Method and circuitry for battery charging using feedback voltages

• US 10,243,387 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Wang, Meng
• Primary Examiner(s): Henze-Gongola, David V
• Application Number:
  US15/455,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20180262036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/575 characterised by the feedback circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage

Abstract

Battery charger circuitry includes a linear regulator and a current control loop. The linear regulator provides a constant current to a battery while the battery charger circuitry is in a current control mode. While the battery charger circuitry is in a constant voltage mode, the current control loop to: determine whether a charging current provided to the battery is less than an end of charging reference current; in response to the charging current being less than the end of charging reference current, to place the battery charger circuitry into an end of charging state; in response to the battery charger circuitry be placed the end of charging state, and to start a timer; and in response to the timer expiring, to enter the battery charger circuitry into a done state to end charging of the battery.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

placing battery charger circuitry into a current control mode;

while in the current control mode, charging a battery connected to the battery charger circuitry with a constant current;

maintaining the constant current by controlling a gate of a transistor of a linear regulator with the output of an amplifier, the amplifier having an inverting input and a non-inverting input;

receiving a dominant feedback voltage at the non-inverting input of the amplifier, the dominant feedback voltage selected from a plurality of feedback voltages;

placing the battery charger circuitry into a constant voltage mode;

while in the constant voltage mode, determining whether a charging current provided to the battery is less than an end of charging reference current;

in response to the charging current being less than the end of charging reference current, placing the battery charger circuitry into an end of charging state and to start a timer; and

in response to the timer expiring, placing the battery charger circuitry into a done state to end charging of the battery.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the second voltage of the plurality of feedback voltages via a dynamic power management loop of the battery charger circuity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the non-inverting input terminal of the amplifier, a dominant feedback voltage of a plurality of feedback voltages at the non-inverting input terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

placing the battery charger circuitry into the voltage control mode during power up of the battery charger circuity and prior to placing the battery charger circuity in the current control mode.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a converted voltage to an end of charging reference voltage; and

providing an end of charging signal in response to the converted voltage being less than the end of charging reference voltage.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sensing a charging current provided to the battery;

converting the sensed charging current into the converted voltage; and

providing the converted voltage to the comparator.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a first voltage of the plurality of feedback voltages having a value based on the sum of a voltage representing a current at an output terminal of the transistor, a voltage at the inverting input of the amplifier, a reference voltage, and a voltage drop across a diode.

8. The battery charger circuitry of claim 7, further comprising:

a current limitation loop to provide the third feedback voltage.

9. The battery charger circuitry of claim 7, wherein the linear regulator further comprises:

a dynamic power management loop to provide the first feedback voltage.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising a second voltage of the plurality of feedback voltages having a value based on the sum of a voltage at the inverting input of the amplifier, a representation of an input voltage to the battery charger circuitry, the voltage drop across the diode and the negative of a constant reference voltage.

11. Battery charger circuitry comprising:

a linear regulator comprising;

an amplifier comprising an inverting input terminal, a non-inverting input terminal, and an output terminal, the amplifier to receive a dominant reference voltage from one of a first plurality of sources at the inverting input terminal and to receive a dominant feedback voltage from one of a second plurality of sources at the non-inverting input terminal;

a first transistor comprising a first signal electrode coupled to an input voltage terminal to receive an input voltage of the battery charger, a second signal electrode, and a control electrode coupled to the output terminal of the amplifier, the first transistor to provide a first output voltage based on a signal from the amplifier, and the input voltage; and

a current control loop, the current control loop comprising;

a second transistor comprising a first signal electrode coupled to the second signal electrode of the first transistor, a second signal electrode coupled to a battery, and a control electrode, the second transistor to provide an output current to the battery and a second output voltage to the battery, the current control loop to regulate current provided to the battery when the battery charger circuitry is in a current control mode.

12. The battery charger circuitry of claim 11, the current control loop further comprises:

a comparator to compare a converted voltage to an end of charging reference voltage, and to output an end of charging signal in response to the converted voltage being less than the end of charging reference voltage.

13. The battery charger circuitry of claim 12, the current control loop further comprises:

an output current sense to voltage conversion circuitry to sense a charging current provided to the battery, to convert the sensed charging current into the converted voltage, and to provide the converted voltage to the comparator.

14. The battery charger circuitry of claim 12, the current control loop to start a timer in response to the end of charging signal, and in response to the timer expiring to enter the battery charger circuitry into a done state.

15. The battery charger circuitry of claim 11, the linear regulator further comprising:

a current limitation loop having an input coupled to the second signal electrode of the first transistor and an output coupled to the non-inverting input terminal of the amplifier, the current limitation loop to regulate an input current of the first transistor.

16. The battery charger circuitry of claim 11, the linear regulator further comprising:

a dynamic power management loop coupled to the second signal electrode of the first transistor, the dynamic power management loop to regulate an input voltage provided to the first transistor.

17. The battery charger circuitry of claim 11, wherein the dominant feedback voltage is provide by one of a plurality of feedback loops in a linear regulator of the battery charger circuitry.

18. Battery charger circuitry to operate in a current control mode and in a constant voltage mode, the battery charger circuitry comprising:

a linear regulator to provide a constant current to a battery being charged while the battery charger circuitry is in the current control mode, the linear regulator comprising an amplifier, the amplifier including;

an inverting input terminal to receive a dominant reference voltage; and

a non-inverting input terminal to receive a dominant feedback voltage at the non-inverting input terminal; and

a current control loop coupled to the linear regulator, the current control loop to;

while the battery charger circuitry is in the constant voltage mode;

determine whether a charging current provided to the battery is less than an end of charging reference current;

in response to the charging current being less than the end of charging reference current, to place the battery charger circuitry into an end of charging state, and to start a timer; and

in response to the timer expiring, to enter the battery charger circuitry into a done state to end charging of the battery;

wherein the dominant reference voltage is a maximum voltage of a plurality of reference voltages, the plurality of reference voltages including;

a first reference voltage based on a constant reference voltage;

a second reference voltage based on a voltage of the battery scaled by a gain of the amplifier and added to an offset voltage; and

a third reference voltage based on a voltage supplied to the battery during the constant voltage mode scaled by the gain of the amplifier.

19. The battery charger circuitry of claim 18, the current control loop further to compare a converted voltage to an end of charging reference voltage, and to output an end of charging signal in response to the converted voltage being less than the end of charging reference voltage.

20. The battery charger circuitry of claim 18, wherein the dominant feedback voltage is a maximum voltage of a plurality of feedback voltages, the feedback voltages including:

a first feedback voltage based on the sum of a voltage at the inverting input of the amplifier, a representation of an input voltage to the battery charger circuitry, a voltage drop across a diode and the negative of the constant reference voltage;

a second feedback voltage based on a system voltage scaled by the gain of the amplifier; and

a third feedback voltage based on the sum of a voltage at the inverting input of the amplifier, a representation of the current provided by the linear regulator, a voltage drop across a diode and the negative of the constant reference voltage.