Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Battery or cell charging – With thermal condition detection
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-23
2004-09-14
Tibbits, Pia (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Battery or cell charging
With thermal condition detection
Reexamination Certificate
active
06791300
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to battery chargers and charging methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The battery packs for portable power tools, outdoor tools and certain kitchen and domestic appliances may include rechargeable batteries, such as lithium, nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride and lead-acid batteries, so that they can be recharged rather than be replaced. Thereby a substantial cost saving is achieved.
Nevertheless, problems are still encountered by the user. Frequently, the user discovers that the batteries have self-discharged and need recharging at exactly the moment when the user would like to use the device, and recharging in most instances takes an inconveniently long period of time.
One solution to this is to provide maintenance charging systems in which the battery can be left on constant charge between uses. Even this system is of no value if the user fails to put the battery back on charge after use; in addition, most maintenance charging systems actually cause slow deterioration of the battery with time.
The solution to all of the above problems would be the provision of an adequate fast charging system which would reliably bring the battery up to its full state of charge in the shortest possible time and without risk of damage. While the prior art is replete with attempts to provide good fast charging systems, no satisfactory system has yet been developed. Most fast charging systems today require very special conditions, such as unusually expensive batteries which can accept the output of the fast charge system. Even under these special conditions, there remains a risk of serious damage to either the battery or to the charger. In addition, the present fast charge techniques do not properly charge the batteries. Depending on the termination mode used, all fast charge techniques of which we are aware either overcharge or under charge the battery, either of which causes gradual deterioration of the battery and premature failure.
In part, the failures of the prior art have been due to the inability to accurately indicate full battery charge; this has been due either to the failure of the prior art to select the proper mode of indication, or to the fact that, even if a reasonably good indicator has been selected, the charging requirements of a battery vary substantially with individual cell chemistry, with individual cell history and with ambient temperature. Thus, even an indication mode which is reasonably well selected for a particular battery type may actually provide an accurate indication only for a few cells having ideal characteristics and only if the cells are charged under proper conditions of ambient temperature.
For example, a major category of previous fast charging systems has relied upon temperature cutoff to terminate the fast charge mode. However, these systems are subject to several difficulties: they may damage the batteries due to the constant repetition of high temperature conditions, even in specially manufactured (and expensive) cells which are theoretically designed to accept high temperatures; such systems may not be safe for use with defective cells; they actually do not charge a battery to its full capacity, in high ambient temperature conditions; the charge efficiency is low and the systems are therefore wasteful; and in low ambient temperature, the battery may be driven to self-destruct by venting or possibly explosion.
Another major category of prior art fast charging systems relies on voltage cutoff. However, in many types of battery systems including nickel-cadmium, this termination mode is unreliable due to the large voltage variation which can occur with temperature, or due to cell history or individual cell characteristics. Thus, a voltage cutoff system can destroy a battery through venting. Except in unusual ideal conditions, it will never properly charge a battery to its full capacity.
A third major category of prior art battery charging termination is based on simple passage of time. However, the accuracy of this system depends on the battery, at the beginning of charge, having an assumed state of charge. There is a very high likelihood that this will not be the case and that the battery will be either over or under charged.
Most other charging methods which have been used to date are based on combinations of one or more of the above techniques. While some problems can be avoided by these combinations, at least some of them still exist. Even the best fast charge systems require expensive cell constructions; but the additional cost only serves to delay the battery deterioration which is caused by the charging system.
A more recent technique, illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,656, seeks the point at which the slope of the voltage-versus-time curve for a given battery is zero. However, even this technique is subject to difficulties; it may detect another point at which the voltage slope is zero but at which the battery is only partially charged; in addition, even if it properly locates the zero slope point which is close to full charge, this inherently overcharges the battery and will cause battery deterioration due to heating.
Typically, most battery charging systems embody one or another of the above techniques and are subject to one or more of the above-listed defects. This is true despite the fact that most currently known battery chargers are designed to be used with only one type of battery and, in general, with only one selected number of battery cells of that particular type. The concept of a battery charger which can accurately and rapidly deliver full charge to a variety of different batteries including different number of cells or different types of battery couples is totally beyond the present state of the battery charging art.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,392,101 and 4,388,582 (hereinafter “the Saar Patents”) disclosed a solution to these problems. In particular, the Saar Patents disclosed a new method based on the inflection points of the charging curve.
In the course of recharging a nickel-cadmium battery, it has been found that a very typical curve is produced if the increasing battery voltage is plotted as function of time.
FIG. 1
is a representation of a typical curve of this type, as taken during a constant current charging cycle. A similarly typical curve can be obtained by plotting current against time during a constant voltage charging cycle, and a reproducible pattern also occurs if neither voltage nor current are held constant This curve may be divided into significant regions, as indicated by the Roman numerals between the vertical lines superimposed on the curve. While the curve is subject to variations in specific values of voltage or of time, the general form is similar for all nickel-cadmium batteries including one or more cells, and the following discussion applies equally to all such batteries.
Region I of
FIG. 1
represents the initial stage of voltage change which occurs when the charging cycle is first started. In this Region, the voltage is subject to significant variations based on the initial charge level of the battery, its history of charge or discharge, etc. Since the shape of this Region can vary, it is indicated in
FIG. 1
by a dotted line.
Because the information in Region I varies, it may be preferable to ignore this segment of the curve. The battery will generally traverse Region I completely within the first 30 to 60 seconds of charging and enter Region II; in general, the voltage in the Region I and period increases relatively rapidly from the initial shelf voltage and the short peaks which may occur in this Region are not harmful.
As the battery approaches a more stable charging regime, it enters the portion of the curve designated Region II. Region II may be of fairly long duration with little or no increase in voltage. During this time, most of the internal chemical conversion of the charging process takes place. When significant portions of the active material have been converted, the battery begins to approach full charge and the voltage begins to incr
Brotto Daniele C.
Trinh Danh T.
White Paul S.
Ayala Adan
Black & Decker Inc.
Tibbits Pia
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