PROTECTION CIRCUIT FOR BATTERY PACK

• US 20110156654A1
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Kim, Beom-Gyu, Yang, Jong-Woon, Hwang, Eui-Jeong, Yun, Han-Seok, Sim, Se-Sub, Kim, Jin-Wan, Segawa, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 8,854,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence

Abstract

A protection circuit of a battery pack capable of detecting the error of a charging device from the battery pack. The protection circuit of the battery pack having a battery cell charged by a charging device, the protection circuit including a charge switch coupled to a high current path (HCP), the charge switch disposed between the battery cell and the charging device charging the battery cell and a controller sensing a voltage or a current of the charging device during a charge stop period stopping a charging of the battery cell and determining whether an error of the charging device occurs according to the voltage or the current of the charging device.

Claims

1. A protection circuit of a battery pack having a battery cell charged by a charging device, the protection circuit comprising:

a charge switch coupled to a high current path (HCP), the charge switch disposed between the battery cell and the charging device charging the battery cell; and

a controller sensing a voltage or a current of the charging device during a charge stop period stopping a charging of the battery cell and determining whether an error of the charging device occurs according to the voltage or the current of the charging device.

2. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charge stop period comprises a period in which the charge switch is turned off in at least one of periods between adjacent pulses of a pulse charging of the battery cell.

3. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controller compares the voltage of the charging device with a reference voltage corresponding to a charge voltage characteristic of the battery cell and determines whether the error occurs according to the comparison result.

4. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charge stop period comprises a period in which the charge switch is turned off when the battery cell is charged by a constant current-constant voltage (CC-CV) method.

5. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller turns off the charge switch.

6. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller compares the voltage or the current of the charging device with a reference voltage or a reference current corresponding to a CC-CV characteristic and determines whether the error occurs according to the comparison result.

7. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller outputs information on the error to the charging device.

8. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 7, further comprising an outputting unit displaying information on the error by a light, a sound, or a combination of the light and the sound.

9. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the information on the error is transmitted to the charging device.

10. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a blocking unit blocking coupling between the charging device and the battery cell when the error occurs.

11. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the blocking unit comprises:

a fuse coupled to the HCP in series;

a heater having a first terminal coupled to an end of the fuse; and

a control switch coupled between a second terminal of the heater and a ground, wherein a gate terminal of the control switch is coupled to the controller.

12. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a discharge switch coupled to the HCP and disposed in series between the battery cell and the charging device.

13. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises an analog front end (AFE) integrated circuit (IC) and a microcontroller.

14. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an external terminal, comprising:

a first power source terminal coupled to the HCP;

a second power source terminal coupled to the HCP; and

at least one signal terminal transmitting information on the error to the charging device.

15. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cell comprises at least one of a chargeable and a dischargeable secondary battery.

16. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging device is an electronic apparatus including a battery charger or an adaptor.

17. The protection circuit as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a system management bus (SMBUS) having a clock line and a data line connecting the microcontroller to an external system.