# US 11,440,429 B2 · Vehicle battery charging device and method

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- Number: US 11,440,429 B2
- Document ID: US11440429B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/952,475
- Filed: 2020-11-19
- Published: 2022-01-06
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-07-01
- Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation
- Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation
- Inventors: Kyung Hyun Lim; Young Ung Kim; Min Woo Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440429B2

## CPC

- B60L 53/62: in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
- B60L 3/12: Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables}
- B60L 50/61: by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
- B60L 58/10: for monitoring or controlling batteries
- B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC]
- B60L 58/16: responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
- H01M 10/425: {Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00)}
- H01M 10/44: Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00)
- H01M 10/443: {in response to temperature}
- H01M 10/48: Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569)
- H02J 7/927: {with introduction of pulses during the charging process}
- H02J 7/977: {of the battery}
- H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV]
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles
- Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A vehicle battery charging device includes a controller configured to generate one of a first activation signal and a second activation signal, based on a start-up signal and a battery state information, a continuous charger configured to output first electric energy of a constant voltage level, based on the first activation signal, a pulse charger configured to alternately output a charging voltage and a discharge voltage as second electric energy depending on a preset ratio, based on the second activation signal, a battery configured to continuously charge by receiving the first electric energy or to pulse-charge by receiving the second electric energy, and a battery state detector configured to detect a state of the battery and to output the detected state of the battery as the battery state information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle battery charging device comprising:
a controller configured to generate one of a first activation signal and a second activation signal, based on a start-up signal and a battery state information;
a continuous charger configured to output first electric energy of a constant voltage level, based on the first activation signal;
a pulse charger configured to alternately output a charging voltage and a discharge voltage as second electric energy depending on a preset ratio, based on the second activation signal;
a battery configured to continuously charge by receiving the first electric energy or to pulse-charge by receiving the second electric energy; and
a battery state detector configured to detect a state of the battery and to output the detected state of the battery as the battery state information.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the state of the battery includes at least one of a neglect period of the battery, a charging current of the battery, a charging amount of the battery, a charging time of the battery, a temperature of an electrolyte solution of the battery, and an internal resistance of the battery.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to:
transit one of the first and second activation signals to a high level, based on the battery state information when the start-up signal is activated; and
transit both of the first and second activation signals to a low level regardless of the battery state information when the start-up signal is deactivated.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The device of claim 3, wherein, based on the battery state information when the start-up signal is activated, the controller is configured to transit the first activation signal of the first and second activation signals to the high level when the controller determines:
the neglect period of the battery is shorter than a preset period;
the charging amount of the battery is greater than or equal to a preset value in a state in which the neglect period of the battery is longer than the preset period;
the temperature of the electrolyte solution of the battery is less than a preset temperature; or
the internal resistance of the battery is more than a preset resistance value.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The device of claim 3, wherein, based on the battery state information when the start-up signal is activated, the controller is configured to transit the second activation signal of the first and second activation signals to the high level when the controller determines:
the neglect period of the battery is longer than a preset period;
the charging amount of the battery is less than a preset value;
the temperature of the electrolyte solution of the battery is greater than a preset temperature; and
the internal resistance of the battery is less than a preset resistance value.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:
transit one of the first and second activation signals to a high level, based on the battery state information when the start-up signal is activated; and
transit both of the first and second activation signals to a low level regardless of the battery state information when the start-up signal is deactivated.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6, wherein, based on the battery state information when the start-up signal is activated, the controller is configured to transit the first activation signal of the first and second activation signals to the high level when the controller determines:
a neglect period of the battery is shorter than a preset period;
a charging amount of the battery is greater than or equal to a preset value in a state in which the neglect period of the battery is longer than the preset period;
a temperature of an electrolyte solution of the battery is less than a preset temperature; or
an internal resistance of the battery is more than a preset resistance value.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6, wherein, based on the battery state information when the start-up signal is activated, the controller is configured to transit the second activation signal of the first and second activation signals to the high level when the controller determines:
a neglect period of the battery is longer than a preset period;
a charging amount of the battery is less than a preset value;
a temperature of an electrolyte solution of the battery is greater than a preset temperature; and
an internal resistance of the battery is less than a preset resistance value.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the pulse charger is configured to alternately output the charging voltage and the discharge voltage as the second electric energy depending on the preset ratio when the second activation signal is at a high level.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9, wherein the pulse charger includes:
a switch configured to transfer an output signal of a delayer to a pulse generator, based on the second activation signal;
the pulse generator configured to receive the output signal of the delayer from the switch and to generate a pulse maintaining the high level for a first preset time;
the delayer configured to delay the pulse for a second preset time, and to invert and output the delayed pulse; and
an output selector configured to output the charging voltage as the second electric energy when the pulse is at the high level, and to output the discharge voltage as the second electric energy when the pulse is at a low level.

