Electronic device and method for determining fast charging mode of battery cell

Abstract

A method for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell and an electronic device for performing the method are disclosed. The method includes the following steps: setting charging conditions, which include a set of charging currents comprising multiple charging currents of the battery cell, the total charging capacity of the battery cell, and the total charging time of the battery cell; determining a first set of individual charging times, which includes multiple individual charging times corresponding to the multiple charging currents that satisfy the charging conditions; determining a charging sequence of the multiple charging currents corresponding to the first set of individual charging times; determining a second set of individual charging times based on the charging sequence of the multiple charging currents, which includes multiple individual charging times in which the voltage increase of the battery cell becomes minimal after charging; and determining the charging sequence and the second set of individual charging times as a fast charging mode for the battery cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a method for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell and an electronic device for performing the method. Background Technology

[0002] As the application environments for lithium-ion batteries become more diverse, the importance of fast charging technology is increasing. This allows users to quickly fully charge and operate the battery in a short time, without long waiting periods. The key to fast charging technology for lithium-ion batteries lies in high efficiency and stability. Research is ongoing to find methods to charge batteries at rates faster than existing methods, while minimizing problems such as heat generation and reduced battery life during the charging process. Regarding fast charging technology for lithium-ion batteries, based on results from three-electrode experiments, the main approach is to first charge the battery with a high current, then gradually charge it with a lower current. Various studies are underway to further optimize fast charging methods. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Technical goals

[0004] A method for determining a charging mode for a battery cell and an electronic device for performing the method are provided according to an exemplary embodiment. Specifically, a charging mode for fast charging is explored and provided, which minimizes battery cell degradation through a single fast charge when multiple charging currents, the total charging capacity of the battery cell, and the total charging time of the battery cell are limited (in other words, under limited fast charging conditions).

[0005] The technical tasks achieved through this exemplary embodiment are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other technical tasks can be inferred from the following exemplary embodiments.

[0006] Technical solution

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell, performed by an electronic device, includes: setting charging conditions, the charging conditions including a set of charging currents comprising a plurality of charging currents of the battery cell, a total charging capacity of the battery cell, and a total charging time of the battery cell; determining a first set of individual charging times, the first set of individual charging times including a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of the plurality of charging currents satisfying the charging conditions; determining a charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents corresponding to the first set of individual charging times; determining a second set of individual charging times based on the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents, the second set of individual charging times including a plurality of individual charging times in which the voltage increase of the battery cell becomes minimal after charging; and determining the charging sequence and the second set of individual charging times as a fast charging mode for the battery cell.

[0008] Determining the first set of individual charging times may include: obtaining a set of multiple individual charging times such that the value obtained by multiplying a predetermined charging current included in the charging current of the battery cell and a predetermined charging time corresponding to the predetermined charging current is equal to the total charging capacity of the battery cell, and the sum of the predetermined charging times is equal to the total charging time of the battery cell, and the set of individual charging times in which the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell satisfies a threshold voltage the fewest times during the entire charging process is determined as the first set of individual charging times.

[0009] Determining the charging sequence may include determining the order of the charging current sets that satisfy the threshold voltage of the battery cell the fewest times during the entire charging process, based on the charging current values ​​corresponding to the first individual charging time set.

[0010] The method for determining a fast charging mode of a battery cell performed by an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment may further include: after performing charging according to the fast charging mode of the battery cell, obtaining information about the capacity degradation degree of the battery cell and information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell.

[0011] Based on information about the capacity degradation of the battery cell and information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell, the method for determining a fast charging mode of a battery cell performed by an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment may further include: setting charging conditions, the charging conditions including a set of charging currents comprising a plurality of charging currents of the battery cell after charging is performed, the total charging capacity of the battery cell after charging is performed, and the total charging time of the battery cell after charging is performed; determining a third individual charging time set, the third individual charging time set including a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of the plurality of charging currents that satisfy the charging conditions; determining a fourth individual charging time set, based on the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents, in which the charging voltage of the battery cell becomes minimum after charging is performed and includes a plurality of individual charging times; and determining the charging sequence and the fourth individual charging time set as the fast charging mode of the battery cell after charging is performed.

[0012] Setting the charging conditions may include generating a matrix whose elements are values ​​of multiple charging currents and a matrix whose elements are values ​​of total charging capacity and total charging time, and determining the first set of charging currents may include arbitrarily changing the order of each element in the matrix whose elements are values ​​of the multiple charging currents, and determining a first set of charging currents including multiple individual charging times corresponding to each charging current whose order has been changed.

[0013] Each of the plurality of charging currents included in the set of charging currents may include a different value.

