Systems and methods for detecting charge switching element failure in a battery system
First Claim
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1. A method of detecting charge switching element failure in a battery system, comprising:
- monitoring for the presence of a battery charging current flowing to one or more battery cells of said battery system;
monitoring voltage of said one or more battery cells of said battery system; and
taking one or more failure state actions if both of the following conditions are detected to exist when said charge switching element of said battery system is supposed to be in a state that prevents flow of battery charging current to said one or more battery cells of said battery system;
(i) battery charging current is flowing to said one or more battery cells, and (ii) voltage of said one or more battery cells is detected to be increasing.
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Abstract
Systems and methods for detection of charge switching element failure (e.g., charge FET switching element) in a battery system, such as a battery system of an information handling system (e.g. notebook computer), in which an increase in cell voltage is employed as a criteria for detecting charge switching element failure.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of detecting charge switching element failure in a battery system, comprising:
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monitoring for the presence of a battery charging current flowing to one or more battery cells of said battery system;
monitoring voltage of said one or more battery cells of said battery system; and
taking one or more failure state actions if both of the following conditions are detected to exist when said charge switching element of said battery system is supposed to be in a state that prevents flow of battery charging current to said one or more battery cells of said battery system;
(i) battery charging current is flowing to said one or more battery cells, and (ii) voltage of said one or more battery cells is detected to be increasing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A battery system configured to be coupled to a battery charging apparatus, said battery system comprising:
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one or more battery cells;
battery current control circuitry configured to be coupled between said battery charging apparatus and said one or more battery cells, said battery current control circuitry comprising at least one charge switching element configured to control flow of said charging current to said battery cells from said battery charging apparatus;
a switching element failure detector configured to take one or more failure state actions if both of the following conditions are detected to exist when said charge switching element of said battery system is supposed to be in a state that prevents flow of battery charging current to said one or more battery cells of said battery system;
(i) battery charging current is flowing to said one or more battery cells, and (ii) voltage of said one or more battery cells is detected to be increasing. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A battery system for a portable information handling system configured to be coupled to a battery charging apparatus, said battery system comprising:
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one or more battery cells;
a charge circuit configured to be coupled between said battery charging apparatus and said one or more battery cells, said charge circuit comprising a charge FET switching element and being configured to receive a charging current from said battery charging apparatus;
an inline fuse configured to be coupled between said battery charging apparatus and said one or more battery cells;
a battery management unit (BMU) coupled to said charge circuit, said BMU comprising a microcontroller;
wherein said BMU is configured to control operation of said inline fuse so as to permanently disable said battery system if both of the following conditions are detected to exist when said charge FET switching element of said battery system is supposed to be in a state that prevents flow of battery charging current to said one or more battery cells of said battery system;
(i) battery charging current is flowing to said one or more battery cells, and (ii) voltage of said one or more battery cells is detected to be increasing. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification