Battery charging device and method

Abstract

A battery charging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a current output unit configured to output a charging current to a battery for a preset charging time; a voltage measurement unit configured to measure the voltage of the battery; and a control unit configured to calculate a voltage change amount of the battery during the charging time, calculate a delay time according to a difference between a preset reference time corresponding to the voltage change amount and the charging time, and set charging conditions corresponding to the battery based on the calculated delay time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0168437 filed on December 06, 2022, and all the contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the said application are incorporated into this application.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery charging device and method, and more particularly, to a battery charging device and method capable of rapidly charging a battery.

Background Art

[0003] In recent years, the demand for portable electronic products such as notebook computers, video cameras, mobile phones, etc. has been rapidly growing, and as the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, satellites, etc. has become full-scale, efforts have been actively made in research on high-performance batteries that can be repeatedly charged and discharged.

[0004] Currently, commercially available batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium batteries, etc. Among them, lithium batteries are in the spotlight for their advantages of being able to charge and discharge freely because they hardly have a memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries, having a very low self-discharge rate, and having a high energy density.

[0005] The progress of commercialization of recent electrode drive devices such as electric vehicles, electric motorcycles, and electric assist bicycles is remarkable, and along with this, the need for high-capacity and high-performance batteries is increasing. However, as the capacity of the battery increases, the drawback that the time required for charging the battery also becomes longer has been pointed out. In order to solve such problems, efforts have been actively made in the development of technologies for rapidly charging batteries.

[0006] However, in order to rapidly charge a battery, specific information about the battery to be charged must be obtained. For example, prior information such as the specifications, state of health (SOH), and maximum permissible charge rate of the battery to be charged is necessary. Without such battery information, indiscriminate rapid charging can cause lithium to be deposited on the surface of the battery's negative electrode (lithium plating, Li-plating). If lithium is deposited on the surface of the negative electrode, it can lead to side reactions with the electrolyte and changes in the battery's kinetic balance, causing battery degradation. In addition, the deposition of lithium metal on the surface of the negative electrode can cause a short circuit inside the battery, posing a risk of ignition and explosion due to the short circuit.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to work on developing technology that can safely and rapidly charge batteries by directly acquiring battery information, even when there is no prior information about the battery. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] This invention was created to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a battery charging device and method that acquires battery information and safely and rapidly charges the battery.

[0009] Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood from the following description and will be more clearly demonstrated by the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A battery charging device according to one aspect of the present invention may include: a current output unit configured to output a charging current to a battery for a preset charging time; a voltage measuring unit configured to measure the voltage of the battery; and a control unit configured to calculate the amount of voltage change of the battery during the charging time, calculate a delay time according to the difference between a preset reference time corresponding to the amount of voltage change and the charging time, and set charging conditions corresponding to the battery based on the calculated delay time.

[0011] The control unit may be configured to determine the charge C rate corresponding to the battery based on the delay time and to set the determined charge C rate to the charging conditions.

[0012] The control unit may be configured to determine the charge C rate corresponding to the delay time based on a charge profile set to show the correspondence between the delay time and the charge C rate.

[0013] The control unit may be configured to calculate the amount of charging current during the charging time and to calculate the resistance of the battery based on the voltage change and the amount of charging current.

[0014] The control unit may be configured to set a preset reference time corresponding to the resistance.

[0015] The control unit may be configured to determine the charge C rate based on the delay time and the resistance.

[0016] The control unit may be configured to select a charge profile corresponding to a resistor from among multiple charge profiles when a charge profile is set for each of multiple resistors that shows the correspondence between the delay time and the charge C rate, and to determine the charge C rate corresponding to the delay time based on the selected charge profile.

[0017] The control unit may be configured to set a maximum C rate corresponding to the delay time, set a threshold C rate corresponding to the resistance, and determine the charging C rate to be the smaller of the maximum C rate and the threshold C rate.

[0018] The control unit may be configured to set the maximum C rate based on a first C rate profile showing the correspondence between the delay time and the maximum C rate, and to set the threshold C rate based on a second C rate profile showing the correspondence between the resistance and the threshold C rate.

[0019] The current output unit may be configured to charge the battery according to the charging conditions after the charging conditions have been set.

