Method for reading, writing, or updating information for battery cell via connecting interface between portable device and battery pack including battery cell so as to obtain precise information

• US 10,367,365 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2018
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Wu, Jui-Chi, Lee, Chi-Ming, Hsu, Chih-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Parihar, Suchin
• Application Number:
  US15/860,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20180131195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 320162
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• 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 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method used between a portable device and a battery pack including at least one battery cell includes: transmitting information for the battery cell from the portable device to the battery pack via the connecting interface or from the battery pack to the portable device via the connecting interface; and according to the information for the battery cell, performing at least one control operation that is associated with the battery cell; wherein there is an analog communication from the battery cell of the battery pack to the portable device to provide a voltage level actually from the battery cell.

Claims

1. A portable device connected to a battery pack via a connecting interface, the battery pack comprising at least one battery cell, and the portable device comprises:

a transmitting circuit, for transmitting signals from the connecting interface to a control circuit or from the control circuit to the connecting interface; and

the control circuit, coupled to the transmitting circuit, for performing at least one control operation that is associated with the battery cell according to information for the battery cell;

wherein there is an analog communication from the battery cell of the battery pack to the portable device to provide a voltage level actually from the battery cell.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the information for the battery cell is transmitted from the battery pack to the portable, and the control circuit receives the information for the battery cell from the transmitting circuit via the connecting interface.

3. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the information for the battery cell comprises an interrupt event/signal transmitted from the battery pack via the connecting interface, and the control circuit performs the at least one control operation when receiving the interrupt event/signal.

4. The portable device of claim 3, wherein the interrupt event/signal is a high voltage interrupt event/signal, and the control circuit controls a current used for charging the battery cell to decrease the current when receiving the high voltage interrupt event/signal, so as to use a smaller current for charging the battery cell.

5. The portable device of claim 3, wherein the interrupt event/signal is a low voltage interrupt event/signal, and the control circuit controls a current used for charging the portable device from the battery cell to decrease the current when receiving the low voltage interrupt event/signal, so as to shut down the portable device.

6. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the information for the battery cell comprises a voltage level actually from the battery cell;

and, the control circuit compares the voltage level with a target threshold to determine whether to perform the at least one control operation that is associated with the battery cell when receiving the voltage level actually from the battery cell via the connecting interface.

7. The portable device of claim 6, wherein the target threshold is a high voltage threshold, and the control circuit controls a current used for charging the battery cell to decrease the current when the voltage level actually from the battery cell reaches the high voltage threshold, so as to use a smaller current for charging the battery cell.

8. The portable device of claim 6, wherein the target threshold is a low voltage threshold, and the control circuit controls a current used for charging the portable device from the battery cell to decrease the current when the voltage level actually from the battery cell reaches the low voltage threshold, so as to shut down the portable device.

9. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the information for the battery cell comprises at least one of identification information of the battery cell and temperature information of the battery cell;

and, the control circuit senses at least one of the identification information and the temperature information by detecting a voltage dividing result generated by the transmitting circuit and the battery pack, and performs at least one of battery existence detection and temperature protection according to the sensed at least one of the identification information and the temperature information.

10. The portable device of claim. 2, wherein the control circuit reads the information for the battery cell from an internal circuit of the battery pack via the transmitting circuit and the connecting interface.

11. The portable device of claim 10, wherein the control circuit updates the information for the battery cell that has been stored by the internal circuit of the battery pack via the transmitting circuit and the connecting interface.

12. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit writes the information for the battery cell into an internal circuit of the battery pack via the transmitting circuit and the connecting interface.

13. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the information for the battery cell comprises information for at least one of a voltage level from the battery cell, control data, battery percentage, aging factors, battery cycle, battery capacity, over-charge voltage protection, over-discharge voltage protection, discharge over-current protection, charge over-current protection, short-circuit protection, and a pre-charging current for initially charging.

14. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further arranged to dynamically enable or disable a shipping mode for the battery cell by sending a control signal to an internal circuit of the battery pack via the connecting interface.

15. A battery pack connected to a portable device via a connecting interface, comprises:

a battery cell; and

an internal circuit, coupled to the battery cell, for transmitting information for the battery cell from the battery pack to the portable device via the connecting interface;

wherein the information for the battery cell comprises at least one of information actually from the battery cell and information that has been stored by the internal circuit; and

, there is an analog communication from the battery cell of the battery pack to the portable device to provide a voltage level actually from the battery cell.

16. The battery pack of claim 15, wherein the information for the battery cell comprises an interrupt event/signal;

the internal circuit compares a voltage level from the battery cell with a target threshold to determine whether to transmit the interrupt event/signal to the portable device via the connecting interface.

17. The battery pack of claim 16, wherein the interrupt event/signal is a high voltage interrupt event/signal, and the target threshold is a high voltage threshold;

and, the internal circuit transmits the high voltage interrupt event/signal to the portable device via the connecting interface when the voltage level from the battery cell becomes higher and reaches the high voltage threshold.

18. The battery pack of claim 16, wherein the interrupt event/signal is a low voltage interrupt event/signal, and the target threshold is a low voltage threshold;

and, the internal circuit transmits the low voltage interrupt event/signal to the portable device via the connecting interface when the voltage level from the battery cell becomes lower and reaches the low voltage threshold.

19. The battery pack of claim 15, wherein the internal circuit is arranged to transmit a voltage level actually from the battery cell to the portable device via the connecting interface.

20. The battery pack of claim 15, wherein the information for the battery cell comprises information for at least one of a voltage level from the battery cell, control data, battery percentage, aging factors, battery cycle, battery capacity, over-charge voltage protection, over-discharge voltage protection, discharge over-current protection, charge over-current protection, short-circuit protection, and a pre-charging current for initially charging.

21. The battery pack of claim 15, wherein the internal circuit dynamically enables or disables a shipping mode for the battery cell according to a control signal transmitted from the portable device to the internal circuit of the battery pack via the connecting interface.

22. A method used between a portable device and a battery pack including at least one battery cell, comprising:

transmitting information for the battery cell from the portable device to the battery pack via the connecting interface or from the battery pack to the portable device via the connecting interface; and

according to the information for the battery cell, performing at least one control operation that is associated with the battery cell;

wherein there is an analog communication from the battery cell of the battery pack to the portable device to provide a voltage level actually from the battery cell.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the information for the battery cell comprises at least one of information actually from the battery cell and information that has been stored by an internal circuit within the battery pack.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the information for the battery cell comprises information for at least one of a voltage level from the battery cell, control data, battery percentage, aging factors, battery cycle, battery capacity, over-charge voltage protection, over-discharge voltage protection, discharge over-current protection, charge over-current protection, short-circuit protection, and a pre-charging current for initially charging.