[0014] The charging conditions can be determined based on at least one of the internal temperature of the battery cell, the initial state of charge (SoC) of the battery cell, and the internal resistance of the battery cell.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment, an electronic device for performing a method of determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell includes a memory configured to store instructions and a processor connected to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: set charging conditions, the charging conditions including a set of charging currents comprising a plurality of charging currents of the battery cell, a total charging capacity of the battery cell, and a total charging time of the battery cell; determine a first set of individual charging times, the first set of individual charging times including a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of the plurality of charging currents satisfying the charging conditions; determine a charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents corresponding to the first set of individual charging times; determine a second set of individual charging times based on the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents, the second set of individual charging times including a plurality of individual charging times in which the increase in charging voltage of the battery cell becomes minimal; and determine the charging sequence and the second set of individual charging times as a fast charging mode for the battery cell.

[0016] Other aspects of exemplary embodiments will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of this disclosure.

[0017] Beneficial effects

[0018] According to the exemplary implementation, one or more of the following effects can be expected.

[0019] According to these exemplary embodiments, multiple individual charging times that satisfy the charging conditions can be obtained, the charging conditions including a set of charging currents consisting of multiple charging currents of the battery cell, the total charging capacity of the battery cell, and the total charging time of the battery cell.

[0020] Furthermore, according to the exemplary embodiment, an optimal fast charging mode can be determined, through which the rapid charging of the battery cell minimizes the reduction of the negative electrode voltage and reduces the reduction and degradation of the battery cell life caused by fast charging.

[0021] Furthermore, according to an exemplary embodiment, by obtaining information about the capacity degradation of the battery cell after fast charging is complete and information about the increase in internal resistance, the optimal fast charging current pattern can be continuously reflected according to the changed battery cell specifications.

[0022] The effects of this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other effects may become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1The interconnection of an electronic device for determining a fast charging mode of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0025] Figure 3a and Figure 3b This is a diagram used to explain the operation of determining a first individual set of charging times in a method for determining the fast charging mode of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0026] Figure 4a and Figure 4b This is a diagram used to explain the operation of determining the charging sequence of multiple charging currents in a method for determining the fast charging mode of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0027] Figure 5a and Figure 5b The accompanying drawings are for explaining the operation of determining the charging sequence and a second separate set of charging times as the fast charging mode of the battery cell in a method for determining the fast charging mode of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0028] Figures 6a to 6c This is a diagram used to explain the effect of a method for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an electronic device for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Where possible, terms used in the exemplary embodiments are selected from currently widely used general terminology while taking into account the functionality of this disclosure. However, these terms may vary depending on the intent or precedent of those skilled in the art, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in some cases, there are terms arbitrarily chosen by the applicant, and in these cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the corresponding description. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should be defined based on the meaning of the terms and the content of this disclosure, rather than on the simple names of the terms.

[0031] Throughout the specification, when a component is described as "including or containing" an element, it does not exclude another element, but may include another element, unless otherwise stated.

[0032] The expression “at least one of a, b and c” described throughout the specification may include “a alone”, “b alone”, “c alone”, “a and b”, “a and c”, “b and c” or “all of a, b and c”.

[0033] In this disclosure, a "terminal" can be implemented as, for example, a computer or portable terminal capable of accessing a server or another terminal via a network. Here, a computer can include, for example, a laptop computer, desktop computer, and / or laptop computer equipped with a web browser. A portable terminal can be a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility, and includes (but is not limited to) any type of handheld wireless communication device, such as a tablet PC, a smartphone, or a terminal based on communications such as International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), W-CDMA, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc.

[0034] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, enabling those skilled in the art to readily implement them. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0035] In the following description, exemplary embodiments based on the technical concept of this disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Figure 1 The interconnection of an electronic device for determining the impedance of a target battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0037] See Figure 1 The electronic device 100 can operate in conjunction with a battery management device 200 that manages the battery cell 300. Here, the battery cell 300 may include a battery cell capable of undergoing fast charging. Meanwhile, Figure 1 Only elements relevant to this exemplary embodiment are shown. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that, in addition to... Figure 1 In addition to the elements shown, other general elements may also be included.

[0038] Electronic device 100 is a device for organizing and providing various types of information. Electronic device 100 can perform various operations to set charging conditions for fast charging of the battery cell, and determine a first individual charging time set satisfying predetermined conditions from multiple individual charging time sets corresponding to each of multiple charging currents satisfying the charging conditions. Electronic device 100 can perform simulations to determine the optimal charging time corresponding to the first individual charging time set and provide the results. Furthermore, when the determined optimal charging time is fixed, electronic device 100 can also perform simulations on the charging results based on the multiple individual charging time sets satisfying the charging conditions. Electronic device 100 can additionally perform various operations to determine a second individual charging time set satisfying certain conditions from the multiple individual charging time sets. Thus, electronic device 100 can perform the entire process of determining a fast charging mode taking into account the condition of a predetermined battery cell.

