System and method for controlling charging of battery of portable terminal

• US 20100102779A1
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ahn, Eun Woo, Lim, Heui Do
• Granted Patent: US 9,099,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007186 obtained with the battery disconnected from the charge or discharge circuit

Abstract

A portable terminal includes a charging control system. The system supplies electric power to the battery. If the battery is charged completely, the system stops charging the battery temporarily, adjusts the termination current, and then charges the battery to the preset second charge capacity. The system can recharge the battery if the battery of the second charge capacity under goes a natural discharge for a certain time period by a certain rate of the second charge capacity, for example, 1%, or if the maximum voltage corresponding to the second charge capacity drops by 1% of the maximum voltage. Therefore, the system can retail the maximum charged state of the battery.

Claims

1. A method for controlling charging of a battery in a portable terminal whose connecting unit is connected to a power charger adapter, the method comprising:

charging the battery to a first charge capacity;

stopping the charging of the battery for a first time period and adjusting termination current; and

charging the battery to a second charge capacity until the charging current is the adjusted termination current.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recharging, if the battery has been charged to the second charge capacity and then discharged to a capacity equal to or less than a certain ratio of the second charged capacity, the battery to the second charge capacity;

or

recharging, if the battery has been charged to the second charge capacity and then undergoes a natural discharge for a certain time period, the battery to the second charge capacity;

or

recharging, if the voltage of the battery having been charged to the second charge capacity drops by a certain value in a state where the power charger adapter is connected to the connecting unit, the battery to the second charge capacity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein charging the battery to a first charge capacity comprises:

checking whether the charging current supplied to the battery reaches a first termination current; and

identifying, if the charging current reaches a first termination current, that the battery has been charged to the first charge capacity and stopping the charging of the battery.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein charging the battery to a second charge capacity comprises:

checking whether the charging current supplied to the battery decreases and reaches a second termination current; and

identifying, if the charging current reaches a second termination current, that the battery has been charged to the second charge capacity and stopping the charging of the battery.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein recharging the battery to the second charge capacity comprises:

recharging the battery using the power charger adapter; and

interrupting the battery recharge if the charging current of the battery decreases and reaches a preset second termination current.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

charging the battery to a first charge capacity is charging the battery until the charging current is decreased from 400 mA to 100 mA; and

charging the battery to a second charge capacity is charging the battery until the charging current is decreased to 30 mA.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

alarming a battery in a completely charged state if the battery is charged to a capacity equal to or greater than the first charge capacity.

8. A system for controlling charging of a battery in a portable terminal, comprising:

a connecting unit adapted to connect to a power charger adapter;

a battery adapted to be charged by electric power supplied via the connecting unit;

a power supply configured to check and adjust the electric power supplied to the battery; and

a controller configured to;

control the power supply to charge the battery until the battery is charged to a first charge capacity,

break electric power for a first time period,

adjust termination current of the battery, and

charge the battery until the battery is charged to a second charge capacity.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller further comprises at least one of the following:

an auxiliary timer configured to count a time period that the second charge capacity of the battery takes to be discharged to a capacity equal to or less than a certain ratio of the second charge capacity as the battery undergoes a natural discharge; and

a battery handler figured to check whether a voltage corresponding to the second charge capacity drops by a certain voltage as the portable terminal operates a user function.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller further comprises:

a complete charge processor configured to activate an alarm for a completely charged state if the battery is charged to the first charge capacity.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller operates the auxiliary timer if the battery is charged to the second charge capacity, and recharges the battery to the second charge capacity if the auxiliary time has completed its counting operation.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller detects the charged battery capacity using the variation of charging current supplied to the battery.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller:

charges the battery to the second charge capacity, stops charging the battery, and then recharges the battery to the second charge capacity if the second charge capacity is discharged by a rate equal to or less than a certain ratio of the second charged capacity;

or

charges the battery to the second charge capacity, and then recharges the battery to the second charge capacity if the battery voltage corresponding to the second charge capacity drops by a certain voltage;

or

charges the battery to the second charge capacity, stops charging the battery for the second time period, and then recharges the battery to the second charge capacity.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller:

checks whether the charging current supplied to the battery reaches a first termination current, and identifies that the battery has been charged to the first charge capacity if the charging current reaches the first termination current; and

checks whether the charging current supplied to the battery decreases and reaches a second termination current, and identifies that the battery has been charged to the second charge capacity if the charging current reaches the second termination current.

15. A portable terminal comprising:

a display unit;

a memory;

a connecting unit adapted to connect to a power charger adapter;

a battery adapted to be charged by electric power supplied via the connecting unit;

a power supply configured to check and adjust the electric power supplied to the battery; and

a controller configured to;

control the power supply to charge the battery until the battery is charged to a first charge capacity,

break electric power for a first time period,

adjust termination current of the battery, and

charge the battery until the battery is charged to a second charge capacity.

16. The portable terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller further comprises at least one of the following:

an auxiliary timer configured to count a time period that the second charge capacity of the battery takes to be discharged to a capacity equal to or less than a certain ratio of the second charge capacity as the battery undergoes a natural discharge;

a battery handler figured to check whether a voltage corresponding to the second charge capacity drops by a certain voltage as the portable terminal operates a user function; and

a complete charge processor configured to activate an alarm for a completely charged state if the battery is charged to the first charge capacity.

17. The portable terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller operates the auxiliary timer if the battery is charged to the second charge capacity, and recharges the battery to the second charge capacity if the auxiliary time has completed its counting operation.

18. The portable terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller detects the charged battery capacity using the variation of charging current supplied to the battery.

19. The portable terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller:

charges the battery to the second charge capacity, stops charging the battery, and then recharges the battery to the second charge capacity if the second charge capacity is discharged by a rate equal to or less than a certain ratio of the second charged capacity;

or

charges the battery to the second charge capacity, and then recharges the battery to the second charge capacity if the battery voltage corresponding to the second charge capacity drops by a certain voltage;

or

charges the battery to the second charge capacity, stops charging the battery for the second time period, and then recharges the battery to the second charge capacity.

20. The portable terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller:

checks whether the charging current supplied to the battery reaches a first termination current, and identifies that the battery has been charged to the first charge capacity if the charging current reaches the first termination current; and

checks whether the charging current supplied to the battery decreases and reaches a second termination current, and identifies that the battery has been charged to the second charge capacity if the charging current reaches the second termination current