ENERGY STORAGE CHARGING FROM AN ADJUSTABLE POWER SOURCE

• US 20150084602A1
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sawyers, Thomas P., Lloyd, Jon G., Wozniak, John A., Matthews, Christopher K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,698,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/446 Initial charging measures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/448 End of discharge regulating measures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An energy storage device includes an integrated fuel gauge that is operatively connected to the energy storage device. The fuel gauge evaluates an operating parameter of the energy storage device and dynamically determines a state of charge. The fuel gauge communicates a communication including a requested operating parameter to the charging component with the single communication line and the signal indicates to an operating system component a change of an energy storage device state. The signal is used to trigger an alert or interrupt that causes the operating system component to display the change of the enemy storage state based on the signal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an energy storage unit comprising;

an energy storage device;

a fuel gauge operatively integrated to the energy storage device that evaluates an operating parameter of the energy storage device, dynamically determines a state of charge of the energy storage device and communicates a communication via a communication line to an adjustable power source and an operating system component,

the fuel gauge indicates to the operating system component a change of an energy storage device state and communicates the communication comprising a requested operating parameter to the adjustable power source with the communication line according to a predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge determined.

2. The system of claim 1, the operating system component generates a display update of the energy storage device state in response to the communication via the communication line.

3. The system of claim 1, the fuel gauge causes an alert or an interrupt to the operating system component to indicate the change of the energy storage device state via the communication line.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a detection component that detects the change of the energy storage device state that includes a charge beginning point, a charge ending point, a discharge beginning point, a discharge ending point, or a percentage full indicator update.

5. The system of claim 1, the communication line comprising a single communication line including one connection to the fuel gauge.

6. The system of claim 1, the fuel gauge communicates the communication comprising a pulse width modulated signal via the communication line, wherein the fuel gauge modifies the pulse width modulated signal that causes an interrupt to the operating system component in response to the change in the energy storage device state being detected by a detection component.

7. The system of claim 6, the operating system component being coupled to the defection component that includes a low pass filter that detects the pulse width modulated signal temporarily decreasing and generating the interrupt or alarm to update a display for the energy storage device state.

8. The system of claim 1, the fuel gauge controls the adjustable power source with the communication via one connection to the communication line, and the adjustable power source adjusts a charge current to charge the energy storage device according to a taper algorithm during a charging cycle.

9. Toe system of claim 1, the fuel gauge writes a requested charge current or a requested charge voltage in registers of the energy storage unit according to the predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge determined, and continually updates the requested charge current or the requested charge voltage throughout a charging cycle of the energy storage device.

10. A method comprising;

monitoring, via a fuel gauge, a state of charge of an energy storage unit that includes an energy storage device with the fuel gauge operatively integrated with the energy storage device;

determining, by the fuel gauge, an operating parameter of the energy storage device and a requested operating parameter for the energy storage device according to a predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge;

communicating a request comprising the requested operating parameter via a single communication Sine for an adjustable power source to adjust a charge current to the charge the energy storage device; and

indicating to an operating system component communicatively coupled to the energy storage unit a change of an energy storage device state via the single communication line.

11. The method of claim 10, the change of the energy storage device state comprising a charge beginning point a charge ending point, a discharge beginning point, a discharge ending point, or a percentage full indicator update.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling the adjustable power source with the request from the fuel gauge via the single communication line to adjust a charge current that charges the energy storage device according to a taper algorithm during a charging cycle.

13. The Method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating an adjusting signal that modifies an output current of the adjustable power source to a different current during a charging of the energy storage device than a charge current received by the energy storage device initially when charging begins; and

modifying a pulse width modulated signal to cause an interrupt to the operating system component in response to the change in the energy storage device state.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

in response to the operating system component detecting a modification of the pulse width modulated signal, generating an alter flag or an interrupt pulse that varies according to a frequency of the pulse width modulated signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the modifying the pulse width modulated signal comprises toggling the pulse width modulated signal to trigger an event detector of the operating system component.