JP2008092710A - Battery voltage controller, battery voltage control method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the voltage of a secondary battery to be easily set to the voltage (long-term-preservation-suited voltage) suited for long-term preservation. <P>SOLUTION: When a long-term preservation charge/discharge mode is selected, it compares the voltage VB of a battery 1 with the long-term-preservation-suited voltage VX. Then, in case that the voltage VB of the battery 1 is larger than the long-term-preservation-suited voltage VX, it performs discharges by means of a discharge circuit 3 until the battery VB of the battery 1 amounts to the long-term-preservation-suited voltage VX or over. On the other hand, in case that the voltage VB of the battery 1 is smaller than the long-term-preservation-suited voltage VX, it performs charge by means of a charge circuit 4 until the voltage VB of the battery 1 amounts to the long-term-preservation-suited voltage VX or over. The voltage of the battery 1 is set automatically to the voltage suited for long-term preservation if a user merely selects the long-term preservation charge/discharge mode different from a usual charge mode by operating an operating part 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery voltage control device, a battery voltage control method, and a computer program, and is particularly suitable for use in storing a chargeable / dischargeable battery.

  A lithium ion secondary battery has a characteristic that if it is left at a high voltage close to full charge, the capacity when recharged is reduced and the deterioration of the battery proceeds. Moreover, in a lithium ion secondary battery, if the voltage at the time of storage is too low, overdischarge occurs. For this reason, when a lithium ion secondary battery is stored for a long period of time, it is recommended to store it at a voltage at which the rated capacity is about 30%.

  As a technique for preventing deterioration of the battery life, there is a technique described in Patent Document 1. In such a technique, each time the lithium ion secondary battery is discharged, the discharge time until the voltage between the terminals of the lithium ion secondary battery drops to the set voltage value is measured. Then, the charging voltage to the next lithium ion secondary battery is variably controlled so that the discharge time approaches the set time value.

JP 2005-278329 A

However, in the conventional technology, when the voltage of the secondary battery is set to a voltage suitable for long-term storage (long-term storage eligible voltage), the user measures the voltage of the secondary battery, and the measured voltage is The secondary voltage had to be charged and discharged many times to achieve a long-term storage voltage. In addition, when the user does not know the long-term storage eligible voltage, the long-term storage qualified voltage cannot be set. Furthermore, it has been difficult to set a long-term storage qualifying voltage even when the voltage of the secondary battery cannot be structurally measured as the secondary battery becomes smaller or thinner. In addition, even if the voltage of the secondary battery can be set to the long-term storage eligible voltage, as described above, the user charges and discharges the secondary battery many times, and the voltage of the secondary battery becomes the long-term storage qualified voltage. It must be adjusted so that
As described above, the conventional technology cannot easily set the voltage of the secondary battery to the long-term storage qualified voltage.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the voltage of a chargeable / dischargeable battery can be easily set to a voltage suitable for long-term storage (long-term storage qualified voltage). The purpose is to.

  The battery voltage control apparatus according to the present invention includes a charging unit that charges a battery, a discharging unit that discharges the battery, and a control unit that controls the charging unit and the discharging unit. When the battery storage mode for setting the battery to a preset storage voltage is selected by operating the operation unit according to the above, the voltage of the battery is compared with the storage voltage, and based on the comparison result, At least one of the charging unit and the discharging unit is controlled so that the voltage of the battery becomes the storage voltage.

  The battery voltage control method of the present invention compares the battery voltage with the storage voltage when a battery storage mode for setting the battery to a preset storage voltage is selected by an operation of the operation unit by the user. And at least one of charging means for charging the battery and discharging means for discharging the battery so that the voltage of the battery becomes the storage voltage based on the result of comparison in the comparison step. And a control step for controlling any one of the operations.

  The computer program according to the present invention compares the battery voltage with the storage voltage when a battery storage mode for setting the battery to a preset storage voltage is selected by an operation of the operation unit by a user. And at least one of charging means for charging the battery and discharging means for discharging the battery so that the voltage of the battery becomes the storage voltage based on the result of comparison in the comparison step A control step for controlling one of the operations is executed by a computer.

  According to the present invention, the battery voltage is automatically set to the storage voltage when the user selects the battery storage mode. Therefore, the battery voltage can be set to a voltage suitable for storing the battery for a long time. Therefore, it is possible to easily realize extending the battery life.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a charging device that is an example of a battery voltage control device.
In FIG. 1, a battery 1 is a secondary battery that can be charged and discharged. Specifically, in this embodiment, a lithium ion secondary battery is used as the battery 1. The AC / DC conversion circuit 2 is a circuit for converting an alternating current (AC) voltage input to the charging device into a direct current (DC) voltage.

