Charging method and electronic device

Abstract

Provided in the present invention are a charging method and an electronic device, which can be applied to the technical field of electronics. The charging method comprises: upon determining that the electronic device is in a first charging gear of a fast charging stage, obtaining a battery voltage measurement result from a voltameter; and when the charging current reaches a current threshold value corresponding to the first charging gear, and the battery voltage reaches a voltage threshold value corresponding to the first charging gear, ending the charging stage corresponding to the first charging gear. The battery voltage is measured via a voltameter, the battery voltage measurement error of which is generally 7.5 mV, which is relatively smaller than the battery voltage measurement error of a fast charging chip; therefore, by measuring the battery voltage via the voltameter, the voltage threshold value corresponding to a charging gear can be configured to be relatively higher, thereby increasing the duration of the fast charging stage or a charging stage having a larger charging current, and increasing the charging time in the charging stage having a larger charging current, thus reducing the charging time in the other stages and saving overall charging time.

Description

Charging method and electronic device

[0001] This invention claims priority from the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on July 5, 2023, with application number CN202310821243.0 and application name "A Charging Method and Electronic Device". Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of electronic technology, and in particular to a charging method and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0003] Currently, electronic devices such as mobile phones are equipped with rechargeable batteries to power the electronic devices and enable them to operate normally.

[0004] However, with the rapid development of electronic devices, the rate of battery consumption has also increased significantly. In order to balance this problem, more and more manufacturers have introduced fast charging technology to use fast charging technology to charge the batteries of electronic devices and increase the battery charging speed.

[0005] Taking the charging of the BM025 battery in a mobile phone as an example, fast charging technology can be used to charge the battery in the fast charging stage. The fast charging stage can be divided into multiple charging gears. Since the battery voltage is currently mainly measured by the fast charging chip, the error in the voltage measurement by the fast charging chip is large, generally 20mV. Taking the cut-off voltage of the battery in the first charging gear as an example, for example, 4.25V, in order to avoid the risk of overcharging by continuing to charge with a relatively large current when the battery voltage exceeds the cut-off voltage of the battery, the charging voltage will stop increasing when the measured cut-off voltage reaches 4.23V, and then the charging current will be reduced until the current threshold is reached, ending the current charging gear and entering the next charging gear. In this way, since the charging stage with a large charging current is ended in advance, the charging time in the charging stage with a large charging current will be reduced, which will cause the charging time of other stages to increase, and the overall charging time will be too long.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The charging method and electronic device provided in the present application solve the problem of prematurely ending the charging stage with a large charging current. Therefore, the charging time in the charging stage with a large charging current will be reduced, which will cause the charging time in other stages to increase, and the overall charging time will be too long.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0009] In a first aspect, the present application provides a charging method, which can be applied to an electronic device, comprising:

[0010] It is possible to determine whether the battery voltage reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear based on the voltage detection result, wherein the first charging gear can be one of the multiple charging gears in the fast charging stage, and the charging current and cut-off voltage of each charging gear in the fast charging stage are different. The voltage threshold corresponding to each charging gear is determined by the measurement error of the fuel meter and the cut-off voltage corresponding to each charging gear. When the charging current reaches the current threshold corresponding to the first charging gear and the battery voltage reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear, the charging stage corresponding to the first charging gear is ended.

[0011] For example, if the measurement result indicates that the measured battery voltage is 3V, the first charging gear may be the first charging gear in the fast charging stage, and the battery is charged using the charging current and charging voltage of the first charging gear.

[0012] Taking a battery with a capacity of 5000mAh and a first charging gear as the first charging gear in the fast charging stage as an example, the charging current of the first charging gear can be 1.6C, which is the product of 1.6 and the battery capacity. The charging current is determined to be 8A. Then, the battery can be charged with 8A in the first charging gear. During the charging process, the charging voltage continues to increase, and the battery voltage increases from 3V until it reaches the cut-off voltage of the first charging gear. It should be noted that the error of the fuel gauge in detecting the battery voltage is generally 7.5mV, which is relatively small. The cut-off voltage of the battery in the first charging gear is, for example, 4.25V. In order to avoid the risk of overcharging by continuing to charge with a relatively large current when the battery voltage exceeds the cut-off voltage of the battery, the charging voltage is actually stopped when the measured voltage reaches a voltage threshold, for example, 4.2425V. The electronic device can obtain the voltage detection result of the battery from the fuel gauge again. If it is determined that the battery voltage has reached the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear based on the voltage detection result, the charging current can be reduced until the current threshold is reached, ending the current charging gear and entering the next charging gear. The voltage threshold may be determined by a measurement error of the fuel gauge and a cut-off voltage corresponding to the charging gear.

[0013] For example, the first charging gear in the fast charging stage can be the last charging gear in the fast charging stage. For example, if the current charging temperature of the battery is between 10°C and 20°C and the battery capacity is 5000mAh, after the electronic device enters the fifth gear of the fast charging stage, that is, after entering the last gear of the fast charging stage, the charging current is reduced to 0.5C, that is, 2.5A. For example, according to the measurement results of the fuel gauge chip, the measured battery voltage is 4.45V. Under the premise of the charging current of 2.5A, the battery voltage is increased from 4.45 to the voltage threshold.

