BATTERY CHARGER WITH GAUGE-BASED CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL

• US 20160006272A1
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Greening, Thomas C.
• Application Number:
  US14/323,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20160006272A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00041 in response to measured battery parameters, e.g. voltage, current or temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters

Abstract

Systems and methods for power management are disclosed. In an embodiment, a battery charging system includes closed-loop control of a battery charger using a servo target based on measurements taken by a battery gauge.

Claims

1. A battery charging system, comprising:

a battery controller coupled with a battery gauge of a battery, wherein the battery controller is configured to repeatedly update a servo target at a first rate in accordance with a first feedback control loop process that is based on a comparison between one or more target values of a charging profile and a battery metric determined by the battery gauge; and

a charger controller coupled with the battery controller, wherein the charger controller is configured to repeatedly adjust a power converter at a second rate different than the first rate and in accordance with a second feedback control loop process that is based on the servo target, so as to supply power to a terminal of the battery through a connected power supply rail.

2. The battery charging system of claim 1, further comprising the battery gauge, wherein the battery gauge is coupled with one or more sensors in the battery, and the battery metric is based on at least one of a battery current or a battery voltage measured by the one or more sensors.

3. The battery charging system of claim 1, wherein the second rate is at least ten times the first rate.

4. The battery charging system of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensors include a voltage sensor that is connected across a battery bank in the battery to measure the battery voltage.

5. The battery charging system of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensors include a current sensor that is connected in series with a battery bank of the battery to measure the battery current.

6. The battery charging system of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensors include a temperature sensor that is located at a battery bank in the battery to measure the battery temperature.

7. The battery charging system of claim 1 further comprising the power converter being a DC-to-DC converter.

8. The battery charging system of claim 1 further comprising a digital-to-analog converter configured to receive the servo target from the battery controller as a digital signal and to output the servo target as an analog signal to the charger controller, and wherein a digital-to-analog converter value is dithered around the digital signal and the analog signal is filtered prior to the charger controller receiving the servo target from the charger controller.

9. The battery charging system of claim 1, wherein the second feedback control loop process can be limited by at least one of a battery rail voltage, an input voltage of the power converter, an input current of the power converter, or a duty cycle of the power converter, wherein the charger controller is configured to provide a notification to the battery controller when the second feedback control loop process becomes limited by the input voltage, the input current, or the duty cycle, and wherein the battery controller is configured to discontinue, in response to the notification, repeatedly updating the servo target.

10. The battery charging system of claim 1 further comprising a field effect transistor (FET) in the battery and coupled with the battery controller, wherein the battery controller is configured to open the FET to disable charging of the battery when the battery is fully charged.

11. The battery charging system of claim 1 further comprising a charging profile selector, wherein the charging profile selector is configured to repeatedly update the one or more target values of the charging profile based on one or more battery metrics determined by the battery gauge.

12. A method performed by a battery charging system, comprising:

determining, by a battery gauge of a battery, a battery metric of the battery;

repeatedly updating a servo target at a first rate in accordance with a first feedback control loop process that is based on a comparison between one or more target values of a charging profile and the battery metric; and

repeatedly adjusting a power converter that supplies power to a terminal of the battery through a connected power supply rail, wherein the power converter is adjusted at a second rate different than the first rate and in accordance with a second feedback control loop process that is based on the servo target.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the battery gauge is coupled with one or more sensors in the battery, wherein the battery metric is based on at least one of a battery current or a battery voltage measured by the one or more sensors, and wherein updating the servo target includes:

determining a profile voltage target and a profile current target based on the charging profile,

comparing the battery voltage to the profile voltage target and the battery current to the profile current target to determine an error, and

updating the servo target based on the error in accordance with the first feedback control loop process.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second rate is at least ten times the first rate.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

applying dithering to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that receives a digital signal corresponding to the servo target;

converting, using the DAC, the digital signal to an analog signal corresponding to the servo target; and

filtering the analog signal by a resistive-capacitor circuit to obtain the servo target used by the second feedback control loop process.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining whether the second feedback control loop process is limited by an input voltage of the power converter, an input current of the power converter, or a duty cycle of the power converter; and

sending, by a charger controller coupled with the power converter, a notification to a battery controller coupled with the battery gauge when the input voltage, the input current, or the duty cycle limits the second feedback control loop.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising discontinuing the updating of the servo target.

18. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a battery;

a battery gauge to determine a battery metric of the battery;

a power converter coupled to supply power to charge the battery;

a battery controller coupled with the battery gauge, wherein the battery controller is configured to repeatedly update a servo target of a first feedback control loop at a first rate, based on a comparison between a charging profile and the battery metric determined by the battery gauge; and

a charger controller coupled with the battery controller, wherein the charger controller, as part of a second feedback control loop, repeatedly adjusts the power converter based on the servo target and at a second rate that is higher than the first rate.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 18, wherein the servo target is a battery rail voltage target.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 18, wherein the battery comprises a transistor switch that is connected to control current of a battery cell of the battery, wherein the battery controller opens the transistor switch to cut off power to the battery cell when detecting that the battery is fully charged.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 19, wherein a battery rail connects the power converter to the battery, and wherein the charger controller adjusts a duty cycle of the power converter based on the battery rail voltage target and based on a battery rail voltage that is measured at the battery rail.