[0020] The control unit may be configured to calculate the full charging time of the battery according to the charging conditions.

[0021] A battery charging device according to another aspect of the present invention may further include a display unit configured to output at least one of the charging conditions and the full charging time.

[0022] A charging station according to yet another aspect of the present invention may include a battery charging device according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0023] A battery charging method according to yet another aspect of the present invention may include: a charging current output step of outputting a charging current to the battery for a preset charging time; a voltage measurement step of measuring the voltage of the battery; a voltage change calculation step of calculating the amount of voltage change of the battery during the charging time; a delay time calculation step of calculating a delay time according to the difference between a preset reference time corresponding to the amount of voltage change and the charging time; and a charging condition setting step of setting charging conditions corresponding to the battery based on the calculated delay time.

[0024] According to still another aspect of the present invention, the battery charging method may further include a charging step of charging the battery according to the charging conditions after the charging condition setting step.

Advantages of the Invention

[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, the battery charging device can set the charging C rate corresponding to the connected battery in real time. Therefore, even for a battery without prior information, it has the advantage of being able to charge quickly and safely.

[0026] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

[0027] The drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention together with the content of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not construed as being limited only to the matters described in the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028] [Figure 1] It is a diagram schematically showing a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram schematically showing an exemplary configuration of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram schematically showing the charging current output by a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a diagram schematically showing the voltage change of a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a diagram schematically showing a voltage profile according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a diagram schematically showing a charging profile according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]This diagram schematically shows multiple charging profiles according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This figure schematically shows the first C-rate profile according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This figure schematically shows a second C-rate profile according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This figure schematically illustrates a battery charging method according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This figure schematically illustrates a battery charging method according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0029] The terms and words used in this specification and in the claims are not to be interpreted in their ordinary or dictionary sense, but rather in a sense and concept corresponding to the technical idea of ​​the present invention, in accordance with the principle that the inventor may appropriately define the concept of a term in order to best describe the invention.

[0030] Therefore, the embodiments described herein and the configurations shown in the drawings represent only preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical concept of the invention. It should be understood that there are various equivalents and modifications that can be substituted for these embodiments at the time of filing this application.

[0031] Furthermore, in explaining the present invention, if it is deemed that a specific explanation of a known configuration or function related to the present invention would ambiguously obscure the gist of the present invention, such detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0032] Phrases containing ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish one of the various constituent elements from the others, and are not used to limit the constituent elements.

[0033] When a part of the specification is said to "include" a certain component, unless otherwise specified, this means that it may include other components rather than excluding them.

[0034] Furthermore, when a part of the specification is described as being "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where the parts are "directly connected," but also cases where they are "indirectly connected" with other elements in between.

[0035] In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0036] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a battery charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of the battery charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Referring to Figure 1, the battery charging device 100 may include a current output unit 110, a voltage measuring unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0038] Here, battery 10 refers to a single, physically separable, independent cell having a negative terminal and a positive terminal. For example, a lithium-ion battery or a lithium polymer battery may be considered a battery. Battery 10 may also refer to a battery module or battery pack containing multiple cells.

[0039] The current output unit 110 may be configured to output a charging current to the battery for a preset charging time.

[0040] Specifically, the current output unit 110 may be connected to the control unit 130 so as to be able to communicate with it. When the current output unit 110 receives a current output signal from the control unit 130, it may output a charging current for a preset charging time. For example, the charging time may be preset to a time of less than one second.

[0041] Here, the strength of the charging current can be preset to a specific value. Preferably, the strength of the charging current can be set to a specific value without considering the battery capacity.

[0042] For example, when a battery is connected to the battery charging device 100, the control unit 130 may transmit a current output signal to the current output unit 110. Upon receiving the current output signal, the current output unit 110 may output a current of a preset strength to the battery. That is, the current output unit 110 may charge the battery with a current of a preset strength for a preset charging time.

[0043] For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the current output unit 110 can be electrically connected to the positive and negative terminals of the battery 10. When the current output unit 110 receives a current output signal from the control unit 130, it can output a charging current to the battery 10.