The charging circuit 3 is a circuit for charging the secondary battery 1 with a direct current (DC) voltage output from the AC / DC conversion circuit 2. The discharge circuit 4 is a circuit for discharging the secondary battery 1.
When a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit 6, the control unit 5 performs the charging circuit 3 and the discharging circuit 4 based on the charging current value of the battery 1 and the voltage value between the terminals of the battery 1. To control. The capacity (voltage) of the battery 1 is controlled by the operation of the control unit 5. The control unit 5 is used as, for example, a ROM that stores a program for controlling the charging device, a CPU that executes the program stored in the ROM, and a work memory when the CPU executes the program. And a microcomputer having a RAM.

The operation unit 6 is operated by a user when an operation instruction is given to the charging device. The operation unit 6 includes, for example, at least one type of operation element of a switch, a dial, and a button. When the charging device includes a display device such as an LCD, the operation unit 6 can also include a touch panel.
The voltage dividing circuit 7 is a circuit for dividing the voltage of the battery 1 into a voltage that can be discriminated by the control unit 5.

In FIG. 1, when the charging mode is selected by the operation unit 6, the control unit 5 is based on the charging current value detected by the charging circuit 3 and the voltage value of the battery 1 detected by the voltage dividing circuit 7. By controlling the charging circuit 3, the battery 1 is brought into a fully charged state.
On the other hand, when the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected as the storage mode by the operation unit 6, the control unit 5 performs control according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Further, when the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected, the LED backlight provided in the charging device is turned on. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation in the control unit 5 when the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected. Here, the voltage of the battery 1 is VB, and the long-term storage eligible voltage is VX. The long-term storage eligible voltage VX is, for example, a voltage that is about 30% of the rated capacity of the battery 1 and is a preset voltage.

When the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected by the operation of the operation unit 6 by the user, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is greater than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S1). That is, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the following condition (1) is satisfied.
VB> VX (1)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (1) is satisfied, the control unit 5 controls the discharge circuit 4. Then, discharge is performed by the discharge circuit 4 (step S3). While discharging is in progress, control unit 5 determines whether or not voltage VB of battery 1 is equal to or lower than long-term storage eligible voltage VX. That is, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (2) is satisfied (step S4).
VB ≦ VX (2)
As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (2) is not satisfied, the control unit 5 repeats the discharge by performing steps S3 and S4 until the condition of the expression (2) is satisfied. If the condition of the expression (2) is satisfied, the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is terminated.

In step S1, if the condition of the formula (1) is not satisfied, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is smaller than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX. That is, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (3) is satisfied (step S2).
VB <VX (3)
As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (3) is not satisfied, the voltage VB of the battery 1 is the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (VB = VX), so the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is terminated.

On the other hand, if the condition of the expression (3) is satisfied, the control unit 5 controls the charging circuit 3. Then, charging is performed by the charging circuit 3 (step S5). While charging is being performed, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is equal to or higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX. That is, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (4) is satisfied (step S6).
VB ≧ VX (4)
As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (4) is not satisfied, the control unit 5 repeats charging by performing steps S5 and S6 until the condition of the expression (4) is satisfied. And if the conditions of (4) Formula are satisfied, long-term storage charge / discharge mode will be complete | finished.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected, the voltage VB of the battery 1 is compared with the long-term storage eligible voltage VX. When the voltage VB of the battery 1 is higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX, the discharge circuit 3 performs discharging until the voltage VB of the battery 1 becomes equal to or higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX. On the other hand, when the voltage VB of the battery 1 is smaller than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX, charging is performed by the charging circuit 4 until the voltage VB of the battery 1 becomes equal to or higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX. Therefore, the user can operate the operation unit 6 to select a long-term storage charge / discharge mode different from the normal charge mode, so that the voltage of the battery 1 is automatically set to the long-term storage eligible voltage. Thereby, the charging device which can implement | achieve extending the lifetime of the battery 1 by easy operation by a user can be provided.

In the present embodiment, the case where the battery 1 is a lithium ion secondary battery has been described as an example. However, the battery 1 is not limited to a lithium ion secondary battery as long as it can be charged and discharged. For example, a nickel hydrogen secondary battery or the like may be used as the battery 1.
In the present embodiment, the long-term storage eligible voltage VX is a voltage that has a capacity of about 30% of the rated capacity of the battery 1. However, the long-term storage qualified voltage VX is not limited to this. That is, the long-term storage eligible voltage VX may be larger or smaller than the voltage that becomes about 30% of the rated capacity of the battery 1.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the case where each of the charge mode and the discharge mode is one type as described in steps S3 and S5 of FIG. 2 has been described. On the other hand, this embodiment demonstrates the case where there are two types of charge modes and discharge modes, respectively. Thus, the present embodiment and the first embodiment are mainly different in operations during charging and discharging. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The charging circuit included in the charging device according to the present embodiment includes a trickle charging mode in which charging is performed with a sufficiently small current with respect to the rated capacity of the battery 1, and rapid charging in which charging is performed with a sufficiently large current within a range permitted by the battery 1. Mode. Further, the discharge circuit includes a minimum discharge mode in which discharge is performed with a sufficiently small current with respect to the capacity of the battery 1 and a rapid discharge mode in which discharge is performed with a sufficiently large current within a range permitted by the battery 1. As described above, in the present embodiment, the trickle charge mode is set as the low speed charge mode, and the minimum discharge mode is set as the low speed discharge mode.

