Patent Application
20250192597
The present application claims priority and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0178045, filed on Dec. 8, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
One or more embodiments relate to a method and apparatus for charging a battery included in a device including a motor.
Recently, the demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and portable phones have increased rapidly. Also, as the development of energy storage batteries, robots, satellites, etc., is rapidly advancing, research on high-performance secondary batteries that are repeatedly chargeable and dischargeable has been actively pursued.
Such secondary batteries are included in devices equipped with motors (e.g., electric bicycles (e-bikes)) to run the motors of e-bikes, and in order to improve the mileage of e-bikes, methods for increasing the capacities of batteries have been used.
Embodiments include an apparatus for charging and discharging a battery included in a device comprising a motor. The apparatus includes a first cell discharged during driving of the device to supply power to the motor of the device, a second cell charged with power supplied from the motor by regenerative braking during deceleration of the device, a first switch on a charging/discharging path of the first cell, a second switch on a charging/discharging path of the second cell; and a processor electrically connected to the first switch and the second switch configured to control charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell separately for the first cell and the second cell during charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell.
Battery charging/discharging rates (C-rates) of the first cell and the second cell may be different from each other.
Battery C-rate of the second cell may be greater than the battery C-rate of the first cell.
The processor may be further configured to obtain a connection signal of an external charger of the device or a regenerative charging mode signal corresponding to deceleration of the device, measure a charging current on a charging/discharging path connected to the external charger or the motor, determine which charging cell of the first cell and the second cell is to be charged, based on the connection signal of the external charger, the regenerative charging mode signal, a magnitude of the charging current and control charging of the charging cell.
The processor may be further configured to, if the processor obtains the regenerative charging mode signal, determine the second cell as the charging cell and control charging of the second cell.
The processor may be further configured to obtain a driving mode signal corresponding to acceleration of the device, measure a voltage of the first cell and a voltage of the second cell, based on the driving mode signal, determine a discharging cell having a greater voltage between the first cell and the second cell and control discharging of the discharging cell.
The processor may be further configured to obtain an idle mode signal corresponding to an idle state of the device, measure a voltage of the first cell and a voltage of the second cell, based on the idle mode signal, and, if the voltage of the second cell is greater than the voltage of the first cell, discharge the second cell to control charging of the first cell.
Embodiments include a method of charging and discharging a battery included in a device comprising a motor. The method includes controlling a first switch and a second switch, wherein the first switch may be on a charging/discharging path of a first cell discharged during driving of the device to supply power to the motor of the device, and the second switch may be on a charging/discharging path of a second cell charged with power supplied from the motor by regenerative braking during deceleration of the device and controlling charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell separately during charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell.
In the controlling charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell, battery charging/discharging rates (C-rates) of the first cell and the second cell may be different from each other.
In the controlling charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell, the battery C-rate of the second cell may be greater than the battery C-rate of the first cell.
Controlling charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell may include obtaining a connection signal of an external charger of the device or a regenerative charging mode signal corresponding to deceleration of the device, measuring a charging current on a charging/discharging path connected to the external charger or the motor, and determining which of the first cell and the second cell is a charging cell to be charged, based on the connection signal of the external charger, the regenerative charging mode signal, a magnitude of the charging current and controlling charging of the charging cell.
Controlling charging of the charging cell may include determining the second cell as the charging cell and controlling charging of the second cell, if the regenerative charging mode signal is obtained.
Controlling charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell may include obtaining a driving mode signal corresponding to acceleration of the device, measuring a voltage of the first cell and a voltage of the second cell, based on the driving mode signal and determining a discharging cell having a greater voltage between the first cell and the second cell and controlling discharging of the discharging cell.
Controlling charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell may include obtaining an idle mode signal corresponding to an idle state of the device, measuring a voltage of the first cell and a voltage of the second cell, based on the idle mode signal, and discharging the second cell to control charging of the first cell, if the voltage of the second cell is greater than the voltage of the first cell.
Embodiments include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code to perform a method of charging and discharging a battery included in a device comprising a motor. The method includes controlling a first switch and a second switch, wherein the first switch is on a charging/discharging path of a first cell discharged during driving of the device to supply power to the motor of the device, and the second switch is on a charging/discharging path of a second cell charged with power supplied from the motor by regenerative braking during deceleration of the device, and controlling charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell separately during charging/discharging of the first cell and the second cell.
