CHARGE MANAGEMENT DEVICE, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND CHARGE MANAGEMENT METHOD

Abstract

To provide a charge management device capable of suppressing degradation of a secondary battery when a state of connecting to a charger continues.SOLUTION: A charge management device can connect to a charger and a secondary battery and comprises a time measurement section which measures the time when connection of the charge management device with the charger continues and a power supply control section which charges the secondary battery with charge power supplied by the charger and makes the state of charge of the second battery reach that of a charging end stage, and the power supply control section, after the time point when the time reaches a set time, supplies discharge power discharged by the secondary battery to a load and determines whether or not the state of charge lowers to a specific state of charge lower than that of the charging end stage and after the time point when the state of charge lowers to the specific state of charge, stops to supply the discharge power to the load and supplies power supplied by the charger to the load.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charge management device, an electronic device, and a charge management method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for controlling discharge according to the voltage of a battery pack consisting of multiple unit cells connected in series. Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for measuring the voltage between the charging terminals of a device having a lithium-ion battery from the time charging of the lithium-ion battery is stopped, and continuing to stop charging if the voltage is equal to or higher than a set voltage, and charging the lithium-ion battery when the voltage is detected to be equal to or lower than the set voltage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-249237 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-110627 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the secondary battery may deteriorate due to repeated discharge depending on the voltage of the secondary battery. In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the state in which an electronic device including a secondary battery is connected to a charger continues, charging and discharging of the secondary battery are repeated in order to maintain the voltage of the secondary battery at a set voltage. Therefore, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the state in which an electronic device including a secondary battery is connected to a charger continues, charging and discharging of the secondary battery may deteriorate due to repeated charging and discharging of the secondary battery. One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a charge management device, an electronic device, and a charge management method that can suppress deterioration of the secondary battery when the state of connection to the charger continues. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A charging management device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a charging management device connectable to a charger and a secondary battery, and includes a time measurement unit that measures the time that the connection between the charging management device and the charger continues, and a power supply control unit that charges the secondary battery with charging power supplied by the charger and causes the secondary battery to reach an end of charge state, wherein after the time reaches a set time, the power supply control unit supplies discharge power discharged by the secondary battery to a load to determine whether the charge state has dropped to a specific charge state that is lower than the end of charge, and after the charge state has dropped to the specific charge state, stops supplying the discharge power to the load and supplies the power supplied by the charger to the load.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes a charge management device connectable to a charger and a secondary battery, the charge management device including a time measurement unit that measures a time during which the charge management device and the charger are connected, and a power supply control unit that charges the secondary battery with charging power supplied by the charger to bring the secondary battery to an end of charge, the power supply control unit supplies a discharge power discharged by the secondary battery to a load after the time reaches a set time, and determines whether the state of charge has decreased to a specific state of charge lower than the end of charge, and stops supplying the discharge power to the load after the state of charge has decreased to the specific state of charge, and supplies the power supplied by the charger to the load.

[0007] A charging management method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of: measuring the time during which a connection between a charger and a charging management device connectable to a charger and a secondary battery continues; charging the secondary battery with charging power supplied by the charger to bring the secondary battery to an end of charging; after the time reaches a set time, supplying discharge power discharged by the secondary battery to a load to determine whether the charge state has dropped to a specific charge state lower than the end of charging; and, after the charge state has dropped to the specific charge state, stopping the supply of the discharge power to the load and supplying the power supplied by the charger to the load. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of an electronic device. [Diagram 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the electronic device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a time transition of a charging state of a secondary battery; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a charge management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] First embodiment A first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic device 100. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the electronic device 100 includes a secondary battery 101, a load 102, and a charging management device 103. The electronic device is a smartphone, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, or the like. The electronic device 100 is connectable to a charger 111.

[0011] The secondary battery 101 is a rechargeable battery that drives the electronic device 100. For example, the secondary battery 101 is a lithium ion battery. The secondary battery 101 may be a secondary battery other than a lithium ion battery.

[0012] The load 102 includes a system processing circuit 104. The system processing circuit 104 performs processing for implementing the functions of the electronic device 100. The system processing circuit 104 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like. The system processing circuit 104 may also control display processing for a liquid crystal display or the like included in the electronic device 100.

[0013] The charging management device 103 can be connected to the charger 111 and the secondary battery 101, and controls the supply of power to the secondary battery 101 and the load 102. For example, the charging management device 103 is realized by a switching device, a step-up circuit, a step-down circuit, a microcomputer, a CPU, or other control circuit.