[0014] The present application can use a fuel gauge to detect the battery voltage in real time. The error of the fuel gauge in detecting the battery voltage is generally 7.5mV, which is relatively small. The cut-off voltage of the battery is 4.48V when it is in the last charging gear in the fast charging stage. In order to avoid the risk of the battery voltage exceeding the safe voltage of the battery, the voltage threshold needs to be set to be less than or equal to 4.4725V, for example, 4.47V. If the fuel gauge detects the battery voltage and determines that the current voltage of the battery has reached the voltage threshold of the last charging gear, the battery voltage no longer changes and the battery continues to be charged. During the charging process, the current gradually decreases until it drops to the current threshold. Among them, the current threshold can be set according to actual needs, for example, 1.2A. Of course, this is just an example and is not limited here. Technical personnel in this field can set it according to actual needs.

[0015] Electronic devices can detect the charging current in real time. If it is determined that the charging current has dropped to the current threshold, the fast charging phase is terminated and the buck phase is entered.

[0016] In some possible implementation methods, the detection result of the fuel gauge on the current voltage of the battery can be obtained. If it is determined based on the detection result that the battery voltage is within the preset voltage range, it can be determined that the electronic device meets the fast charging conditions at this time and enters the fast charging stage. When the battery voltage is not within the preset voltage range, it can be determined that the fast charging conditions are not met at this time, and the buck charging stage is entered.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the first charging gear may also be other gears in the fast charging stage, and then the battery voltage may be measured using a fuel meter for other charging gears in the fast charging stage in the same principle. Then, based on the detection results of the fuel meter, it is determined whether to end the charging stage corresponding to the charging gear and enter the next charging gear after the charging gear. In some possible implementations, the fuel meter may be used to measure the battery voltage of at least two charging gears in the fast charging stage, and the fuel meter may be used to measure the battery voltage of each charging gear in the fast charging stage.

[0018] In some possible implementations, after the charging phase corresponding to the first charging gear ends, the battery can be charged in the buck phase. The battery is then charged using the buck phase charging current and a preset buck output voltage. The buck phase charging current is a charging current that gradually decreases from the cutoff current of the fast charge phase. If it is determined that the buck phase charging current is less than or equal to the buck phase cutoff current, charging in the buck phase is terminated.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, comprising: a processor and a memory;

[0020] One or more computer programs are stored in the memory, and the one or more computer programs include instructions; when the instructions are executed by the processor, the electronic device performs the method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0021] In a third aspect, the present application provides a computer storage medium comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on a mobile terminal, enables the electronic device to execute the method described in any one of the first aspects.

[0022] It can be seen from the above technical solution that this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] In this application, when it is determined that the electronic device is in the first charging gear of the fast charging stage, the voltage detection result of the battery by the fuel gauge can be obtained, and then it is determined whether the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear according to the voltage detection result. When the charging current reaches the current threshold corresponding to the first charging gear and the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear, the charging stage corresponding to the first charging gear is ended. In this way, the battery voltage is measured by the fuel gauge in this application. Since the error of the fuel gauge in detecting the battery voltage is generally 7.5mV, which is relatively small compared to the error of the fast charging chip in detecting the battery voltage, the battery voltage corresponding to the charging gear is detected by the fuel gauge. The voltage threshold can be set relatively high. Taking the last gear in the fast charging stage as an example, the set voltage threshold is higher than the cut-off voltage set in the last charging gear in the fast charging stage by detecting the battery voltage through the fast charging chip. For example, the cut-off voltage set in the last charging gear in the fast charging stage by detecting the battery voltage through the fast charging chip can be set to 4.46V, and the voltage threshold that can be set in the last charging gear in the fast charging stage by detecting the battery voltage through the fuel gauge can be set to 4.47V. In this way, the charging time in the fast charging stage will be increased, and then the capacity charged in the fast charging stage will increase, and the charging time in the buck stage will be reduced, which saves the overall charging time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the composition of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG2 is a diagram illustrating a disassembled structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG3 is a diagram of a charging scenario of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device connected to a charger according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a connection to an electricity meter provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a charging gear in a fast charging stage provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the amount of electricity charged in a fast charging stage at different cut-off voltages provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG8 is a flow chart of a charging method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The terms "first", "second" and "third" in the specification, claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects rather than to limit a specific order.

[0033] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be interpreted as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0034] To make the description of the following embodiments clear and concise, a brief introduction to the related technologies is first given:

[0035] The charging process of electronic devices can be divided into two stages: the fast charging stage and the buck stage. The fast charging stage can use fast charging protocols, such as the PD fast charging protocol, to quickly charge the electronic device. The buck stage, also known as the continuous charging stage, is a continuous charging stage. To ensure optimal battery life, the buck stage can be used after the fast charging stage. During the buck stage, the charging current gradually decreases to ensure that the battery reaches the critical state of full charge.

[0036] Taking the charging of the BM025 battery in a mobile phone as an example, fast charging technology can be used to charge the battery in the fast charging stage. The fast charging stage can be divided into multiple charging gears. Since the battery voltage is currently mainly measured by the fast charging chip, the error in the voltage measurement by the fast charging chip is large, generally 20mV. Taking the cut-off voltage of the battery in the first charging gear as an example, for example, 4.25V, in order to avoid the risk of overcharging by continuing to charge with a relatively large current when the battery voltage exceeds the cut-off voltage of the battery, the charging voltage will stop increasing when the measured cut-off voltage reaches 4.23V, and then the charging current will be reduced until the current threshold is reached, ending the current charging gear and entering the next charging gear. In this way, since the charging stage with a large charging current is ended in advance, the charging time in the charging stage with a large charging current will be reduced, which will cause the charging time of other stages to increase, and the overall charging time will be too long.