The control unit performs control according to the flowchart of FIG. 3, for example. Here, since the battery 1 is a lithium ion battery, when the voltage of the battery 1 when releasing the trickle charge mode (trickle charge release voltage) is VT, the following equation (5) is established.
VX> VT (5)
The long-term storage eligible voltage VX is, for example, a voltage that has a capacity of about 30% of the rated capacity of the battery 1 as in the first embodiment.

  Next, an example of the operation in the control unit when the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As in the first embodiment, the voltage of the battery 1 is VB and the long-term storage eligible voltage is VX.

When the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected by the operation of the operation unit 6 by the user, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is larger than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S21). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (6) is satisfied.
VB> VX (6)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of equation (6) is satisfied, the control unit controls the discharge circuit so as to shift to the minimum discharge mode. Then, the discharge in the minimum discharge mode is performed by the discharge circuit (step S23). While discharging is performed in the minimum discharge mode, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 satisfies the condition of the following expression (7) (step S24).
VB> VX + α (7)
Here, α is a voltage difference due to the internal resistance of the battery 1 between the minimum discharge mode and the rapid discharge mode, and α> 0.

As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (7) is satisfied, the control unit controls the discharge circuit so as to shift from the minimum discharge mode to the rapid discharge mode. Then, discharge in the rapid discharge mode is performed by the discharge circuit (step S25). While the rapid discharge is being performed, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is equal to or lower than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S26). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (8) is satisfied.
VB ≦ VX (8)

If the result of this determination is that the condition of equation (8) is not satisfied, the control unit performs steps S25 and S26 until the condition of equation (8) is satisfied, and repeats rapid discharge. And if the conditions of (8) Formula are satisfied, a control part will control a discharge circuit so that it may transfer to rapid discharge mode from minimum discharge mode. Then, the discharge in the minimum discharge mode is performed by the discharge circuit (step S27). Immediately after shifting to the minimum discharge mode, the discharge current decreases. Therefore, immediately after shifting to the minimum discharge mode, the following expression (9) is established.
VX + α ≧ VB> VX (9)

  In step S24, if the condition of equation (7) is not satisfied, steps S25 and S26 are omitted, and the process proceeds to step S27. Then, discharge in the minimum discharge mode is performed by the discharge circuit (step S27). As described above, equation (9) is established immediately after shifting to the minimum discharge mode.

While shifting to the minimum discharge mode as described above, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is equal to or lower than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S28). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (10) is satisfied.
VB ≦ VX (10)

  As a result of the determination, if the condition of the expression (10) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats the minimum discharge by performing steps S27 and S28 until the condition of the expression (10) is satisfied. And if the conditions of (10) Formula are satisfied, long-term storage charge / discharge mode will be complete | finished.

If the condition of equation (6) is not satisfied in step S21, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is smaller than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S22). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (11) is satisfied.
VB <VX (11)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (11) is not satisfied, the voltage VB of the battery 1 is the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (VB = VX), so the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is terminated.
On the other hand, if the condition of the expression (11) is satisfied, the control unit controls the charging circuit so as to shift to the trickle charging mode. Then, charging in the trickle charging mode is performed by the charging circuit (step S29). While trickle charging is being performed, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is equal to or higher than the trickle charge release voltage VT. That is, the control unit determines whether or not a condition of the following expression (12) is satisfied (step S30).
VB ≧ VT (12)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (12) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats trickle charging by performing steps S29 and S30 until the condition of the expression (12) is satisfied. When the condition of the expression (12) is satisfied, the control unit controls the charging circuit so as to shift from the trickle charge mode to the quick charge mode. Then, charging in the rest charging mode is performed by the charging circuit (step S31). While the quick charge is performed, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is equal to or higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S32). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (13) is satisfied.
VB ≧ VX (13)

  As a result of the determination, if the condition of the expression (13) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats the quick charging by performing steps S31 and S32 until the condition of the expression (13) is satisfied. And if the conditions of (13) Formula are satisfied, a control part will control a charging circuit so that it may transfer to a trickle charge mode from a quick charge mode. Then, the charging circuit performs charging in trickle charging mode (step S33). Immediately after shifting to the trickle charge mode, due to the internal resistance of the battery 1, when the charging current becomes small, the voltage VB of the battery 1 becomes smaller than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (VB <VX).