Features will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings in which:
In the drawing figures, the dimensions of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. It will also be understood that when a layer or element is referred to as being “on” another layer or substrate, it can be directly on the other layer or substrate, or intervening layers may also be present. Further, it will be understood that when a layer is referred to as being “under” another layer, it can be directly under, and one or more intervening layers may also be present. In addition, it will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being “between” two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers may also be present. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” if preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to easily carry out the various embodiments of the present disclosure. In the description of the examples disclosed herein, the detailed description of the related known technology will be omitted if it is determined to obscure the subject matter of the technical spirit of the present disclosure. Identical or similar components will be given identical reference numerals and will not be repeatedly described.
Throughout the specification, if a component is “connected” to another component, it may include not only a case where they are “directly connected”, but also a case where they are “indirectly connected” with another component therebetween. If a component is referred to as “includes” another component, it may mean that the component may further include still another component rather than excluding the still another component unless stated otherwise.
Some examples may be described with functional block configurations and various processing operations. Some or all of the functional blocks may be implemented with various numbers of hardware and/or software configurations. For example, the functional blocks of the present disclosure may be implemented by one or more microprocessors or circuit configurations for certain functions. The functional blocks of the present disclosure may be implemented with various programming or scripting languages. The functional blocks of the present disclosure may be implemented as an algorithm executed on one or more processors. A function performed by a functional block of the present disclosure may be performed by a plurality of functional blocks, or functions performed by a plurality of functional blocks may be performed by one functional block in the present disclosure. Moreover, the present disclosure may employ related art for electronic environment setting, signal processing, and/or data processing, etc.
Referring to
The first cell 110 and the second cell 120 may be chargeable/dischargeable secondary batteries. In example embodiments, the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 may include at least one of a nickel-cadmium battery, a lead acid battery, a nickel metal hydride battery (NiMH), a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, etc.
The number of battery cells included in the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 and a connection scheme thereof may be determined based on a power quantity, a voltage, etc., required for the battery pack 100. Although it is shown in
The battery pack 100 may include a pair of pack terminals 101 and 102 to which an electrical load or a charging device may be connected. In some embodiments, the motor of the device may be connected to the pack terminals 101 and 102. In other embodiments, an external charger of the device may be connected to the pack terminals 101 and 102.
An apparatus for charging and discharging a battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a hybrid cell. The apparatus for charging and discharging a battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure may improve a regenerative charging efficiency by using a hybrid cell and increase a moving distance of the device with an increased capacity. In an example embodiment, as shown in
The first cell 110 may be a battery that is discharged during driving of the device to supply power to the motor of the device. The second cell 120 may be a battery that is charged with power supplied from the motor due to, for example, regenerative braking during deceleration of the device.
The first cell 110 and the second cell 120 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be batteries having different battery charging/discharging rates (C-rates). The battery C-rate of the second cell 120 may be greater than a battery C-rate of the first cell 110.
For example, the first cell 110 may be a battery used for general driving of the device, and the second cell 120 may be a battery used for regenerative charging of the device. In this case, the second cell 120 may be a high-power cell having a high battery C-rate to improve a charging efficiency by using a regenerative charging current greater than a charging current of the external charger of the device. In an example embodiment, the second cell 120 may be a battery having a C-rate of 1.33 C. In another example embodiment, the first cell 110 may be a battery having a C-rate of 0.5 C.
The apparatus for charging and discharging a battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure may charge or discharge the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 separately. In one or more embodiments, the apparatus for charging and discharging a battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure may selectively control the first switch 180 and the second switch 190 to charge or discharge the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. In an example embodiment, as shown in
The battery pack 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a main switch. For example, the main switch may be connected between the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 and one of the pack terminals 101 and 102 (e.g., 101). The main switch may be controlled by the processor 160. Although not shown in
The apparatus for charging and discharging a battery according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include the processor 160 and the memory 170.
The processor 160 may control an overall operation of the apparatus for charging and discharging the battery. In embodiments, the processor 160 may be implemented in the form selectively including a processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), another chipset, a logic circuit, a register, a communication modem, and/or a data processing device, etc., to perform the above-described operation.