[0039] Battery management device 200 may include one or more sensors for measuring parameters of battery cell 300, such as current, voltage, SoC, internal resistance, and internal temperature. Battery management device 200 may include memory and a processor (not shown) for various operations. In other words, battery management device 200 is similar to electronic device 100, operating based on memory and a processor, but additionally includes sensors for measuring and calculating parameters of battery cell 300. Alternatively, battery management device 200 may perform all the operations and simulations performed by electronic device 100, as briefly described above.

[0040] Here, the electronic device 100 and the battery management device 200 can be completely separate and independent objects. However, the electronic device 100 and the battery management device 200 can exist only conceptually independently within a single device or system. In other words, a single computing device with control functions for the battery cells can perform the functions of both the electronic device 100 and the battery management device 200 described below. Therefore, this exemplary embodiment is also considered to fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0041] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 2 A battery analysis method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0043] Reference Figure 2In operation S210, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can set charging conditions, which include a set of charging currents consisting of multiple charging currents of the battery cells, the total charging capacity of the battery cells, and the total charging time of the battery cells. In this case, the charging conditions can be determined based on at least one of the internal temperature of the battery cells, the initial SoC of the battery cells, and the internal resistance of the battery cells, and can also be determined based on electrochemical parameters from electrochemical simulations from other cloud battery management devices or vehicle battery management devices. Each of the charging currents set including multiple charging currents of the battery cells, the total charging capacity of the battery cells, and the total charging time of the battery cells can be determined based on the user's needs for using the battery cells. The electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can generate a matrix having multiple charging current values ​​as elements and a matrix having a total charging capacity value and a total charging time value as elements. In this case, rows or columns of elements including multiple charging current values ​​can correspond to the set of charging currents. In this case, rows or columns of elements that are multiple individual charging time values ​​correspond to each of the multiple charging currents. In this case, each of the multiple charging currents included in the set of charging currents can have different values. Furthermore, the number of multiple charging currents included in multiple charging current sets and the number of individual charging times can be the same.

[0044] In operation S220, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can determine a first individual charging time set, which includes a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of a plurality of charging currents that satisfy charging conditions. In operation S220, the electronic device 100 can obtain a plurality of individual charging time sets such that the sum of values ​​obtained by multiplying a predetermined charging current included in the charging current of the battery cell by a predetermined charging time corresponding to the predetermined charging current equals the total charging capacity of the battery cell, and the sum of all predetermined charging times equals the total charging time of the battery cell.

[0045] In this case, based on the charging current set including multiple charging currents, the total charging capacity of the battery cells, and the total charging time of the battery cells, the first individual charging time set can be determined based on the following Equation 1, wherein the first individual charging time set includes multiple individual charging times corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents.

[0046] [Equation 1]

[0047] in this case, to Each can correspond to a different charging current; to This can correspond to multiple individual charging times, each charging time corresponding to each of multiple charging currents; Q can correspond to the total charging capacity of the battery pack; and This can correspond to the total charging time of the battery cell. In other words, the number of each charging current can be equal to the number of individual charging times. In this case, the first row of the first matrix on the left side of Equation 1 can correspond to the set of charging currents corresponding to the row whose elements include the values ​​of multiple charging currents. In this case, the first column of the second matrix on the left side of Equation 1 can correspond to a set of individual charging times, which corresponds to a column whose elements include the values ​​of multiple individual charging times corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents. For example, in Equation 1, the unknown... to The number is n (for example, n is a natural number greater than 2), and there are two formulas: one for the total charging capacity of the battery cells, and one for the total charging time of the battery cells. Therefore, if to If the value is positive, then to Many values ​​of can satisfy Equation 1. In operation S220, in order to determine the set of charging currents to be used as the basis for optimization, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can arbitrarily determine the order of each element in a matrix with multiple charging current values ​​as elements. The electronic device 100 can obtain any particular solution that satisfies the matrix relation of Equation 1, and obtain a homogeneous solution according to the null space of the first matrix on the left side of Equation 1, and the electronic device 100 can obtain a general solution by linearly combining the arbitrary particular solution with the homogeneous solution. The electronic device 100 can arbitrarily determine the order of each element of the matrix as described above, and determine a critical number of solutions (e.g., 100,000 times) by repeating the process of finding the homogeneous solution, the particular solution, and the general solution up to a critical number (e.g., 100,000 times). In other words, in operation S220, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can determine a threshold number of individual charging times or a set of more individual charging times, each individual charging time including multiple individual charging times corresponding to multiple charging currents. In operation S220, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can perform fast charging for a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of the plurality of charging currents obtained, and then determine the set of individual charging times corresponding to the case where the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell satisfies the threshold voltage (e.g., 0V) the least number of times as the first set of individual charging times.

