Battery fuel gauge circuit
First Claim
1. A battery fuel gauge circuit for measuring a capacity of a rechargeable battery pack, the battery pack being capable of generating a battery voltage and a discharge current, the battery pack having a temperature, the battery fuel gauge circuit comprising:
- an amplifier circuit capable of sensing the discharge current and the temperature of the battery pack and generating a first and a second voltage signals based upon the discharge current and the temperature;
a correction circuit capable of correcting the first and the second voltage signals and generating a plurality of voltages;
a plurality of comparators capable of receiving a reference voltage based upon the battery voltage, the plurality of comparator comparing the reference voltage with the plurality of voltages from the correction circuit and generating a plurality of digital signals; and
a multiplexer capable of receiving the plurality of digital signals from the plurality of comparators, and controlling an external indicating circuit to indicate the capacity of the battery pack based upon the plurality of digital signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a battery fuel gauge circuit for measuring the capacity of a battery pack. The battery fuel gauge circuit includes an amplifier circuit, a correction circuit, a plurality of comparators, and a multiplexer. The amplifier circuit can sense a discharge current flowing through a sense resistor and a variable temperature from the battery pack and generate a first and a second voltage signals, which are corrected by the correction circuit and compared with a reference voltage by the plurality of comparators. After correction and comparison, the multiplexer can transmit the compared signals to an external indicating circuit that controls the display of the capacity of the battery pack.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A battery fuel gauge circuit for measuring a capacity of a rechargeable battery pack, the battery pack being capable of generating a battery voltage and a discharge current, the battery pack having a temperature, the battery fuel gauge circuit comprising:
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an amplifier circuit capable of sensing the discharge current and the temperature of the battery pack and generating a first and a second voltage signals based upon the discharge current and the temperature;
a correction circuit capable of correcting the first and the second voltage signals and generating a plurality of voltages;
a plurality of comparators capable of receiving a reference voltage based upon the battery voltage, the plurality of comparator comparing the reference voltage with the plurality of voltages from the correction circuit and generating a plurality of digital signals; and
a multiplexer capable of receiving the plurality of digital signals from the plurality of comparators, and controlling an external indicating circuit to indicate the capacity of the battery pack based upon the plurality of digital signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An integrated circuit for measuring a battery capacity, comprising:
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a battery pack capable of generating a discharge current and a battery voltage, the battery pack having a temperature;
a resistor upon which the discharge current flowing through;
a charger capable of charging the battery pack through the resistor;
an amplifier circuit capable of sensing the discharge current and the temperature of the battery pack and generating two voltage signals based upon the discharge current and the temperature;
a correction circuit capable of correcting the two voltage signals from the amplifier circuit and generating a plurality of voltages;
a plurality of comparators receiving a reference voltage based upon the battery voltage, the plurality of comparator comparing the reference voltage with the plurality of voltages from the correction circuit and generating a plurality of digital signals; and
a multiplexer, the multiplexer being capable of receiving the plurality of digital signals from the plurality of comparators, and controlling an external indicating circuit representative of the battery fuel gauge of the battery pack based upon the plurality of digital signals. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A portable computer comprising:
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an input device for taking inputs from an user;
a microcontroller for performing operations based on the inputs from the user;
a power supply for supplying power to the portable computer; and
a battery fuel gauge circuit for measuring a remaining capacity of the power supply, the battery fuel gauge circuit including;
a battery pack capable of generating a discharge current and a battery voltage, the battery pack having a temperature;
a resistor upon which the discharge current flowing through;
a charger capable of charging the battery pack through the resistor;
an amplifier circuit capable of sensing the discharge current and the temperature of the battery pack and generating two voltage signals based upon the discharge current and the temperature;
a correction circuit capable of correcting the two voltage signals from the amplifier circuit and generating a plurality of voltages;
a plurality of comparators receiving a reference voltage based upon the battery voltage, the plurality of comparator comparing the reference voltage with the plurality of voltages from the correction circuit and generating a plurality of digital signals; and
a multiplexer, the multiplexer being capable of receiving the plurality of digital signals from the plurality of comparators, and controlling an external indicating circuit representative of the battery fuel gauge of the battery pack based upon the plurality of digital signals. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for measuring a capacity of a battery pack, comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving a battery voltage from the battery pack;
b) generating a sense voltage based upon the battery voltage;
c) generating a voltage indicative of a temperature of the battery pack;
d) correcting the sense voltage and the voltage;
e) generating a plurality of threshold voltages according to the correction;
f) comparing the plurality of threshold voltages with a reference voltage, the reference voltage being based upon the battery voltage;
g) generating a plurality of control signals through the comparison; and
h) controlling an external indicating circuit to display the capacity of the battery pack. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification