Method and apparatus for charging battery

Abstract

A battery charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for charging a battery by dividing a charging section into a plurality of charging sections, the method comprising: a first charging step of charging the battery in an nth (where n is a natural number) charging section; a first rest step of having a rest period for a first duration after the first charging step is finished; a second charging step of charging the battery in an (n+1)th charging section; and a second rest step of having a rest period for a second duration after the (n+1)th charging section is finished.

Description

Battery charging method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0130165, filed on September 27, 2023, and all contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the said application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery charging method and device, and more particularly, to a battery charging method and device capable of improving the inherent performance and lifespan of a battery.

[0003] As the demand for portable electronic devices such as laptops, video cameras, and mobile phones that use electricity as a power source rapidly increases, and as mobile robots, electric bicycles, electric carts, and electric vehicles become more widely commercialized, research into high-performance secondary batteries capable of repeated charging and discharging is actively being conducted.

[0004] Commercialized secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries. Among these, lithium secondary batteries have the advantage of being able to charge and discharge freely and have a very low self-discharge rate because they have almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based secondary batteries. In addition, they have the characteristics of high energy density and high operating voltage, so they are being studied more intensively than other types of secondary batteries and are being applied more widely in actual products.

[0005] Recently, secondary batteries are widely used not only in small devices such as portable electronic devices, but also in medium and large devices such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS).

[0006] In this case, a battery module in which a number of electrically connected secondary batteries are housed together inside a module case is mainly applied, and furthermore, when high power or large capacity is required, a battery pack in which a number of such battery modules are electrically connected is also applied.

[0007] In order to more effectively reflect users' needs for batteries and improve the overall environment due to the increase in battery capacity, various studies are being conducted on battery charging, including rapid charging.

[0008] The methods used to charge batteries include constant current-constant voltage (CC-CV), pulse charging, boost charging, and multi-step CC charging.

[0009] When charging a battery in a high current environment to shorten the charging time, the lithium (Li, lithium) cation (Li+) supplied to the negative electrode may not be quickly absorbed by the negative electrode and accumulate on the negative electrode, precipitating as lithium metal, which may cause a lithium plating phenomenon.

[0010] Meanwhile, in the case of positive electrode materials, technological development is being carried out to increase the proportion of nickel in order to improve the energy density of secondary batteries, and in the case of negative electrode materials, research and development is being carried out on silicon (Si), silicon oxide (SiOx), tin (Tin, Sn), etc., which have high-capacity characteristics, as substitutes or complementary materials (supplements) to graphite, the main material of conventional negative electrode materials, in order to increase rapid charging efficiency and lifespan. Research is also being conducted on composing negative electrodes using only pure Si, SiOx, and Sn compositions.

[0011] A cathode with this composition has the advantage of being able to significantly shorten the charging time because the electrode thickness is thin and the lithiation method is different from that of graphite. In addition, in the case of active materials such as silicon (Si), silicon oxide (SiOx), and tin (Tin, Sn), the potential during charging is higher than that of graphite-based cathode materials, so there is a low possibility of lithium precipitation on the surface of the active material during rapid charging.

[0012] However, in the case of a cathode with this composition, only the active material adjacent to the separator is mainly used for rapid charging and deteriorates, so there is a relatively high possibility that performance deterioration and lifespan reduction will occur as the charging cycle progresses.

[0013] Therefore, for batteries having a negative electrode composed of Si, SiOx, and Sn, there is a great need to apply a new charging method that can faithfully reflect the above-described characteristics.

[0014] The present invention was created to solve the above-described problem in the background described above, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery charging method and device that can increase charging efficiency and further improve the performance and lifespan of the battery according to the discharge cycle by having a predetermined rest period before the next charging period starts after the charging of the current charging period is completed so that the charging period divided into a plurality of sections is performed intermittently, and the length (time) of the rest period increases as the charging period progresses to subsequent charging sections.

[0015] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems described above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below.

[0016] A battery charging method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method of charging a battery by dividing a charging section into a plurality of charging sections, the method including: a first charging step of charging the battery in an n-th charging section (n is a natural number); a first rest step having a rest period for a first hour after the first charging step ends; a second charging step of charging the battery in an n+1-th charging section; and a second rest step having a rest period for a second hour after the n+1-th charging section ends.

[0017] The above second time may be set differently from the above first time.