During the transition to the trickle charge mode, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 1 is equal to or higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S34). That is, the control unit determines whether or not a condition of the following expression (14) is satisfied.
VB ≧ VX (14)

  As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (14) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats trickle charging by performing steps S33 and S34 until the condition of the expression (14) is satisfied. When the condition of the expression (14) is satisfied, the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is terminated.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the end determination of the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is performed only in the trickle charge mode or the minimum discharge mode. In other words, the end of the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is determined only when charging or discharging is performed with a sufficiently small current with respect to the capacity of the battery 1. Therefore, the influence of the internal resistance of the battery 1 can be minimized. Furthermore, charging / discharging is performed in the rapid charge mode and the rapid discharge mode.

  From the above, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment, the voltage of the battery 1 can be set more accurately and in a short time to a voltage suitable for long-term storage (long-term storage qualified voltage). An effect is obtained. As described above, in this embodiment, the voltage of the battery 1 is automatically and accurately set to the long-term storage qualifying voltage only by the user selecting the long-term storage charge / discharge mode. A charging device that can be realized by a simple operation by a user can be provided.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first and second embodiments described above, the charging device is described as an example of the battery voltage control device, but in the present embodiment, a power supply device is described as an example of the battery voltage control device.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the power supply device.
In FIG. 4, a battery 101 is a secondary battery that serves as a power source for the load circuit 109. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the battery 101 is a lithium ion secondary battery. The AC adapter 102 serves as a charging power source for the battery 101 and a power source for the load circuit 109, and converts an AC power source such as a commercial power source into a DC power source.

The DC power supply voltage switching circuit 108 is a circuit for switching between supply of DC power from the battery 101 and supply of DC power from the AC adapter 102.
The charging circuit 103 is a circuit for charging the battery 101 with the DC power supplied from the AC adapter 102. The load voltage output circuit 104 is a circuit for converting the DC power supply voltage supplied from the DC power supply voltage switching circuit 108 into a DC power supply voltage required by the load circuit 109 and outputting the DC power supply voltage to the load circuit 109.

  When a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit 6, the control unit 105 performs a charging circuit 103 and a load voltage output circuit based on the charging current value of the battery 101 and the voltage value between the terminals of the battery 101. 104 is controlled. By the operation of the control unit 105, the capacity (voltage) of the battery 101 is controlled. The control unit 105 is used as, for example, a ROM that stores a program for controlling the power supply device, a CPU that executes the program stored in the ROM, and a work memory when the CPU executes the program. And a microcomputer having a RAM.

The operation unit 106 is operated by a user when an operation instruction is given to the power supply apparatus. The operation unit 106 includes, for example, at least any one of a switch, a dial, and a button. In addition, when the power supply device includes a display device such as an LCD, the operation unit 6 can also include a touch panel.
The voltage dividing circuit 107 is a circuit for dividing the voltage of the battery 101 into a voltage that can be discriminated by the control unit 105.

  The load circuit 109 is a circuit that operates with a DC power supply voltage output from the load voltage output circuit 104. Specifically, the load circuit 109 performs, for example, a predetermined process on captured still image data or moving image data, and stores the image in a storage medium or displays it on a display device. This is a circuit used in a video camera or the like.

  The charging circuit 103 provided in the power supply device of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 4 includes a trickle charging mode in which charging is performed with a sufficiently small current with respect to the capacity of the battery 101, and a sufficiently large current within a range allowed by the battery 1. And a quick charge mode for charging. Thus, in this embodiment, the trickle charge mode is set as the low-speed charge mode. Further, the load voltage output circuit 104 has a rapid discharge mode in which the load circuit 109 discharges so as to consume the maximum power.

When the charging mode is selected by the operation unit 106, the control unit 105 determines the charging circuit 103 based on the charging current value detected by the charging circuit 103 and the voltage value of the battery 101 detected by the voltage dividing circuit 107. To control. As a result, the battery 101 is brought into a fully charged state.
On the other hand, when the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected as the storage mode by the operation unit 106, the control unit 105 performs control according to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected, the LED backlight provided in the power supply device is turned on, as in the first and second embodiments. Here, since the battery 101 is a lithium ion battery, when the voltage of the battery 101 (trickle charge release voltage) when releasing the trickle charge mode is VT, the following equation (15) is established.
VX> VT (15)
The long-term storage eligible voltage VX is, for example, a voltage that has a capacity of about 30% of the rated capacity of the battery 101, as in the first and second embodiments.