[0037] In this application, the battery voltage can be measured by a fuel meter. Since the error of the battery voltage detected by the fuel meter is generally 7.5mV, which is smaller than the error of the battery voltage detected by the fast charging chip, the voltage threshold of the corresponding charging gear can be set relatively high when the battery voltage is detected by the fuel meter. Taking the last gear of the fast charging stage as an example, the set voltage threshold is higher than the cut-off voltage set for the last charging gear in the fast charging stage when the battery voltage is detected by the fast charging chip. For example, the cut-off voltage set for the last charging gear in the fast charging stage when the battery voltage is detected by the fast charging chip can be set to 4.46V, and the voltage threshold set for the last charging gear in the fast charging stage when the battery voltage is detected by the fuel meter can be set to 4.47V. In this way, when measuring the battery voltage by the fuel meter, the voltage threshold can be set relatively high, the charging time in the fast charging stage will be increased, and then the capacity charged in the fast charging stage will increase, and the charging time in the buck stage will be reduced, which saves the overall charging time.

[0038] In some embodiments, the electronic device may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, desktop computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), handheld computer, netbook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wearable electronic device, smart watch, etc. This application does not impose any special restrictions on the specific form of the above electronic devices. In this embodiment, the structure of the electronic device may be as shown in Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] As shown in Figure 1, the electronic device may include a processor 110, a power management module 120, a charging management module 130, etc. It will be understood that the structure shown in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device. In other embodiments, the electronic device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0040] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units. For example, the processor 110 may include a controller, etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0041] The controller can be the nerve center and command center of the electronic device. The controller can generate operation control signals based on instruction operation codes and timing signals to complete the control of instruction fetching and execution.

[0042] Processor 110 may also include a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in processor 110 is a cache memory. This memory can store instructions or data that have just been used or are being recycled by processor 110. If processor 110 needs to use the same instruction or data again, it can directly access the memory. This avoids duplicate accesses, reduces processor 110 latency, and thus improves system efficiency.

[0043] In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces, such as a power management IC (PMIC) interface, a system on chip (SoC) interface, and the like.

[0044] The System-on-Chip (SoC) interface, also known as a system-on-chip, primarily refers to a chip circuit that integrates key system components on a single chip, enabling complete system functionality. SoCs can process digital, analog, mixed, and even radio frequency signals and are often used in embedded systems, such as mobile phones, tablets, smart home appliances, and other intelligent devices, where they serve as the core chips.

[0045] A power management IC (PMIC), also known as a power management IC or power management module 120, is a specific-purpose integrated circuit whose function is to manage power for the main system. It controls the charging management module 130 and is commonly used in battery-powered devices, such as mobile phones or portable media players. Since these devices typically have more than one power source (e.g., a battery and a USB power source), the system requires multiple power supplies of varying voltages. Furthermore, the need to control battery charging and discharging requires significant space and increased product development time using traditional methods. This led to the emergence of PMICs. The system-on-chip (SoC) and the power management IC (PMIC) can be connected via the SPMI bus. This allows for accurate monitoring and control of the processor performance level required for a given workload or application, dynamically controlling various power supply voltages in real time based on performance levels. It also connects the battery 140, the charging management module 130, and the processor 110. It receives input from the battery 140 and / or the charging management module 130 to power the processor 110 and other devices. The power management module 120 can also be used to monitor parameters such as battery capacity, battery cycle count, battery health status (leakage, impedance), etc. In some other embodiments, the power management module 120 can also be set in the processor 110. In other embodiments, the power management module 120 and the charging management module 130 can also be set in the same device.

[0046] The charging management module 130 is configured to receive charging input from a charger based on instructions from the PMIC. The charger can be either a wireless charger or a wired charger. In some wired charging embodiments, the charging management module 130 can receive charging input from the wired charger via a USB cable. In some wireless charging embodiments, the charging management module 130 can receive wireless charging input via the electronic device's wireless charging coil. While charging the battery 140, the charging management module 130 can also power the electronic device through the power management module 120.

[0047] In some possible implementations, the electronic device may further include a USB interface 150, which is an interface that complies with USB standard specifications and is used to connect to a USB plug. It is an interface reserved on the electronic device. The USB interface may specifically be a Mini USB interface, a Micro USB interface, a USB Type C interface, etc.

[0048] For example, the USB interface can be a Mini USB interface, which is widely used in digital devices such as players and mobile hard drives. The USB interface can also be a Micro USB interface, which can only be inserted from one side and is the next generation of Mini USB. The interface is smaller than Mini USB, has a longer lifespan and is stronger, and is primarily used for connecting or transferring data to various USB flash drives or mobile devices. Compared to Mini USB, it has faster transfer speeds. The USB interface can also be a USB Type-C interface: This interface is a connection interface of the USB 3.1 standard, featuring features such as reversible insertion and fast transfer speeds.