[0018] The above second time may be set to a longer time than the above first time.

[0019] The charging rate of the above n+1th charging section can be set lower than the charging rate of the above nth charging section.

[0020] Each of the above charging stages may further include a characteristic value calculation stage for calculating the current SOC of the battery; a section determination stage for determining a start section that is a charging section corresponding to the current SOC among the plurality of charging sections; and a charging initiation stage for initiating charging of the battery in the charging environment of the start section.

[0021] Each of the above charging stages can be set to end when the voltage of the battery reaches a preset reference voltage for the corresponding charging section.

[0022] A battery charging method according to one aspect of the present invention may be configured to be terminated when the voltage of the battery reaches a preset full charge voltage.

[0023] The above battery may be a battery having a negative electrode of Si composition.

[0024] A battery charging device according to another aspect of the present invention may be configured to include a charging unit configured to charge a battery; a blocking unit configured to block charging of the battery; and a control unit configured to control the charging unit so that the battery is charged in a plurality of charging sections.

[0025] The above control unit may be configured to control the blocking unit so that a pause is included between each of the plurality of charging sections.

[0026] The above control unit may be configured to control the blocking unit so that the n+1th pause is longer than the nth pause (n is a natural number).

[0027] The control unit may include a characteristic value calculation unit that calculates the current SOC of the battery; an attribute information storage unit that stores attribute information of a plurality of charging sections; a section determination unit that determines a start section, which is a charging section corresponding to the current SOC, using the attribute information; and a main control unit that controls the charging unit so that charging of the battery is initiated in the charging environment of the start section.

[0028] According to the present invention, lithium densely packed on the upper electrode during charging can be induced to migrate downward through a spontaneous reaction that resolves the concentration gradient, effectively alleviating or reducing the phenomenon of degradation being concentrated in specific areas. This can further improve the operating performance and durability of the battery over the charging cycle.

[0029] In addition, according to the present invention, the rest period applied between charging sections is lengthened as charging progresses, thereby suppressing deterioration of the battery and improving the efficiency of the charging time.

[0030] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a charging environment more optimized for a battery having a negative electrode of Si composition, which has high current density and poor mobility of lithium ions due to volume expansion of the active material, can be implemented.

[0031] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and together with the detailed description of the invention described below, serve to more effectively understand the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the matters described in these drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a battery charging device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the control unit illustrated in Figure 1.

[0034] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a charging processing process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a charging processing process according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 5 is a drawing illustrating one embodiment of a rest period in which the application time is differentiated.

[0037] Figure 6 is a drawing explaining one embodiment of the charging rate for each charging section.

[0038] Figure 7 is a diagram explaining the time-series characteristics of the charging rate and rest period based on the entire charging process.

[0039] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the performance results of a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention based on the discharge capacity retention rate.

[0040] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, it should be noted that the terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings. Based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of terms to best explain his or her invention, they should be interpreted in a way that conforms to the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0041] Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

[0042] In addition, when describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description is omitted.

[0043] Throughout the specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise stated.

[0044] Additionally, terms such as processor described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0045] Additionally, throughout the specification, when we say that a part is "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected" but also cases where it is "indirectly connected" with other elements in between.

[0046]

[0047] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a battery charging device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the control unit illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a charging processing process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] First, with reference to FIG. 1 and related drawings, etc., the detailed configuration of the battery charging device (100) according to the present invention and the processing performed by these configurations will be described in detail.

[0049] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the battery charging device (100) of the present invention may be configured to include an interface unit (110), a charging unit (120), a blocking unit (130), a control unit (140), and a detection unit (150).

[0050] Before going into a detailed description of the present invention, it should be noted that the battery charging device (100) of the present invention can be implemented through various combinational applications of electronic devices, parts, etc. (ASIC, chipset, logic circuit, register, communication modem, MCU, etc.) such as storage means, operation processing means, input / output means, etc.

[0051] Therefore, each component of the battery charging device (100) illustrated in FIG. 1 should be understood as a functionally or logically distinct component rather than a physically distinct component.

[0052] That is, since each component illustrated in the above drawing corresponds to a logical configuration for effectively explaining the technical idea of ​​the present invention, even if each component is configured integrated or separated, if the function performed by the logical configuration of the present invention can be realized, it should be interpreted as being within the scope of the present invention, and of course, if it is a component that performs the same or similar function, it should be interpreted as being within the scope of the present invention regardless of whether or not the name is consistent. The control unit (140) illustrated in FIG. 2 is also the same.