[0014] The charging management device 103 includes a charger connection unit 105, a connection detection unit 106, a time measurement unit 107, and a power supply control unit 108. The charger connection unit 105 is an interface for connecting a charger 111 to the charging management device 103. The connection detection unit 106 detects the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111. The time measurement unit 107 measures the time during which the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 continues. The power supply control unit 108 controls the supply of power to the secondary battery 101 and the load 102.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the electronic device 100. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of time transition of the state of charge (SOC (State of Charge)) of the secondary battery 101. It is assumed that the charger 111 is connected to a power source when the electronic device 100 starts the processing of step S201 illustrated in FIG. 2. Furthermore, in this example, it is assumed that the state of charge of the secondary battery 101 is lower than the end of charging when the electronic device 100 starts the processing of step S201. In other words, it is assumed that the secondary battery 101 is not fully charged when the electronic device 100 starts the processing of step S201.

[0016] In step S201, the connection detection unit 106 determines whether or not the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 is detected. For example, the connection detection unit 106 may detect the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 by detecting that the charger connection unit 105 and the charger 111 are connected and a voltage is applied to the power supply control unit 108. Alternatively, in the case where the charger connection unit 105 has a locking mechanism for fitting the electronic device 100 and the charger 111, the connection detection unit 106 may detect the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 by detecting that the locking mechanism is operated and the electronic device 100 and the charger 111 are fitted together. The connection detection unit 106 only needs to detect the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111, and the details of the method for detecting the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 are not important.

[0017] If the connection detection unit 106 does not detect the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 in step S201, the charging management device 103 returns the process to step S201. That is, the connection detection unit 106 repeats the process of step S201 before the time t300 at which the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 is detected. On the other hand, if the connection detection unit 106 detects the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 in step S201, the time measurement unit 107 starts measuring time in step S202. That is, the time measurement unit 107 starts measuring time in response to the charger 111 being connected to the charging management device 103. In this example, after the connection detection unit 106 detects the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111, the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 is assumed to continue until the process of step S212 is executed.

[0018] In step S203, the power supply control unit 108 starts supplying charging power 121 from the charger 111 to the secondary battery 101 to charge the secondary battery 101. For example, when a switching device such as a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) or an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) is provided in the current path between the charger connection unit 105 and the secondary battery 101, the power supply control unit 108 conducts the current path between the charger connection unit 105 and the secondary battery 101 using the switching device, and charges the secondary battery 101 with the charging power 121 supplied by the charger 111.

[0019] In step S204, the power supply control unit 108 determines whether or not the charging state of the secondary battery 101 has reached the end of charging. That is, the power supply control unit 108 determines whether or not the secondary battery 101 has reached a fully charged state.

[0020] If the charging state of the secondary battery 101 has not reached the end of charging in step S204, the charging management device 103 returns the process to step S203. That is, before time t301 at which the charging state of the secondary battery 101 reaches the end of charging, the power supply control unit 108 charges the secondary battery 101 with the charging power 121 supplied by the charger 111. As a result, the power supply control unit 108 charges the secondary battery 101 with the charging power 121 supplied by the charger 111, and causes the charging state of the secondary battery 101 to reach the end of charging. That is, the power supply control unit 108 charges the secondary battery 101 with the charging power 121 supplied by the charger 111 until the secondary battery 101 reaches the full charging state.

[0021] On the other hand, if the charging state of the secondary battery 101 reaches the end of charging in step S204, the power supply control unit 108 stops supplying the charging power 121 from the charger 111 to the secondary battery 101 in step S205. For example, if a switching device is provided between the charger connection unit 105 and the secondary battery 101, the power supply control unit 108 interrupts the current path between the charger connection unit 105 and the secondary battery 101 using the switching device, thereby stopping the supply of the charging power 121 from the charger 111 to the secondary battery 101.

[0022] In step S206, the power supply control unit 108 supplies power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102. For example, when a switching device is provided between the charger connection unit 105 and the load 102, the power supply control unit 108 causes the switching device to conduct a current path between the charger connection unit 105 and the load 102, and supplies the power 122 supplied by the charger 111 to the load 102. Then, the power supply control unit 108 causes the system processing circuit 104 to perform processing for realizing the functions of the electronic device 100 using the power 122.

[0023] By executing the processes from step S205 to step S206 by the charge management device 103, it is possible to suppress overcharging of the secondary battery 101 and suppress deterioration of the secondary battery 101 due to overcharging. Furthermore, by executing the processes from step S205 to step S206 by the charge management device 103, the secondary battery 101 is not charged or discharged, and a decrease in the charge state of the secondary battery 101 is suppressed, while the system processing circuit 104 performs processing to realize the functions of the electronic device 100.

[0024] In step S207, the power supply control unit 108 determines whether or not a set time has elapsed since the time measurement unit 107 started measuring time. That is, in step S207, the power supply control unit 108 determines whether or not a set time has elapsed since the electronic device 100 and the charger 111 were connected. For example, the set time is a time that can suppress deterioration of the secondary battery 101 when the charge state of the secondary battery 101 is at the end of charging. For example, when the time required for the charge state of the secondary battery 101 to reach the end of charging from the end of discharging is 2 hours, the set time is 1 day.

