INFORMATION HANDLING SYSTEM BATTERY CHARGE MANAGEMENT IN A DYNAMIC DISCHARGE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20200136401A1
• Filed: 10/25/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Thompson, Richard Christopher, Ning, Yan, Lin, Chia-Liang
• Granted Patent: US 11,095,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition

Abstract

Dynamic battery discharge at an information handling system during battery charge, such as to support increased power use associated with processor turbo mode, is managed by setting a reduced maximum charge current dynamically during constant voltage charging so that battery voltage droop from discharge does not result in command of an excessive charge current after the discharge.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a housing;

a processor operable to execute instructions that process information;

one or more power rails interfaced with the processor to supply power to the processor at a predetermined voltage;

a power supply interfaced with the one or more power rails to provide the predetermined voltage;

an external power port integrated in the housing and operable to accept external power from an external power source;

a battery integrated in the housing and operable to store power; and

a charger interfaced with the external power port and the battery, the charger providing power to the power supply, the charger receiving power from the external power port to charge the battery in one of a constant current charge mode or a constant voltage charge mode;

wherein the power supply selectively provides power to the one or more power rails from just the battery, just the external power port or both the battery and the external power port; and

wherein the charger when in the constant voltage charge mode reduces a maximum current to charge the battery based upon a battery charge state and charges the battery at the maximum current, the charger in response to a subsequent decreased battery charge state limiting actual charge current to the battery based upon the maximum current in a predetermined manner.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the charger determines the maximum current based upon a voltage measured at the battery at time increments and the charger limits actual current to the battery to an actual current to the battery at a most recent previous time increment.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the charger determines the maximum current based upon a voltage measured at the battery at time increments and the charger limits actual current to the battery to an actual current at a most recent time increment plus a predetermined incremental current.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a battery management unit interfaced with the battery and controlling current provided to the battery from the charger, the battery management unit interfaced with the charger, the charger communicating the value of maximum current to the battery management unit, the battery management unit providing no more than the maximum current to the battery.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the power supply communicates to the charger if power is supplied from just the external power port to the one or more power rails, the charger in response setting the predetermined time to zero.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the battery comprises plural battery cells managed by a battery management unit.

7. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the external power port comprises a USB Type C port.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the processor has a turbo mode associated with increased current draw.

9. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the charger determines the maximum current based upon a voltage measured at the battery at time increments, the charger storing the maximum current for each time increment for a predetermined time, and the charger limits actual current to the battery to the lowest of the stored maximum currents.

10. A method for managing an information handling system battery charge, the method comprising:

determining a maximum current to charge the battery at time increments;

comparing the maximum current determined at each present time increment with a maximum current determined at one or more previous time increments; and

if the maximum current of the one or more previous time increments is less than the maximum current determined at a present time increment, setting current to charge the battery based upon the lowest maximum current of the previous one or more time increments.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the setting current to charge the battery based upon the lowest maximum current of the previous one or more time increments further comprises:

determining an actual current applied to charge the battery at the time increment of the lowest maximum current; and

setting current to charge the battery as a function of the actual current.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the function of the actual current comprises an incremental increase of the actual current.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the function of the actual current comprises an incremental decrease of the actual current.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the setting current to charge the battery based upon the lowest maximum current of the previous one or more time increments further comprises:

setting the charge current to the lowest maximum current of the previous one or more time increments; and

applying current to the battery based upon current available to charge the battery, the applied current not exceeding the set lowest maximum current.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining that the maximum current determined at each present time increment equals a constant current value for a predetermined number of time increments; and

in response, configuring charge in a constant current mode.

16. A method for charging a battery, the method comprising:

charging the battery in a constant current mode if the battery has below a predetermined voltage, the constant current mode applying a charging current of not greater than a maximum current;

charging the battery in a constant voltage mode if the battery has at least the predetermined voltage, the constant voltage mode applying a current of less than the maximum current, the applied current determined from a measured voltage of the battery;

while in the constant voltage mode, tracking the applied current over time;

while in the constant voltage mode, detecting a decrease in the measured voltage of the battery that determines an increase in the applied current; and

while in the constant voltage mode, in response to the detecting a decrease in the measured voltage of the battery that determines an increase in the applied current, adjusting the increase in the applied current according to a previous applied current.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining the applied current from the measured voltage of the battery at time increments;

wherein adjusting the increase in the applied current according to a previous applied current further comprises maintaining the applied current at the applied current determined from a previous time increment.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising incrementing the applied current by a predetermined amount for each subsequent time interval having a determined increase in the applied current based upon the decrease in the measured voltage.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

detecting for a predetermined number of time increments a determined increase in the applied current based upon the decrease in the measured voltage; and

in response to the detecting, commanding a constant current mode to charge the battery.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising discharging from the battery during the constant voltage mode, the discharging decreasing the measured voltage of the battery.