[0053] In addition, the battery charging method according to the present invention can be implemented as a set or algorithm of processing related to data processing, handling, control, operation, etc., and thus, it can be implemented by a combination of the logical configurations shown in Fig. 1, as well as in the form of software installed and operated on a computer or a terminal, module, etc. equivalent thereto.

[0054] The charging unit (120) is electrically connected to the battery (50) and performs charging processing on the battery (50). Depending on the embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the charging unit (120) may be electrically connected to the battery (50) via the interface unit (110). Here, the interface unit (110) may be configured as a jack or socket, etc., and may electrically connect the battery (50) and the battery charging device (100).

[0055] Here, various cell assemblies, such as battery cells, battery banks, battery modules, and battery packs, may be targets of charging, and therefore, in the following description, the battery (50) may refer to an object that collectively refers to cell assemblies. Hereinafter, the target of charging is referred to as a 'battery'.

[0056] Specifically, the charging unit (120) can have its operating state controlled by the control unit (140). For example, the charging unit (120) can charge the battery by applying a charging current to the battery under the control of the control unit (140).

[0057] The blocking unit (130) is a configuration that induces a pause during the charging processing of the present invention, which is performed in multiple charging sections, by stopping or blocking the charging processing performed by the charging unit (120) through a relay, a switch means, etc.

[0058] Depending on the embodiment, the blocking unit (130) may be implemented in an integrated form with the charging unit (120), and may also be implemented as a circuit configuration that turns on and off the electrical connection between the charging power source and the battery (50) within the interface unit (110).

[0059] Specifically, the operating state of the blocking unit (130) can be controlled by the control unit (140). For example, the blocking unit (130) can block charging of the battery under the control of the control unit (140).

[0060] The control unit (140) can be communicatively connected to the charging unit (120) and the blocking unit (130). In addition, the control unit (140) can be configured to control the charging processing performed by the charging unit (120) and the blocking processing performed by the blocking unit (130).

[0061] The battery charging device (100) according to the present invention is configured to charge the battery (50) by dividing the charging section into k sections (k is a natural number of 3 or more) without performing continuous charging processing from the start of charging to the end of charging (hereinafter referred to as a 'multi-step charge mode').

[0062] The control unit (140) can charge the battery (50) by dividing the charging section into multiple charging sections.

[0063] For example, the control unit (140) can perform a first charging step of charging the battery in the nth (where n is a natural number) charging section. That is, the control unit (140) can control the charging unit (120) so that the battery (50) is charged in the nth charging section. In addition, the control unit (140) can perform a first rest step so that the battery (50) has a rest period for a first hour after the first charging step ends. That is, the control unit (140) can control the blocking unit (130) so that the battery (50) after the first charging step ends can have a rest period for the first hour. Similarly, the control unit (140) can perform a second charging step of charging the battery in the n+1th charging section. That is, the control unit (140) can control the charging unit (120) so that the battery (50) is charged in the n+1th charging section. In addition, the control unit (140) can perform a second rest stage so that the battery (50) that has completed the second charging stage can have a rest period for a second period of time. That is, the control unit (140) can control the blocking unit (130) so that the battery (50) that has completed the second charging stage can have a rest period for a second period of time.

[0064] For example, if the charging process consists of a total of five charging sections, it can be configured to have four rest periods, excluding the last charging section where charging ends. That is, five charging stages and four rest stages can be performed during the charging process of the battery (50).

[0065] In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, based on the order in which charging is performed, the time of the subsequent pause (second time) is configured to be longer than the time of the preceding pause (first time).

[0066] Meanwhile, it goes without saying that the charging environment, including the charging rate and charging time, can be individually set for each charging section depending on the embodiment.

[0067] The control unit (140) can initiate charging of the battery (50) when the battery (50) and the charging unit (120) are physically connected (S300).

[0068] The control unit (140) can control the charging unit (120) so that charging is driven according to the charging environment of the first charging section (S310). Here, the charging environment means the time during which charging is performed, that is, one or more of the length of the corresponding charging section (min, etc.), the size of the charging current (mA or A), and the charging rate (C-rate). It is preferable that the size of the charging current or the charging rate be set to decrease as it goes to the subsequent charging section, taking into consideration the charging efficiency, the possibility of degradation, etc. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the size of the charging rate of the first charging section is a, the size of the charging rate of the second charging section is b, the size of the charging rate of the third charging section is c, and the size of the charging rate of the fourth charging section is d. Preferably, the sizes of the charging rates of the first to fourth charging sections can be set to "a > b > c > d".

