltage converter module electrically coupled to the at least one electrochemical cell and configured to convert a first voltage produced by the at least one electrochemical cell into a second, different voltage;

a battery case that houses the at least one electrochemical cell and the voltage converter;

a set of terminals being electrically coupled to the voltage converter; and

a bypass circuit coupled between one of the terminals of the set of terminals and the at least one electrochemical cell to direct charging current applied from an external source to the at least one electrochemical cell.

11. The battery of claim 10 wherein the bypass circuit is configured to direct substantially all the applied charging current to the electrodes.

12. The battery of claim 10 wherein the bypass circuit include a diode connected to at least one of the set of terminals, the diode being further connected to at least one of the electrodes.

13. The battery of claim 12 wherein the diode is one of:

a zener diode and a Schottky diode.

14. The battery of claim 10 wherein the voltage converter module includes an integrated circuit configured to become disabled when the charging current is applied to the set of terminals.

15. The battery of claim 14, further comprising a mechanism configured to generate a signal to cause the integrated circuit to become disabled.

16. The battery of claim 10 wherein the at least one electrochemical cell is configured to be charged to a charge level of at least 90% capacity of the at least one electrochemical cell in fifteen minutes or less.

17. The battery of claim 10 wherein the at least one electrochemical cell includes a lithium-iron-phosphate cell.

18. The battery of claim 10 wherein the voltage converter module comprises:

an electronic switching device; and

a controller electrically coupled to the electronic switching device, the controller configured to control the electronic switching device to cause one of;

a voltage step-down conversion operation and a voltage step-up conversion operation.

19. A method for charging a rechargeable battery having a battery case that houses at least one electrochemical cell, a voltage converter module electrically coupled to the at least one electrochemical cell and configured to convert a first voltage produced by the at least one electrochemical cell into a second, different voltage, and a set of terminals to which the second voltage is provided, the method comprising:

applying from an external source a charging current through the set of terminals;

directing the applied charging current through a bypass circuit to electrodes coupled to the at least one electrochemical cell such that the charging current bypasses the voltage converter module; and

charging the at least one electrochemical cell with the charging current.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein directing the charging current through the bypass circuit to the electrodes includes directing substantially all the applied charging current to the electrodes.