Electric device with intelligent battery system therein

• US 20030057918A1
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Takaaki, Kobayashi, Masaki, Odaohhara, Shigefumi, Matsumoto, Takeshi, Tadokoro, Mizuho, Kumaki, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,211,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/136
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/374 with means for correcting the measurement for temperature or ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A computer provided with an intelligent battery 52 for charging/discharging, the intelligent battery 52 supplying power to a main system unit, wherein the intelligent battery 52 includes: a voltage measuring circuit 70 for measuring a battery voltage of the intelligent battery 52; a current measuring circuit 63 for measuring a charging/discharging current of the intelligent battery 52; a temperature measuring circuit 90 for measuring a temperature of the intelligent battery 52; and a CPU 62 for periodically reading the battery voltage measured by the voltage measuring circuit 70, the charging/discharging current measured by the current measuring circuit 63, and the temperature measured by the temperature measuring circuit 90 so as to manage a capacity deterioration of the battery due to a storage deterioration and a cycle deterioration, and wherein the main system unit includes an embedded controller 41 for receiving information about the capacity deterioration from the CPU 62 of the battery.

Claims

1. ) An electric device having a main unit consuming power and a battery for supplying the power to the main unit, comprising:

a cycle deterioration monitoring unit for monitoring a cycle deterioration that is a capacity deterioration due to charging/discharging of said battery; and

a storage deterioration monitoring unit for monitoring a storage deterioration that is a capacity deterioration due to storage of said battery.

2. ) The electric device according to claim 1, wherein, when an integrated charging amount reaches a currently monitored total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of the battery, said cycle deterioration monitoring unit corrects the total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) based on the number of cycles.

3. ) The electric device according to claim 1, wherein said storage deterioration monitoring unit obtains the storage deterioration value from a measured battery capacity and a measured battery temperature, based on storage deterioration characteristics according to battery capacities and ambient temperatures.

4. ) The electric device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a deterioration degree recognizing unit for recognizing a deterioration degree of said battery based on the cycle deterioration monitored by said cycle deterioration monitoring unit, and on the storage deterioration monitored by said storage deterioration monitoring unit; and

a deterioration degree indicating unit for indicating the deterioration degree recognized by said deterioration degree recognizing unit.

5. ) An electric device, comprising:

a main unit consuming power; and

a battery for supplying the power to the main unit,

wherein a value of total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of said battery is updated depending on non-operative state of the battery.

6. ) The electric device according to claim 5, wherein the value of total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of said battery is updated when discharging is completed.

7. ) A device comprising:

a battery;

a voltage measuring circuit for measuring a battery voltage of the battery;

a current measuring circuit for measuring a charging/discharging current of the battery;

a temperature measuring circuit for measuring a temperature of the battery; and

a CPU for periodically reading said battery voltage measured by said voltage measuring circuit, said charging/discharging current measured by said current measuring circuit, and said temperature measured by said temperature measuring circuit so as to manage a capacity deterioration of the battery.

8. ) The device of claim 7 further including a main system unit.

9. ) The device of claim 8 wherein said main system unit comprises a controller for receiving information about said capacity deterioration from said CPU of said battery.

10. ) The device according to claim 8, wherein said main system unit performs a predetermined indication on a display based on said information received by said controller.

11. ) A computer provided with a battery for charging/discharging, said battery supplying power to a main system unit, comprising:

a storing unit for storing information about storage deterioration characteristics inherent in said battery;

a battery capacity obtaining unit for obtaining a battery capacity of the battery once for a unit of time;

a battery temperature obtaining unit for obtaining a temperature of the battery once for a unit of time; and

a storage deterioration value obtaining unit for obtaining a storage deterioration value corresponding to said obtained battery capacity and said obtained temperature based on information about said storage deterioration characteristics stored in said storing unit.

12. ) The computer according to claim 11, further comprising an FCC correcting unit for correcting a total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of the battery based on the storage deterioration value obtained by said storage deterioration value obtaining unit.

13. ) A computer provided with a battery for charging/discharging, said battery supplying power to a main system unit, comprising:

an information obtaining unit for obtaining information about a capacity of the battery, which varies depending on non-operative state where the battery is not charged/discharged; and

an indication unit for indicating predetermined information based on information about said capacity obtained by said information obtaining unit.

14. ) The computer according to claim 13, wherein said predetermined information indicated by said indication unit is information about a deterioration degree of said battery.

15. ) An intelligent battery attached to an electric device, for supplying power to the electric device, comprising:

a cycle deterioration monitoring unit for monitoring a cycle deterioration that is a capacity deterioration due to charging/discharging of the battery;

a storage deterioration monitoring unit for monitoring a storage deterioration that is a capacity deterioration due to storage of the battery; and

a correcting unit for correcting a value of total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of the battery based on the cycle deterioration monitored by said cycle deterioration monitoring unit, and the storage deterioration monitored by said storage deterioration monitoring unit.

16. ) The intelligent battery according to claim 15, further comprising a deterioration degree calculating unit for calculating a deterioration degree of the battery based on the value of total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) corrected by said correcting unit.

17. ) An intelligent battery attached to an electric device, for supplying power to the electric device, comprising:

an initial value storing unit for storing a value of total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of the battery at an initial state or a design value of the battery; and

an FCC updating unit for updating the value of total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of the battery based on non-operative state of the battery.

18. ) The intelligent battery according to claim 17, further comprising a deterioration degree measuring unit for measuring a deterioration degree based on the value of total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) stored in said initial value storing unit and the value of total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) updated by said FCC updating unit.

19. ) A total capacity correcting method for correcting a total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of a battery for charging/discharging and supplying power to a main unit, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a battery capacity of said battery;

obtaining a temperature of said battery;

obtaining a storage deterioration value from storage deterioration characteristis obtained in advance, based on said obtained battery capacity and temperature; and

correcting the total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) based on the obtained storage deterioration value.

20. ) A total capacity correcting method for correcting a total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) of a battery for charging/discharging and supplying power to a main unit, comprising the steps of:

integrating a charging amount for said battery;

determining whether the integrated charging amount reaches a total capacity (Full Charge Capacity) monitored in advance, or not; and

incrementing a cycle count when the integrated charging amount reaches the total capacity (Full Charging Capacity), and performing correction for a deterioration value based on cycle deterioration to calculate a modified total capacity (Full Charge Capacity).

21. ) A deterioration value recognizing method for recognizing deterioration value of a battery for charging/discharging and supplying power to a main unit, comprising steps of:

monitoring a cycle deterioration that is a capacity deterioration due to charging/discharging of said battery;

monitoring a storage deterioration that is a capacity deterioration due to storage of said battery; and

recognizing the deterioration value of said battery based on said monitored cycle deterioration and said storage deterioration.

22. ) A program product comprising:

media on which a computer proram is implemented, said computer program including computer code providing a function to monitor a cycle deterioration that is a capacity deterioration due to charging/discharging of said battery;

computer code providing a function to monitor a storage deterioration that is a capacity deterioration due to storage of said battery; and

computer code providing a function recognizing the deterioration value of said battery based on said monitored cycle deterioration and storage deterioration.