Method and apparatus for balancing energy between portable devices

• US 20070236975A1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Lippojoki, Ismo, Vuori, Petri
• Granted Patent: US 7,508,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/66
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

A method comprises the steps of determining values of one or more parameters of a first energy reservoir in a first device and corresponding parameters of a second energy reservoir in a second device, and setting a direction for transferring energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir. The direction may be set based on the voltage of the first energy reservoir and the voltage of the second energy reservoir, based on an input from a user, or based on the values of one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir obtained in a device-to-device communication between the first device and the second device. A bi-directional charging interface for executing the method comprises two energy paths in opposite directions and a control unit for setting the direction for the energy transfer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining values of one or more parameters of a first energy reservoir in a first device and corresponding parameters of a second energy reservoir in a second device; and

setting a direction for transferring energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include a voltage, and the direction for transferring energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir is set based on the voltage of the first energy reservoir and the voltage of the second energy reservoir.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the direction for transferring energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir is set based on an input from a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of a maximum state of charge, a maximum voltage, a current state of charge, a current voltage and a current energy consumption, and the direction for transferring energy is set based on the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir obtained in a device-to-device communication between the first device and the second device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein an apparatus for executing the method is associated with the first device, and wherein the step of determining the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir comprises:

communicating with the second device to obtain the values of the one or more parameters of the second energy reservoir.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of communicating with the second device comprises:

requesting a response from the second device; and

if the response from the second device is received, requesting and receiving from the second device the values of the one or more parameters of the second energy reservoir, or if the response from the second device is not received, determining the current voltage of the second energy reservoir;

and wherein the step of setting the direction for transferring energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir comprises;

setting the direction for transferring energy based on the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir received from the second device, if the response from the second device is received;

or

setting the direction for transferring energy based on the current voltage of the first energy reservoir and the current voltage of the second energy reservoir, if the response from the second device is not received.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an apparatus for executing the method is interconnected between the first energy reservoir in the first device, an electrical load in the first device, and the second energy reservoir in the second device, and the method further comprises:

determining whether an energy flow from the second energy reservoir is to be directed to the first energy reservoir, to the electrical load, or is to be shared between the first energy reservoir and the electrical load.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the energy flow from the second energy reservoir is directed to the first energy reservoir for charging the first energy reservoir, and to the electrical load after the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir have reached a predetermined level.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the energy flow from the second energy reservoir is shared between the first energy reservoir and the electrical load, and is directed to the electrical load after the values of the one or more parameters of the second energy reservoir have reached a predetermined level.

10. An apparatus, connected between a first energy reservoir in a first device and a second energy reservoir in a second device, comprising:

means for determining values of one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir, and

means for setting a direction for transferring energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more parameters include a voltage, and means for setting the direction for transferring energy comprises means for setting the direction based on the voltage of the first energy reservoir and the voltage of the second energy reservoir.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a user interface, wherein the means for setting the direction for transferring energy comprises means for setting the direction based on an input from a user to the apparatus through the user interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the user interface comprises a conductor connecting the first energy reservoir of the first device and the second energy reservoir of the second device, said conductor comprising means for only allowing transferring energy either from the first device to the second device or from the second device to the first device.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of a maximum state of charge, a maximum voltage, a current state of charge, a current voltage and a current energy consumption, and means for setting a direction for transferring energy comprises means for setting the direction based on the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir obtained in a device-to-device communication between the first device and the second device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is associated with the first device, and the means for determining the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir comprises:

means for communicating with the second device to obtain the values of the one or more parameters of the second energy reservoir.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for communicating with the second device comprises:

means for requesting a response from the second device; and

means for requesting and receiving from the second device the values of the one or more parameters of the second energy reservoir, if the response from the second device is received, or determining the current voltage of the second energy reservoir, if the response from the second device is not received;

and wherein the means for setting the direction for transferring energy comprises;

means for setting the direction for transferring energy based on the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir received from the second device, if the response from the second device is received, or setting the direction for transferring energy based on the current voltage of the first energy reservoir and the current voltage of the second energy reservoir, if the response from the second device is not received.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is interconnected between the first energy reservoir in the first device, an electrical load in the first device, and the second energy reservoir in the second device, the apparatus further comprising:

means for determining whether an energy flow from the second energy reservoir is to be directed to the first energy reservoir, to the electrical load, or is to be shared between the first energy reservoir and the electrical load.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the energy flow from the second energy reservoir is directed to the first energy reservoir for charging the first energy reservoir, and to the electrical load after the values of one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir have reached a predetermined level.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the energy flow from the second energy reservoir is shared between the first energy reservoir and the electrical load, and to the electrical load after the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir have reached a predetermined level.