### Claim 11

A method for charging a vehicle battery, the method comprising:
performing a plurality of charging condition determining steps of determining charging conditions of a battery, based on battery state information;
a continuous charging starting step of continuously charging the battery at a constant voltage when any one of the charging conditions of the plurality of charging condition determining steps satisfies a continuous charging condition; and
a pulse charging starting step of performing a pulse-charging that alternately provides a charging voltage and a discharge voltage to the battery when all of the charging conditions of the plurality of charging condition determining steps satisfy a pulse charging condition.

### Claim 12

The method of claim ii, wherein the plurality of charging condition determining steps includes:
a first charging condition determining step of determining whether a neglect period of the battery exceeds a preset period, based on the battery state information;
a second charging condition determining step of comparing a charging amount of the battery with a preset charging amount, based on the battery state information;
a third charging condition determining step of comparing a temperature of an electrolyte solution of the battery with a preset temperature, based on the battery state information; and
a fourth charging condition determining step of comparing an internal resistance of the battery with a preset resistance, based on the battery state information.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the continuous charging starting step is performed when the neglect period of the battery does not exceed the preset period in the first charging condition determining step, when the charging amount of the battery is greater than the preset charging amount in the second charging condition determining step, when the temperature of the electrolyte solution of the battery is less than the preset temperature in the third charging condition determining step, or when the internal resistance of the battery is greater than the preset resistance in the fourth charging condition determining step.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the pulse charging starting step is performed when the neglect period of the battery exceeds the preset period in the first charging condition determining step, when the charging amount of the battery is less than the preset charging amount in the second charging condition determining step, when the temperature of the electrolyte solution of the battery is greater than the preset temperature in the third charging condition determining step, and when the internal resistance of the battery is less than the preset resistance in the fourth charging condition determining step.

### Claim 15

The method of claim ii, further comprising a continuous charging ending step of ending charging of the battery by determining a charging current of the battery, a charging time of the battery, and a charging amount of the battery, based on the battery state information.

### Claim 16

The method of claim ii, further comprising a pulse charging ending step of ending charging of the battery, based on a charging amount of the battery.

### Claim 17

A method for charging a vehicle battery, the method comprising:
determining whether a neglect period of the battery exceeds a preset period;
comparing a charging amount of the battery with a preset charging amount;
comparing a temperature of an electrolyte solution of the battery with a preset temperature;
comparing an internal resistance of the battery with a preset resistance;
continuously charging the battery at a constant voltage when the neglect period of the battery does not exceed the preset period, when the charging amount of the battery is greater than the preset charging amount, when the temperature of the electrolyte solution of the battery is less than the preset temperature, or when the internal resistance of the battery is greater than the preset resistance; and
performing a pulse-charging that alternately provides a charging voltage and a discharge voltage to the battery when the neglect period of the battery exceeds the preset period, when the charging amount of the battery is less than the preset charging amount, when the temperature of the electrolyte solution of the battery is greater than the preset temperature, and when the internal resistance of the battery is less than the preset resistance.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising a continuous charging ending step of ending charging of the battery by determining a charging current of the battery, a charging time of the battery, and the charging amount of the battery.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising a pulse charging ending step of ending charging of the battery based on the charging amount of the battery.