[0048] For example, when fast-charging battery cells, if it is described that the total charging capacity of 13306Q is charged using charging currents of 5.2A, 4.8A, 4.32A, 3.84A, 3.36A, 2.88A, 2.4A, 1.92A, and 1.44A, and the total charging time (which is the sum of the individual charging times corresponding to each charging current) is 3600 (seconds), Equation 1 can be expressed as Equation 2 below.

[0049] [Equation 2]

[0050] By processing S220, the unknown in equation 2 is satisfied. to Each charging set can be determined as shown in Equation 3 below.

[0051] [Equation 3]

[0052] In another example implementation, when the electronic device 100 arbitrarily determines the order of each element of a matrix of multiple charging currents, Equation 1 can be expressed as Equation 4 below.

[0053] [Equation 4]

[0054] By processing S220, the unknown in equation 4 is satisfied. to Each charging set can be determined as shown in Equation 5 below.

[0055] [Equation 5]

[0056] In this case, the two different matrices on the left side of equation 3 ( and ) and the two different matrices on the left side of equation 5 ( and Each of these can correspond to a single set of charging times. However, the case where the elements in Equations 2 to 5 are matrices of multiple charging currents is merely an exemplary implementation. When a total of 9 charging currents are used for charging, there can be 9! matrices, and there can be an infinite number of sets of single charging times that satisfy this condition. Below... Figure 3a and Figure 3b The process of determining the first individual charging time set within the mentioned individual charging time set is described in detail.

[0057] In operation S230, the electronic device 100 according to the example embodiment can determine the charging sequence of multiple charging currents corresponding to a first individual charging time set. For example, even when charging is performed on the same multiple charging currents and corresponding multiple individual charging times, the fast charging efficiency of the battery cell can vary depending on the charging current and sequence used for fast charging, and in operation S230, the electronic device 100 can determine the sequence of charging currents of the battery cell with optimal efficiency. In this case, when the number of multiple charging currents is N, the total number of charging sequences can be defined as N!. In operation S230, by arbitrarily changing the charging sequence of the multiple charging currents while keeping the first individual charging time set unchanged, the electronic device 100 can perform fast charging with multiple individual charging times corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents, and then the electronic device 100 can determine the charging sequence corresponding to the case where the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell satisfies the threshold voltage (e.g., 0V) the fewest times.

[0058] In operation S240, based on the charging sequence of multiple charging currents, the electronic device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment can determine a second set of individual charging times, which includes multiple individual charging times in which the voltage increase of the battery cell after charging is minimized. For example, the electronic device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment can perform charging by only changing multiple individual charging times corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents while maintaining the same charging sequence determined in the previous operation S230, and determine the second set of individual charging times based on the charging sequence of the multiple charging currents, which includes multiple individual charging times in which the voltage increase of the battery cell after charging is minimized, so that the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell is as small as possible below 0V compared to the L1 reference potential in which lithium deposition occurs. In another example embodiment, the electronic device 100 can determine a second set of individual charging times, which includes multiple individual charging times in which the positive electrode voltage of the battery cell after charging is minimized. The voltage increase of the battery cell becomes minimal when the negative electrode voltage drop of the charged battery cell is minimal, or when the positive electrode voltage increase of the charged battery cell is minimal. Therefore, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can determine a second individual charging time set corresponding to the case where the voltage increase of the charged battery cell is less than a threshold voltage. In this case, the second individual charging time set is generally different from the first individual charging time set discussed in operation S220, but after charging in the charging sequence determined based on the first individual charging time set, the second individual charging time set, which includes the individual charging time when the voltage increase of the battery cell is minimal, can be the same as the first individual charging time set.

