KR20220000541A - Battery charging device and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery charging device and a control method thereof. The battery charging device according to the present invention comprises: a battery unit in which a battery package including a battery and a battery protection module is mounted; a charging circuit unit that charges the battery; a communication unit that communicates with the battery protection module to receive battery information; and a control unit that updates the accumulated charging time of the battery by reflecting the time elapsed since the start of charging of the battery. When the accumulated battery charging time delivered from the battery protection module or the updated battery accumulated charging time is equal to or greater than a predetermined criterion, a battery replacement notification is output. According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately inform the battery replacement time only by the number of times the battery is fully charged, compared to a method of determining the replacement cycle.

Description

Battery charging device and control method therefor

The present invention relates to a battery charging apparatus and a control method therefor, and more particularly, to a battery charging apparatus providing a battery replacement cycle notification function and a control method therefor.

All rechargeable batteries we use have a lifespan that can be repeatedly charged and discharged. If the number of times of charging and discharging increases, the charging capacity and usage time of the battery decrease, and it becomes difficult to bring out the maximum performance of the device to be operated. So, when the replacement cycle comes, the battery is replaced.

If you know the lifespan of the battery, you can prepare a new battery by predicting the decrease in the performance and usage time of the device in advance.

Currently, the method of checking how many times the user has charged the battery by counting the number of times the battery is fully charged is used, or the method of replacing the battery after the user recognizes that the performance of the battery has deteriorated by himself/herself has been used. However, if the user in the medical device has to recognize that the performance of the battery has deteriorated by himself, problems such as stopping the operation of the device during the procedure or increasing the treatment time due to performance degradation may occur.

The current method of counting the number of times the battery is fully charged has the following problems. For example, “Battery A” is charged 10% with 90% remaining capacity, and “Battery B” is charged with 40% remaining capacity and 60% charged. recognized as one If the above charging is repeated, "Battery A" may be recognized as a product that is still usable but needs to be replaced, and resources and costs may be wasted if replaced.

Accordingly, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery charging apparatus and a control method thereof, which can accurately notify the battery replacement time compared to a method of determining the replacement cycle only by the number of times of charging the battery.

The battery charging device according to the present invention for solving the above technical problem is a battery mounting unit in which a battery package including a battery and a battery protection module is mounted, a charging circuit unit for charging the battery, and battery information by communicating with the battery protection module - The battery information includes a battery model and a battery cumulative charging time - a communication unit that receives a transmission, and a control unit that updates the battery cumulative charging time by reflecting the time elapsed since the start of charging of the battery in the battery cumulative charging time do.

The updated battery accumulated charging time may be transmitted to and stored in the battery protection module after the battery charging is completed.

The controller may control the charging circuit unit to charge the battery under a predetermined charging condition according to the battery model.

The battery charging apparatus may further include a storage unit configured to store a predetermined charging condition and a total chargeable time according to the battery model.

The battery information may include a predetermined total chargeable time for the battery model.

The controller may output a battery replacement notification when the accumulated battery charging time transmitted from the battery protection module or the updated battery accumulated charging time is equal to or greater than a predetermined criterion.

The total chargeable time may be obtained as a value obtained by multiplying a time required for fully discharging the battery to be fully charged under the predetermined charging condition by the maximum number of charging cycles of the battery.

The control method of a battery charging device according to the present invention for solving the above technical problem, the step of mounting a battery package including a battery and a battery protection module, communicates with the battery protection module for battery information - the battery information is a battery including a model and a battery's accumulated charging time; and transmitting the time to the battery protection module after the battery charging is finished.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that the battery replacement time can be accurately notified compared to the method of determining the replacement cycle only by the number of times the battery is fully charged.

1 is a view provided to explain a battery charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram provided to explain a method of controlling a battery charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view provided to explain a method of controlling a battery charging apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated.

In addition, the terms “…unit” and “…module” described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

1 is a view provided to explain a battery charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a battery charging device 100 according to the present invention includes a battery mounting unit 110 , a charging circuit unit 120 , a communication unit 130 , a control unit 140 , a storage unit 150 , and an output unit 160 . may include

The battery mounting unit 110 may be equipped with a battery package 200 including a battery 210 and a battery protection module 220 .

The battery 210 may be embodied as a secondary battery that can be used repeatedly by recharging it even after discharging. The secondary battery may be a lead storage battery, a nickel-cadmium battery (NiCd), a nickel-metal hydride battery (Ni-MH), a lithium ion battery (Li-ion), a lithium ion polymer battery (Li-ion polymer), or the like. Of course, in addition to the examples illustrated here, the battery 210 may be a secondary battery that can be repeatedly used by recharging after discharging.

For the rechargeable battery battery, the maximum number of charge cycles determined by using all of the battery power and fully charging again as one cycle may be suggested by the manufacturer. For example, when the maximum number of charging cycles is set to 1000, when the battery is completely discharged and fully charged 1000 times, the performance of the corresponding battery is deteriorated and replacement is required.