[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the charging current output by a battery charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the X-axis may represent the time during which current is output, and the Y-axis may represent the current strength. For example, assume that at time t1, the current output unit 110 receives a current output signal from the control unit 130. The current output unit 110 can output a current with strength X (mA) for a preset charging time Δt. Preferably, the current output unit 110 can output a pulse current with strength X (mA) for a preset charging time Δt. The current output unit 110 can output a charging current to the battery from time t1 to time t2.

[0046] The voltage measuring unit 120 may be configured to measure the voltage of the battery.

[0047] Specifically, the voltage measuring unit 120 may be configured to measure the battery voltage while the battery is being charged by the charging current.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, while the current output unit 110 charges the battery 10 with a charging current, the voltage measurement unit 120 can measure the voltage of the battery 10 using the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2. Specifically, the voltage measurement unit 120 can measure the positive electrode potential of the battery 10 via the first sensing line SL1 and the negative electrode potential of the battery 10 via the second sensing line SL2. The voltage measurement unit 120 can then calculate the difference between the positive electrode potential and the negative electrode potential to measure the voltage of the battery 10.

[0049] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the change in battery voltage according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the voltage measuring unit 120 can measure the battery voltage during the charging time Δt for which a charging current is output. The battery voltage measured at time t1 may be V1, and the battery voltage measured at time t2 may be V2.

[0051] While the embodiment shown in Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment in which a pulsed current is output during the charging time Δt, please note that for ease of explanation, the embodiment shown in Figure 4 illustrates an embodiment in which a constant current is output during the charging time Δt.

[0052] The control unit 130 may be configured to calculate the amount of voltage change of the battery during the charging time.

[0053] Specifically, the voltage measurement unit 120 may be connected to the control unit 130 so as to be able to communicate with it. The voltage measurement unit 120 may transmit the measured battery voltage information to the control unit 130. Based on the voltage information received from the voltage measurement unit 120, the control unit 130 may calculate the amount of voltage change of the battery during the charging time. Here, the amount of voltage change refers to the amount of voltage increase of the battery corresponding to the charging current output from the current output unit 110. In other words, the control unit 130 may calculate the amount of voltage increase of the battery during the charging time.

[0054] For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the control unit 130 can receive voltage information from the voltage measurement unit 120 during the charging time Δt. If the voltage measured at time t1 is V1 and the voltage measured at time t2 is V2, the control unit 130 can calculate the voltage change (ΔV) based on the formula "V2-V1".

[0055] As another example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the control unit 130 may receive only voltage information at time points t1 and t2 from the voltage measurement unit 120. The control unit 130 can then calculate the voltage change (ΔV) by calculating "V2-V1".

[0056] The control unit 130 may be configured to calculate a delay time based on the difference between a preset reference time and a charging time, which are set to correspond to the voltage change.

[0057] Specifically, the control unit 130 can determine a preset reference time corresponding to the voltage change. Then, it can calculate the delay time by calculating the difference between the determined reference time and the charging time. Here, the charging time is the time it takes for the battery to be charged by the charging current, and corresponds to Δt in the embodiments of Figures 3 and 4.

[0058] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the voltage profile (VP) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the voltage profile (VP) can be preset to show the correspondence between the voltage change and the reference time. The control unit 130 can determine the reference time corresponding to the voltage change calculated based on the voltage profile (VP).

[0060] For example, suppose the charging time is Δt. If the calculated voltage change is ΔV1, the reference time can be determined to be S1. The control unit 130 can then calculate the delay time by calculating the difference between the reference time S1 and the measurement time Δt.

[0061] For example, the control unit 130 may calculate the delay time based on the formula "measurement time - reference time".

[0062] The control unit 130 may be configured to set charging conditions corresponding to the battery based on the calculated delay time.

[0063] Here, the charging conditions may be fast charging conditions corresponding to the battery. Specifically, the control unit 130 may be configured to determine the charge C rate corresponding to the battery based on the delay time and set the determined charge C rate as the charging condition.

[0064] In other words, the control unit 130 can determine the rapid charge C rate for the battery based on the voltage change during the charging time and the calculated delay time, without receiving any additional information about the battery.

[0065] More specifically, the control unit 130 may be configured to determine a charge C rate corresponding to a delay time based on a charge profile (P) that is set to show the correspondence between delay time and charge C rate.

