BATTERY PACK AND METHOD OF BATTERY PACK POWER MANAGEMENT

• US 20110163723A1
• Filed: 09/23/2008
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: STL Energy Tecnology (S) Pte Ltd
• Original Assignee: STL Energy Tecnology (S) Pte Ltd
• Inventors: Lee, Voon Ho, Tan, Wah Swee, Tan, Eng Soon Dave
• Application Number:
  US13/062,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163723A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004

Abstract

A battery pack and a method of power management for a battery pack, the battery pack comprising a rechargeable power source; a protection circuit electrically isolated from the rechargeable power source in a shutdown mode of the battery pack; and a kickstart circuit for electrically connecting the protection circuit to the rechargeable power source for providing electrical protection when the battery pack is in any one of a plurality of operating states.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a rechargeable power source;

a protection circuit electrically isolated from the rechargeable power source in a shutdown mode of the battery pack; and

a kickstart circuit for electrically connecting the protection circuit to the rechargeable power source for providing electrical protection when the battery pack is in any one of a plurality of operating states;

said kickstart circuit comprising;

means for receiving a plurality of input trigger signals; and

means for determining the operating state of the battery pack based on

the input trigger signals; and

wherein different functional blocks of the kickstart circuit are activated for electrically connecting the protection circuit to the rechargeable power source depending on the determined operating state.

2. The battery pack is claimed in claim 1, wherein the protection circuit comprises:

a plurality of monitor units for monitoring a plurality of monitored parameters;

a power switching unit for electrically isolating the rechargeable power source when the monitored parameters exceed operation limits.

3. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, further comprises a controllable power supply for supplying power to the protection circuit.

4. The battery pack as claimed in claim 3, wherein the kickstart circuit further comprises:

means for generating a wakeup signal in response to one of the input trigger signals to activate the controllable power supply; and

means for generating a plurality of respective status signals in response to the input trigger signals.

5. The battery pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein the protection circuit further comprises means for generating a latch signal to retain activation of the controllable power supply.

6. The battery pack as claimed in claim 5, wherein the controllable power supply comprises:

a power control circuit for receiving the wakeup and latch signals; and

a buck regulator coupled to the power control circuit to provide a power supply to the protection circuit in response to the wakeup or latch signals.

7. The battery pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein one of the input trigger signals is a remaining capacity trigger signal, the battery pack further comprising

a tactile switch for activating the remaining capacity input trigger signal by connecting the rechargeable power source to the kickstart circuit;

a voltage scaling unit coupled to the protection circuit for measuring the rechargeable power source'"'"'s voltage; and

a battery capacity indicator for displaying the rechargeable power source'"'"'s remaining capacity based on the measured voltage.

8. The battery pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein one of the input trigger signals is a load present signal activated when the battery pack is electrically connected to an external load such that the load forms a closed circuit with the rechargeable power source and kickstart circuit.

9. The battery pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein one of the input trigger signals is a charger present signal activated when the battery pack is electrically connected to an external charger such that the charger forms a closed circuit with the rechargeable power source and kickstart circuit.

10. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operating states include one or more of battery pack charging, battery pack discharging and battery capacity indication.

11. The battery pack as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of parameters includes one or more of battery pack voltage, battery pack current, and battery pack temperature.

12. A method of power management for a battery pack, comprising the steps of:

electrically isolating a protection circuit from a rechargeable power source in a shutdown mode of the battery pack; and

electrically connecting the protection circuit to the rechargeable power source by a kick start circuit;

said protection circuit providing electrical protection when the battery pack is in any one of a plurality of operating states; and

said kickstart circuit determining the operating state based on one or more received input trigger signals; and

wherein different functional blocks of the kickstart circuit are activated for electrically connecting the protection circuit to the rechargeable power source depending on the determined operating state.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein providing electrical protection when the battery pack is in any one of a plurality of operating states comprises:

monitoring a plurality of monitored parameters with a plurality of monitor units;

electrically isolating the rechargeable power source when the monitored parameters exceed operation limits with a power switching unit.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising supplying power to the protection circuit by a controllable power supply.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein electrically connecting the protection circuit to the rechargeable power source by a kick start circuit comprises the steps of:

generating a wakeup signal in response to one of the input trigger signals to activate the controllable power supply; and

generating a plurality of respective status signals in response to the input trigger signals.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising generating a latch signal to retain activation of the controllable power supply.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein supplying power to the protection circuit by a controllable power supply further comprises:

receiving the wakeup and latch signals by a power control circuit; and

coupling a buck regulator to the power control circuit to provide a power supply to the protection circuit in response to the wakeup and latch signals.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein one of the input trigger signals is a remaining capacity trigger signal, the method further comprising:

activating the remaining capacity input trigger signal by connecting the rechargeable power source to the kickstart circuit by a tactile switch;

measuring the rechargeable power source'"'"'s voltage by a voltage scaling unit coupled to the protection circuit; and

displaying the rechargeable power source'"'"'s remaining capacity based on the measured voltage with a battery capacity indicator.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein one of the input trigger signals is a load present signal activated when the battery pack is electrically connected to an external load such that the load forms a closed circuit with the rechargeable power source and kickstart circuit.

20. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein one of the input trigger signals is a charger present signal activated when the battery pack is electrically connected to an external charger such that the charger forms a closed circuit with the rechargeable power source and kickstart circuit.

21. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the operating states include one or more of battery pack charging, battery pack discharging and battery capacity indication.

22. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plurality of parameters includes one or more of battery pack voltage, battery pack current, and battery pack temperature.