  Next, an example of the operation in the control unit when the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As in the first and second embodiments, the voltage of the battery 1 is VB and the long-term storage eligible voltage is VX.

When the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected by the operation of the operation unit 106 by the user, the control unit 105 controls the charging circuit 103 to shift to the trickle charge mode. Then, the charging circuit 103 performs charging in the trickle charging mode (step S101). While charging is being performed in trickle mode, control unit 105 determines whether or not voltage VB of battery 101 is equal to or higher than trickle charge release voltage VT (step S102). That is, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (16) is satisfied.
VB ≧ VT (16)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of the equation (16) is not satisfied, the control unit 105 repeats trickle charging by performing steps S101 and S102 until the condition of the equation (16) is satisfied. And if the conditions of (16) Formula are satisfied, the control part 105 will determine whether the voltage VB of the battery 101 is larger than the long-term storage qualified voltage VX (step S103). That is, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (17) is satisfied.
VB> VX (17)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (17) is satisfied, the control unit 105 controls the load voltage output circuit 104 to shift to the rapid discharge mode. Then, discharge in the rapid discharge mode is performed by the load voltage output circuit 104 (step S105). While the rapid discharge is being performed, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is smaller than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX. That is, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (18) is satisfied (step S106).
VB <VX (18)

  As a result of this determination, if the condition of the formula (18) is not satisfied, the control unit 105 repeats the rapid discharge by performing steps S105 and S106 until the condition of the formula (18) is satisfied. When the condition of equation (18) is satisfied, control unit 105 controls charging circuit 103 to shift to the trickle charge mode (step S109).

If the condition of equation (17) is not satisfied in step S103, control unit 105 determines whether or not voltage VB of battery 101 is smaller than long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S104). That is, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (19) is satisfied.
VB <VX (19)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of the equation (19) is satisfied, the control unit 105 controls the charging circuit 103 to shift to the quick charge mode. Then, charging in the quick charge mode is performed by the charging circuit 103 (step S107). While the quick charging is performed, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is equal to or higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S108). That is, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (20) is satisfied.
VB ≧ VX (20)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of equation (20) is not satisfied, steps S107 and S108 are performed until the condition of equation (20) is satisfied, and rapid charging is repeated. When the condition of equation (20) is satisfied, control unit 105 controls charging circuit 103 to shift to the trickle charging mode (step S109). Immediately after shifting to the trickle charge mode, the battery voltage VB becomes smaller than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX when the charging current becomes small due to the internal resistance of the battery 101. That is, the following equation (21) is established.
VB <VX (21)

While trickle charging is being performed, control unit 105 determines whether or not voltage VB of battery 101 is equal to or higher than long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S110). That is, the control unit 105 determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (22) is satisfied.
VB ≧ VX (22)
As a result of the determination, if the condition of the expression (22) is not satisfied, the control unit 105 repeats trickle charging by performing steps S109 and S110 until the condition of the expression (22) is satisfied. And if the conditions of (22) Formula are satisfied, long-term storage charge / discharge mode will be complete | finished.

  In step S104, if the condition of the equation (19) is not satisfied, the voltage VB of the battery 101 is the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (VB = VX), so the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is terminated.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the user can operate the operation unit 6 to select the long-term storage charge / discharge mode different from the normal charge mode, so that the voltage of the battery 101 is stored for a long time. It was controlled so that it was automatically set to a voltage suitable for (a voltage suitable for long-term storage). Therefore, it is possible to provide a power supply device that can realize the extension of the life of the battery 101 with a simple operation by the user.

In addition, the end of the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is determined only when the trickle charge mode is selected. That is, the end of the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is determined only when charging is performed with a sufficiently small current with respect to the rated capacity of the battery 101. Therefore, the influence of the internal resistance of the battery 101 can be minimized. Thereby, the voltage of the battery 101 can be more accurately set to the long-term storage qualifying voltage than when the discharge mode is added as the mode for determining whether the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is finished.
Furthermore, since charging / discharging is performed in the rapid charge mode and the rapid discharge mode, the long-term storage eligible voltage can be set in a shorter time.

  As described above, since the user can select the long-term storage charge / discharge mode and the voltage of the battery 101 can be controlled to the long-term storage eligible voltage in a short time and accurately, it is easy for the user to extend the life of the battery 101. A power supply device that can be realized can be provided.