[0066] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the charging profile (P) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the charging profile (P) can be pre-set to show the correspondence between delay time and charging C rate. The control unit 130 can determine the charging C rate corresponding to the delay time calculated based on the charging profile (P). That is, the control unit 130 can determine a charging C rate that allows for rapid charging of the battery based on the delay time.

[0068] After the charging conditions are set, the current output unit 110 may be configured to charge the battery according to the charging conditions.

[0069] A battery charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of being able to set the charging C rate corresponding to the connected battery in real time, so that it can safely and rapidly charge even batteries for which no prior information is available.

[0070] On the other hand, the control unit 130 provided in the battery charging device 100 may selectively include, in order to activate the various control logics performed in the present invention, processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), other chipsets, logic circuits, registers, communication modems, data processing devices, etc., that are known in the industry. Furthermore, when the control logic is implemented by software, the control unit 130 may be implemented by a collection of program modules. In this case, the program modules are stored in memory and can be activated by the control unit 130. The memory may reside inside or outside the processor and may be connected to the processor by various well-known computer components. Furthermore, the memory may reside inside or outside the control unit 130 and may be connected to the control unit 130 by a wide variety of well-known means.

[0071] Furthermore, the battery charging device 100 may further include a storage unit 140. The storage unit 140 can store data and programs necessary for each component of the battery charging device 100 to operate and function, or data generated during the process of operation and functioning. The storage unit 140 is not particularly limited in type, as long as it is a known information storage means capable of recording, erasing, updating, and reading data. Examples of information storage means include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and registers. The storage unit 140 may also store program code that defines processes that can be executed by the control unit 130.

[0072] For example, the memory unit 140 may store a voltage profile (VP) and a charge profile (P). The control unit 130 may access the memory unit 140 to retrieve the voltage profile (VP) and the charge profile (P). The memory unit 140 may also store the voltage value of the battery 10 measured by the voltage measurement unit 120.

[0073] The control unit 130 may be configured to calculate the amount of charging current during the charging time.

[0074] For example, the control unit 130 can calculate the amount of charging current by multiplying the current strength of the charging current output from the current output unit 110 by the charging time.

[0075] The control unit 130 may be configured to calculate the battery resistance based on the voltage change and the charging current.

[0076] Specifically, the control unit 130 can calculate the resistance based on the voltage change and charging current, using Ohm's law. For example, the control unit 130 can calculate the battery resistance based on the formula "voltage change ÷ charging current".

[0077] The following describes an embodiment in which the charging conditions are set using the resistance calculated by the control unit 130.

[0078] In one embodiment, the control unit 130 may be configured to set a preset reference time corresponding to the resistance.

[0079] Specifically, a reference time can be set not only for the voltage change but also for the resistance. Therefore, the control unit 130 can set a reference time corresponding to the resistance and calculate a delay time according to the difference between the reference time and the measurement time. Based on the calculated delay time, the control unit 130 can then set the battery charging conditions.

[0080] In another embodiment, the control unit 130 may be configured to determine the charge C rate based on the delay time and resistance.

[0081] The control unit 130 may be configured to select the charge profile (P) corresponding to a resistor from among the multiple charge profiles (P) when a charge profile (P) is set for each of the multiple resistors to show the correspondence between delay time and charge C rate.

[0082] Specifically, one charge profile (P) can be pre-set for each of the multiple resistors.

[0083] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing multiple charging profiles (P) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0084] In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, a charging profile (P) can be pre-set for each of the multiple resistors R1 to Rn. That is, a total of n charging profiles (P) can be pre-set.

[0085] The control unit 130 may select a charging profile (P) from among a plurality of charging profiles (P) that corresponds to the calculated resistance. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, if the calculated resistance is R1, the control unit 130 may select a charging profile (P) that corresponds to the R1 resistance.

[0086] The control unit 130 may be configured to determine the charge C rate corresponding to the delay time based on the selected charge profile (P).

[0087] Specifically, the control unit 130 can determine the charge C rate for the battery by substituting the calculated delay time into the selected charge profile (P). The control unit 130 can then set the determined charge C rate as the charging condition for the battery. In this case, the current output unit 110 can charge the battery at the charge C rate according to the set charging condition.

