Charging Control Device for Supplying Electronic Equipment Application(s) and Battery with Compensated Current

• US 20080315844A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Regent, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 8,228,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/153
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery

Abstract

A charging control device (D) is installed in a piece of electronic equipment (EE) comprising a rechargeable battery (B) and at least an internal application (A) requiring an application current for its operation. This device (D) comprises a charging control module (CCM) arranged to be coupled to a charger (CH), to be fed with a charge current when it is connected to mains, and coupled i) to the battery (B) to control its charge and provide it with a chosen battery current when so required and when its temperature is within a chosen interval, and ii) to the application (A) to provide it with the application current when the electronic equipment (EE) is connected to the charger (CH). The device (D) also comprises a current sensor means (SM) arranged to determine the current consumed by the application (A) and to deliver a first signal representative of this current consumption. The charging control module (CCM) is further arranged i) either to provide the application (A) with an application current equal to the current represented by the first signal while forcing the battery (B) to keep its charge when its temperature is outside the chosen interval, ii) or to provide the application (A) with an application current equal to the current represented by the first signal while providing the battery (B) with a chosen battery current in order that it may be simultaneously charged when its temperature is within the chosen interval.

Claims

1. Charging control device for electronic equipment comprising a rechargeable battery and at least an internal application requiring an application current for its operation, said device comprising a charging control module arranged to be coupled to a charger, to be fed with a charge current when it is connected to the mains, and being coupled to said battery to control its charge and provide it with a chosen battery current when so required and when its temperature is within a chosen interval, and to said application to provide it with said application current when said electronic equipment is connected to said charger, characterized in that it also comprises a current sensor means arranged to determine the current consumed by said application and to deliver a first signal representative of said current consumption, and in that said charging control module is arranged either to provide said application with an application current equal to the current represented by said first signal while forcing said battery to keep its charge when its temperature is outside said chosen interval, or to provide said application with an application current equal to the current represented by said first signal while providing said battery with a chosen battery current in order that it may be simultaneously charged when its temperature is inside said chosen interval.

2. Charging control device according to claim 1, characterized in that said current sensor means comprises:

a current sensory arranged to deliver a second signal representative of the current which is instantaneously being consumed by said application, and

a filtering means coupled to said current sensor and charging control module and arranged to process said second signal so as to deliver said first signal.

3. Charging control device according to claim 2, characterized in that said filtering means is arranged to integrate several second signals delivered by said current sensor over a chosen period in order to deliver said first signal.

4. Charging control device according to claim 1, characterized in that said charging control module is arranged to provide said battery with a battery current chosen such that its charging time be approximately constant independently of the application current it provides to the application.

5. Charging control device according to claim 1, characterized in that said battery is of the Li-ion type.

6. Charging control device according to claim 1, characterized in that said battery is of the Li-Polymer type.

7. Electronic equipment comprising a rechargeable battery and at least an internal application requiring an application current for its operation, characterized in that it comprises a charging control device according to claim 1 and coupled to said battery and to said internal application.

8. Electronic equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that it is chosen from a group comprising at least a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a cordless phone, and a music player.