[0049] The USB interface 150 can be used to connect a charger to charge the electronic device, and can also be used to transfer data between the electronic device and peripheral devices. For example, when the access device connected to the USB interface is a charger, the USB interface inputs current, and when the input device connected to the USB interface is a computer, the USB interface inputs / outputs data. It can also be used to connect headphones to play audio through the headphones. This interface can also be used to connect other electronic devices, such as AR devices.

[0050] It is understood that the interface connection relationship between the modules illustrated in this embodiment is only a schematic illustration and does not constitute a structural limitation of the electronic device. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device may also adopt different interface connection methods in the above embodiments, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0051] Currently, all electronic devices are equipped with rechargeable batteries to power the electronic devices and enable them to operate normally. The following is an introduction using a mobile phone as an example. It should be noted that electronic devices are not limited to mobile phones. The introduction here only uses a mobile phone as an example and does not limit it.

[0052] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , the mobile phone 1 may include a housing 10 , a circuit board 20 and a battery 30 .

[0053] The housing 10 has a storage space inside, in which the circuit board 20 and the battery 30 can be accommodated. The battery 30 can be coupled to the circuit board 20 to provide power to the circuit board 20 so that the circuit board 20 supports the operation of the mobile phone 1. For example, the circuit board 20 can be the mainboard of the mobile phone 1.

[0054] In some possible implementations, the housing 10 may comprise plastic. Plastic has good ductility, and a housing made of plastic is conducive to the shaping and production of the housing 10, which in turn facilitates the mass production of the housing 10, and thus facilitates the mass production of the mobile phone 1. It should be noted that the housing 10 is not limited to comprising plastic, and the material comprised by the housing 10 can be selected according to actual circumstances. For example, in some other embodiments, the housing 10 may comprise a metal material such as aluminum or iron. The above is merely an example of the material of the housing 10 and should not be regarded as a limitation on the specific material of the housing 10.

[0055] Battery 30 can be a rechargeable battery. Rechargeable batteries include lithium-ion batteries, lead-acid batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-iron batteries, or nickel-metal hydride batteries, and may also include other suitable batteries, which are not limited here. The specific type of battery 30 may depend on the specific scenario of mobile phone 1 and is not limited here.

[0056] 2 , the battery 30 may include a cell 31 and a protection plate 32. The cell 31 includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and the protection plate 32 may be coupled to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the cell 31, respectively.

[0057] The battery cell 31 can be an aluminum shell battery cell, a soft-pack battery cell (also known as a polymer battery cell) or a cylindrical battery cell. The battery cell 31 is the storage part of the battery 30, which is used to store electrical energy through charging and then release the electrical energy to provide the mobile phone 1 with the electrical energy required for operation. Exemplarily, the positive pole of the battery cell 31 outputs a +5V voltage signal, and the negative pole of the battery cell 31 outputs a 0V voltage signal. Of course, in some other examples, the voltage value of the voltage signal output by the positive pole of the battery cell 31 can also be greater than or less than 5V, which is not limited here. The protection board 32 can be an integrated circuit board for protecting the battery cell 31. The protection board 32 is coupled to the positive and negative poles of the battery cell 31 respectively, which can prevent the battery cell 31 from overcharging, over-discharging, excessive transmission current, excessive transmission voltage, short circuit, and excessive battery temperature, so as to avoid the battery cell 31 from burning and causing accidents.

[0058] The following uses the mobile phone with the structure shown in FIG2 as an example to introduce the charging scenario of the mobile phone.

[0059] As shown in Figure 3, Figure 3 shows a scenario diagram of charging an electronic device. When the power of the mobile phone 1 is too low or the user wants to charge, the plug of the charger 2 can be inserted into the socket 3 and the other side can be inserted into the mobile phone 1 to charge the battery 30 in the mobile phone 1.

[0060] In some possible implementations, the mobile phone 1 may include a USB interface, for example, a USB Type C interface, etc. The mobile phone 1 may be connected to the charger 2 via the USB Type C interface to charge the mobile phone 1.

[0061] Specifically, as shown in FIG4 , circuit board 20 may include a charging circuit 25 coupled to battery 30. When charger 2 is inserted into mobile phone 1 to charge the phone, charging circuit 25 is also coupled to charger 2. Charger 2 converts AC power into an initial charging voltage and current, and provides these to charging circuit 25. Charging circuit 25 processes the initial charging voltage and current before providing them to battery 30 to charge battery 30.

[0062] The circuit board 20 may include a processing chip 24. The processing chip 24 may be a system on chip (SOC) on the mainboard of the mobile phone 1. It is understandable that the circuit board 20 may be the mainboard of the mobile phone 1.

[0063] The processing chip 24 may be coupled to the electrical circuit 25. The processing chip 24 may output different charging strategies to the charging circuit 25 to control the charging circuit 25 to adjust the charging voltage and charging current provided to the battery 30 based on the different charging strategies.

[0064] For example, upon receiving the charging strategy provided by the processing chip 24, the charging circuit 25 may process the initial charging voltage to obtain a charging voltage that complies with the charging strategy; and may also process the initial charging current to obtain a charging current that complies with the charging strategy. The charging circuit 25 then provides the charging voltage and charging current to the battery 30 to charge the battery 30.

[0065] In addition, the charging circuit 25 can communicate with the charger 2. The charging circuit 25 can control the magnitude of the initial charging voltage and the magnitude of the initial charging current output by the charger 2.

[0066] In some possible implementations, the process of charging the mobile phone 1 can be divided into two stages, namely the fast charging stage and the buck stage. It should be noted that since power is proportional to voltage and current, respectively, higher voltage and greater current can bring greater power, thereby increasing the charging speed of the mobile phone 1.

[0067] Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the USB interface 51 is connected to the fast charging chip 52, and the fast charging chip 52 is connected to the battery 30 to realize fast charging of the battery cell 301 in the battery through the fast charging chip. The fuel meter 53 is connected to the battery to measure the voltage of the battery 30. The fast charging chip 52 may include a fast charging protocol. When the fast charging protocol of the electronic device (such as mobile phone 1) and the charging protocol of the external device (such as charger 2) match, the electronic device can be quickly charged. The fast charging protocol can be a power transmission (USB Power Delivery, PD) fast charging protocol. The PD fast charging protocol needs to be implemented in conjunction with the USB Type-C interface and can be used to charge the mobile phone 1 and power the display. Most current smartphones support the PD fast charging protocol. The fast charging protocol can also be a private fast charging protocol of the mobile phone manufacturer. The private fast charging protocol of the mobile phone manufacturer usually adopts a low voltage and high current method to increase the charging power.

[0068] When the mobile phone 1 is in the fast charging stage, the fast charging chip 52 can determine the corresponding charging strategy according to the different temperature conditions of the battery, as shown in Figure 6. Figure 6 includes the charging strategy of the mobile phone at different temperatures, as well as the cut-off voltage and cut-off current corresponding to the fast charging stage. It should be noted that at the beginning of the fast charging stage, due to the relatively low temperature, a relatively large charging current can be used to charge the battery. As the charging time increases, the charging voltage continues to increase, resulting in the heat dissipation capacity of the mobile phone being less than the heat generated by the battery charging. Therefore, in order to avoid overheating of the battery, the charging current needs to be reduced as the charging voltage increases.

[0069] As shown in Figure 6, taking the current charging temperature of the battery at 20℃-35℃ as an example, when the current charging temperature of the battery is at 20℃-35℃, the mobile phone 1 is in the fast charging stage, and the fast charging chip can control the charging current and charging voltage, and can charge the battery in 5 gears in the fast charging stage. Of course, this is just an example, and the specific division of charging gears can be set by technicians in this field according to needs, and is not limited here.

[0070] Specifically, when the charging temperature of the battery is between 20℃ and 35℃, it enters the fast charging stage. The electronic device can detect the battery voltage through the fast charging chip, obtain the measurement results, and enter the corresponding charging gear according to the measurement results. For example, if the measurement result indicates that the measured battery voltage is 3V, it can enter the first charging gear of the fast charging stage and charge the battery using the charging current and charging voltage of the first charging gear.

[0071] In some possible implementations, the charging voltage is equal to the battery voltage. Taking a battery capacity of 5000mAh as an example, the charging current of the first charging gear can be 1.6C, where C is the rate and 1.6C is the value multiplied by the battery capacity, that is, the product of 1.6 and the battery capacity. It is determined that the charging current can be 8A, then 8A can be used to charge the battery in the first charging gear. During the charging process, the charging voltage continues to increase. For example, according to the measurement results, the measured battery voltage is 3V. After entering the first charging gear of the fast charging stage, the battery voltage starts to increase from 3V until Increase to the cut-off voltage of the first charging gear. It should be noted that, since the current battery voltage is mainly measured by the fast charging chip, the error of the fast charging chip in measuring the voltage is large, generally 20mV. The cut-off voltage of the battery in the first charging gear is, for example, 4.25V. In order to avoid the risk of overcharging by continuing to charge with a relatively large current when the battery voltage exceeds the cut-off voltage of the battery, the charging voltage will stop increasing when the measured cut-off voltage reaches 4.23V, and then the charging current will be reduced until the current threshold is reached, ending the current charging gear and entering the next charging gear. It can be understood that the larger the current, the stronger the charging capacity. For example, the first charging gear is charged with a current of 8A and the second gear is charged with a current of 7A. Then the charging capacity of the first charging gear is stronger than that of the second gear. Since the charging stage with a larger charging current is ended in advance, the charging time in the charging stage with a larger charging current will be reduced, which will cause the charging time of other stages to increase, and the overall charging time is too long.

[0072] For example, let's take the battery's current charging temperature as 20°C-35°C, the first charging gear as the last charging gear in the fast charging stage, and a battery capacity of 5000mAh as an example. At this time, the charging current is reduced to 0.7C, or 3.5A. For example, according to the measurement results of the fast charging chip, the measured battery voltage is 4.45V until it increases to the cut-off voltage of 4.48V. However, since the battery voltage is currently mainly measured by the fast charging chip, the error in the fast charging chip's voltage measurement is large, generally 20mV. Therefore, when the measured cut-off voltage reaches 4.46V, the charging voltage will stop increasing. The electronic device can obtain the battery voltage detection result of the fuel gauge again. If it is determined based on the voltage detection result that the battery voltage has reached the voltage threshold corresponding to the last charging gear in the fast charging stage, that is, 4.46V, the charging current can be reduced until it reaches the current threshold, and the buck stage can be entered. This will result in a reduced charging time in the fast charging stage, resulting in less capacity charged in the fast charging stage and a prolonged charging time in the buck stage, resulting in an overall prolonged charging time. It should be noted that the above data such as 5000mAh, 1.6C, etc. are just examples and are not limited here. Those skilled in the art can set them according to actual needs.

[0073] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, Figure (a) in Figure 7 can represent the battery capacity that can be charged in the fast charging stage when the cut-off voltage in the fast charging stage is 4.46V. Taking 78% as an example, that is, when the cut-off voltage is 4.46V, the battery can be charged with 78% of the capacity in the fast charging stage, and 22% of the capacity needs to be charged in the buck stage. Figure (b) can represent the battery capacity that can be charged in the fast charging stage when the cut-off voltage in the fast charging stage is 4.47V. Taking 81% as an example, that is, when the cut-off voltage is 4.47V, the battery can be charged with 81% of the capacity in the fast charging stage, and 19% of the capacity needs to be charged in the buck stage. Figure (c) shows the amount of battery capacity that can be charged during the fast-charge phase when the cutoff voltage is 4.48V. For example, 85% of the battery capacity can be charged during the fast-charge phase. This means that with a cutoff voltage of 4.48V, the battery can be charged to 85% of its capacity during the fast-charge phase, while only 15% of its capacity needs to be charged during the buck phase. As can be seen, the lower the cutoff voltage, the shorter the fast-charge phase. The less capacity can be charged during the fast-charge phase, and the longer the buck phase takes to charge, resulting in an overall longer charging time.

[0074] In order to solve the problem of low measurement accuracy of the above-mentioned fast charging chip, which leads to the early termination of the charging stage with large charging current, and then the charging time in the charging stage with large charging current will be reduced, and the charging time in other stages will be increased, resulting in the overall charging time being too long, it should be noted that the other stages here can be the charging stages corresponding to other charging gears or the buck stage.

[0075] This application provides a charging method to save charging time.

[0076] In order to make the technical solution of this application clearer and easier to understand, the charging method provided by the embodiment of this application is introduced below in combination with the above embodiments and corresponding drawings. See Figure 8 for a flow chart of a charging method. The following is an introduction using an electronic device as the execution subject of this method. As shown in Figure 8, the charging method may include but is not limited to the following contents:

[0077] S801: The electronic device determines whether to enter the fast charging stage.

[0078] The electronic device can be a mobile phone 1. When the battery of the mobile phone 1 is too low or the user wants to charge, the plug of the charger 2 can be inserted into the socket 3 and the other side can be inserted into the mobile phone 1. The electronic device detects that the charger is connected and can determine whether to enter the fast charging stage to quickly charge the battery.

[0079] Specifically, the battery voltage can be measured by a fuel meter. When the battery voltage is within a preset voltage range, it can be determined that the mobile phone 1 meets the fast charging conditions. Step S802 can be executed to enter the fast charging stage to quickly charge the battery. The fuel meter is a device designed according to Faraday's law to measure the amount of electricity passing through a circuit. Because the error range of the fuel meter in measuring voltage is generally 7.5mV, which is relatively small, the battery voltage can be detected by the fuel meter.

[0080] If the battery voltage is not within the preset voltage range, it can be determined that the mobile phone 1 does not meet the fast charging condition at this time, and then step S805 is executed to enter the buck charging stage.

[0081] Those skilled in the art can set the above preset voltage range according to needs. For example, the lower limit of the preset voltage range can be set to 3.45V, and the upper limit of the preset voltage range can be set to 4.3V, which is not limited here.

[0082] S802: Entering the fast charging phase to quickly charge the battery.

[0083] When the mobile phone 1 enters the fast charging stage, the fast charging chip 52 can determine the corresponding charging strategy according to the different temperature conditions of the battery, as shown in Figure 6. Figure 6 includes the charging strategy of the mobile phone at different temperatures, as well as the cut-off voltage and cut-off current of each charging gear in the corresponding fast charging stage. Taking the current charging temperature of the battery between 10°C and 20°C and the mobile phone 1 in the fast charging stage as an example, when the current charging temperature of the battery is between 10°C and 20°C, the fast charging chip can control the charging current and charging voltage, and can divide the fast charging stage into 5 gears to charge the battery. It should be noted that the charging current and cut-off voltage of each charging gear in the fast charging stage are different.

[0084] Specifically, when the charging temperature of the battery is between 10℃ and 20℃ and enters the fast charging stage, the electronic device can detect the battery voltage through the fuel meter and obtain the fuel meter's voltage detection result of the battery; enter the corresponding charging gear according to the measurement result. When the electronic device is in the first charging gear of the fast charging stage, the fuel meter's voltage detection result of the battery can be obtained again. It should be noted that the first charging gear can refer to any charging gear in the fast charging stage, and then it can be determined whether the battery voltage reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear based on the voltage detection result.