[0059] In operation S250, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can determine a charging sequence and a second individual charging time set as a fast charging mode for the battery cell. The electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can determine the fast charging mode for the battery cell by charging the battery cell using multiple individual charging times included in the second individual charging time set, corresponding to the charging sequence of the multiple charging currents determined in operation S230. After performing charging according to the fast charging mode of the battery cell, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can further perform operations to obtain information about the capacity degradation degree of the battery cell and information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell. Then, the electronic device can perform the aforementioned operations to determine a fast charging mode suitable for the modified specifications of the battery cell after fast charging. In other words, based on information about the capacity degradation of the battery cell and information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can set charging conditions, which include a set of charging currents consisting of multiple charging currents of the battery cell after charging, the total charging capacity of the battery cell after charging, and the total charging time of the battery cell after charging. The electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can determine a third individual charging time set including multiple individual charging times corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents that satisfy the charging conditions, determine the charging order of the multiple charging currents corresponding to the third individual charging time set, determine a fourth individual charging time set based on the charging order of the multiple charging currents, wherein the charging voltage of the battery cell after charging is the smallest and includes multiple individual charging times, and determine the charging order and the fourth individual charging time set as a fast charging mode for the battery cell after charging. Through this process, electronic device 100 can determine, for example, that the capacity degradation of a battery cell (based on information about the capacity degradation of the battery cell) has increased by a critical percentage (e.g., 5%) compared to before, or that the internal resistance of a battery cell (based on information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell) has increased by a critical percentage (e.g., 10%), and electronic device 100 can appropriately determine a fast charging mode for fast charging based on the specifications of the battery cell that change at the start of life (BOL), mid-life (MOL), and end of life (EOL).

[0060] Figure 3a and Figure 3b This is a diagram used to explain the operation of determining a first individual set of charging times in a method for determining the fast charging mode of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0061] Reference Figure 3a Combined with reference Figure 2In the described operation S220, when the battery cell is fast-charged according to each of a plurality of individual charging time sets including a set of individual charging times X1 to X4 as in the previous exemplary embodiment, a graph 301 showing the change of charging current over time and a graph 302 showing the change of charging current over the SoC of the battery cell can be observed. Curve 311 in the charging current graph 301 and curve 312 in the charging current graph 302 according to the SoC of the battery cell represent a case where the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents is randomly set and charging is performed according to a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of the plurality of charging currents. In this case, the total time from the SoC at the first start of fast charging to the SoC at the end of fast charging and the total charging capacity can be the same for all curves included in curves 311 and 312.

[0062] Reference Figure 3b The diagram 303 shows the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell's SoC before fast charging is complete. According to an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 can determine a first individual charging time set as the set of individual charging times that corresponds to the case where the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell meets a threshold voltage the fewest times during the entire charging process. The more overcharging occurs during fast charging of the battery cell, the greater the decrease in negative electrode voltage and the increase in battery degradation. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 can determine the first individual charging time set as the set of individual charging times that minimizes the number of times the negative electrode voltage reaches (violates) the threshold voltage (e.g., 0V) during the entire charging process. For example, refer to... Figure 3b As shown in the figure, based on the individual charging current set, when charging is performed using the individual charging time set 314 among all the individual charging time sets shown in the threshold voltage reach chart 304, the number of negative electrode voltages reaching the threshold voltage (violation number) is minimized. Therefore, the electronic device 100 according to the example embodiment can determine the individual charging time set 314 as the first individual charging time set. Subsequently, the electronic device 100 can determine the order of charging currents during charging based on the individual charging time set 314.

[0063] Figure 4a and Figure 4b This is a diagram used to explain the operation of determining the charging sequence of multiple charging currents in a method for determining a fast charging mode of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0064] Reference Figure 4a Combined with reference Figure 2 and Figure 3bThe described operation S230, when fast charging of the battery cell is performed according to a single charging time set 314 (which is the first single charging time set determined in the previous exemplary embodiment), observes a graph 401 showing the charging current changing over time and a graph 402 showing the charging current according to the SoC of the battery cell. Curve 411 included in the graph 401 showing the charging current changing over time and curve 412 included in the graph 402 showing the charging current changing with the SoC of the battery cell can represent a situation where charging is performed with a corresponding charging current according to the single charging time set 314, which is the first single charging time set in the previous example, but the order of the corresponding charging currents is arbitrarily changed. In this case, the total time required from the SoC when fast charging first begins to the SoC when fast charging stops, and the total charging capacity, can be the same for all curves.

[0065] Reference Figure 4b According to an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 can determine the charging sequence based on a set of charging current settings corresponding to the case where the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell meets a threshold voltage the fewest times during the entire charging process, based on the charging current value corresponding to a first individual charging time set. For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 can determine a charging sequence in the case of multiple charging sequences, namely, a charging sequence in which the negative electrode voltage reaches (violates) a threshold voltage (e.g., 0V) the fewest times during the entire charging process. For example, when using... Figure 4b When charging is performed using charging sequence case 413 out of all the charging sequence cases shown in Figure 403, it is shown that the number of times the negative electrode voltage reaches the threshold voltage (violation count) is the fewest. Therefore, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can determine the charging sequence according to the order of the charging current set corresponding to charging sequence case 413.