[0025] In step S207, if the set time has not elapsed since the time measurement unit 107 started measuring the time, the charging management device 103 returns the process to step S206. That is, the power supply control unit 108 supplies power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102 by the process of step S206 if the time is after time t301 when the charging state of the secondary battery 101 reaches the end of charging and before time t302 when the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 continues.

[0026] On the other hand, if the set time has elapsed since the time measurement unit 107 started measuring the time in step S207, the power supply control unit 108 stops supplying the power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102 in step S208. That is, if the time during which the connection between the charging management device 103 and the charger 111 continues is after time t302 at which the set time has been reached, the power supply control unit 108 stops supplying the power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102. For example, if a switching device is provided in the current path between the charger connection unit 105 and the load 102, the power supply control unit 108 interrupts the current path between the charger connection unit 105 and the load 102 by the switching device, and stops supplying the power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102.

[0027] In step S209, the power supply control unit 108 supplies discharge power 123 from the secondary battery 101 to the load 102. For example, when a switching device is provided in a current path between the secondary battery 101 and the load 102, the power supply control unit 108 causes the switching device to conduct the current path between the secondary battery 101 and the load 102. As a result, the power supply control unit 108 supplies discharge power 123 from the secondary battery 101 to the load 102, and causes the system processing circuit 104 to perform processing to realize the functions of the electronic device 100.

[0028] By executing the processes of steps S208 to S209, the charge management device 103 can maintain a state in which power is supplied to the load 102 while suppressing deterioration of the secondary battery 101 caused by maintaining the secondary battery 101 at the end of charge for a long period of time. Furthermore, when the secondary battery 101 is at the end of charge, the charge management device 103 can suppress a decrease in the charge state of the secondary battery 101 for a time period in which deterioration of the secondary battery 101 can be suppressed, thereby suppressing a decrease in the convenience of the electronic device 100 caused by a decrease in the charge state.

[0029] In step S210, the power supply control unit 108 determines whether the state of charge of the secondary battery 101 has dropped to a specific state of charge that is lower than the end of charging. That is, the power supply control unit 108 determines whether the state of charge has dropped to a specific state of charge that is lower than the end of charging by supplying the discharged power 123 discharged by the secondary battery 101 to the load 102 after time t302 when the time measured by the time measurement unit 107 reaches the set time. For example, the specific state of charge is a state in which battery deterioration is unlikely to progress even if the secondary battery 101 is maintained at a constant voltage for a long period of time. In step S210, the power supply control unit 108 may determine that the state of charge of the secondary battery 101 has dropped to the specific state of charge when the voltage of the secondary battery 101 has dropped to a predetermined threshold or lower.

[0030] If the state of charge of the secondary battery 101 has not decreased to the specific state of charge in step S210, the charge management device 103 returns the process to step S209. That is, the discharge power 123 continues to be supplied from the secondary battery 101 to the load 102 until the state of charge of the secondary battery 101 decreases to the specific state of charge.

[0031] On the other hand, if the charge state of the secondary battery 101 drops to the specific charge state in step S210, the power supply control unit 108 stops supplying the discharge power 123 from the secondary battery 101 to the load 102 in step S211. For example, if a switching device is provided in the current path between the secondary battery 101 and the load 102, the power supply control unit 108 interrupts the current path between the secondary battery 101 and the load 102 using the switching device, thereby stopping the supply of the discharge power 123 from the secondary battery 101 to the load 102.

[0032] In step S212, the power supply control unit 108 supplies the power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102. That is, after time t303 when the charge state of the secondary battery 101 drops to the specific charge state, the power supply control unit 108 stops supplying the discharge power 123 to the load 102 and supplies the power 122 supplied by the charger 111 to the load 102. For example, when a switching device is provided in the current path between the charger connection unit 105 and the load 102, the power supply control unit 108 causes the switching device to conduct the current path between the charger connection unit 105 and the load 102, and supplies the power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102. Then, the power supply control unit 108 causes the system processing circuit 104 to perform processing for realizing the functions of the electronic device 100 using the power 122.

[0033] The power supply control unit 108 continues to supply power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102 until the connection between the electronic device 100 and the charger 111 is released. Therefore, by executing the processes from step S211 to step S212, the charge management device 103 can supply power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102 while maintaining the specific charge state and suppressing a decrease in the charge state of the secondary battery 101 without charging or discharging the secondary battery 101, and can cause the system processing circuit 104 to perform a process for realizing the function of the electronic device 100. Furthermore, by executing the processes from step S211 to step S212, the charge management device 103 can suppress charging and discharging of the secondary battery 101 and suppress deterioration of the secondary battery 101 due to charging and discharging.