[0069] The control unit (140) can determine whether the SOC of the battery (50) has reached the first target SOC through the charging of the first charging section (hereinafter referred to as the “first charging”) (S320). If the SOC of the battery (50) has reached the first target SOC, the first charging can be terminated. Depending on the embodiment, the condition for terminating the first charging may be determined by whether the charging voltage of the battery (50) has reached the first reference voltage, in addition to whether the SOC of the battery (50) has reached the first target SOC.

[0070] The control unit (140) can control the blocking unit (130) or the like so that charging of the second charging section does not proceed immediately following charging of the first charging section, but a pause period (first pause period) is provided for a predetermined period of time (S330).

[0071] The control unit (140) can determine whether the first pause period has elapsed from the time the blocking unit (130) is controlled (S340).

[0072] If the first rest period has elapsed, the control unit (140) can control the charging unit (120) so that the second charging section (second charging) is performed on the battery (50) (S350). Specifically, the control unit (140) can control the charging unit (120) so that the battery (50) can be charged according to the charging environment of the second charging section. As described above, the second charging can also be driven by a charging environment (one or more of the length of the charging section, the size of the charging current, and the charging rate) uniquely set for the second charging section itself.

[0073] The control unit (140) can determine whether the SOC of the battery (50) has reached the second target SOC through the second charging (S360). If the SOC of the battery (50) has reached the second target SOC, the second charging can be terminated.

[0074] The control unit (140) can stop charging by controlling the blocking unit (130) so that a second pause (second pause) is created (S370).

[0075] The control unit (140) can determine whether the second pause period has elapsed from the time the blocking unit (130) is controlled (S380). As described above, a multi-stage charging method can be implemented by controlling the charging and pause periods to alternate between multiple charging sections.

[0076] Finally, the control unit (140) can control the charging unit (120) so that the battery (50) can be charged according to the charging environment of the final charging section (S390). In addition, the control unit (140) can terminate the entire charging processing according to the present invention when the SOC of the battery (50) reaches the final SOC (S395).

[0077] The above-described charging processing can be sequentially performed from, for example, a complete discharge or an equivalent SOC level to a full charge in the absence of a forced termination event, and it is preferable that the discharge processing be configured to be applied in an appropriate combination according to the application of a discharge pulse during the rest period, depending on the embodiment.

[0078] As described above, in the case of a conventional graphite-based negative electrode, the potential approaches lithium during charging, and lithium may precipitate on the surface of the active material during the quick charging (QC) process.

[0079] In contrast, when the negative electrode is made of a composition such as Si, SiOx, or Sn, the potential during charging is higher than that of graphite-based negative electrode materials, which has the advantage of significantly reducing the possibility of lithium precipitation. However, due to the volume expansion of the Si-based active material, the smooth flow or movement of lithium ions is hindered, and degradation may be concentrated mainly in the active material distributed in the upper layer adjacent to the separator.

[0080] However, when the charging processing according to one embodiment of the present invention described above is applied, a spontaneous reaction in which lithium in the upper active material moves toward the lower active material can be induced three-dimensionally, so that overall homogenization of lithium ions can be more easily implemented.

[0081] Additionally, each charging section can be controlled to terminate when the voltage of the battery (50) reaches a reference voltage, unless the corresponding charging section is a section in which the battery (50) is fully charged. In other words, each charging stage can be set to terminate when the voltage of the battery (50) reaches a preset reference voltage for the corresponding charging section. That is, when the voltage of the battery (50) reaches a preset reference voltage for the corresponding charging section, the control unit (140) can control the cutoff unit (130) to initiate the idle period.

[0082] In this case, it is preferable that the reference voltage be set below the maximum voltage of the battery (50) (e.g., the charge termination voltage or the full charge voltage). With such an implementation configuration, the phenomenon of the distribution of lithium ions being extremely biased toward the upper layer can be reduced, thereby more effectively inducing a spontaneous reaction in which lithium in the upper layer active material moves toward the lower layer active material.

[0083]

[0084] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the control unit shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart explaining a charging processing process according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the control unit (140) of the present invention may be configured to specifically include a characteristic value calculation unit (141), an attribute information storage unit (143), an interval determination unit (145), and a main control unit (147). As previously discussed, each component of the control unit (140) illustrated in FIG. 2 may also correspond to a logical configuration.

[0086] Specifically, the embodiment of FIG. 4 is an embodiment in which the control unit (140) determines the current SOC of the battery (50) at each charging stage and proceeds with charging in the charging section corresponding to the current SOC.

[0087] In order to implement the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, attribute information for each of a plurality of charging sections is stored in the attribute information storage section (143), which is a component of the control section (140). This attribute information includes information on the charging environment for each charging section as well as information on the range of SOC for which each charging section is responsible.

[0088] As described above, when a signal for charging initiation is input, charging of the battery (50) can be initiated (S400).

[0089] The characteristic value calculation unit (141) can calculate the current SOC of the battery (50) using the electrical characteristic values ​​(voltage, etc.) of the battery (50) sensed from the detection unit (150) (S410).

[0090] When data on the current SOC of the battery (50) is input, the section determination unit (145) can select a start section, which is a charging section corresponding to the current SOC, among multiple charging sections using the attribute information stored in the attribute information storage unit (143) (S420).

[0091] The main control unit (147) can control the charging unit (120) so that charging starts with the charging environment (charging rate, size of charging current, etc.) of the selected initiation section (S430).

[0092] The main control unit (147) can determine whether the SOC of the battery (50) has reached the target SOC according to the corresponding charging section (S440).

[0093] If the SOC of the battery (50) reaches the target SOC, the main control unit (147) can determine whether the current charging section is the last charging section among the multiple preset charging sections (S450).

[0094] If the current charging section is not the last charging section, the main control unit (147) can control the charging section (120) and the blocking section (130) so that processing for charging and charging stop (rest period) by section is performed cyclically as described with reference to FIG. 3, etc. (S460).

[0095] Conversely, if the current charging section is the last charging section, the main control unit (147) can control the charging unit (120) and the blocking unit (130) to terminate the charging processing of the battery (50).

[0096]

[0097] FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating an example of a rest period in which the application time is differentiated, and FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating the time-series characteristics of the charging rate and rest period based on the entire charging process.

[0098] As illustrated in Fig. 5, the pause period applied between multiple charging sections is configured so that the time increases as the subsequent pause period progresses based on the order in which charging is performed.

[0099] Assuming that the entire charging process is conducted in five charging sections, no pause period is applied after the last charging section. That is, assuming that a pause period is applied between both the current charging section and the next charging section, the first pause period is applied between the first and second charging sections in the time series order of charging, the second pause period is applied between the second and third charging sections, the third pause period is applied between the third and fourth charging sections, and finally, the fourth pause period is applied between the fourth and fifth charging sections.

[0100] In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the time (T2) of the second rest period (between the #2 charging section and the #3 charging section) is configured to be longer than the time (T1) of the first rest period (between the #1 charging section and the #2 charging section), and the time (T3) of the third rest period (between the #4 charging section and the #3 charging section) is configured to be longer than the time (T2) of the second rest period.

[0101] Assuming that there is no rest period after the last charging section, the final rest period is the rest period between the last charging section and the charging section immediately before the last charging section, and the time of the final rest period (T F ) is the time of the resting period just before the final resting period (T F-1 ) is configured to be longer than.

[0102] The progress of charging means that the SOC of the battery (50) increases, and the increase in SOC means that the concentration gradient phenomenon of lithium ions can occur more widely. Therefore, the present invention can more easily and clearly implement the homogenization of lithium ions throughout the entire charging process of the battery (50) by setting the time (rest period) for which a spontaneous reaction in which lithium in the upper active material moves toward the lower active material is induced to be longer by an amount corresponding to the increased SOC during the charging process.

[0103] As shown in Fig. 7, as charging progresses through multiple charging sections, the SOC of the battery (50) increases, the charging rate of the corresponding charging section decreases, and the idle period is configured to become longer.

[0104]

[0105] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the performance results of a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention based on the discharge capacity retention rate. As is well known, batteries have a behavioral characteristic in which the discharge capacity retention rate decreases as use (charging and discharging) continues or is repeated.

[0106] The first graph (200) of Fig. 8 is a comparative example for the present invention, and is a graph of battery behavior characteristics under conditions where the charging rate decreases as the charging section progresses and the rest period between charging sections is fixed at 6 seconds.

