Patent ID: 7615968

Claim:
Method for charging a battery, comprising: determining a temperature of at least one cell of a battery to be charged, and limiting the charging voltage applied to said battery to a maximum charging voltage in accordance with said determined temperature, wherein said maximum charging voltage is controlled according to a function that relates said maximum charging voltage to the determined temperature, and wherein said limiting of said maximum charging voltage comprises: limiting the charging voltage applied to said battery to a first maximum charging voltage at a temperature below a first threshold temperature, and limiting the charging voltage applied to said battery to a second maximum charging voltage at a temperature above said first threshold temperature, wherein said second maximum charging voltage is smaller than said first maximum charging voltage, and limiting the charging voltage applied to said battery to said second maximum charging voltage at a temperature above said first threshold temperature and below a second threshold temperature, wherein said second threshold temperature is higher than said first threshold temperature, and applying no charging voltage to said battery above said second threshold temperature.