Method for charging battery and electronic device

• US 10,199,837 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Ku Chul, Yoon, Sung Geun, Yun, Chul Eun, Lee, Kisun
• Primary Examiner(s): Isla, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bui, Dung V
• Application Number:
  US14/673,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20150280457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 320106, 320134, 320137, 323265
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/155 using semiconductor devices only

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a connector to which an external device is connected, a control unit identifying a connected external device and controlling operations of a voltage conversion unit and a charging and discharging unit according to a result of an identification, the voltage conversion unit bypassing a supply voltage supplied from the external device, boosting the supply voltage, or converting a battery voltage of a battery connected to an electronic device to supply a converted voltage to the external device, according to the result of the identification, and the charging and discharging unit lowering a voltage supplied from the voltage conversion unit or bypassing the battery voltage of the battery to the voltage conversion unit, according to the result of the identification.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a connector to which an external device is connected;

a voltage conversion circuit electronically connected to the connector;

a charging and discharging circuit electronically connected to the voltage conversion circuit;

a battery electronically connected to the charging and discharging circuit; and

at least one processor electronically connected to the connector, the voltage conversion circuit, and the charging and discharging circuit,

wherein, when the external device is a power supply device, the at least one processor is configured to;

control the voltage conversion circuit to bypass a supply voltage supplied from the external device or to boost the supply voltage, and

control the charging and discharging circuit to step down the bypassed or boosted voltage supplied from the voltage conversion circuit and to supply the stepped down voltage to the battery; and

wherein, when the external device is a power consumption device, the at least one processor is configured to;

control the charging and discharging circuit to bypass a battery voltage of the battery such that the battery voltage is supplied to the voltage conversion circuit, and

control the voltage conversion circuit to convert the battery voltage of the battery and to supply the converted voltage to the external device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

control the voltage conversion circuit to convert the bypassed battery voltage, and

control the voltage conversion circuit to supply the converted voltage to the external device, if the external device is the power consumption device.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the voltage conversion circuit to convert the battery voltage into an operating voltage of the power consumption device.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the power consumption device comprises a universal serial bus on-the-go (USB OTG) device functionally connectable to the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate with the connected external device,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the voltage conversion circuit and the charging and discharging circuit, based on information transmitted to and received from the external device through the transceiver.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the charging and discharging circuit to lower the bypassed voltage or the boosted voltage to charge the battery, if the external device is the power supply device.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the voltage conversion circuit to bypass or boost the supply voltage according to a value of the supply voltage supplied from the power supply device.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the voltage conversion circuit to:

bypass the supply voltage when a value of the supply voltage is equal to or higher than a set voltage value, and

boost the supply voltage when the value of the supply voltage is lower than the set voltage value.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the set voltage value is a minimum chargeable voltage according to the battery connected to the electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the voltage conversion circuit boost the supply voltage to a minimum chargeable voltage according to the battery connected to the electronic device, when the value of the supply voltage is lower than the set voltage value.

11. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the power supply device comprises a power adapter which supplies a supply voltage and current in response to a request from the electronic device.

12. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the power supply device comprises a power adapter which supplies a voltage lower than the battery voltage.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify a type of the external device and a supply voltage or operating voltage of the external device.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the battery comprises a serial cell battery.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an unregulated direct current/direct current (DC/DC) converter supplying a voltage by lowering a battery voltage of the battery.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a switched capacitor supplying a voltage by lowering a battery voltage of the battery.

17. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the voltage conversion circuit and the charging and discharging circuit are collectively configured as a module.

18. A charging device comprising:

a connector to which an external device is connected;

a voltage conversion circuit electronically connected to the connector;

a charging and discharging circuit electronically connected to the voltage conversion circuit;

a battery electronically connected to the charging and discharging circuit;

at least one processor electronically connected to the connector, the voltage conversion circuit, and the charging and discharging circuit,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

control the voltage conversion circuit to bypass or boost a supply voltage of a power supply device if a control signal by a connection of the power supply device is received,

control the voltage conversion circuit to convert a battery voltage of the battery connected to the charging device if a control signal by a connection of a power consumption device is received,

control the charging and discharging circuit to lower a voltage supplied from the voltage conversion circuit if the connection is made with the power supply device, and

control the charging and discharging circuit to bypass the battery voltage of the battery such that the battery voltage is supplied to the voltage conversion circuit if the connection is made with the power consumption device.

19. The charging device of claim 18,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the voltage conversion circuit to bypass or boost the supply voltage according to a value of the supply voltage, and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the charging and discharging circuit to lower a bypassed voltage or a boosted voltage to charge the battery, if the control signal by the connection of the power supply device is received.

20. The charging device of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the voltage conversion circuit to:

bypass the supply voltage if the control signal is a control signal by the connection of the power supply device having a supply voltage equal to or higher than a set voltage value, and

boost the supply voltage if the control signal is a control signal by the connection of the power supply device having a supply voltage value lower than the set voltage value.

21. The charging device of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the voltage conversion circuit to:

convert a bypassed battery voltage, and

supply the converted voltage to the power consumption device, if the control signal by the connection of the power consumption device is received.

22. The charging device of claim 18, further comprising a charging and discharging control circuit transmitting a control signal to the voltage conversion circuit and the charging and discharging circuit according to the connection of the power supply device or the power consumption device.

23. The charging device of claim 18, wherein the battery comprises a serial cell battery.

24. A method of charging a battery, the method comprising:

receiving a control signal by a unit;

bypassing or boosting a supply voltage of a power supply device and lowering the bypassed voltage or boosted voltage to charge a battery, when the received control signal is generated by a connection of the power supply device to the unit;

generating a battery voltage of the battery by directing a current in a direction opposite to when charging is performed when the received control signal is generated by a connection of the power consumption device to the unit;

converting the battery voltage when the received control signal is generated by a connection of the power consumption device to the unit; and

supplying the converted battery voltage to a power consumption device, when the received control signal is generated by a connection of the power consumption device to the unit.