METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING BATTERY

• US 20170302090A1
• Filed: 04/07/2017
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: HAN, Ki-Wook
• Granted Patent: US 10,263,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4285 Testing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/623 Portable devices, e.g. mobile telephones, cameras or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/63 Control systems charging or discharging in response to temperature H01M10/44 , H01M10/443; measurement of temperature H01M10/48 , H01M10/486
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/10 Temperature sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Various example embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and an apparatus for protecting a battery in an electronic device. According to various example embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device includes: a battery configured to supply power to the electronic device; a timer configured to maintain time information of the electronic device; a thermistor configured to measure a temperature of the battery; and a processor electrically connected with the battery, the timer, and the thermistor, and the processor is configured to: determine a state of the battery when the electronic device is powered off; cause the electronic device to enter a suspend mode to protect the battery based on a result of the determining; be woken up by the timer in a sleep state accompanied by entering of the suspend mode, and acquire state information of the battery; and perform a function related to battery protection of the battery based on the acquired state information.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a battery configured to supply power to the electronic device;

a timer configured to maintain time information of the electronic device;

a thermistor configured to measure a temperature of the battery; and

a processor electrically connected with the battery, the timer, and the thermistor, the processor configured to;

determine a state of the battery when the electronic device is powered off;

cause the electronic device to enter a suspend mode to protect the battery based on a result of the determined battery state;

be woken up by the timer when in a sleep state accompanied by entering of the suspend mode, and acquire state information of the battery; and

perform a function related to battery protection of the battery based on the acquired state information.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to control the timer to enter a wake-up standby mode in response to entering the suspend mode, and to change to the sleep state.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the timer is configured to:

be woken up based on a predetermined operation mode in the wake-up standby mode; and

transmit wake-up signals to the thermistor and the processor to wake up the processor and the thermistor in response to being woken up.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the thermistor is configured to:

be woken up in response to the wake-up signal;

measure the temperature of the battery in response to being woken up; and

transmit the measured temperature information to the processor.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to:

be woken up in response to the wake-up signal;

acquire voltage information of the battery in response to being woken up; and

determine the state of the battery based on the voltage information and the temperature information.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to perform a function related to one or more of:

the battery protection, the suspend mode, or power off of the electronic device based on a result of the determined state.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein, when the determined state of the battery includes that a battery voltage is greater than or equal to a predetermined voltage and a battery temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, the processor is configured to control the timer to enter the wake-up standby mode.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein, when the determined state of the battery includes that a battery voltage is greater than or equal to a predetermined voltage and a battery temperature is higher than or equal to a predetermined temperature, the processor is configured to cause self-discharging such that the voltage of the battery reaches a normal voltage, and

wherein, when the voltage of the battery is reduced to the normal voltage through self-discharging, the processor is configured to power off the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to cause the self-discharging by consuming a minimum current which does not increase the temperature of the battery.

10. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein, when the state of the battery includes that a battery voltage is less than a predetermined voltage, the processor is configured to disable the wake-up standby mode of the timer and to power off the electronic device.

11. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein, when charging of the electronic device is detected in a power off state of the electronic device, the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to enter the suspend mode and to perform a function related to battery protection of the battery.

12. A method of operating of an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting power off of the electronic device;

determining a state of a battery when the electronic device is powered off;

entering a suspend mode for protecting the battery based on a result of the determining;

waking up based on a predetermined operation period in a sleep state accompanied by entering of the suspend mode;

acquiring state information of the battery in response to the waking up; and

performing a function related to battery protection of the battery based on the state information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the entering the suspend mode comprises:

controlling a timer of the electronic device to enter a wake-up standby mode in response to entering the suspend mode; and

changing to the sleep state.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the waking up comprises waking up a processor and a thermistor of the electronic device based on an operation period of the timer in the sleep state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the acquiring the state information comprises:

transmitting, by the thermistor, temperature information of the battery to the processor in response to the waking up;

acquiring, by the processor, voltage information of the battery in response to the waking up; and

determining, by the processor, the state of the battery based on the voltage information and the temperature information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the performing the function comprises performing a function related to one or more of:

the battery protection, the suspend mode, or the power off of the electronic device based on a result of the determining.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the performing the function comprises, when the determined state of the battery indicates that a battery voltage is greater than or equal to a predetermined voltage and a battery temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, controlling the timer to enter the wake-up standby mode.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the performing the function comprises:

when the state of the battery includes that a battery voltage is greater than or equal to a predetermined voltage and a battery temperature is higher than or equal to a predetermined temperature, performing self-discharging such that the voltage of the battery reaches a normal voltage; and

when the battery voltage is reduced to the normal voltage through the self-discharging, powering off the electronic device,

wherein the self-discharging comprises performing self-discharging by consuming a minimum current which does not increase the temperature of the battery.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the performing the function comprises, when the state of the battery includes that a battery voltage is less than a predetermined voltage, disabling the wake-up standby mode of the timer and powering off the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing the function comprises, when charging of the electronic device is detected in a power off state of the electronic device, performing a function related to battery protection of the battery accompanied by entering the suspend mode.