[0088] A battery charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention can determine an optimized charge C rate for the battery by considering both resistance and delay time. Therefore, it becomes possible to safely fast charge the battery in a way that prevents lithium metal deposition.

[0089] In yet another embodiment, the control unit 130 may be configured to set the maximum C rate corresponding to the delay time.

[0090] Specifically, the control unit 130 may not directly set the charge C rate corresponding to the delay time, but may first set the maximum C rate corresponding to the delay time. Here, the maximum C rate is a value predetermined for the delay time, and may represent the theoretical maximum value of the C rate applicable to the battery corresponding to that delay time.

[0091] Specifically, the control unit 130 may be configured to set the maximum C rate based on a first C rate profile (CP1) that shows the correspondence between delay time and the maximum C rate.

[0092] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing a first C-rate profile (CP1) according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, the storage unit 140 may store the first C-rate profile (CP1). The control unit 130 may access the storage unit 140 and retrieve the first C-rate profile (CP1).

[0093] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the first C-rate profile (CP1) can be preset to show the correspondence between delay time and the maximum C-rate. The control unit 130 can determine the maximum C-rate corresponding to the delay time calculated based on the first C-rate profile (CP1).

[0094] For example, if the delay time is Δd1, the maximum C rate can be determined to be M1.

[0095] The control unit 130 may be configured to set a threshold C rate corresponding to the resistance.

[0096] Specifically, the control unit 130 may not directly set the charge C rate corresponding to the resistor, but may first set a threshold C rate corresponding to the resistor. Here, the threshold C rate is a value predetermined for the resistor, and the critical C rate may mean the theoretical maximum value of the C rate applicable to the battery corresponding to that resistor.

[0097] Specifically, the control unit 130 may be configured to set the threshold C rate based on a second C rate profile (CP2) that shows the correspondence between resistance and threshold C rate.

[0098] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing a second C-rate profile (CP2) according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, the storage unit 140 may store the second C-rate profile (CP2). The control unit 130 may access the storage unit 140 and retrieve the second C-rate profile (CP2).

[0099] In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the second C-rate profile (CP2) can be preset to show the correspondence between resistance and threshold C-rate. The control unit 130 can determine the threshold C-rate corresponding to the resistance calculated based on the second C-rate profile (CP2).

[0100] For example, if the resistance is R1, the threshold C rate can be determined to be Th1.

[0101] The control unit 130 may be configured to determine the charging C rate as the smaller of the maximum C rate and the threshold C rate.

[0102] Preferably, the maximum C rate and the threshold C rate can be independent values. That is, the maximum C rate is the C rate corresponding to the battery's delay time, and the threshold C rate is the C rate corresponding to the battery's resistance. Therefore, the maximum C rate and the threshold C rate are independent of each other and can be compared by the control unit 130 for safer rapid charging.

[0103] Generally, the higher the charge C rate, the faster the battery can be charged. However, during the rapid charging process, stress is applied to the battery, and lithium metal may be deposited on the surface of the negative electrode. Therefore, preventing lithium metal deposition and determining a charge C rate that allows for rapid charging of the battery is extremely important from the perspective of rapid charging and stability. The control unit 130 can set charging conditions that allow for safe rapid charging of the battery by determining the charge C rate to be the smaller of the maximum C rate and the threshold C rate.

[0104] The control unit 130 may be configured to calculate the battery's full charge time according to the charging conditions.

[0105] Specifically, the control unit 130 can calculate the full charging time required for the battery to reach full charge when charging under set charging conditions. Preferably, the control unit 130 can calculate the full charging time required for the battery voltage to reach a preset charging termination voltage.

[0106] For example, the control unit 130 can calculate the full charging time until the battery voltage reaches a preset charging termination voltage, based on the voltage change amount according to the charging current during the charging time, and according to the charging C rate.

[0107] In one embodiment, the control unit 130 can calculate the full charging time using the following formula.

[0108] [Mathematics 1] ΔV:(C1×Δt)=(Vf-Vi):(C2×tc) Here, we can summarize equation 1 as shown in equation 2.

