BATTERY PACK MANAGEMENT

• US 20170184681A1
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV), STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV), STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Hariharasudhan, K. R., Sigmund, Frank J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,520,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/367 Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements

Abstract

An electronic device includes a processor coupled to a battery and to determine whether the battery is being charged or discharged. If the battery being is being discharged, the processor operates to calculate an amount by which the battery has discharged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery, compensate the amount by which the battery has discharged for a condition of the battery, and calculate a remaining capacity of the battery as a function of the amount by which the battery has discharged. If the battery is being charged, the processor operates to calculate an amount by which the battery has charged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery, compensate the amount by which the battery has charged for a condition of the battery, and calculate the remaining capacity of the battery as a function of the amount by which the battery has charged.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor coupled to a battery and configured to;

determine whether the battery is being charged or discharged,

in response to the battery being discharged, operate to;

calculate an amount by which the battery has discharged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery,

compensate the amount by which the battery has discharged for a condition of the battery, and

calculate a remaining capacity of the battery as a function of the amount by which the battery has discharged; and

in response to the battery being charged, operate to;

calculate an amount by which the battery has charged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery,

compensate the amount by which the battery has charged for a condition of the battery, and

calculate the remaining capacity of the battery as a function of the amount by which the battery has charged.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operation to calculate the amount by which the battery has discharged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery comprises an operation to integrate a current drawn from the battery over a time period ranging from a time of the preceding calculation to present time.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operation to calculate the remaining capacity comprises an operation to subtract the amount by which the battery has discharged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity from the preceding calculation of remaining capacity.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operation to calculate the amount by which the battery has charged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery comprises an operation to integrate a current drawn from the battery over a time period ranging from a time of the preceding calculation to present time.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operation to calculate the remaining capacity comprises an operation to add the amount by which the battery has charged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity to the preceding calculation of remaining capacity.

6. A method, comprising:

measuring a voltage of a battery over a period of time in real time while the battery discharges, using a processor coupled to measurement circuitry;

calculating a run time to empty of the battery based on the voltage of the battery as measured during the period of time, in real time while the battery discharges, using the processor;

compensating the run time to empty of the battery for a second condition of the battery based upon lack of variation of a first condition of the battery during the period of time, in real time while the battery discharges, using the processor; and

compensating the run time to empty of the battery for the first condition of the battery based upon variation of the first condition of the battery during the period of time, in real time while the battery discharges, using the processor;

wherein the second condition of the battery is self discharge of the battery.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first condition of the battery is a battery temperature or a battery current.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, at a first time, a remaining capacity of the battery based on the run time to empty; and

compensating, at a second time, the remaining capacity of the battery by determining an amount by which the battery has discharged since the first time, and recalculating the remaining capacity of the battery based on the amount by which the battery has discharged since the first time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the amount by which the battery has discharged since the first time is calculated as an amount of current drawn by the battery over the period of time.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the first condition of the battery has varied since compensating the remaining capacity of the battery at the second time; and

compensating the amount by which the battery has discharged based upon the variation.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, at a first time, a remaining capacity of the battery based on the run time to empty; and

compensating, at a second time, the remaining capacity of the battery at a second time by increasing the remaining capacity of the battery by determining an amount by which charge of the battery has increased since the first time, and recalculating the remaining capacity of the battery based on the amount by which the charge of the battery has increased since the first time.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the run time to empty of the battery is compensated for the second condition of the battery based upon lack of variation of a first condition of the battery during the period of time exceeding a threshold variation;

and

wherein the run time to empty of the battery is compensated for the first condition of the battery based upon variation of the first condition of the battery during the period of time exceeding the threshold variation.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein self discharge of the battery is a rate of spontaneous discharge of the battery.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising adjusting the compensation for the second condition of the battery based upon a temperature of the battery.

15. A method, comprising:

determining, in real time, whether a battery is being charged or discharged;

in response to the battery being discharged, in real time as the battery discharges, performing steps of;

calculating an amount by which the battery has discharged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery,

compensating the amount by which the battery has discharged for a condition of the battery, and

calculating a remaining capacity of the battery as a function of the amount by which the battery has discharged.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the amount by which the battery has discharged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery is calculated by integrating a current drawn from the battery over a time period ranging from a time of the preceding calculation to present time.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the remaining capacity is calculated by subtracting the amount by which the battery has discharged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity from the preceding calculation of remaining capacity.

18. A method, comprising:

determining, in real time, whether a battery is being charged or discharged;

in response to the battery being charged, in real time as the battery charges, performing steps of;

calculating an amount by which the battery has charged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery,

compensating the amount by which the battery has charged for a condition of the battery, and

calculating a remaining capacity of the battery as a function of the amount by which the battery has charged.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the amount by which the battery has charged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity of the battery is calculated by integrating a current drawn from the battery over a time period ranging from a time of the preceding calculation to present time.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the remaining capacity is calculated by adding the amount by which the battery has charged since a preceding calculation of remaining capacity to the preceding calculation of remaining capacity.