In the present embodiment, the case where the battery 101 is a lithium ion secondary battery has been described as an example. However, the battery 101 is not limited to a lithium ion secondary battery as long as it can be charged and discharged. For example, a nickel hydride secondary battery or the like may be used as the battery 101.
In the present embodiment, the long-term storage eligible voltage VX is a voltage that has a capacity of about 30% of the rated capacity of the battery 101. However, the long-term storage qualified voltage VX is not limited to this. In other words, the long-term storage eligible voltage VX may be larger or smaller than the voltage at which the capacity becomes about 30% of the rated capacity of the battery 101.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the above-described third embodiment, when the voltage of the battery 101 is lower than the long-term storage eligible voltage, rapid charging is performed directly (steps S104 and S107 to S109 in FIG. 5). On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the voltage of the battery 101 is smaller than the long-term storage qualifying voltage, the trickle charge is performed once and then the rapid charge is performed. In the above-described third embodiment, only rapid discharge is performed to perform discharge. On the other hand, in this embodiment, discharge is performed in two types of modes, rapid discharge and minimum discharge. Thus, the present embodiment and the third embodiment are mainly different in operations during charging and discharging. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, the same parts as those of the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

The charging circuit included in the power supply device of the present embodiment includes a trickle charge mode in which charging is performed with a sufficiently small current with respect to the rated capacity of the battery 101, and a quick charge mode in which charging is performed with a sufficiently large current within a range permitted by the battery 101 With. The load voltage output circuit also has a rapid discharge mode in which the load voltage output circuit discharges so that the load circuit 109 consumes the maximum power.
A control part performs control according to the flowchart of FIG. 6, for example. Here, since the battery 101 is a lithium ion battery, when the voltage of the battery 1 (trickle charge release voltage) when releasing the trickle charge mode is VT, the following equation (23) is established.
VX> VT (23)
Further, the long-term storage eligible voltage VX is, for example, a voltage having a capacity of about 30% of the rated capacity of the battery 1 as in the first to third embodiments.

  Next, an example of the operation in the control unit when the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As in the third embodiment, the voltage of the battery 101 is VB and the long-term storage eligible voltage is VX.

When the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected by the operation of the operation unit 106 by the user, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is smaller than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S121). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (24) is satisfied.
VB <VX (24)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of equation (24) is satisfied, the control unit controls the charging circuit so as to shift to the trickle charging mode. Then, charging in trickle charge mode is performed by the charging circuit (step S123). While charging is being performed in the trickle charge mode, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is equal to or higher than the trickle charge release voltage VT. That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (25) is satisfied.
VB ≧ VT (25)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of the expression (25) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats trickle charging by performing steps S123 and S124 until the condition of the expression (25) is satisfied. When the condition of the expression (25) is satisfied, the control unit controls the charging circuit so as to shift from the trickle charge mode to the quick charge mode. Then, charging in the quick charge mode is performed by the charging circuit (step S125). While charging is performed in the quick charge mode, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is equal to or higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S126). That is, the control unit determines whether or not a condition of the following expression (26) is satisfied.
VB ≧ VX (26)

  As a result of the determination, if the condition of the expression (26) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats the quick charging by performing steps S125 and S126 until the condition of the expression (26) is satisfied. And if the conditions of (26) Formula are satisfied, a control part will control a charging circuit so that it may transfer to trickle charge from quick charge mode. Then, the charging circuit performs charging in trickle charging mode (step S127). Immediately after shifting to the trickle charge mode, the voltage VB of the battery 101 becomes smaller than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (VB <VX) because of the internal resistance of the battery 101 when the charging current becomes small.

While charging is performed in the trickle charge mode, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is equal to or higher than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S128). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (27) is satisfied.
VB ≧ VX (27)

  As a result of this determination, if the condition of equation (27) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats trickle charging by performing steps S127 and S128 until the condition of equation (27) is satisfied. When the condition of equation (27) is satisfied, the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is terminated.

If the condition of equation (24) is not satisfied in step S121, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is greater than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S122). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (28) is satisfied.
VB> VX (28)

As a result of the determination, when the condition of the expression (28) is satisfied, the control unit determines whether or not the condition of the following expression (29) is satisfied (step S129).
VB> VX + α (29)
Here, α is a voltage difference due to the internal resistance of the battery 101 between the minimum discharge mode and the rapid discharge mode, and α> 0.

  The rapid discharge mode is a discharge mode in which discharge is performed with a sufficiently large current within the range allowed by the battery 101 as described above. In the present embodiment, the load voltage output circuit 104 outputs a plurality of load voltages to all the circuits constituting the load circuit 109, for example, when the rapid discharge mode is entered. The minimum discharge mode is a discharge mode in which discharge is performed with a sufficiently small current with respect to the capacity of the battery 101 as described above. In the present embodiment, the load voltage output circuit 104 outputs the load voltage to, for example, a part of the circuits constituting the load circuit 109 when the minimum discharge mode is set. As described above, in this embodiment, the minimum discharge mode is set as the low-speed discharge mode.