[0066] Figure 5a and Figure 5b The accompanying drawings are for explaining the operation of determining the charging sequence and a second separate set of charging times as the fast charging mode of the battery cell in a method for determining the fast charging mode of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0067] Reference Figure 5a Combined with reference Figure 2 and Figure 4bThe described operation S240, when performing fast charging of the battery cell according to charging sequence case 413 as determined in the previous exemplary embodiment, observes a graph 501 showing the charging current changing over time and a graph 502 showing the charging current according to the SoC of the battery cell. Curve 511 included in graph 501 showing the charging current changing over time and curve 512 included in graph 502 showing the charging current changing with the SoC of the battery cell can represent a situation where charging is performed according to the order of charging currents corresponding to charging sequence case 413 as in the previous exemplary embodiment, but by arbitrarily changing the individual charging time corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents. In this case, the total time (the time from the SoC at the first start of fast charging to the SoC at the end of fast charging) and the total charging capacity may be the same for all graphs.

[0068] Reference Figure 5b After fast charging is completed according to the charging sequence based on charging sequence example 413, the electronic device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can determine a second individual charging time set as the individual charging time set that minimizes the increase in battery cell voltage during the entire charging process. For example, when such... Figure 5b As shown in Figure 503, when fast charging is performed according to the charging sequence based on charging sequence case 413 with multiple individual charging times corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents, curve 514 shows the lowest increase in battery cell voltage. The lowest increase in battery cell voltage after fast charging implies the lowest decrease in the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell after fast charging, and this indicates minimal battery degradation. Therefore, electronic device 100 can determine the set of individual charging times used in curve 514 as a second set of individual charging times. Electronic device 100 can then determine the charging sequence as the fast charging mode for the battery cell based on charging sequence case 413 and the previously determined second set of individual charging times.

[0069] Figures 6a to 6c This is a diagram used to explain the effect of a method for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0070] Reference Figure 6a According to the exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 can determine the fast charging mode through the above-described process. When fast charging is performed according to the fast charging mode, a graph 601 showing the negative electrode voltage corresponding to the SoC of the battery cell and a graph 602 showing the negative electrode voltage corresponding to the SoC of the battery cell are observed.

[0071] When comparing the first fast charging mode curve 611 and the second fast charging mode curve 621 in graph 601, which includes the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell, it is observed that in the case of the second fast charging mode curve 621, compared with the first fast charging mode curve 611, the negative electrode voltage contacts the aforementioned threshold voltage fewer times as the SoC increases through fast charging, and the decrease in negative electrode voltage is less throughout the charging process. Furthermore, when comparing the first fast charging mode curve 612 and the second fast charging mode curve 622 in graph 602, which includes the positive electrode voltage of the battery cell, it is observed that in the case of the second fast charging mode curve 622, compared with the first fast charging mode curve 612, the increase in positive electrode voltage throughout the charging process as the SoC increases through fast charging is smaller. Therefore, it is observed that the increase in battery cell voltage when following the second fast charging mode is less than the increase in battery cell voltage when following the first fast charging mode, and that the second fast charging mode is closer to the optimal fast charging mode than the first fast charging mode.

[0072] Reference Figure 6b When fast charging is performed according to the fast charging mode determined according to the exemplary embodiment, a charging current curve 603 corresponding to the SoC of the battery cell and a voltage curve 604 corresponding to the SoC of the battery cell are observed. A first fast charging mode curve 613, a second fast charging mode curve 623, and a general fast charging mode curve 633 are observed in the charging current curve 603 corresponding to the SoC of the battery cell, and voltage change curves 614, 624, and 634 of the battery cell according to the first fast charging mode, the second fast charging mode, and the general mode, respectively, are observed in the voltage curve 604 corresponding to the SoC of the battery cell. In this case, charging according to the normal fast charging mode takes approximately 21.6 minutes, but according to the exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the entire charging process takes approximately 19.3 minutes. Referring to the voltage change curve 624 of the battery cell according to the second fast charging mode, it was observed that the voltage increase of the battery cell was smaller compared with the other curve (voltage change curve 614) and curve (voltage change curve 634).

[0073] Reference Figure 6cA graph 605 showing the capacity retention rate based on the number of charging repetitions in the fast charging mode was observed. When comparing the curve 615 for the second fast charging mode included in graph 605 regarding the capacity retention rate based on the number of charging repetitions in the fast charging mode with the curve 625 for the normal charging mode, it was observed that the degree of degradation in the capacity retention rate of the battery cell under the same number of charging repetitions was smaller in curve 615 for the second fast charging mode than in curve 625 for the normal charging mode.