The processor 160 may perform basic arithmetic, logic, and input/output operations, and execute a program code stored in the memory 170. The processor 160 may store data in the memory 170 or load data stored in the memory 170.
The memory 170 may include a permanent mass storage device, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and disk drive, a solid state storage device, a flash memory device, etc. as a recording medium readable by the processor 160. The memory 170 may store an operating system and at least one program or application code. The memory 170 may store data generated by measuring at least one parameter of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. In some embodiments, the data may include a charging/discharging current, a terminal voltage and/or a temperature of the battery.
The voltage measurement unit 130 may measure voltages of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. In one or more embodiments, the voltage measurement unit 130 may be electrically connected to opposite ends of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. The voltage measurement unit 130 may be electrically connected to the processor 160 to exchange electrical signals. The voltage measurement unit 130 may measure a voltage across the opposite ends of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 at time intervals and output a signal indicating a magnitude of the measured voltage to the processor 160, under control of the processor 160. The processor 160 may determine the voltage of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 from the signal output from the voltage measurement unit 130. In an example embodiment, the voltage measurement unit 130 may be implemented using a voltage measurement circuit, e.g., one used in the art.
The current measurement unit 140 may be configured to measure charging/discharging current of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. For example, the voltage measurement unit 140 may be electrically connected to a current sensor situated on the charging/discharging path of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. The current measurement unit 140 may be electrically connected to the processor 160 to exchange electrical signals. The current measurement unit 140 may repeatedly measure a magnitude of charging current or discharging current of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 at time intervals and output a signal indicating the measured magnitude of the current to the processor 160, under control of the processor 160. The processor 160 may determine the magnitude of the current from the signal output from the current measurement unit 140. The current sensor may be implemented using, in one or more embodiments, a hall sensor or a sense resistor, e.g., one generally used in the art.
The temperature measurement unit 150 may be configured to measure temperatures of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. For example, the temperature measurement unit 150 may be connected to the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 to measure a temperature of a second battery included in the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. The temperature measurement unit 150 may be electrically connected to the processor 160 to exchange electrical signals. The temperature measurement unit 150 may repeatedly measure the temperature of the secondary battery at time intervals and output a signal indicating a magnitude of the measured temperature to the processor 160. The processor 160 may determine the temperature of the second battery from the signal output from the temperature measurement unit 150. In one or more embodiments, the temperature measurement unit 150 may be implemented using a thermocouple, e.g., one generally used in the art.
The processor 160 may be electrically connected to the first switch 180 and the second switch 190 to exchange signals. The processor 160 may control charging/discharging of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 separately for the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 during charging/discharging of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120. For example, the processor 160 may selectively control the first switch 180 and the second switch 190 to control charging/discharging of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120.
In embodiments, the processor 160 may close (turn ON, hereinafter “ON”) the first switch 180 and open (turn OFF, hereinafter “OFF”) the second switch 190 to discharge the first cell 110 without discharging the second cell 120. The processor 160 may close (ON) the second switch 190 and open (OFF) the first switch 180 to discharge the second cell 120 without discharging the first cell 110.
For example, the processor 160 may close (ON) the first switch 180 and open (OFF) the second switch 190 to charge the first cell 110 without charging the second cell 120. The processor 160 may close (ON) the second switch 190 and open (OFF) the first switch 180 to charge the second cell 120 without charging the first cell 110.
Referring to
The method of charging a battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a charging method using the external charger of the device and a regenerative charging method using, e.g., regenerative braking of the device. In one or more embodiments, the processor 160 may distribute charging by recognizing a preset charger connection signal input from the outside of the device or a regenerative charging mode during driving of the device. In an example embodiment, in the regenerative charging mode, a charging current of a higher rate may be input to a standard charging current within a short period of time. In this case, a high-rate charging current may be applied to charging of a high-power cell capable of high-rate charging.
In operations S110 and S120, the apparatus according to the present disclosure may receive a charging current from the external charger or due to, e.g., regenerative braking. The processor 160 may obtain a connection signal of the external charger of the device or a regenerative charging mode signal corresponding to deceleration of the device. For example, the processor 160 may determine the charging mode as a standard charging mode if obtaining the connection signal of the external charger of the device. For example, the processor 160 may determine the charging mode as a regenerative charging mode if obtaining the regenerative charging mode signal corresponding to deceleration of the device. The processor 160 may measure a charging current on the charging/discharging path connected to the external charger or the motor. In some embodiments, the processor 160 may measure the charging current input onto the charging/discharging path from the external charger. In other embodiments, the processor 160 may measure the charging current input onto the charging/discharging path from the motor due to, e.g., regenerative braking.
