Battery and method for charging/discharging the battery
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A battery pack, comprising:
- reverse discharge protection circuitry;
a battery pack contact;
a battery cell having a battery terminal; and
a switchable means coupled between the battery terminal and the battery pack contact, the switchable means switching between a first state allowing for current to flow between the battery terminal and the battery pack contact and a second state in which current is not allowed to flow between the battery pack contact and the battery terminal.
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Abstract
A battery charging system (200) includes a field-effect transistor (212) as a current discharge protection device in order to prevent current from flowing from battery (222) to charger (202) when charger (202) is not charging or discharging battery (222). The field-effect transistor (212) also protects battery (222) in the case that the battery contacts are inadvertently shorted. When charger (202) is charging battery (222), field-effect transistor (212) is turned on, providing for reduced voltage drop across the device due to its low on resistance, and also allows for charger (202) to charge and discharge (condition) battery (222).
138 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A battery pack, comprising:
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reverse discharge protection circuitry; a battery pack contact; a battery cell having a battery terminal; and a switchable means coupled between the battery terminal and the battery pack contact, the switchable means switching between a first state allowing for current to flow between the battery terminal and the battery pack contact and a second state in which current is not allowed to flow between the battery pack contact and the battery terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A battery charging system, comprising:
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a battery pack, comprising; reverse discharge protection circuitry, a battery pack contact; a battery cell having a battery terminal; and a field-effect transistor (FET) coupled between the battery terminal and the battery pack contact, the switchable means switching between a first state allowing for current to flow between the battery terminal and the battery pack contact and a second state in which current is not allowed to flow between the battery pack contact and the battery terminal; and a battery charger coupled to the battery pack, the battery charger comprising; a controller; and the controller providing a control signal to the FET in order to switch it between the first and second states. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method for charging or discharging a battery pack using a battery charger, the battery pack having a field-effect transistor (FET), first and second battery contacts and a battery having a battery terminal, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing reverse discharge protection circuitry within the battery pack; (b) coupling the battery pack to the battery charger; (c) receiving a control signal at the second battery contact; (d) switching the FET to a first state in response to the control signal, the FET in the first state electrically interconnects the battery terminal to the battery charger; and (e) commencing to charge or discharge the battery pack using the battery charger. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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Specification