20. A bi-directional charging interface, communicatively coupled between a first energy reservoir in a first device and a second energy reservoir in a second device, comprising:

a first energy path, for conducting an energy flow from the second energy reservoir to the first energy reservoir;

a second energy path, for conducting an energy flow from the first energy reservoir to the second energy reservoir; and

a control unit, for determining values of one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir, and for setting up a transfer of energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir through either the first energy path or the second energy path.

21. The bi-directional charging interface of claim 20, further comprising a user interface for receiving a user'"'"'s input to the control unit, said input determines the transfer of energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir is to be carried out through the first energy path or the second energy path.

22. The bi-directional charging interface of claim 20, wherein the interface is associated with the first device, and the control unit is capable for determining the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir through a device-to-device communication with a second bi-directional interface in the second device, and for setting up a transfer of energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir through either the first energy path or the second energy path based on results of the device-toOdevice communication.

23. The bi-directional charging interface of claim 20, wherein the interface is interconnected between the first energy reservoir in the first device, an electrical load in the first device, and the second energy reservoir in the second device, the interface further comprising:

a status switching unit, operated by the control unit, for determining whether an energy flow from the second energy reservoir is to be directed to the first energy reservoir, to the electrical load, or is to be shared between the first energy reservoir and the electrical load.

24. A device, comprising the bi-directional charging interface of claim 20.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the device is a mobile electronic device.

26. A portable battery pack, comprising one or more bi-directional charging interfaces of claim 20, wherein each of the one or more bi-directional charging interfaces is independently connectable to a second device for transferring energy between the battery pack and the second device.

27. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage structure embodying computer program code thereon for execution by a computer processor in a device, said device is connected with a second device for balancing energy between the device and the second device via a bi-directional charging interface, said product comprising:

instructions for determining values of one or more parameters of a first energy reservoir in the device and corresponding parameters of a second energy reservoir in the second device, and

instructions for setting a direction for transferring energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the one or more parameters include a voltage, and the instructions for setting a direction for transferring energy between the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir comprises:

instructions for setting the direction for transferring energy based on the voltage of the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the one or more parameters include a maximum state of charge, a maximum voltage, a current state of charge, a current voltage and a current energy consumption, and the instructions for setting the direction for transferring energy comprises:

instructions for setting the direction based on the one or more said parameters of the first energy reservoir and the second energy reservoir obtained in a device-to-device communication between the device and the second device.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the instructions for determining the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir comprising:

instructions for communicating with the second device to obtain the values of the one or more parameters of the second energy reservoir.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the instruction for communicating with the second device comprises

instructions for requesting a response from the second device;

and

instructions for requesting and receiving from the second device the values of the one or more parameters of the second energy reservoir, if the response from the second device is received, or determining the current voltage of the second energy reservoir, if the response from the second device is not received;

and wherein the instructions for setting a direction for transferring energy comprises;

instructions for setting the direction for transferring energy based on the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir and corresponding parameters of the second energy reservoir received from the second device, if the response from the second device is received;

or setting the direction for transferring energy based on the current voltage of the first energy reservoir and the current voltage of the second energy reservoir, if the response from the second device is not received.

32. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the bi-directional charging interface is interconnected between the second energy reservoir, the first energy reservoir and an electrical load in the device, the product further comprising

instructions for determining whether an energy flow from the second energy reservoir is to be directed to the first energy reservoir, to the electrical load, or is to be shared between the first energy reservoir and the electrical load.

33. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the energy flow from the second energy reservoir is directed to the first energy reservoir for charging the first energy reservoir, and to the electrical load after the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir have reached a predetermined level.

34. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the energy flow from the second energy reservoir is shared between the first energy reservoir and the electrical load, and to the electrical load after the values of the one or more parameters of the first energy reservoir have reached a predetermined level.