[0085] In some possible implementations, the charging voltage is equal to the battery voltage. Taking a battery capacity of 5000mAh and the first charging gear as the first charging gear in the fast charging stage as an example, the charging current of the first charging gear can be 1.6C, where C is the rate, and 1.6C is the value multiplied by the battery capacity, that is, the product of 1.6 and the battery capacity. It is determined that the charging current can be 8A, then 8A can be used to charge the battery in the first charging gear. During the charging process, the charging voltage continues to increase. For example, according to the measurement results, the measured battery voltage is 3V. After entering the first charging gear in the fast charging stage, the battery voltage starts to increase from 3V until it increases to the cut-off voltage of the first charging gear. It should be noted that the error of the fuel gauge in detecting the battery voltage is generally 7.5mV, which is smaller than the error of the fast charging chip. The cut-off voltage of the battery in the first charging gear is, for example, 4.25V. In order to avoid the risk of overcharging by continuing to charge with a relatively large current when the battery voltage exceeds the cut-off voltage of the battery, the charging voltage is actually stopped when the measured voltage reaches the voltage threshold, for example, 4.2425V. The electronic device can obtain the voltage detection result of the fuel gauge on the battery again. If it is determined that the battery voltage reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear according to the voltage detection result, the charging current can be reduced until the current threshold is reached, ending the current charging gear and entering the next charging gear. Among them, the voltage threshold can be determined by the measurement error of the fuel gauge and the cut-off voltage corresponding to the charging gear. Since the error of measuring the battery voltage through the fuel gauge is smaller than that of the fast charging chip, the voltage threshold of the charging gear can be set relatively high. Taking the first charging gear in the fast charging stage as an example, the voltage threshold of the first charging gear can be set to 4.2425V. When the fast charging chip measures, the voltage threshold of the first charging gear can be set to 4.23. This can increase the time in the charging stage with a larger charging current. Therefore, the charging time in the charging stage with a larger charging current will increase, thereby reducing the charging time in other stages and reducing the overall charging time.

[0086] For example, if the current charging temperature of the battery is between 10° C. and 20° C., and the first charging gear is the last gear of the fast charging stage, when it is determined that the battery has entered the last gear of the fast charging stage, step S803 is executed.

[0087] In some possible implementations, the charging voltage is equal to the voltage output by the fast charging chip. As shown in FIG5 , the voltage output by the fast charging chip 52 is equal to the battery voltage (cell voltage) measured by the fuel gauge 53 , which increases the IR compensation voltage of the path between the fast charging chip 52 and the battery 30 .

[0088] S803: Measure the current battery voltage using a fuel gauge, and determine whether the current battery voltage reaches a voltage threshold.

[0089] Taking a battery with a capacity of 5000mAh as an example, after the electronic device enters the fifth gear of the fast charging stage, that is, after entering the last gear of the fast charging stage, the charging current is reduced to 0.5C. At this time, the charging current is reduced to 0.5C, that is, 2.5A. For example, according to the measurement results of the fuel gauge chip, the measured battery voltage is 4.45V. Under the premise that the charging current is 2.5A, the battery voltage is increased from 4.45 to the voltage threshold.

[0090] The present application can use a fuel gauge to detect the battery voltage in real time. The error of the fuel gauge in detecting the battery voltage is generally 7.5mV, which is relatively small. The cut-off voltage of the battery is 4.48V when it is in the last charging gear in the fast charging stage. In order to avoid the risk of the battery voltage exceeding the safe voltage of the battery, the voltage threshold needs to be set to less than or equal to 4.4725V, for example, 4.47V. If it is determined based on the voltage detection result of the battery by the fuel gauge that the current battery voltage has reached the voltage threshold of the last charging gear, step S804 is executed.

[0091] In this way, by measuring the battery voltage through the fuel gauge, the voltage threshold can be set relatively high, the charging time in the fast charging stage will be increased, and then the capacity charged in the fast charging stage will increase, and the charging time in the buck stage will be reduced, thus saving the overall charging time.

[0092] Of course, here we only introduce the first charging gear as the first charging gear in the fast charging stage and the last charging gear in the fast charging stage as an example. The first charging gear can also be other gears in the fast charging stage. Then, the same principle can be used for other charging gears in the fast charging stage to measure the battery voltage using a fuel meter. Then, based on the detection result of the fuel meter, it is determined whether to end the charging stage corresponding to the charging gear and enter the next charging gear after the charging gear. In some possible implementation methods, the fuel meter can also be used to measure the battery voltage of at least two charging gears in the fast charging stage, or the fuel meter can be used to measure the battery voltage of each charging gear in the fast charging stage. This is not limited here, and those skilled in the art can set it according to actual needs. And those skilled in the art can also choose other devices with relatively small voltage measurement errors to replace the fuel meter according to actual needs. It should be noted that any changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

[0093] S804: Determine whether the charging current reaches a current threshold.

[0094] The current threshold is the cut-off current of the fast charging stage. When the charging current reaches the current threshold, fast charging can be stopped, that is, the fast charging stage is terminated and the buck stage is entered.

[0095] Specifically, after the current voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold, the battery voltage no longer changes, and the battery continues to be charged. During the charging process, the current gradually decreases until it reaches the current threshold, where the current threshold can be set according to actual needs, for example, 1.2A. Of course, this is just an example and is not limited here. Those skilled in the art can set it according to actual needs.

[0096] The electronic device can monitor the charging current in real time. If it determines that the charging current has dropped to the current threshold, the fast charging phase is terminated and the buck phase is entered. Step S805 is executed. If it is determined that the charging current has not dropped to the current threshold, step S803 is executed and the judgment is repeated.