[0074] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an electronic device for determining the impedance of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0075] Figure 7 A block diagram of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. According to the exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include a memory 101 and a processor 102. Figure 7 The electronic device 100 shown only illustrates elements relevant to this exemplary embodiment. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, in addition to… Figure 7 In addition to the components shown, other general-purpose components may also be included, as described herein.

[0076] As hardware storing various data processed within the electronic device 100, the memory 101 according to an exemplary embodiment may be located within the processor 102 of the electronic device 100, and may store the processed data and the data to be processed by the processor 102. Furthermore, the memory may not only store basic programming and data structures that can provide the functionality of at least one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, but may also store applications (programs, code modules, and commands) and drivers that can provide the functionality of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. The memory may include random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), CD-ROM, Blu-ray and other optical disc storage devices, hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), or flash memory. However, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0077] In an exemplary embodiment, processor 102 may be included in a controller. Processor 102 can control the overall operation of electronic device 100 and can process data and signals. Processor 102 may consist of at least one hardware unit. Furthermore, processor 102 may be operated by one or more software modules generated by executing program code stored in memory 101. Because processor 102 may include memory, processor 102 can execute program code stored in memory to control the overall operation of electronic device 100 and process data and signals.

[0078] The processor 102 can be configured to: set charging conditions, the charging conditions including a set of charging currents comprising multiple charging currents of the battery cells, the total charging capacity of the battery cells, and the total charging time of the battery cells; determine a first set of individual charging times, the first set of individual charging times including multiple individual charging times corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents that satisfy the charging conditions; determine a charging sequence of the multiple charging currents corresponding to the first set of individual charging times; based on the charging sequence of the multiple charging currents, determine a second set of individual charging times, the second set of individual charging times including multiple individual charging times in which the voltage increase of the battery cells becomes minimal; and determine the charging sequence and the second set of individual charging times as a fast charging mode for the battery cells.

[0079] According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor 102 can be configured to determine, during the entire charging process, the order of the charging current sets in which the number of times the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell satisfies the threshold voltage is the minimum value as the charging sequence, based on the charging current values ​​corresponding to the first individual charging time set.

[0080] According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor 102 can be configured to further perform the following actions after charging is performed according to the fast charging mode of the battery cell: obtaining information about the capacity degradation of the battery cell and information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell.

[0081] According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor 102 can be configured to further perform the following operations based on information about the capacity degradation of the battery cell and information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell: setting charging conditions, the charging conditions including a set of charging currents consisting of multiple charging currents of the battery cell after charging is performed, the total charging capacity of the battery cell after charging is performed, and the total charging time of the battery cell after charging is performed; determining a third individual charging time set, the third individual charging time set including a charging sequence of multiple individual charging times corresponding to each of the multiple charging currents that satisfy the charging conditions; determining a charging sequence of the multiple charging currents corresponding to the third individual charging time set; determining a fourth individual charging time set based on the charging sequence of the multiple charging currents, in which the charging voltage of the battery cell becomes minimum after charging is performed and includes multiple individual charging times; and determining the charging sequence and the fourth individual charging time set as a fast charging mode for the battery cell after charging is performed.

[0082] According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor 102 may be configured to further perform the following operations: generate a matrix whose elements are values ​​of a plurality of charging currents and a matrix whose elements are values ​​of total charging capacity and total charging time; and arbitrarily change the order of each element of the matrix whose elements are values ​​of a plurality of charging currents; and determine a first set of charging currents, the first set of charging currents including a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each charging current in the changed order.

[0083] According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor 102 can be configured such that each charging current in a plurality of charging currents included in a charging current set has a different value.

[0084] According to an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 may further include a transceiver for performing wired / wireless communication. The electronic device 100 can use the transceiver to communicate with an external electronic device (e.g., battery management device 200). The external electronic device may be a terminal or a server. Furthermore, the communication technologies that the repeater can use include GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 5G, WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), and Bluetooth. TM RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), etc.

[0085] Electronic devices according to the exemplary embodiments described above may include a processor, memory (such as permanent memory for storing and executing program data, like a disk drive), and / or user interface devices such as communication ports, touch panels, keys, and / or buttons for communicating with external devices. Methods implemented as software modules or algorithms may be stored as computer-readable code or program instructions executable on a processor in a computer-readable recording medium. Here, computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, RAM, floppy disks, and hard disks) and optically readable media (e.g., CD-ROMs and DVDs). The computer-readable recording medium may be distributed across a network-connected computer system, allowing computer-readable code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The medium may be computer-readable, stored in memory, and executed on a processor.