In the present invention, the total chargeable time according to the battery model may be predetermined. For example, it is a battery that needs to be fully discharged after being fully discharged and charged for 180 minutes under the standard charging conditions predetermined for the battery model. available time can be obtained.

- Total charge/discharge capacity of the battery: 2500mAh x 250 cycles = 625,000mAh

- Charges per minute: 2500mAh / 180min = 13.9mAh/min

- Total charging time (minutes): 625,000mAh / 13.9mAh/minute = 44,964 minutes

That is, the total chargeable time of the battery may be predetermined as a value obtained by multiplying the time required for fully discharging the battery to a predetermined charging condition and the maximum number of charging cycles of the battery.

The battery protection module 220 performs a function of overcharging, overdischarging, overcurrent and short circuit protection of the battery 210 . The battery protection module 220 according to the present invention may further include a memory (not shown) for storing battery information in addition to a general battery protection function. In addition, the battery protection module 220 may include a communication function for exchanging information through communication with the battery charging device 100 .

The shape of the battery mounting unit 110 may vary according to the shape of the battery package 200 . That is, the battery mounting unit 110 may be manufactured to correspond to the model or standard of the battery package 200 .

When the battery package 200 is mounted, the battery mounting unit 110 may include a charging terminal (not shown) in electrical contact with the battery terminal provided in the battery 210 .

The charging circuit unit 120 may receive external power and output the charging voltage and charging current capable of charging the battery 210 mounted in the battery mounting unit 110 to the battery 210 through the charging terminal.

The charging circuit unit 120 may charge the battery 210 under charging conditions automatically set according to the control of the controller 140 according to the battery model. Here, the charging condition may be a standard charging voltage and a standard charging current predetermined according to a battery model. The charging condition may be stored in advance in the battery package 200 and transmitted to the battery charging device 100 through the communication unit 130 . Of course, battery charging condition information according to the battery model may be previously stored in the battery charging apparatus 100 .

The communication unit 130 may communicate with the battery protection module 220 to exchange information. A communication method between the communication unit 130 and the battery protection module 220 may be implemented in various ways. For example, the communication unit 130 and the battery protection module 220 may exchange information in a serial communication method, and a wired circuit connection structure for this may be implemented in various ways according to embodiments, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the battery package 200 is mounted on the battery mounting unit 110 , the communication unit 130 may receive battery information through serial communication with the battery protection module 220 . Here, the battery information may include battery model information and an accumulated battery charging time. According to an embodiment, information on a predetermined total chargeable time for a corresponding battery model, which will be described later, may also be included in the battery information and transmitted.

The controller 140 controls the overall operation of the battery charging apparatus 100 . Specifically, the control unit 140 updates the time elapsed since the start of charging of the battery 110 to the accumulated battery charging time, and if the updated accumulated battery charging time is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard, a battery replacement notification is transmitted through the output unit 150 . can be output.

The storage unit 150 may store various types of information, data, and programs related to the operation of the battery charging device 100 . The storage unit 150 may store battery charging condition information according to a battery model. In addition, according to an embodiment, the storage unit 150 may also store information on the total chargeable time according to the battery model.

The output unit 160 may output battery replacement notification information aurally or visually. For example, the output unit 160 may be implemented as a speaker to output a replacement notification sound, or implemented as an LED module to output a replacement notification light. Also, according to an embodiment, the output unit 160 may be implemented as an LED display module or an LCD display module to output a replacement notification message.

As a criterion for outputting battery replacement notification information, the accumulated battery charging time may be set to be less than or equal to a predetermined ratio with respect to the total chargeable time. For example, when the predetermined ratio is 100%, a battery replacement notification may be output when the accumulated battery charging time is equal to or greater than the total battery chargeable time. Of course, the ratio may be set differently depending on the embodiment.

2 is a diagram provided to explain a method of controlling a battery charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, when the battery package 200 is first mounted on the battery mounting unit 110 (S210), the communication unit 130 communicates with the battery protection module 220 to receive battery information ( S220). The battery information transmitted in step S220 may include a battery model and an accumulated battery charging time. The battery cumulative charging time may be set to '0' if the corresponding battery has never been charged.

Thereafter, the control unit 140 may charge the battery 210 after automatically setting the charging circuit unit 120 to charge the battery 210 under a predetermined charging condition based on the battery model information transmitted in step S220 . (S230).

Next, the controller 140 updates the time elapsed since the start of charging of the battery 210 to the accumulated battery charging time (S240), and may check whether the updated accumulated battery charging time is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard (S250).

On the other hand, when the updated accumulated battery charging time is equal to or greater than a predetermined criterion (S250-Y), the controller 140 may output a battery replacement notification through the output unit 150 (S260).

After the battery replacement notification, the control unit 140 may receive a selection from the user whether to charge the battery (S270).

When the user selects to terminate the battery charging (S270-N), the battery charging operation may be terminated.

Meanwhile, when the user selects to continue charging the battery (S270-Y), the control unit 140 may cause the charging circuit unit 120 to continue charging the battery 210 under a charging condition determined based on the battery model information (S275) . Step S275 may be executed until the battery 210 is fully charged or the battery charging is terminated by the user.