As a result of this determination, when the condition of the expression (29) is satisfied, the control unit controls the load voltage output circuit so as to shift to the rapid discharge mode. Then, the discharge in the rapid discharge mode is performed by the load voltage output circuit (step S130). While discharging is performed in the rapid discharge mode, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is equal to or lower than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S131). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (30) is satisfied.
VB ≦ VX (30)

As a result of this determination, if the condition of equation (30) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats rapid discharge by performing steps S130 and S131 until the condition of equation (30) is satisfied. When the condition of equation (30) is satisfied, the control unit controls the load voltage output circuit so as to shift from the rapid discharge mode to the minimum discharge mode. Then, the discharge in the minimum discharge mode is performed by the load voltage output circuit (step S132). Immediately after shifting to the minimum discharge mode, the discharge current decreases. Therefore, immediately after shifting to the minimum discharge mode, the following equation (31) is established.
VX + α ≧ VB> VX (31)

  In step S129, if the condition of the expression (29) is not satisfied, steps S130 to S131 are omitted, and the process proceeds to step S132. Then, discharge in the minimum discharge mode is performed by the load voltage output circuit (step S132). As described above, the expression (31) is established immediately after shifting to the minimum discharge mode.

While shifting to the minimum discharge mode as described above, the control unit determines whether or not the voltage VB of the battery 101 is equal to or lower than the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (step S133). That is, the control unit determines whether or not the following condition (32) is satisfied.
VB ≦ VX (32)

As a result of the determination, if the condition of the expression (32) is not satisfied, the control unit repeats the minimum discharge by performing steps S132 and S133 until the condition of the expression (32) is satisfied. When the condition of equation (32) is satisfied, the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is terminated.
In step S123, if the condition of equation (28) is not satisfied, the voltage VB of the battery 1 is the long-term storage eligible voltage VX (VB = VX), and thus the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is terminated.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the end determination of the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is performed only in the trickle charge mode or the minimum discharge mode. That is, the end of the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is determined only when charging or discharging is performed with a sufficiently small current with respect to the capacity of the battery 101. Therefore, the influence of the internal resistance of the battery 101 can be minimized, and the voltage of the battery 101 can be accurately set to the long-term storage charge / discharge mode. Furthermore, the voltage of the battery 101 can be set in a shorter time than when the end determination of the long-term storage charge / discharge mode is performed only in the trickle charge mode. Furthermore, since rapid charging and rapid discharging are performed with a sufficiently large current with respect to the rated capacity of the battery 101, the voltage of the battery 101 can be set to the long-term storage charge / discharge mode in a shorter time. From the above, in this embodiment, in addition to the effect described in the third embodiment, the voltage of the battery 101 can be set to the long-term storage charge / discharge mode in a shorter time.

  In the present embodiment, the load voltage is output to all the circuits constituting the load circuit 109 when the rapid discharge mode is entered, and the load voltage is applied to some circuits constituting the load circuit 109 when the minimum discharge mode is entered. Output it. However, this is not always necessary. That is, it is sufficient that the discharge current is larger in the rapid discharge mode than in the minimum discharge mode. For example, in the rapid discharge mode, a load voltage is output to a part of the load circuit 109 and a plurality of circuits constituting the load circuit 109, and in the minimum discharge mode, the load voltage is output in the rapid discharge mode. A load voltage may be output to some of the plurality of circuits.

Note that the operations of the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 described in the third and fourth embodiments can be realized by the charging apparatus shown in FIG. Further, the operations of the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 3 described in the first and second embodiments can be realized by the power supply apparatus shown in FIG.
Further, the long-term storage eligible voltage VX may be varied based on at least one of the temperature of the batteries 1 and 101 and the type of the batteries 1 and 101.

(Other embodiments of the present invention)
In order to operate various devices to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments, program codes of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments are provided to an apparatus or a computer in the system connected to the various devices. You may supply. What was implemented by operating said various devices according to the program stored in the computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus is also included in the category of the present invention.

  In this case, the program code of the software itself realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment. The program code itself and means for supplying the program code to a computer, for example, a recording medium storing the program code constitute the present invention. As a recording medium for storing the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are not only realized by executing the program code supplied by the computer. It goes without saying that the program code is also included in the embodiment of the present invention even when the function of the above-described embodiment is realized in cooperation with an operating system or other application software running on the computer. Yes.

Further, after the supplied program code is stored in the memory provided in the function expansion board of the computer, the CPU provided in the function expansion board performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code. Needless to say, the present invention includes the case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
Further, after the supplied program code is stored in the memory provided in the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code. Do. Needless to say, the present invention includes the case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  It should be noted that each of the above-described embodiments is merely a specific example for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner. . That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea or the main features thereof.