[0109] [Math 2] tc=(C1×Δt)×(Vf-Vi)÷(ΔV×C2) Here, Δt is the charging time, ΔV is the voltage change during the charging time, and C1 is the value obtained by converting the charging current during the charging time into a C-rate value. For example, in the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4, the control unit 130 can calculate the voltage change (ΔV) and then determine a battery capacity that is set in advance to correspond to the calculated voltage change (ΔV). The control unit 130 can then convert the charging current X into a C-rate value by comparing the determined battery capacity with the charging current X.

[0110] Furthermore, Vf is a preset charging termination voltage, and Vi is the current battery voltage. C2 is the charging C rate determined by the control unit 130, and tc is the full charging time. The control unit 130 can calculate the full charging time tc based on equation 1 and / or equation 2.

[0111] Referring to Figure 1, the battery charging device 100 may further include a display unit 150 configured to output at least one of the charging conditions and the full charging time.

[0112] The display unit 150 can output the charging conditions set by the control unit 130 and / or the full charging time calculated by the control unit 130. Therefore, the user can easily check under what charging conditions the battery is being charged and when it will be fully charged.

[0113] A battery charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may be included in a charging station. That is, a charging station according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a battery charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0114] Specifically, a charging station is a station capable of charging batteries. For example, a charging station can charge not only batteries included in means of transportation such as electric vehicles, electric motorcycles, and electric-assist bicycles, but also portable batteries. More specifically, a charging station can be a charging station capable of charging batteries.

[0115] Preferably, the charging station may include one or more battery charging devices 100. For example, the charging station may include one or more terminals, each of which may include a battery charging device 100. The battery electrically connected to the battery charging device 100 may be charged by one embodiment of the present invention.

[0116] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is an advantage in that even batteries for which no prior information is available can be safely and rapidly charged at a charging station.

[0117] Figures 10 and 11 schematically illustrate a battery charging method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0118] Preferably, each step of the battery charging method may be performed by the battery charging device 100. For the sake of clarity, the following explanations will omit or simplify any content that overlaps with the above explanations.

[0119] Referring to Figure 10, the battery charging method may include a charging current output step (S100), a voltage measurement step (S200), a voltage change calculation step (S300), a delay time calculation step (S400), and a charging condition setting step (S500).

[0120] The charging current output step (S100) is a step in which a charging current is output to the battery for a preset charging time, and this can be performed by the current output unit 110.

[0121] For example, when the battery charging device 100 is connected to a battery, the current output unit 110 can receive a current output signal from the control unit 130. From the time the current output signal is received, the current output unit 110 can output a charging current of a predetermined strength to the battery for a predetermined charging time.

[0122] The voltage measurement step (S200) is a step of measuring the voltage of the battery, which may be performed by the voltage measurement unit 120.

[0123] For example, the voltage measurement unit 120 can measure the battery voltage during the charging time.

[0124] The voltage change calculation step (S300) is a step of calculating the amount of voltage change of the battery during the charging time, and can be performed by the control unit 130.

[0125] For example, the control unit 130 can calculate the voltage change by calculating the difference between the voltage at the start of charging and the voltage at the end of charging. In other words, the control unit 130 can calculate the voltage change of the battery according to the amount of charging current applied during the charging time.

[0126] For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the control unit 130 can calculate the voltage change (ΔV) during the charging time Δt.

[0127] The delay time calculation step (S400) is a step in which the delay time is calculated according to the difference between a preset reference time and a charging time that corresponds to the voltage change, and this step may be performed by the control unit 130.

[0128] For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the control unit 130 can first determine a reference time corresponding to the voltage change (ΔV) based on the voltage profile (VP). Then, it can calculate the delay time based on the difference between the charging time Δt and the reference time. Here, the reference time is the theoretical time corresponding to the voltage change, and the charging time is the time during which the charging current is actually applied. Therefore, by calculating the difference between the charging time and the reference time, the control unit 130 can calculate the delay time required for the battery voltage to change.

[0129] The charging condition setting step (S500) is a step of setting charging conditions corresponding to the battery based on the calculated delay time, and may be performed by the control unit 130.

[0130] Since this delay time reflects the state of the battery, the control unit 130 can set charging conditions corresponding to the battery according to the delay time, even if prior information about the battery cannot be obtained.

[0131] For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the control unit 130 may determine a charge C rate corresponding to the delay time based on the charge profile (P). The control unit 130 may then set the charge C rate as a charge condition for the battery.