The processor 160 may determine a charging cell to be charged between the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 based on the connection signal of the external charger, the regenerative charging mode signal, the magnitude of the charging current and control charging of the charging cell.
In operation S130 of
In operation S140, the processor 160 may determine the charging mode as a regenerative charging mode if obtaining the regenerative charging mode signal corresponding to deceleration of the device. If the magnitude of the charging current is greater than 0.5 C and is less than 1.33 C, the processor 160 may determine the regenerative charging mode as the charging mode. In this example embodiment, in the regenerative charging mode, the processor 160 may determine the second cell 120, which is a high-power cell (relative to the mid-power cell), as the charging cell to be charged and control the first switch 180 and the second switch 190 to charge the second cell 120.
In operation S150, the processor 160 may determine an over-charging mode as the charging mode if the magnitude of the charging current is greater than 1.33 C. In this case, the processor 160 may control the first switch 180 and the second switch 190 to prohibit both the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 from being charged.
Referring to
In a method of discharging a battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure, during driving of a device, the remaining charging capacity states of a high-power cell and a mid-power cell may be measured and then discharging of the high-power cell may be performed first if a voltage of the high-power cell is greater than a voltage of the mid-power cell. According to the present disclosure, by equalizing the voltages of the high-power cell and the mid-power cell in a state where the voltages are increased by regenerative charging due to, e.g., regenerative braking, a parallel system may be effectively used and an efficiency thereof may be maximized.
In operation S210, the processor 160 may obtain a driving mode signal corresponding to acceleration of the device. The processor 160 may measure the voltages of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 based on the driving mode signal.
In operation S220, the processor 160 may determine a discharging cell having a greater voltage between the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 and control discharging of the discharging cell. In operation S230, if the voltage of the second cell 120 that may be a high-power cell is greater than that of the first cell 110 that may be a mid-power cell, the processor 160 may determine the second cell 120 as the discharging cell and control the first switch 180 and the second switch 190 to discharge the second cell 120. In operation S240, if the voltage of the second cell 120 that may be a high-power cell is not greater than that of the first cell 110 that may be a mid-power cell, the processor 160 may determine the first cell 110 as the discharging cell and control the first switch 180 and the second switch 190 to discharge the first cell 110.
Referring to
In operation S310, the processor 160 may obtain an idle mode signal corresponding to the idle state of the device.
In operation S320, the processor 160 may measure the voltages of the first cell 110 and the second cell 120 based on the idle mode signal. In operation S330, the processor 160 may discharge the second cell 120 to control charging of the first cell 110, if the voltage of the second cell 120 is greater than that of the first cell 110. In an example embodiment, referring to
According to the present disclosure, a method and apparatus for effectively charging and discharging a battery included in a device including a motor may be provided. According to the present disclosure, a driving distance of the device may be improved, safety of the battery included in the device may be secured, and a lifetime of the battery may be lengthened. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by these effects.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of a computer program executable on a computer through various components, and the computer program may be recorded on a computer-readable medium. The medium may continuously store an executable program or temporarily store the same for execution or downloading. The medium may include various recording means or storage means in a form of single hardware or a combination of several hardware, and may be distributed over a network without being limited to a medium directly connected to a certain computer system. Examples of the medium may include a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, and a magnetic tape, an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM and a DVD, a magneto-optical medium such as a floptical disk, ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc., to store a program instruction. Other examples of the medium may include a recording medium or a storage medium managed by an app store that distributes applications, a site that supplies or distributes various software, a server, etc.
In the specification, the term “unit”, “module”, etc., may be a hardware component like a processor or a circuit, and/or a software component executed by a hardware component like a processor. For example, “unit”, “module”, etc., may be implemented by components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, a database, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.
Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. In some instances, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art as of the filing of the present application, features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment may be used singly or in combination with features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with other embodiments unless otherwise specifically indicated. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0178045 | Dec 2023 | KR | national |