On the other hand, if the battery charging is terminated before the updated battery accumulative charging time exceeds the predetermined criterion (S280-Y), the controller 140 transmits the updated battery accumulative charging time to the battery protection module 220 until the battery charging is terminated. ) to ( S290 ), and the battery charging operation may be terminated. The battery protection module 220 may store the accumulated battery charging time transferred in step S260 in a memory, and then transmit it when mounted in the battery mounting unit 110 again. In step S250 , the battery charging is terminated when the user stops charging the battery or the battery 210 is fully charged.

Of course, even after step (S270-Y) or step (S275), the accumulated battery charging time updated until then may be transmitted to the battery protection module 220 (S290), and the battery charging operation may be terminated.

3 is a view provided to explain a method of controlling a battery charging apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 3, when the battery package 200 is first mounted on the battery mounting unit 110 (S310), the communication unit 130 communicates with the battery protection module 220 to receive battery information ( S320).

Thereafter, the controller 140 may check whether the accumulated battery charging time transmitted in step S320 is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard (S330).

If the accumulated battery charging time is equal to or greater than a predetermined criterion (S330-Y), the controller 140 may output a battery replacement notification through the output unit 150 (S340).

After the battery replacement notification, the control unit 140 may receive a selection from the user whether to charge the battery (S350).

When the user selects to terminate the battery charging (S350-N), the battery charging operation may be terminated.

Meanwhile, when the user selects to charge the battery (S350-Y), the control unit 140 automatically sets the charging circuit unit 120 to charge the battery 210 under a predetermined charging condition based on the battery model information, and then the battery 210 ) can be charged (S360).

In addition, the controller 140 may update the time elapsed after the start of charging of the battery 210 to the accumulated battery charging time ( S370 ).

If the battery charging is not terminated (S380-N), the controller 140 may continue to update the accumulated battery charging time while continuously charging the battery 210 (S360) (S370).

After that, when the battery charging is finished (S380-Y), the control unit 140 transmits the updated accumulated battery charging time to the battery protection module 220 until the battery charging is terminated (S390), and ends the battery charging operation. can

An embodiment of the present invention includes a computer-readable medium including program instructions for performing various computer-implemented operations. This medium records a program for executing the method described above. The medium may contain program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Examples of such media include hard disks, magnetic media such as floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CDs and DVDs, optical disks and magneto-optical media, program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. hardware devices configured to store and perform Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention as defined in the following claims are also provided. is within the scope of the

Claims (12)

a battery compartment in which a battery package including a battery and a battery protection module is mounted;
a charging circuit unit for charging the battery;
A communication unit that communicates with the battery protection module to receive battery information, the battery information including a battery model and a battery accumulated charging time; and
A control unit configured to update the accumulated charging time of the battery by reflecting the time elapsed since the start of charging of the battery in the accumulated charging time of the battery
including,
The updated battery charging time is transferred to and stored in the battery protection module after the battery charging is completed.
In claim 1,
The control unit is
A battery charging device for controlling the charging circuit unit to charge the battery under a predetermined charging condition according to the battery model.
In claim 2,
The battery charging device further comprising a storage unit for storing a predetermined charging condition and a total charging time available according to the battery model.
In claim 2,
The battery information is
and a total chargeable time predetermined for the battery model.
5. In claim 3 or 4,
The control unit is
A battery charging device for outputting a battery replacement notification when the accumulated battery charging time delivered from the battery protection module or the updated accumulated battery charging time is equal to or greater than a predetermined criterion.
In claim 5,
The total charging time is
A battery charging device obtained by multiplying a time taken to fully discharge the battery and then fully charged under the predetermined charging condition by the maximum number of charging cycles of the battery.
a step in which a battery package including a battery and a battery protection module is mounted;
communicating with the battery protection module to receive battery information, wherein the battery information includes a battery model and accumulated battery charging time;
updating the battery cumulative charging time by reflecting the time elapsed since the start of charging of the battery in the battery cumulative charging time; and
transmitting the updated accumulated battery charging time to the battery protection module after the battery charging is finished
A control method of a battery charging device comprising a.
In claim 7,
A control method of a battery charging device for charging the battery in the charging circuit unit under a predetermined charging condition according to the battery model.
In claim 8,
A control method of a battery charging device for storing in advance a predetermined charging condition and a total charging time according to the battery model.
In claim 8,
The battery information is
A method of controlling a battery charging device including a predetermined total chargeable time for the battery model.
11. In claim 9 or 10,
outputting a battery replacement notification when the accumulated battery charging time delivered from the battery protection module or the updated battery accumulated charging time is greater than or equal to a predetermined criterion;
Control method of the battery charging device further comprising a.
In claim 11,
The total charging time is
A method of controlling a battery charging apparatus obtained by multiplying a time required to fully discharge the battery to the predetermined charging condition and a maximum number of charging cycles of the battery.

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