[0086] Exemplary implementations can be represented by functional block elements and various processing steps. These functional blocks can be implemented in any number of hardware and / or software configurations that perform predetermined functions. For example, exemplary implementations can employ integrated circuit configurations, such as memory, processing, logic, and / or lookup tables, which can perform various functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Similar to elements that can be implemented as software programming or software elements, exemplary implementations can be implemented in programming or scripting languages ​​such as C, C++, C#, Java, assembly language, etc., including various algorithms implemented as combinations of data structures, processes, routines, or other programming constructs. Functional aspects can be implemented in algorithms running on one or more processors. Furthermore, exemplary implementations can employ existing technologies in electronic environment setup, signal processing, and / or data processing. Terms such as “mechanism,” “element,” “device,” and “configuration” can be used broadly and are not limited to mechanical and physical elements. These terms can include the meaning of a series of software routines associated with processors, etc.

[0087] The exemplary embodiments described above are merely examples, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the claims described later.

Claims

1. A method for determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell, the method comprising the following steps: The charging conditions are set, including a set of charging currents consisting of multiple charging currents of the battery cells, the total charging capacity of the battery cells, and the total charging time of the battery cells. A first set of individual charging times is determined, the first set of individual charging times comprising a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of the plurality of charging currents that satisfy the charging conditions. Determine the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents corresponding to the first individual charging time set; Based on the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents, a second set of individual charging times is determined, the second set of individual charging times including the plurality of individual charging times in which the voltage increase of the battery cell becomes minimal after charging; as well as The charging sequence and the second individual charging time set are determined as the fast charging mode for the battery cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining the first individual charging time set includes the following steps: A set of multiple individual charging times is obtained such that the value obtained by adding the values ​​obtained by multiplying a predetermined charging current included in the charging current of the battery cell and a predetermined charging time corresponding to the predetermined charging current is equal to the total charging capacity of the battery cell, and the sum of the predetermined charging times is equal to the total charging time of the battery cell; and The set of individual charging times in which the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell satisfies the threshold voltage the fewest times during the entire charging process is determined as the first individual charging time set.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining the charging sequence includes: determining the order of the charging current sets that minimize the number of times the negative electrode voltage of the battery cell satisfies the threshold voltage during the entire charging process based on the charging current value corresponding to the first individual charging time set as the charging sequence.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: After charging is performed according to the fast charging mode of the battery cell, information about the capacity degradation of the battery cell and information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell are obtained.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the following step: Based on information about the capacity degradation of the battery cell and information about the increase in the internal resistance of the battery cell, charging conditions are set, the charging conditions including a set of charging currents consisting of multiple charging currents of the battery cell after charging is performed, the total charging capacity of the battery cell after charging is performed, and the total charging time of the battery cell after charging is performed. A third set of individual charging times is determined, the third set of individual charging times comprising a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of the plurality of charging currents that satisfy the charging conditions; Determine the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents corresponding to the third individual charging time set; Based on the charging sequence of the multiple charging currents, a fourth individual charging time set is determined. In the fourth individual charging time set, the charging voltage of the battery cell becomes the minimum after charging is performed, and the fourth individual charging time set includes multiple individual charging times. as well as The charging sequence and the fourth individual charging time set are determined as the fast charging mode for the battery cell after the charging is performed.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Setting the charging conditions includes generating a matrix whose elements are the values ​​of the multiple charging currents and a matrix whose elements are the values ​​of the total charging capacity and the total charging time. Determining the first individual charging time set includes the following steps: Arbitrarily change the order of each element in a matrix whose elements are the values ​​of the plurality of charging currents, and determine a first individual charging time set, the first individual charging time set including a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each charging current in the changed order.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, Each of the plurality of charging currents included in the charging current set has a different value.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The charging conditions are determined based on at least one of the internal temperature of the battery cell, the initial state of charge (SoC) of the battery cell, and the internal resistance of the battery cell.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded on a computer for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An electronic device for performing a method of determining a fast charging mode for a battery cell, the electronic device comprising: A memory configured to store instructions; as well as The processor is connected to the memory. The processor is configured as follows: Set charging conditions, which include a set of charging currents consisting of multiple charging currents of the battery cells, the total charging capacity of the battery cells, and the total charging time of the battery cells; A first set of individual charging times is determined, the first set of individual charging times comprising a plurality of individual charging times corresponding to each of the plurality of charging currents that satisfy the charging conditions. Determine the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents corresponding to the first individual charging time set; Based on the charging sequence of the plurality of charging currents, a second individual charging time set is determined, the second individual charging time set including the plurality of individual charging times in which the increase in charging voltage of the battery cell becomes minimal; and The charging sequence and the second individual charging time set are determined as the fast charging mode for the battery cell.

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