[0132] Referring to Figure 11, the battery charging method may further include a charging step (S600).

[0133] The charging step (S600), which takes place after the charging condition setting step (S500), is a step in which the battery is charged according to the charging conditions, and can be performed by the current output unit 110.

[0134] For example, when the battery charging conditions are set by the control unit 130, the current output unit 110 can rapidly charge the battery under the set charging conditions (specifically, the set charge C rate).

[0135] The embodiments of the present invention described above are not limited to apparatus and methods, but can also be realized through a program that implements the functions corresponding to the configuration of the embodiments of the present invention, or through a recording medium on which such a program is recorded. Such implementation can be easily achieved by experts in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, based on the above-described embodiments.

[0136] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto, and that various modifications and variations can be made by persons with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, within the equivalent scope of the technical concept and claims of the present invention.

[0137] Furthermore, the present invention described above can be modified and altered in various ways by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, without departing from the technical spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is not limited by the embodiments described above and the accompanying drawings, but rather can be constructed by selectively combining all or part of each embodiment for various modifications. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0138] 10 batteries 100 Battery Charging Devices 110 Current output section 120 Voltage Measurement Section 130 Control Unit 140 Storage section 150 Display section

Claims

1. A current output unit configured to output a pre-set charging current to the battery at a specific intensity value for a pre-set charging time, A voltage measuring unit configured to measure the voltage of the aforementioned battery, A control unit configured to calculate the voltage change of the battery during the charging time, calculate a delay time according to the difference between a preset reference time and the charging time corresponding to the voltage change, and set charging conditions corresponding to the battery based on the calculated delay time, A battery charging device, including a battery charger.

2. The control unit, The battery charging device according to claim 1, configured to determine the charge C rate corresponding to the battery based on the delay time and to set the determined charge C rate as the charging condition.

3. The control unit, The battery charging device according to claim 2, configured to determine the charge C rate corresponding to the delay time based on a charging profile set to show the relationship between the delay time and the charge C rate.

4. The control unit, The battery charging device according to claim 2, configured to calculate the amount of charging current during the charging time and to calculate the resistance of the battery based on the amount of voltage change and the amount of charging current.

5. The control unit, The battery charging device according to claim 4, configured to set the reference time to correspond to the resistance based on the voltage change amount.

6. The control unit, The battery charging device according to claim 4, configured to determine the charge C rate based on the delay time and the resistance.

7. The control unit, The battery charging device according to claim 6, wherein, if a charging profile is set for each of a plurality of resistors to show the correspondence between the delay time and the charging C rate, the device is configured to select a charging profile corresponding to the resistor from among the plurality of charging profiles and to determine the charging C rate corresponding to the delay time based on the selected charging profile.

8. The control unit, The battery charging device according to claim 4, configured to set a maximum C rate corresponding to the delay time, set a threshold C rate corresponding to the resistance, and determine the charging C rate to be the smaller of the maximum C rate and the threshold C rate.

9. The control unit, The battery charging device according to claim 8, configured to set the maximum C rate based on a first C rate profile showing the correspondence between the delay time and the maximum C rate, and to set the threshold C rate based on a second C rate profile showing the correspondence between the resistance and the threshold C rate.

10. The current output section is, The battery charging device according to claim 1, configured to charge the battery according to the charging conditions after the charging conditions have been set.

11. The control unit, The system is configured to calculate the full charging time of the battery according to the aforementioned charging conditions. The battery charging device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to output at least one of the charging conditions and the full charging time.

12. A charging station including a battery charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A charging current output step that outputs a charging current to the battery at a predetermined intensity value for a predetermined charging time, A voltage measurement step for measuring the voltage of the aforementioned battery, A voltage change calculation step for calculating the amount of voltage change of the battery during the charging time, A delay time calculation step, which calculates a delay time according to the difference between a reference time and the charging time that are set in advance to correspond to the voltage change amount, A charging condition setting step in which charging conditions corresponding to the battery are set based on the calculated delay time, Battery charging methods, including [specific details].

14. A method for charging a battery according to claim 13, further comprising a charging step of charging the battery according to the charging conditions after the charging condition setting step.

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