Battery gauging device during battery charging

• US 20010004202A1
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Published: 06/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Woo Seog
• Granted Patent: US 6,344,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]

Abstract

Disclosed is a battery gauging device during a battery charging, which is capable of gauging the charged capacity during a battery charging in a terminal. The device according to the invention comprises a charger for converting an AC voltage to a DC voltage, and outputting the converted voltage, a battery pack including a battery for charging an electric charge, first switching means for switching on/off the DC voltage, and second switching means switched on/off in accordance with a battery charge enable (BCE) signal so as to temporarily discharge the charged capacity during the battery charging, and a terminal including a battery gauging section for gauging a charged capacity inputted from the battery pack and a microprocessor for outputting the BCE signal to the switching means, and displaying the gauged value on a display section. According to the invention, the DC voltage inputted from the charger to the battery pack is charged in the battery, but is regularly interrupted in the course of the battery charging so as to temporarily discharge the charged capacity, thereby realizing an exact display of the charged capacity on the terminal even during the battery charging.

Claims

1. A battery gauging device during a battery charging, comprising:

a charger for converting an AC voltage to a DC voltage, and outputting the converted voltage;

a battery pack including a battery for charging an electric charge, first switching means for switching on/off the DC voltage, and second switching means switched on/off in accordance with a battery charge enable (BCE) signal so as to temporarily discharge the charged capacity during the battery charging; and

a terminal including a battery gauging section for gauging a charged capacity inputted from the battery pack and a microprocessor for outputting the BCE signal to the switching means, and displaying the gauged value on a display section.

2. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the battery pack further includes:

a charging/discharging controller for controlling charging and discharging of the battery and protecting a circuit inside thereof by controlling the switching on/off of the first switching means so as to control supply of the DC voltage inputted from the charger to the battery; and

temperature detection means connected to a ground terminal of the battery for detecting temperature of the battery, converting the detected temperature value to an electric signal, and outputting the converted electric signal.

3. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the terminal further includes a system electric power section for supplying an electric power to constitutional elements inside thereof by receiving an output voltage of the battery pack, and outputting a voltage for battery gauging to the battery gauging section.

4. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the first and the second switching means are field effect transistors.

5. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the second switching means is positioned between the first switching means and a positive terminal of the battery.

6. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the microprocessor controls the second switching means by regularly outputting the BCE signal to the second switching means while a predetermined voltage is charged in the battery by means of the charger.

7. The battery gauging device of

claim 6

, wherein the BCE signal regularly outputted from the microprocessor has a cycle, in which a switching-on time is longer than a switching-off time of the second switching means.

8. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the output voltage of the battery pack inputted to the terminal is selected from either the DC voltage inputted from the charger to the battery pack when the first and the second switching means are switched on or the discharged capacity of the battery when the second switching means is switched off.

9. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the battery gauging section converts the charged capacity of the battery inputted from the battery pack to a digital signal, and outputs the converted digital signal to the microprocessor.

10. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the terminal receives the charged capacity of the battery, and detects the charged capacity.

11. The battery gauging device of

claim 1

, wherein the terminal is a portable terminal using chargable batteries.