[0107] The second graph (300) of Fig. 8 is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph of battery behavior characteristics under conditions where the charging rate decreases as the charging section progresses and the rest period between charging sections gradually increases.

[0108] The charging environment conditions for the first graph (200) of FIG. 8 are as shown in Table 1 below, and the charging environment conditions for the second graph (300) of FIG. 8 are as shown in Table 2 below.

[0109] [Table 1]

[0110]

[0111] [Table 2]

[0112]

[0113] The total time required for the entire charging process of the first graph (200) and the second graph (300), i.e., the total time for each charging section (14.76 minutes) by the six sections and the total time for each rest period (30 seconds / 0.5 minutes), are all equal to 15.26 minutes.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 8, in the case of the second graph (300) to which processing according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied, it can be confirmed that the durability and performance maintenance rate of the battery itself are significantly improved as the performance deterioration is significantly delayed or slowed down compared to the first graph (200).

[0115] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious that various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention and the equivalent scope of the patent claims to be described below by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains.

[0116] The drawings attached for the purpose of explaining the present invention and illustrating embodiments thereof may be illustrated in a somewhat exaggerated form to emphasize or highlight the technical contents of the present invention. However, it should be interpreted that it is obvious that various modified application examples may be possible at the level of a person skilled in the art in consideration of the contents described above and matters illustrated in the drawings.

[0117] In addition, it is self-evident that expressions such as first, second, upper, lower, or top and bottom in the description of the present invention are merely instrumental conceptual terms used to relatively distinguish each component (element) from each other, and are not terms used to indicate a specific order, priority, etc., or terms used to physically distinguish each component (element) on an absolute basis.

[0118] [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 100: Battery charging device

[0120] 110: Interface section

[0121] 120: Charging section

[0122] 130: Blocking section

[0123] 140: Control Unit

[0124] 141: Characteristic value calculation section

[0125] 143: Attribute information storage

[0126] 145: Interval decision section

[0127] 147: Main control unit

[0128] 150: Detection unit

Claims

1. A method of charging a battery by dividing the charging section into multiple charging sections, A first charging step for charging the battery in the nth charging section (n is a natural number); A first rest stage having a rest period of a first hour after the first charging stage is completed; A second charging step for charging the battery in the n+1th charging section; and Including a second rest stage having a rest period for a second time after the end of the above n+1th charging section, A battery charging method, characterized in that the second time is set differently from the first time.

2. In paragraph 1, A battery charging method, characterized in that the second time is set to a longer time than the first time.

3. In paragraph 1, A battery charging method, characterized in that the charging rate of the n+1th charging section is set lower than the charging rate of the nth charging section.

4. In paragraph 1, Each of the above charging stages is: A characteristic value calculation step for calculating the current SOC of the above battery; A section determination step for determining a start section corresponding to the current SOC among the plurality of charging sections; and A battery charging method characterized in that it further includes a charging initiation step for initiating charging of the battery in the charging environment of the above initiation section.

5. In paragraph 1, Each of the above charging stages is: A battery charging method characterized in that it is set to terminate when the voltage of the battery reaches a preset reference voltage for the corresponding charging section.

6. In paragraph 1, A battery charging method characterized in that it is configured to terminate when the voltage of the battery reaches a preset full charge voltage.

7. In paragraph 1, The above battery, A battery charging method characterized by a battery having a negative electrode of Si composition.

8. A charging unit configured to charge a battery; a blocking unit configured to block charging of the battery; and A control unit configured to control the charging unit so that the battery is charged in multiple charging sections, A battery charging device characterized in that the control unit is configured to control the cut-off unit so that a rest period is included between each of a plurality of charging sections.

9. In paragraph 8, The above control unit, A battery charging device characterized in that the blocking unit is configured to control the n+1th pause period so that the nth pause period (n is a natural number) is longer than the nth pause period.

10. In paragraph 8, The above control unit, A characteristic value calculation unit for calculating the current SOC of the above battery; An attribute information storage unit that stores attribute information of multiple charging sections; A section determination unit that determines a start section, which is a charging section corresponding to the current SOC, using the above attribute information; and A battery charging device characterized by including a main control unit that controls the charging unit so that charging of the battery is initiated in the charging environment of the above-mentioned initiation section.

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