[0034] As a result, even if the electronic device 100 remains connected to the charger 111 for a long period of time, the electronic device 100 can suppress deterioration of the secondary battery 101 by suppressing charging and discharging of the secondary battery 101 and maintaining the charged state lower than the end of charging.

[0035] (Modification 1) As Modification 1 of the charging management device 103 according to the present embodiment, the time measurement unit 107 may start measuring time in response to the secondary battery 101 reaching the end of charging. In this case, in step S207, the power supply control unit 108 determines whether a set time has elapsed since the start of measuring time in response to the secondary battery 101 reaching the end of charging. That is, the power supply control unit 108 supplies power 122 from the charger 111 to the load 102 while suppressing a decrease in the charge state of the secondary battery 101 without charging or discharging the secondary battery 101 for a set time after the secondary battery 101 reaches the end of charging. As a result, in this modification 1, the charging management device 103 suppresses a decrease in the charge state of the secondary battery 101 for a set time after the start of measuring time in response to the secondary battery 101 reaching the end of charging, thereby suppressing a decrease in the convenience of the electronic device 100.

[0036] Second Embodiment The second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. Configurations and processes having substantially the same functions as the first embodiment will be referred to by the same reference numerals, and explanations will be omitted, and differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a charge management system 400 according to the present embodiment. The charge management system 400 includes a charge management device 401, a secondary battery 402, a load 403, and a charger 404. The charge management device 401, the secondary battery 402, and the charger 404 are similar to the charge management device 103, the secondary battery 101, and the charger 111 illustrated in FIG. 1, respectively, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, the functional configuration of the charge management device 401 is similar to the charge management device 103 illustrated in FIG. 1, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. However, in the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the charge management device 401 and the load 403 are different devices, and the load 403 may constitute a device other than an electronic device.

[0038] The charging management device 401 can be connected to a charger 404 and a secondary battery 402. Furthermore, the charging management device 401 is connected to a load 403. For example, the charging management device 401 is realized by a computer having a CPU. The charger 404 supplies charging power 411 to the secondary battery 402. The load 403 may be a circuit or the like that operates with power 412 supplied from the charger 404 and discharge power 413 supplied from the secondary battery 402, and the details thereof are not important.

[0039] The charge management device 401, like the charge management device 103 according to the first embodiment, can suppress deterioration of the secondary battery 101 by maintaining the charge state lower than the end of charging while suppressing charging and discharging of the secondary battery 101. Furthermore, like the charge management device 103 according to the first embodiment, the charge management device 401 can cause the load 403 to operate while suppressing deterioration of the secondary battery 402.

[0040] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in the respective embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 100 Electronic device, 101 Secondary battery, 102 Load, 103 Charging management device, 104 System processing circuit, 105 Charger connection unit, 106 Connection detection unit, 107 Time measurement unit, 108 Power supply control unit, 111 Charger, 121 Charging power, 122 Power, 123 Discharging power, 400 Charging management system, 401 Charging management device, 402 Secondary battery, 403 Load, 404 Charger, 411 Charging power, 412 Power, 413 Discharging power

Claims

1. A charge management device connectable to a charger and a secondary battery, A time measurement unit that measures a time during which the connection between the charging management device and the charger continues; a power supply control unit that charges the secondary battery with charging power supplied by the charger and causes the secondary battery to reach a charging end state; Equipped with The power supply control unit is After the time reaches the set time, supplying discharge power discharged by the secondary battery to a load to determine whether the state of charge has decreased to a specific state of charge that is lower than the end of charge; A charge management device that stops supplying the discharged power to the load after the point in time when the state of charge has decreased to the specific state of charge, and supplies the power supplied by the charger to the load.

2. 2. The charge management device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply control unit supplies the power to the load after the charging state reaches the end of charging and before the power supply control unit starts to supply the discharged power to the load.

3. 3. The charging management device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply control unit determines that the charging state has dropped to the specific charging state when the voltage of the secondary battery drops below a predetermined threshold after the time reaches the set time.

4. The charge management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the measuring of the time is initiated in response to the charger being connected to the charge management device.

5. An electronic device comprising the charge management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the load comprises a system processing circuit that performs processing to realize a function of the electronic device.

7. measuring a time during which a connection between a charger and a charge management device connectable to the charger and the secondary battery continues; charging the secondary battery with charging power supplied by the charger to bring the secondary battery to a charging end state; a step of determining whether or not the state of charge has decreased to a specific state of charge lower than the end of charge after the time reaches a set time and discharge power discharged from the secondary battery is supplied to a load; after the state of charge has decreased to the specific state of charge, supplying the discharge power to the load is stopped and the power supplied by the charger is supplied to the load; A charge management method comprising:

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