Battery Life Time Management

• US 20140361747A1
• Filed: 03/21/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Bouyssou, Emilien, Bimbaud, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 9,472,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/128
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• 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 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4242 Regeneration of electrolyte or reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/00 Structural combinations of different types of electrochemical generators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/40 Printed batteries , e.g. thin film batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5077 Regeneration of reactants or electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence
• 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

A method for managing the lifetime of a battery is disclosed herein. An ambient temperature is measured near a battery. A discharge of the battery is triggered when the ambient temperature exceeds a first temperature threshold. The battery can then be charged when the ambient temperature decreases below a second temperature threshold.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for regenerating charge capacity of a battery, the method comprising:

causing the battery to discharge; and

after causing the battery to discharge, applying a bias voltage across the battery, the bias voltage being smaller than a minimum voltage necessary to charge the battery.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the bias voltage has a value that is 30% to 50% of the minimum voltage necessary to charge the battery.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein causing the battery to discharge comprises causing the battery to discharge to a first threshold.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the first threshold corresponds to less than 20% of a nominal charge of the battery when new.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first threshold corresponds about 5% of the nominal charge of the battery when new.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the first threshold is programmable.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

measuring a charge capacity of the battery; and

comparing the measured charge capacity to a second threshold.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the second threshold corresponds to less than 10% of a nominal charge of the battery when new.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the second threshold corresponds about 5% of the nominal charge of the battery when new.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the second threshold is programmable.

36. The method of claim 26, wherein causing the battery to discharge comprises causing the battery to discharge when an ambient temperature exceeds a third threshold.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the third threshold is programmable.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein the battery comprises an all-solid-state thin-film lithium type battery.

39. The method of claim 26, wherein the steps of causing the battery to discharge and applying the bias voltage across the battery are implemented during operation of the battery.

40. The method of claim 26, wherein the steps of causing the battery to discharge and applying the bias voltage across the battery are implemented during storage of the battery.

41. The method of claim 26, wherein the bias voltage is programmable.

42. A method comprising:

using a primary battery to provide power to a load;

regenerating a charge capacity the primary battery by causing the battery to discharge and, after causing the battery to discharge, applying a bias voltage across the battery, the bias voltage being smaller than a minimum voltage necessary to charge the battery; and

using a secondary battery to provide power to the load while regenerating the charge capacity of the primary battery.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the primary battery and the secondary battery are disposed on a common substrate.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising:

causing the second battery to discharge; and

after causing the second battery to discharge, applying a second bias voltage across the second battery, the second bias voltage being smaller than a minimum voltage necessary to charge the second battery.

45. A device operable with a battery, the device comprising:

a discharge circuit configured to cause the battery to discharge; and

a bias circuit configured to apply a bias voltage across the battery, the bias voltage being smaller than a minimum voltage necessary to charge the battery.

46. The device of claim 45, further comprising:

a microcontroller configured to control the discharge circuit and the bias circuit;

program memory coupled to the microcontroller;

parameter memory coupled to the microcontroller; and

a clock mechanism coupled to the microcontroller.

47. The device of claim 46, further comprising a sensor or measurement unit coupled to the microcontroller.

48. The device of claim 47, wherein the sensor or measurement unit comprises a temperature unit.

49. The device of claim 47, wherein the sensor or measurement unit comprises a voltage unit.

50. The device of claim 47, wherein the microcontroller configured to control the discharge circuit and the bias circuit based on physical information received from the sensor or measurement unit and threshold information stored in the parameter memory.