Battery Charging Voltage Adjustment for Swelling Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices with batteries face issues such as swelling and thermal events due to improper charging voltages, leading to potential damage and reduced battery life, and existing solutions lack efficient remote management of battery charging policies across multiple devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system for remote configuration and management of battery charging settings, including incremental adjustments to charging voltages based on time, age, and usage, using over-the-air software updates to synchronize policies across devices, thereby minimizing user impact and reducing damage risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If high charging voltage is applied to batteries, then charging speed and power are improved, but battery swelling and thermal events increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic charging voltage adjustment by transitioning from static high voltage charging to time-dependent incremental voltage reduction. The system dynamically adapts charging parameters based on battery age and usage history, reducing voltage from initial high levels (e.g., 4.2V) to lower levels (e.g., 4.0V or below) as the battery ages, thereby maintaining charging efficiency while preventing swelling and thermal events
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the charging voltage parameter over time based on battery lifecycle. The system modifies the charging voltage parameter from high initial values to reduced values as the battery ages, using look-up tables and algorithms that correlate battery age with optimal charging voltage, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining high charging power and preventing harmful thermal and swelling effects
2Reliability
If battery charging policies are updated at individual devices, then device-specific battery health is improved, but remote management efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual device battery management with centralized remote server control. The system combines local battery monitoring capabilities with remote policy management, allowing the server to push unified charging policy updates to multiple devices simultaneously. This enables coordinated battery health management across a device fleet while maintaining efficient remote control, resolving the contradiction between device-specific health optimization and remote management efficiency
3Duration of action of stationary object
If charging voltage is reduced to prevent battery damage, then battery longevity is improved, but charging speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary high voltage charging for new batteries before transitioning to reduced voltage. The system performs initial aggressive charging at high voltage when the battery is new and healthy, then progressively reduces voltage as the battery ages. This preliminary high-power charging phase maximizes initial charging speed, while subsequent voltage reduction extends battery longevity, resolving the contradiction between charging speed and battery longevity through time-based voltage adjustment
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for remote configuration of battery charging settings. In one embodiment, an example device may include a battery, at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions, and at least one processor. The at least one processor may be configured to access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to determine that a charger is connected to the device, determine a first length of time that a maximum charging voltage for the battery has been set to a first voltage value, determine that the maximum charging voltage is to be reduced from the first voltage value to a second voltage value, and charge the battery at a maximum of the second voltage value.