Battery adaptive charging using battery physical phenomena
Systems and apparatus may carry out analysis of battery physical phenomena, and characterize batteries based on phenomena occurring in particular time and/or frequency domains. These systems may be additionally responsible for charging and/or monitoring a rechargeable battery. Examples of battery physical phenomena include mass transport (e.g., diffusion and/or migration) in battery electrolytes, mass transport in battery electrodes, and reactions on battery electrodes.
1. A method of adaptively charging a battery, the method comprising:
(a) applying a stimulus to the battery;
(b) measuring the battery's response to the stimulus during a time regime or a frequency regime where the battery's response reflects a physical phenomenon occurring in the battery;
(c) using the battery's response, as measured in (b), to characterize the physical phenomenon; and
(d) based on the physical phenomenon's characterization, as determined in (c), adapting a charging process of the battery.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising conducting a first portion of the charging process prior to (a), wherein adapting the charging process of the battery comprises modifying a charge signal applied to the battery.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein modifying the charge signal applied to the battery comprises modifying one or more current steps or current pulses that are used in the charging process.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulus comprises an oscillating current.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the oscillating current is applied at multiple frequencies.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulus comprises an edge in applied electrical current.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the battery's response to the stimulus in (b) is made during the time regime where the battery's response reflects the physical phenomenon occurring in the battery.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the battery's response to the stimulus in (b) comprises taking multiple measurements of the battery's response over a defined duration associated with the physical phenomenon occurring in the battery.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the battery's response to the stimulus in (b) is made during the frequency regime where the battery's response reflects the physical phenomenon occurring in the battery.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the battery's response to the stimulus comprises a voltage measured across terminals of the battery.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the voltage measured across the terminals comprises (i) a phase with respect to an applied oscillating current, which is the stimulus, and (ii) an amplitude.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the voltage measured across the terminals comprises a value taken during the time regime where the battery's response reflects the physical phenomenon occurring in the battery.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises transport of metal ions in an electrolyte of the battery.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises transport of metal ions in an electrode of the battery.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises a chemical or electrochemical reaction in or on an electrode of the battery.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
(e) measuring the battery's response to the stimulus during a second time regime or a second frequency regime where the battery's response reflects a second physical phenomenon occurring in the battery; and
(f) using the battery's response, as measured in (e), to characterize the second physical phenomenon, wherein adapting the charging process of the battery in (d) is based on both the physical phenomenon's characterization, as determined in (c) and the second physical phenomenon's characterization, as determined in (f).
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises transport of metal ions in an electrode of the battery and wherein the second physical phenomenon comprises transport of metal ions in an electrolyte of the battery.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein (c) comprises determining a charge pulse voltage from the battery's measured response to characterize transport of metal ions in an electrode of the battery.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein (c) comprises determining a partial relaxation time from the battery's measured response to characterize transport of metal ions in an electrolyte of the battery.
20. A system for adaptively charging a battery including at least two terminals, the system comprising:
charging and/or monitoring circuitry designed or configured to apply a charge signal to the battery, and measure a voltage at the at least two terminals of the battery; and
control circuitry, coupled to the charging and/or monitoring circuitry designed or configured to cause the system to:
(a) apply a stimulus to the battery;
(b) measure the battery's response to the stimulus during a time regime or a frequency regime where the battery's response reflects a physical phenomenon occurring in the battery;
(c) use the battery's response, as measured via (b), to characterize the physical phenomenon; and
(d) based on the physical phenomenon's characterization, as determined in (c), adapt a charging process of the battery.
21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to cause the system to adapt the charging process of the battery in (d) by causing the system to modify the charge signal applied to the battery, and wherein the control circuitry is further designed or configured to cause the system to conduct a first portion of the charging process prior to (a).
22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to cause the system to modify the charge signal applied to the battery by causing the system to modify one or more current steps or current pulses that are used in the charging process.
23. The system of claim 20 , wherein the stimulus comprises an oscillating current.
24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to cause the system to apply the oscillating current at multiple frequencies.
25. The system of claim 20 , wherein the stimulus comprises an edge in applied electrical current.
26. The system of claim 20 , wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to cause the system to measure the battery's response to the stimulus in (b) during the time regime where the battery's response reflects the physical phenomenon occurring in the battery.
27. The system of claim 20 , wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to cause the system to measure the battery's response to the stimulus in (b) by causing the system to take multiple measurements of the battery's response over a defined duration associated with the physical phenomenon occurring in the battery.
28. The system of claim 20 , wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to cause the system to measure the battery's response to the stimulus in (b) during the frequency regime where the battery's response reflects the physical phenomenon occurring in the battery.
29. The system of claim 20 , wherein the battery's response to the stimulus comprises a voltage measured across terminals of the battery.
30. The system of claim 29 , wherein the voltage measured across the terminals comprises (i) a phase with respect to an applied oscillating current, which is the stimulus, and (ii) an amplitude.
31. The system of claim 29 , wherein the voltage measured across the terminals comprises a value taken during the time regime where the battery's response reflects the physical phenomenon occurring in the battery.
32. The system of claim 20 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises transport of metal ions in an electrolyte of the battery.
33. The system of claim 20 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises transport of metal ions in an electrode of the battery.
34. The system of claim 20 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises a chemical or electrochemical reaction in or on an electrode of the battery.
35. The system of claim 20 , wherein the control circuitry is further designed or configured to cause the system to:
(e) measure the battery's response to the stimulus during a second time regime or a second frequency regime where the battery's response reflects a second physical phenomenon occurring in the battery; and
(f) use the battery's response, as measured in (e), to characterize the second physical phenomenon, wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to use both the physical phenomenon's characterization, as determined in (c) and the second physical phenomenon's characterization, as determined in (f) in determining how to cause the system to adapt the charging process of the battery in (d).
36. The system of claim 35 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises transport of metal ions in an electrode of the battery and wherein the second physical phenomenon comprises transport of metal ions in an electrolyte of the battery.
37. The system of claim 20 , wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to characterize the physical phenomenon in (c) by causing the system to determine a charge pulse voltage from the battery's measured response in order to characterize transport of metal ions in an electrode of the battery.
38. The system of claim 20 , wherein the control circuitry is designed or configured to characterize the physical phenomenon in (c) by causing the system to determine a partial relaxation time from the battery's measured response in order to characterize transport of metal ions in an electrolyte of the battery.
39. The battery charging system of claim 20 , wherein charging and/or monitoring circuitry is further configured to measure a temperature of the battery, and wherein an expected voltage is dependent on the measured temperature.
40. The battery charging system of claim 20 , wherein charging and/or monitoring circuitry is further configured to measure a current produced by the battery during the charge process.