Method to enhance the life of a lithium battery

1 . A battery-charging system configured to charge a battery of a device to a nominal voltage, the battery-charging system comprising:

a battery-charging circuit coupled to the battery;

a load-detection circuit coupled to the device, the load-detection circuit being configured to detect a load powered from the device, the load-detection circuit being located electrically downstream from the battery;

memory storing controller-executable instructions; and

a controller configured to execute the instructions, which cause the controller to:

control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to a high voltage in response to receiving a user command to charge the battery to the high voltage and in response to detecting the load above a first threshold load, wherein the high voltage is above a nominal voltage;

detect the load below the first threshold load using the load-detection circuit; and

control the battery-charging circuit to discharge the battery from the high voltage to the nominal voltage in response to receiving a user command to charge the battery to the nominal voltage and in response to detecting the load below the first threshold load after having previously charged the battery to the high voltage.

2 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller further is configured to:

control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to the high voltage in response to receiving the user command to charge the battery to the high voltage; and

control the battery-charging circuit to discharge the battery from the high voltage to the nominal voltage in response to receiving the user command to charge the battery to the nominal voltage.

3 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller further is configured to output a notification of an increased load coupled to the battery, wherein the increased load is above a threshold load.

4 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller further is configured to output a notification of a decreased load coupled to the battery, wherein the decreased load is below a threshold load.

5 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller further is configured to output a notification that the battery is being charged to the high voltage.

6 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller further is configured to control the battery-charging circuit to discharge the battery in response to receiving the user command to charge the battery to the nominal voltage after having previously charged the battery to the high voltage.

7 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller further is configured to control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to the high voltage in response to receiving the user command to charge the battery to the high voltage.

8 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the reduced load is below a second threshold load.

9 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller further is configured to control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to either a high voltage or a nominal voltage based on one or more operating parameters.

10 . The battery-charging system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more operating parameters include at least one of load voltage, load current, load power or battery temperature.

11 . The battery-charging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller further is configured to

detect the load above a first threshold load using the load-detection circuit, and control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to the high voltage in response to detecting the load above the first threshold load.

12 . The battery-charging system of claim 11 , wherein the controller further is configured to

detect the load below the first threshold load using the load-detection circuit, and control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to the nominal voltage in response to detecting the load below the first threshold load.

13 . One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to a high voltage in response to receiving a user command to charge the battery to the high voltage and in response to detecting the load above the first threshold load, wherein the high voltage is above the nominal voltage;

detect a load below the first threshold load using the load-detection circuit; and

control the battery-charging circuit to discharge the battery from the high voltage to the nominal voltage in response to receiving a user command to charge the battery to the nominal voltage and in response to detecting the load below the first threshold load after having previously charged the battery to the high voltage.

14 . The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 13 , further storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to the high voltage in response to a user command to charge the battery to the high voltage; and

control the battery-charging circuit to discharge the battery from the high voltage to the nominal voltage in response to another user command to charge the battery to the nominal voltage.

15 . The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim 13 , further storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

output a notification of an increased load coupled to the battery, wherein the increased load is above a threshold load.

16 . The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim 13 , further storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

output a notification of a decreased load coupled to the battery, wherein the decreased load is below a threshold load.

17 . The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim 13 , further storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect a load, coupled to a battery of a device, above a first threshold load using a load-detection circuit, the load-detecting circuit being located electrically downstream from the battery; and

control a battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to the high voltage in response to detecting the load above the first threshold load.

18 . The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim 17 , further storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect the load below the first threshold load using the load-detection circuit, and control the battery-charging circuit to discharge the battery to the nominal voltage in response to detecting the load below the first threshold load after having previously charged the battery to the high voltage.

19 . The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 13 , further storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

control the battery-charging circuit to charge the battery to either the high voltage or the nominal voltage based on one or more operating parameters.

20 . The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 19 , wherein the one or more operating parameters include at least one of load voltage, load current, load power or battery temperature.