BACKGROUND

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of batteries and battery modules. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to controlling charging operations of lithium ion batteries to reduce a likelihood of lithium plating on anodes of the lithium ion batteries.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

A vehicle that uses one or more battery systems for providing all or a portion of the motive power for the vehicle can be referred to as an xEV, where the term “xEV” is defined herein to include all of the following vehicles, or any variations or combinations thereof, that use electric power for all or a portion of their vehicular motive force. For example, xEVs include electric vehicles (EVs) that utilize electric power for all motive force. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), also considered xEVs, combine an internal combustion engine propulsion system and a battery-powered electric propulsion system, such as 48 Volt (V) or 130V systems. The term HEV may include any variation of a hybrid electric vehicle. For example, full hybrid systems (FHEVs) may provide motive and other electrical power to the vehicle using one or more electric motors, using only an internal combustion engine, or using both. In contrast, mild hybrid systems (MHEVs) disable the internal combustion engine when the vehicle is idling and utilize a battery system to continue powering the air conditioning unit, radio, or other electronics, as well as to restart the engine when propulsion is desired. The mild hybrid system may also apply some level of power assist, during acceleration for example, to supplement the internal combustion engine. Mild hybrids are typically 96V to 130V and recover braking energy through a belt or crank integrated starter generator. Further, a micro-hybrid electric vehicle (mHEV) also uses a “Stop-Start” system similar to the mild hybrids, but the micro-hybrid systems of a mHEV may or may not supply power assist to the internal combustion engine and operates at a voltage below 60V. For the purposes of the present discussion, it should be noted that mHEVs typically do not technically use electric power provided directly to the crankshaft or transmission for any portion of the motive force of the vehicle, but an mHEV may still be considered as an xEV since it does use electric power to supplement a vehicle's power needs when the vehicle is idling with internal combustion engine disabled and recovers braking energy through an integrated starter generator. In addition, a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any vehicle that can be charged from an external source of electricity, such as wall sockets, and the energy stored in the rechargeable battery packs drives or contributes to drive the wheels. PEVs are a subcategory of EVs that include all-electric or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and electric vehicle conversions of hybrid electric vehicles and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.

xEVs as described above may provide a number of advantages as compared to more traditional gas-powered vehicles using only internal combustion engines and traditional electrical systems, which are typically 12V systems powered by a lead acid battery. For example, xEVs may produce fewer undesirable emission products and may exhibit greater fuel efficiency as compared to traditional internal combustion vehicles and, in some cases, such xEVs may eliminate the use of gasoline entirely, as is the case of certain types of EVs or PEVs.

As technology continues to evolve, there is a need to provide improved power sources, particularly battery modules, for such vehicles. For example, the electric power used by the xEVs may be stored in lithium ion batteries. In some cases, active lithium ions within the lithium ion batteries of xEVs may deposit on an anode of the lithium ion batteries under certain conditions driving a charging operation of the lithium ion batteries. This effect is widely known as lithium plating, and the lithium plating may result in degradation of the lithium ion battery. The present disclosure is generally related to establishing dynamic parameters for charging operations to limit lithium plating on the anode of the lithium ion battery.

SUMMARY

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.

The present disclosure relates to a battery system. The battery system includes a lithium ion battery configured to couple to an electrical system, and a battery management system configured to electrically couple to the lithium ion battery and configured to control one or more recharge parameters of the lithium ion battery. The battery management system is programmed with an electrochemical model, and the battery management system is configured to monitor parameters of the lithium ion battery, and to control the one or more recharge parameters of the lithium ion battery based on the electrochemical model and the one or more monitored parameters. The electrochemical model determines lithium plating reaction kinetics at an anode of the lithium ion battery, determines a quantity of plated lithium at the anode of the lithium ion battery, or a combination thereof, and indicates a relationship between the one or more monitored parameters and the lithium plating reaction kinetics, the quantity of plated lithium, or the combination thereof.

The present disclosure also relates to a method to control a charging operation of a lithium ion battery. The method includes measuring one or more parameters of the lithium ion battery during the charging operation; determining lithium plating reaction kinetics at an anode of the lithium ion battery using an electrochemical model, determining a quantity of plated lithium at the anode of the lithium ion battery, or a combination thereof; indicating a relationship between the one or more monitored parameters and the lithium plating reaction kinetics, the quantity of plated lithium, or the combination thereof using the electrochemical model; and controlling the charging operation of the lithium ion battery based on the indicated relationship.

The present disclosure also relates to a lithium ion battery including a housing; a plurality of lithium ion battery cells disposed in the housing; one or more sensors disposed in the housing and configured to monitor one or more parameters of the plurality of lithium ion battery cells; and a battery management system communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and disposed in the housing. The battery management system is configured to control a charging operation of the lithium ion battery, and is programmed with an electrochemical model comprising equations describing lithium plating reaction kinetics and quantifying plated lithium as a function of the lithium plating reaction kinetics. The battery management system is configured to use the electrochemical model to dynamically control the charging operation based on the one or more monitored parameters and modeled charging parameters generated by the electrochemical model to prevent lithium plating at an anode of the plurality of lithium ion battery cells.

