Method and device for charging batteries in mobile devices

• US 10,116,157 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Inventors: Lei, Zhenfei, Sun, Wei, Wang, Xiangdong
• Primary Examiner(s): Pelton, Nathaniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ruiz, Johali Torres
• Application Number:
  US15/212,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20170033582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 320103
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007184 in response to battery voltage gradient
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Methods and devices are disclosed for efficient power charging of a battery in one electronic device by another electronic device. In one embodiment, a method may include establishing an electrical connection between a first electronic device and a second electronic device; acquiring, by the second electronic device via the electrical connection, real-time charging voltage information of a battery in the first electronic device, wherein the real-time charging voltage information varies with a charge state of the battery in the first electronic device; and controlling by the second electronic device, during charging of the battery in the first electronic device by the second electronic device, an output voltage of the second electronic device to charge the battery of the first electronic device according to the real-time charging voltage information.

Claims

1. A method for power charging, comprising:

establishing an electrical connection between a first electronic device and a second electronic device;

acquiring, by the second electronic device via the electrical connection, real-time charging voltage information of a battery in the first electronic device, wherein the real-time charging voltage information varies with a charge state of the battery in the first electronic device; and

controlling by the second electronic device, during charging of the battery in the first electronic device by the second electronic device, an output voltage of the second electronic device to charge the battery of the first electronic device according to the real-time charging voltage information,

wherein the real-time charging voltage information for the first electronic device is a real-time internal resistance of the battery in the first electronic device multiplied by a preset current value when the charge state indicates that a present voltage of the battery is smaller than a preset voltage value, wherein an effective internal resistance of the battery varies with the charge state of the battery in the first electronic device; and

the real-time charging voltage information of the battery in the first electronic device is the preset voltage value when the charge state indicates that the present voltage of the battery in the first electronic device is equal to or greater than the preset voltage value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the electrical connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device comprises:

establishing the electrical connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device using designated electrical interfaces on the first electronic device and the second electronic device and a designated type of data line between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first electronic device and the second electronic device comprises one of a mobile terminal or a mobile power supply device.

4. A method for power charging, comprising:

establishing an electrical connection between a first electronic device and a second electronic device;

detecting by the first electronic device in real-time a charge state of a battery in the first electronic device and determining by the first electronic device real-time charging voltage information of the battery in the first electronic device while the first electronic device is being charged by the second electronic device, wherein the real-time charging voltage information varies with the charge state of the battery in the first electronic device; and

communicating in real-time via the electrical connection the real-time charging voltage information of the battery in the first electronic device to the second electronic device, causing the second electronic device to control an output voltage delivered from the second electronic device to charge the battery in the first electronic device via the electrical connection,

wherein detecting by the first electronic device in real-time the charge state of the battery in the first electronic device and determining by the first electronic device the real-time charging voltage information of the battery in first electronic device comprises;

acquiring by the first electronic device a real-time effective internal resistance of the battery in the first electronic device;

determining as the real-time charging voltage information for the first electronic device a real-time internal resistance of the battery in the first electronic device multiplied by a preset current value when the charge state indicates that a present voltage of the battery is smaller than a preset voltage value, wherein an effective internal resistance of the battery varies with the charge state of the battery in the first electronic device; and

determining the preset voltage value as the real-time charging voltage information of the battery in the first electronic device when the charge state indicates that the present voltage of the battery in the first electronic device is equal to or greater than the preset voltage value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein establishing the electrical connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device comprises:

establishing the electrical connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device using designated electrical interfaces on the first electronic device and the second electronic device and a designated type of data line between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

6. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; and

an electrical interface,

wherein the processor is configured to;

establish an electrical connection with a first electronic device via the electrical interface;

acquire via the electrical connection real-time charging voltage information of a battery in the first electronic device, wherein the real-time charging voltage information varies with a charge state of the battery in the first electronic device; and

control, during charging of the battery of the first electronic device, the electronic apparatus to produce an output voltage to charge the battery of the first electronic device according to the real-time charging voltage information,

wherein the real-time charging voltage information for the first electronic device is a real-time internal resistance of the battery in the first electronic device multiplied by a preset current value when the charge state indicates that a present voltage of the battery is smaller than a preset voltage value, wherein an effective internal resistance of the battery varies with the charge state of the battery in the first electronic device; and

the real-time charging voltage information of the battery in the first electronic device is the preset voltage value when the charge state indicates that the present voltage of the battery in the first electronic device is equal to or greater than the preset voltage value.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to establish the electrical connection between the first electronic device and the electronic apparatus using the electrical interface and a designated electrical interface in the first electronic device and a designated type of data line between the electronic apparatus and the first electronic device.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, each of the first electronic device and the electronic apparatus comprises one of a mobile terminal or a mobile power supply device.

9. A first electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;

an electrical interface; and

a battery connected to the electrical interface and the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to;

establish an electrical connection with a second electronic device via the electrical interface;

detect in real-time charge state of the battery and determine real-time charging voltage information of the battery while being charged by the second electronic device via the electrical connection, wherein the real-time charging voltage information varies with the charge state of the battery; and

communicate in real-time via the electrical connection the real-time charging voltage information of the battery to the second electronic device, causing the second electronic device to control an output voltage delivered from the second electronic device to charge the battery,

wherein the processor is further configured to;

acquire a real-time effective internal resistance of the battery;

determine as the real-time charging voltage information for the battery a real-time internal resistance of the battery multiplied by a preset current value when the charge state indicates that a present voltage value of the battery is smaller than a preset voltage value, wherein an effective internal resistance of the battery varies with the charge state of the battery; and

determine the preset voltage value as the real-time charging voltage information of the battery when the charge state indicates that the present voltage value of the battery is equal to or greater than the a preset voltage value.

10. The first electronic device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to establish the electrical connection between the electronic device and the second electronic device using the electrical interface and a designated electrical interface on the second electronic device and a designated type of data line between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.