[0097] S805: Entering the BUCK stage to charge the battery.

[0098] The buck stage is also called the continuous charging stage. To ensure the best battery life, the battery can be charged in the buck stage after the fast charging stage. In the buck stage, the charging current gradually decreases to ensure that the battery reaches the critical state of full charge.

[0099] After entering the buck stage, the output of the fast charging chip, that is, the charging voltage, can be the buck output voltage, wherein the buck output voltage can be pre-set to, for example, 3V.

[0100] When the charging voltage is constant, the charging current gradually decreases. For example, after the fast charging stage, the fast charging current is 1.2A, and it decreases from 1.2A until it reaches the charging current cutoff in the buck stage. The charging current cutoff in the buck stage can be pre-set according to demand, for example, 600mA.

[0101] The electronic device can detect the size of the charging current in real time. If it is determined that the fast charging current is reduced to the charging current cutoff in the buck stage, charging is terminated.

[0102] In this application, the battery voltage can be measured by a fuel meter. Since the error of the battery voltage detected by the fuel meter is generally 7.5mV, which is relatively small compared to the error of the battery voltage detected by the fast charging chip, the voltage threshold of the corresponding charging gear can be set relatively high when the battery voltage is detected by the fuel meter. Taking the last gear of the fast charging stage as an example, the set voltage threshold is higher than the cut-off voltage set for the last charging gear in the fast charging stage when the battery voltage is detected by the fast charging chip. For example, the cut-off voltage set for the last charging gear in the fast charging stage when the battery voltage is detected by the fast charging chip can be set to 4.46V, and the voltage threshold set for the last charging gear in the fast charging stage when the battery voltage is detected by the fuel meter can be set to 4.47V. In this way, when measuring the battery voltage by the fuel meter, the voltage threshold can be set relatively high, the charging time in the fast charging stage will be increased, and then the capacity charged in the fast charging stage will increase, and the charging time in the buck stage will be reduced, which saves the overall charging time.

[0103] The technical solution of this embodiment, or the portion that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, may be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (such as a personal computer, server, or network device) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as flash memory, a mobile hard disk, read-only memory, random access memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0104] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A charging method, characterized in that: A fast charging protocol is used to quickly charge a battery of an electronic device, the electronic device includes a fuel gauge, and the charging method includes: When the electronic device is in the first charging gear of the fast charging stage, obtaining a voltage detection result of the battery by the fuel meter; Determining whether the voltage of the battery reaches a voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear according to the voltage detection result; the first charging gear is one of the multiple charging gears in the fast charging stage, and the charging current and cut-off voltage of each charging gear in the fast charging stage are different, and the voltage threshold corresponding to each charging gear is determined by the measurement error of the fuel gauge and the cut-off voltage corresponding to each charging gear; When the charging current reaches the current threshold corresponding to the first charging gear and the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear, the charging stage corresponding to the first charging gear is ended.

2. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first charging gear is the last charging gear in the fast charging stage, and when the charging current reaches the current threshold corresponding to the first charging gear and the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear, specifically includes: When the charging current reaches the current threshold corresponding to the last gear and it is determined based on the detection result of the fuel gauge that the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the last charging gear, the fast charging stage is ended.

3. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first charging gear is any charging gear before the last charging gear in the fast charging stage, and when the charging current reaches the current threshold corresponding to the first charging gear and the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear, the charging stage corresponding to the first charging gear is ended, specifically including: When the charging current reaches the current threshold corresponding to the first charging gear and, based on the detection result of the fuel gauge, it is determined that the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the first charging gear, the charging stage corresponding to the first charging gear is ended, and the next charging gear after the first charging gear is entered.

4. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the electronic device is in the first charging gear of the fast charging stage, obtaining the voltage detection result of the battery by the fuel meter specifically includes: Obtaining a detection result of the fuel gauge on the current voltage of the battery; After determining that the electronic device is in the first charging gear of the fast charging stage according to the detection result of the current voltage, the voltage detection result of the battery by the fuel meter is obtained.

5. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the electronic device is in a fast charging stage, obtaining voltage detection results of at least two charging gears of the battery by a fuel meter; When the charging current reaches the current threshold corresponding to the charging gear and it is determined based on the detection result of the fuel gauge that the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage threshold corresponding to the charging gear, the charging stage corresponding to the charging gear is ended and the next charging gear after the charging gear is entered.

6. The charging method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The obtaining of the voltage detection result of the fuel gauge on at least two charging gears of the battery includes: Obtain a voltage detection result of the fuel gauge for each charging gear of the battery.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: After the charging stage corresponding to the first charging gear is ended, a buck stage is entered to charge the battery, and the method further includes: The battery is charged using the charging current of the buck stage and the preset buck output voltage, wherein the charging current of the buck stage is a charging current that gradually decreases from the cut-off current of the fast charge stage.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: If it is determined that the charging current in the buck stage is less than or equal to the cut-off charging current in the buck stage, the charging in the buck stage is stopped.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: Processor and memory; Wherein, one or more computer programs are stored in the memory, and the one or more computer programs include instructions; when the instructions are executed by the processor, the electronic device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. A computer storage medium, characterized in that: The method comprises computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on an electronic device, the electronic device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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