Battery systems for information handling systems

• US 20080074080A1
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Luo, Shiguo, Breen, John J., Hijazi, Mohammed K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,436,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries

Abstract

Systems and methods for interfacing a battery system of a battery-powered keyboard system with main battery components of a battery-powered information handling system to enable a battery charging system of the battery-powered information handling system to charge both the main battery pack of the battery-powered information handling system and the battery pack of the battery-powered keyboard system without the presence of a separate stand-alone battery charger in the battery-powered keyboard system, and/or so that the keyboard battery of the battery-powered keyboard system may be used to supplement the main battery of the battery-powered information handling system such as in case of emergency power loss or to extend total battery life for running the information handling system.

Claims

1. A battery-powered information handling system, comprising:

battery and charging circuitry configured to provide charge current to a main system battery pack of said battery powered information handling system;

wherein said battery and charging circuitry of said battery-powered information handling system is configured to be coupled to a battery pack of a physically separable battery-powered input or input/output device to allow a flow of current between said battery and charging circuitry and said battery pack of said physically separable battery-powered input or input/output device.

2. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 1, wherein said current flow between said battery and charging circuitry and said battery pack of said battery-powered input or input/output device comprises at least one of:

charge current flow from said battery and charging circuitry to said battery pack of said battery-powered input or input/output device of substantially unaltered voltage from the voltage of said charge current provided to said main system battery pack by said battery and charging circuitry,

discharge current flow from said battery pack of said battery-powered input or input/output device to said battery and charging circuitry of substantially unaltered voltage from a discharge current flow from said main system battery pack, or

a combination thereof.

3. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 1, wherein said battery-powered input or input/output device comprises a battery-powered wireless keyboard;

and wherein said battery-powered information handling system comprises a notebook computer.

4. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 3, wherein said current flow between said battery and charging circuitry and said battery pack of said wireless keyboard comprises charge current flow from said battery and charging circuitry to said battery pack of said wireless keyboard.

5. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 3, wherein said current flow between said battery and charging circuitry and said battery pack of said wireless keyboard comprises discharge current flow from said battery pack of said wireless keyboard to said battery and charging circuitry.

6. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 4, wherein said battery and charging circuitry is configured to monitor a charge condition of said battery pack of said wireless keyboard, and to control flow of charge current from said battery and charging circuitry to said battery pack of said wireless keyboard based at least in part upon said monitored charge condition of said battery pack of said wireless keyboard.

7. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 5, wherein said battery and charging circuitry is configured to monitor battery charging operation of said battery and charging circuitry, and to control flow of discharge current from said battery pack of said wireless keyboard to said battery and charging circuitry based at least in part upon said monitored battery charging operation of said battery and charging circuitry.

8. A portable information handling system, comprising:

a main system smart battery pack coupled to provide current to a system load of said portable information handling system;

a main charger regulator and controller coupled to provide charge current to said main system smart battery pack;

battery interface control circuitry coupled to said main system smart battery pack and said main charger regulator and controller at a first node; and

an auxiliary charger controller coupled to control said battery interface control circuitry, said auxiliary charger controller also being coupled to monitor charge condition of said main system smart battery pack and charging operation of said main charger regulator and controller;

wherein said battery interface control circuitry is further configured to be coupled between said first node and a smart battery pack of a physically separable wireless keyboard;

wherein said battery interface control circuitry is configured to control current flow between said first node and said smart battery pack of said physically separable wireless keyboard.

9. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 8, wherein said battery-powered information handling system comprises a notebook computer system;

wherein said notebook computer system further comprises said wireless keyboard;

wherein said keyboard subsystem circuitry of said wireless keyboard is configured to be removably coupled to form a current path between said battery interface control circuitry and said smart battery pack of said keyboard subsystem circuitry; and

wherein there is no voltage modification circuitry present in said current path formed between said main charger regulator and controller and said smart battery pack of said keyboard subsystem circuitry.

10. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 8, wherein said battery-powered information handling system comprises a notebook computer system;

wherein said notebook computer system further comprises said wireless keyboard;

wherein said keyboard subsystem circuitry of said wireless keyboard is configured to be removably coupled to form a data communication path between said smart battery pack of said wireless keyboard and said auxiliary charger controller, said data communication path carrying data to said auxiliary charger controller related to the charge condition of said smart battery pack of said keyboard subsystem circuitry of said wireless keyboard.

11. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 10, wherein said auxiliary charger controller is configured to receive said data related to the charge condition of said smart battery pack of said keyboard subsystem circuitry, and to control said battery interface control circuitry to control flow of charge current from said battery and charging circuitry to said smart battery pack of said wireless keyboard based at least in part upon said received data related to the charge condition of said smart battery pack of said keyboard subsystem circuitry.

12. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 11, wherein said auxiliary charger controller is further configured to monitor battery charging operation of said main charger regulator and controller, and to control said battery interface control circuitry to regulate flow of charge current from said main charger regulator and controller to said smart battery pack of said wireless keyboard based at least in part upon said monitored battery charging operation of said main charger regulator and controller.

13. The battery-powered information handling system of claim 10, wherein said auxiliary charger controller is configured to receive said data related to the charge condition of said smart battery pack of said keyboard subsystem circuitry;

wherein said auxiliary charger controller is configured to monitor battery charging operation of said main charger regulator and controller; and

wherein said auxiliary charger controller is further configured to control said battery interface control circuitry to control flow of discharge current from said smart battery pack of said wireless keyboard to said battery and charging circuitry based at least in part upon said received data related to the charge condition of said smart battery pack of said keyboard subsystem circuitry and based at least in part upon said monitored battery charging operation of said main charger regulator and controller.

14. A method of operating a battery-powered information handling system, comprising:

coupling battery and charging circuitry of said battery-powered information handling system to a battery pack of a physically separable battery-powered input or input/output device, said battery and charging circuitry including a main battery pack of said battery-powered information handling system; and

allowing a flow of current between said battery and charging circuitry and said battery pack of said physically separable battery-powered input or input/output device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said method comprises at least one of:

allowing flow of charge current from said battery and charging circuitry to said battery pack of said battery-powered input or input/output device of substantially unaltered voltage from the voltage of a charge current provided to said main system battery pack by said battery and charging circuitry,

allowing flow of discharge current flow from said battery pack of said battery-powered input or input/output device to said battery and charging circuitry of substantially unaltered voltage from a discharge current flow from said main system battery pack, or

a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said battery-powered input or input/output device comprises a battery-powered wireless keyboard;

and wherein said battery-powered information handling system comprises a notebook computer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said current flow between said battery and charging circuitry and said battery pack of said wireless keyboard comprises charge current flow from said battery and charging circuitry to said battery pack of said wireless keyboard.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said current flow between said battery and charging circuitry and said battery pack of said wireless keyboard comprises discharge current flow from said battery pack of said wireless keyboard to said battery and charging circuitry.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said battery pack of said wireless keyboard comprises a smart battery pack;

and wherein said method further comprises monitoring a charge condition of said smart battery pack of said wireless keyboard, and controlling flow of charge current from said battery and charging circuitry to said smart battery pack of said wireless keyboard based at least in part upon said monitored charge condition of said battery pack of said wireless keyboard.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising monitoring battery charging operation of said battery and charging circuitry, and controlling flow of discharge current from said battery pack of said wireless keyboard to said battery and charging circuitry based at least in part upon said monitored battery charging operation of said battery and charging circuitry.