Patent Application
20060164035
The present invention relates to a method of charging a rechargeable unit, such as a rechargeable battery or a rechargeable battery pack.
The present invention also relates to a charger for charging a rechargeable unit, such as a rechargeable battery or a rechargeable battery pack, said charger comprising a supply unit for supplying charging current to a rechargeable unit, terminals for connecting the supply unit to the rechargeable unit, and a control unit for controlling the current supplied by the supply unit.
Rechargeable batteries and rechargeable battery packs have a widespread use in modern life. Many apparatuses, such as mobile phones, battery operated electric shavers, battery powered vehicles, electrical tools etc, are equipped with such batteries.
The rechargeable batteries and battery packs need to be recharged every now and then. There are several types of chargers that can be used for recharging rechargeable batteries. A common type of charger employs a constant current level (CC) throughout the whole charging process of the battery. Fast chargers of this type employ a high, constant current until the battery is fully charged. An electronic unit in the charger is used to detect end-of-charge and cut off the charging current.
The above mentioned CC-charger is useful for charging e.g. NiCd (Nickel-Cadmium) and NiMH (Nickel-Metal-Hydride) batteries. With these batteries the end-of-charge state can be detected as a sudden increase in the temperature of the battery and as a drop in the terminal voltage of the battery.
Lithium batteries (including lithium-ion, lithium-polymer and lithium solid state batteries) cannot be charged by fast chargers of the type mentioned above, since lithium batteries do not provide the above described indications of end-of-charge and since the maximum voltage has to be controlled to avoid damage to the lithium batteries.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,878 assigned to Ostergaard et al. describes a charger that can handle different types of batteries, including lithium batteries. The charger may first charge the battery in a constant current mode and then in a constant voltage mode (constant current then constant voltage charging=CCCV). During the first phase of the charging process the charger is in a constant charging current control mode. The charging current is controlled at a preset level and the charging voltage is monitored. When the charging voltage reaches a certain, preset level the charging process enters a constant charging voltage control mode. In this mode the charging voltage is held substantially constant while the charging current is reduced. The charging process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,878 is however slow and will not allow the quick charging of a battery.
An object of the present invention is to provide a charging method which makes it possible to quickly charge batteries, including lithium batteries.
A further object of the invention is to provide a charger which makes it possible to quickly charge batteries, including lithium batteries.
A charging method according to the preamble is characterized in
that the rechargeable unit is connected to a supply unit;
that the supply unit supplies a current to the rechargeable unit;
that the charging voltage is monitored during charging;
that the initial current supplied to the rechargeable unit at the start of the charging process is such that the charging voltage almost immediately reaches a predetermined maximum charging voltage; and
that subsequently the current is decreased in such a way that the charging voltage is kept substantially constant at the maximum charging voltage during the charging process.
The charging method described above makes it possible to fast-charge different types of batteries and battery packs, including lithium batteries. Since the initial charging current is high in comparison to normal charging, the charge voltage will almost immediately increase to its predetermined maximum level. Consequently the charging current and hence the charge rate is determined only by the internal impedance of the battery resulting in a very short charging time. Thus the battery will be charged at the highest possible current, with respect to the limitation on maximum charging voltage, all through the charging procedure. This allows for high currents at the early stages of charging resulting in very fast charging, in particular at the early stage of charging an empty battery. A typical situation where this has very material advantages is when a user who is just about to leave his home finds out that the battery of e.g. the mobile phone or the shaver is empty. By charging just a few minutes according to the method described above, the person may obtain sufficient battery charge for his needs in e.g. one day. Another example is hybrid electrical vehicles, H(EV), and in particular electrical vehicles. A user who finds the batteries of the vehicle empty may in a very short period of time give the batteries a charge that is sufficient for the ride home.
The measure as described in claim 2 has the advantage that next to all of the charging occurs at the predetermined maximum voltage.
The measure as described in claim 3 has the advantage that the current applied is so high that the voltage almost immediately increases to the maximum charge voltage and thus next to all of the charging occurs at the predetermined maximum voltage resulting in a very high charging current, especially at the early stage of charging an empty battery or battery pack.
Preferably the rechargeable unit is charged to maximally 75% of its maximum capacity, the charging process then being interrupted. Prior art fast chargers have the disadvantage of considerably shortening the cycle life of the battery, i.e. the number of times that the battery can be recharged. The above described inventive method in combination with partial charging will affect the cycle life much less than prior art fast charging. A further advantage of partial charging is that the maximum charging voltage can be increased as compared to normal charging. The battery has been found to be less sensitive to high voltages at the early stages of charging, i.e. when the depth of charge is rather low and the current is high. By employing partial charging, the later stage of charging, where the sensitivity to a high voltage is larger, can be omitted. An increased voltage further decreases the time of charging.
Preferably the initial depth of charge of the rechargeable unit to be charged is measured before charging starts or at the beginning of the charging process, charging being stopped if the rechargeable unit is found to have an initial depth of charge which is higher than a predetermined maximum initial depth of charge. This has the advantage that charging according to the inventive method described above of a fully or almost fully charged battery or battery pack is avoided. Such charging would decrease the cycle life of the battery or battery pack. Thus the user may start a quick charging process at any time and without knowing the initial depth of charge, without any risk of damaging the battery or substantially decreasing its cycle life since charging will be stopped if the battery is already fully or almost fully charged.
The method described above has particular advantages for charging rechargeable units comprising lithium batteries. At present there are no well functioning fast charging methods for lithium batteries. The method according to the invention makes it possible, however, to quickly charge lithium batteries.
A charger according to the preamble is characterized in that the charger further comprises:
means for monitoring the charging voltage;
means for supplying an initial charging current at the start of the charging process of a rechargeable unit, the initial charging current being such that the charging voltage supplied to the rechargeable unit almost immediately reaches a predetermined maximum charging voltage; and
means for decreasing the current in such a way that the charging voltage is kept substantially constant at the maximum charging voltage during the charging process.
A charger of this type makes it possible to quickly charge all types of batteries and battery packs, including lithium batteries. The fact that the charging voltage increases to its predetermined maximum value almost immediately results in quick charging, especially in the early phase thereof, since the charging current is high.
The measure according to claim 8 has the advantage that the user of the charger can choose the charging mode that suits the present situation. If the user is in a hurry he chooses boost charge, e.g. by pushing a corresponding button. If there is plenty of time for charging, the person pushes another button to choose normal charging.
Preferably the control unit comprises means for measuring the depth of charge of the rechargeable unit during charging and means for interrupting the charging procedure at a predetermined depth of charge. An advantage of this is that a certain depth of charge, i.e. charged capacity, may be associated with the boost charging mode. This makes it possible to charge a battery or a battery pack only partially thus avoiding a detrimental effect of the boost charging on the cycle life of the battery. It is also possible to manufacture a charger with a boost charging mode preset for charging to a depth of charge considered to be convenient for the end user.
The measure according to claim 10 provides a simple way of interrupting the charging process. A timer function is cheap and simple to include in a control unit controlling charging and provides a safe way of interrupting the charging process. The timer function is pedagogic in that it makes the charging method easy to use and understand for the end user.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereafter.
The invention will hereafter be described in more detail and with reference to the appended drawings.
When discussing the charging of batteries the expression C-rate is often used. 1 C-rate is the charging current that would be needed to charge an empty battery to its maximum capacity in 1 hour. For each battery capacity a certain C-rate means a certain current.
The expression “boost charging” as used in the present application means a charging method for quickly adding capacity to a battery by charging it.
The expression “normal charging” as used in the present application means a charging method for charging, at a rather slow rate, a battery to its maximum capacity.
The term “cycle life” as used in the present application refers to the number of times a battery can be recharged before it has to be disposed of. A long cycle life means that the battery can be recharged many times.
In the present application “depth of charge” (DoC) refers to the charged capacity of a battery. A DoC of 100% means that the battery has been charged to its maximum capacity.
In
Normal charging is activated when the user of the charger 1 pushes the normal charging button 7. Normal charging of the battery 5 is preferably performed according to the constant current/constant voltage method (CCCV-method). Thus the control unit 6 controls the supply unit 2 such that the battery 5 is first charged in accordance with a constant current mode (CC-mode) while monitoring the voltage (i.e. the voltage as measured between cable 3 and 4). The constant current Iconst during the CC-mode is typically set low such that an empty battery will obtain about 50-90% of its nominal max capacity during the CC-mode. A typical constant current Iconst for a lithium battery would be 0.7 C-rate, that is a current that, if held constant during 1 hour, would charge the battery to 70% of its maximum capacity. When the voltage reaches after some time the prescribed maximum voltage Vmax the control unit 6 changes to a constant voltage mode (CV-mode). During the CV-mode the current supplied by the supply unit 2 is controlled such that the voltage is kept constant at Vmax while the current is allowed to decrease. The control unit 6 stops the charging process when the current has been decreased to a small value or after a predetermined time interval that is sufficient for fully charging the battery. The battery thus charged to its maximum capacity in a slow and cautious manner is ready for use. The normal charging process provides for a long cycle life of the battery and a fully charged battery.
Boost charging of the battery 5 is activated when the user of the charger 1 pushes the boost charging button 8. Boost charging of the battery 5 is performed according to the method of the present invention. Thus the control unit 6 controls the supply unit 2 such that a very high initial current Iinit is immediately supplied to the battery 5. The control unit 6 monitors the voltage supplied (i.e. the voltage as measured between cable 3 and 4) and controls the current such that the voltage is kept at the prescribed maximum voltage Vmax. The initial current Iinit is chosen such that the maximum voltage Vmax is reached almost immediately. The control unit 6 will thus control the current supplied to the battery 5 such that the current is immediately, or after a very short period of time, decreased from Iinit to a lower value. If Iinit is very high there will be no constant current phase at all. At a somewhat lower Iinit, still being very high in relation to the current Iconst supplied during the CC-mode of the normal charging process, a short period of time may elapse before the current is decreased. In either case there is no constant current phase of the type described in relation to normal charging.
It has been found that the initial charging current Iinit applied in the case of boost charging of lithium batteries should be higher than 1 C-rate, i.e. a current that, if held constant, would charge an empty battery to 50% of its maximum capacity in less than 30 minutes, to provide quick charging. Initial currents Iinit higher than 2 C-rates, still more preferably higher than 3.5 C-rates, have been found to provide a substantial further reduction of the charging time. It has been found that the initial charging current Iinit should be chosen such that, at the start of charging, the predetermined maximum charging voltage is reached in not more than 2 minutes, since charging during the first minutes should be performed at a voltage that is as high as possible to decrease the time of charging. It has also been found that the initial charging current Iinit should preferably be chosen such that the maximum charging voltage is reached in not more than 30 seconds, and still more preferably in not more than 5 seconds, to provide a further substantial reduction of the charging time, charging during the first minute being most efficient if performed at a high current and maximum voltage, still without substantial detrimental effects on the cycle life.
Boost charging may be stopped when the charging current is zero or close to zero. Preferably, however, boost charging is interrupted by the control unit 6 after a short time when the battery 5 is only partially charged. It has been found that boost charging should be interrupted when the battery 5 has been charged to maximally 75% of its maximum capacity (i.e. 75% DoC) to provide quick charging without substantial negative effects on the cycle life, potentially also performed at a higher maximum charging voltage. It has further been found that an interruption of the charging process at a battery DoC of 10-60% provides a relation between time of charging and charged capacity that is attractive for most users of the boost charging function. Thus boost charging is preferably used for quick, partial charging of the battery. To stop boost charging at the proper time for partial charging, preferably a function for measuring the DoC, i.e. the DoC of the battery at a certain time, is included in the control unit 6. The DoC can be measured by measuring battery parameters according to one of several methods that are well known to the skilled person. Examples of such methods of measuring a battery parameter for relating it to the DoC of a battery include open circuit voltage (OCV) measurement and resistance free voltage (RFV) measurement.
The application of boost charging is preferably restricted such that a battery which already has full capacity or almost full capacity cannot be subjected to boost charging. The control unit 6 thus preferably includes a function for measuring the DoC, i.e. the initial DoC, of a presumably empty battery 5 before any charging, and in particular any boost charging, may start. To measure DoC of a battery before starting the charging process use can be made of one of several methods that are well known to the skilled person. Examples of such methods of measuring a battery parameter for relating it to the DoC of a battery include open circuit voltage (OCV) measurement, resistance free voltage (RFV) measurement and battery voltage after relaxation (Vrelax). It is also possible to measure the DoC at the very beginning of the charging process by measuring the time elapsed before the charging current starts to decrease, provided that the initial current Iinit is chosen such that a short period of time elapses before the current needs to be decreased to avoid exceeding the maximum charge voltage. The shorter the time before the charging current is decreased, the higher the initial DoC is. It is also possible to measure the slope of the voltage increase over time when starting boost charging, i.e. measure dV/dt. A large dV/dt then indicates a high initial DoC of the battery. If the measurement of the time elapsed before charging current decreases or of the dV/dt reveals that the battery already has a high or full capacity, boost charging is immediately interrupted. In addition to the detrimental effect on the cycle life, the time gained by boost charging at a high initial DoC is so low that it is preferably avoided. Boost charging should not be started, or, if in an early phase, stopped immediately, if the battery is found to have an initial DoC of more than 70% to avoid detrimental effects on the cycle life. The charger 1 may be equipped with a function for indicating that boost charging is interrupted due to high initial DoC, thus showing the user that the battery already has a certain charge. It has further been found that the relation between time of charging and charged capacity adversely affects the advantages of starting a boost charging process at an initial DoC of more than 50%.
In a further example of controlling the charging process is to provide a timer function is provided in the control unit 6. The timer is set to allow boost charging during a certain time, e.g. 5 or 10 minutes, and then interrupt charging. The timer may be combined with the above described function for avoiding charging at high initial DoC and/or the function for interrupting charging at a certain, predetermined DoC. The timer function makes the boost charging function easy to use and understand for the end user.
The control unit may also be adopted to allow boost charging for some time and then switch to normal charging. In such a case the battery is first charged at a high rate for a certain time or to a certain DoC. The charger then switches to normal charging and allows charging of the battery to proceed at a low rate until the battery is fully charged. Preferably an indication, such as the switching on of a LED, is used to indicate that boost charging is finalized. The user may then choose to interrupt the charging process or allow it to proceed in the normal charging mode for fully charging the battery at a slow rate.
Boost charging may be applied to all types of rechargeable batteries. Examples of such batteries include nickel metal hydride batteries (NiMH), nickel cadmium batteries (NiCd), lead acid batteries (Pb-acid), rechargeable alkaline manganese batteries (RAM) and lithium batteries. Boost charging has been found to be particularly advantageous for lithium batteries, including lithium ion batteries (Li-ion), lithium polymer batteries (Li-polymer), lithium polymer gel batteries (Li-polymer gel) and lithium-metal batteries (Li-metal), since lithium batteries must not be charged at high voltages. Due to this fact, any chargers for quick charging of lithium batteries did not exist hitherto.
The charger according to the invention may be a stand-alone charger or an integral charger. Thus the charger may be an integral part of any electronic or battery driven apparatus. Examples of such an electronic apparatus incorporating a charger are shavers, mobile phones, battery packs and personal computers. In the case of integral chargers a selector is preferably located at the housing of the apparatus, such as a shaver, to allow the user to choose the charging mode.
A number of tests were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the charger according to the invention. In the tests a Li-ion battery in the form of a standard Sony US18500 cell with a nominal capacity of 1100 mAh was used. All tests were performed at 25° C.
Boost charging is illustrated by means of solid lines in
As is indicated in
In
In
It is evident from
A test was performed at a maximum charging voltage higher than the allowed 4.2 V. The maximum charging voltage was thus set to 4.3 V. It was found that an empty battery (0% initial DoC) was charged to a DoC of almost 50% at an initial charging current Iinit of 8 A in 8 minutes which is two minutes less than the 10 minutes required at 4.2 V (see
The present invention provides a quick charging method and a charger for the quick charging of all types of batteries, including lithium batteries, by applying a high initial charging current such that the charging voltage is at its maximum predetermined value during substantially all of the charging process. The first minutes of charging thus occur at a very high current, causing charge to be added very quickly to the battery. By charging the battery only partially the time needed for charging is decreased and so is the detrimental effect on the cycle life of the battery.
Finally, to summarize, a battery charger for charging rechargeable batteries and/or battery packs is disclosed. Preferably the charger can apply two modes of charging a battery. In a normal charging mode a battery is charged to full capacity at a low rate. In a boost charging mode the battery is charged very rapidly and preferably only to a certain degree, such as 75% of its maximum capacity. The boost charging mode makes it possible to supply some charge to the battery when the time available for charging is limited. The boost charging method is based on a very high initial charging current Iinit. The initial current Iinit is such that a predetermined maximum charging voltage Vmax is reached almost immediately. The charging current is then decreased in such a way that the charging voltage Vcharge is maintained substantially constant at the maximum charging voltage Vmax.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 020773826 | Jun 2002 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB03/02383 | 6/4/2003 | WO | 12/10/2004 |