It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and shows an example of a structure of a charging device. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and demonstrates an example of the operation | movement in a control part when long-term storage charging / discharging mode is selected. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention and demonstrates an example of the operation | movement in a control part when long-term storage charging / discharging mode is selected. It is a figure which shows the 3rd Embodiment of this invention and shows an example of a structure of a power supply device. It is a flowchart which shows the 3rd Embodiment of this invention and demonstrates an example of the operation | movement in a control part when long-term storage charging / discharging mode is selected. It is a flowchart which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention and demonstrates an example of the operation | movement in a control part when long-term storage charge / discharge mode is selected.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 Battery 2 AC / DC conversion circuit 3,103 Charging circuit 4 Discharging circuit 5,105 Control part 6,106 Operation part 7,107 Voltage dividing circuit 102 AC adapter 104 Load voltage output circuit 108 DC power supply voltage switching circuit 109 Load circuit

Claims (12)

Charging means for charging the battery;
Discharging means for discharging the battery;
Control means for controlling the charging means and the discharging means,
When the battery storage mode for setting the battery to a preset storage voltage is selected by the operation of the operation unit by the user, the control unit compares the voltage of the battery with the storage voltage, and compares Based on the result, at least one of the charging unit and the discharging unit is controlled so that the voltage of the battery becomes the storage voltage. The charging means charges the battery in any of a plurality of charging modes including a low-speed charging mode for charging the battery with a small current and a quick charging mode for charging the battery with a large current larger than the small current. And
When the battery voltage is lower than the storage voltage after the battery storage mode is selected, the control means performs charging in the quick charge mode and then charges in the low speed charge mode. 2. The battery voltage control device according to claim 1, wherein the battery storage mode end determination is performed while charging is performed in the low-speed charging mode.   When the battery voltage is lower than the storage voltage after the battery storage mode is selected, the control means performs charging in the order of the slow charge mode, the quick charge mode, and the slow charge mode. The battery voltage control device according to claim 2, wherein the battery storage mode end determination is performed while charging is performed in the low-speed charging mode.   When the voltage of the battery reaches the storage voltage while charging in the quick charge mode, the control means shifts the charge mode to the low speed charge mode and performs charging in the low speed charge mode. 4. The battery voltage control device according to claim 2, wherein an end determination of the battery storage mode is performed during the adjustment. The discharging means discharges the battery in any one of a plurality of discharge modes including a low-speed discharge mode for discharging the battery with a small current and a rapid discharge mode for discharging the battery with a large current larger than the small current. And
When the battery voltage is higher than the storage voltage after the battery storage mode is selected, the control means discharges in the rapid discharge mode and then discharges in the low speed discharge mode. 5. The battery voltage control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery storage mode end determination is performed while the battery storage mode is discharged in the low-speed discharge mode.   When the battery voltage is higher than the storage voltage after the battery storage mode is selected, the control means performs discharging in the order of the low-speed discharge mode, the rapid discharge mode, and the low-speed discharge mode. 6. The battery voltage control device according to claim 5, wherein the battery storage mode end determination is performed while the battery is being discharged in the low-speed discharge mode.   When the battery voltage becomes the storage voltage while discharging in the rapid discharge mode, the control means shifts the discharge mode to the low-speed discharge mode and performs discharge in the low-speed discharge mode. 7. The battery voltage control device according to claim 5, wherein an end determination of the battery storage mode is performed during the adjustment. The discharging means outputs DC power to a load circuit,
The rapid discharge mode is a discharge mode for outputting a plurality of load voltages to the load circuit,
The battery voltage control device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the low-speed discharge mode is a discharge mode in which a part of the plurality of load circuits is output to the load circuit. Conversion means for converting AC power to DC power;
Switching means for switching between DC power converted by the conversion means and DC power from the battery;
The battery voltage control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging unit charges the battery based on the DC power converted by the conversion unit.   The battery voltage control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery is a lithium ion battery. When a battery storage mode for setting the battery to a preset storage voltage is selected by an operation of the operation unit by a user, a comparison step of comparing the battery voltage with the storage voltage;
Based on the result of the comparison in the comparison step, at least one operation of charging means for charging the battery and discharging means for discharging the battery so that the voltage of the battery becomes the storage voltage And a control step for controlling the battery voltage. When a battery storage mode for setting the battery to a preset storage voltage is selected by an operation of the operation unit by a user, a comparison step of comparing the battery voltage with the storage voltage;
Based on the result of the comparison in the comparison step, at least one operation of charging means for charging the battery and discharging means for discharging the battery so that the voltage of the battery becomes the storage voltage A computer program for causing a computer to execute a control step for controlling the computer.

Images