Battery pack with single charge inhibit/regulator transistor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A removable battery pack for use in a system, the battery pack having first and second terminals, the battery pack comprising:
- a battery with a battery voltage and with first and second battery terminals, the battery receiving an input voltage for charging the battery;
a transistor for inhibiting or allowing charging of the battery and for regulating the input voltage for charging the battery, the transistor coupled to the first battery terminal and the first terminal;
a feedback circuit coupled to the transistor and to the first battery terminal, said feedback circuit regulating a voltage across the transistor to limit the input voltage for charging the battery to a predetermined voltage;
a charge inhibit circuit responsive to a charge inhibit signal and coupled to the transistor, said charge inhibit circuit turning the transistor off responsive to the charge inhibit signal.
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Abstract
A battery pack for use in a portable computing system includes a transistor that is used both for inhibiting charging of the batteries within the system and for limiting the voltage across the batteries in the battery pack. Rather than having two separate devices to inhibit and regulate, this single transistor performs the functions of both, thus reducing component count in a battery pack.
55 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A removable battery pack for use in a system, the battery pack having first and second terminals, the battery pack comprising:
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a battery with a battery voltage and with first and second battery terminals, the battery receiving an input voltage for charging the battery; a transistor for inhibiting or allowing charging of the battery and for regulating the input voltage for charging the battery, the transistor coupled to the first battery terminal and the first terminal; a feedback circuit coupled to the transistor and to the first battery terminal, said feedback circuit regulating a voltage across the transistor to limit the input voltage for charging the battery to a predetermined voltage; a charge inhibit circuit responsive to a charge inhibit signal and coupled to the transistor, said charge inhibit circuit turning the transistor off responsive to the charge inhibit signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 13, 14, 15)
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5. A method of both inhibiting charging of a battery pack and regulating the voltage across a battery pack using a single transistor in a battery pack that includes first and second terminals, comprising the steps of:
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inserting the battery pack into a system; providing a charge inhibit signal indicating that charging should be allowed when in a first state and that charging should be inhibited when in a second state; providing a feedback signal responsive to the voltage across the battery pack; regulating the voltage across the battery pack by adjusting a voltage drop across the single transistor responsive to the feedback signal such that the voltage across the battery pack remains below a predetermined voltage; and disabling charging by turning off the single transistor responsive to the charge inhibit signal. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 16, 17, 18)
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8. A battery powered computer system, comprising:
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a portable device with terminals for receiving a battery pack for providing power; a removable battery pack for use in the system, the battery pack having first and second terminals, the battery pack comprising; a battery with a battery voltage and with first and second battery terminals, the battery receiving an input voltage for charging the battery; a transistor for inhibiting or allowing charging of the battery and for regulating the input voltage for charging the battery, the transistor coupled to the first battery terminal and the first terminal; a feedback circuit coupled to the transistor and to the first battery terminal, said feedback circuit regulating a transistor voltage across the transistor to limit the input voltage for charging the battery to a predetermined voltage; and a charge inhibit circuit responsive to a charge inhibit signal and coupled to the transistor, said charge inhibit circuit turning the transistor off responsive to the charge inhibit signal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification