Battery pack with battery protection circuit

• US 5,963,019 A
• Filed: 09/17/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cheon, Kyung-Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUK, LAWRENCE W
• Application Number:
  US08/932,174
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 320/150, 320/134, 320/112, 320/118, 320/145, 320/152
• US Class Current: 320/150
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/18 for batteries; for accumulators

Abstract

A battery pack having a battery protection circuit designed to prevent damages induced by a short circuit of outside terminals when the battery pack is separated from an electronic device. The battery pack comprises a chargeable battery cell; positive and negative battery terminals connectable to both ends of the battery cell; a temperature sensing terminal connected to the negative battery terminal through a thermistor for sensing a surface temperature of said battery pack; and a battery protection circuit electrically connected to open at least one power supply line between one of the positive terminal and the positive end of the battery cell and the negative terminal and the negative end the battery cell, when the battery pack is separated from an electronic device. The battery protection circuit is constructed by a switching controller having an input terminal connected to the temperature sensing terminal for detecting a thermal resistive value of the thermistor and generating a control signal when the thermal resistive value is below a preset level; a switching circuit provided along one of the power supply lines for cutting off the power supply line in response to the control signal; and a low power supplier connected in parallel with the positive power supply line for supplying an operating voltage battery control circuit of the electronic device which regulates the operating voltage. With this arrangement, short-circuit of the power terminals provided in the outside the battery pack can be effectively prevented in order to protect the quality of battery cell.

Claims

1. A battery apparatus, comprising:

a chargeable battery cell;

positive and negative battery terminals connectable to both ends of the battery cell;

a temperature sensing terminal connected to the negative battery terminal through a thermistor for sensing a surface temperature of said battery apparatus; and

a battery protection circuit electrically connected to open at least one power supply line between one of the positive terminal and the positive end of the battery cell and the negative terminal and the negative end of the battery cell, when said battery apparatus is separated from an electronic device, said battery protection circuit comprising;

a first controller having an input terminal connected to the temperature sensing terminal for detecting a thermal resistive value of the thermistor and generating a control signal when the thermal resistive value is below a preset level;

a switching circuit provided along one of the power supply lines for cutting off the power supply line in response to the control signal supplied from said first controller; and

a low power supplier connected in parallel with the positive power supply line for supplying an operating voltage for a battery controller of the electronic device, and said battery controller including a micro-controller of a smart battery circuitry provided in the electronic device for regulating said operating voltage, said first controller further comprising;

a battery pack detector connected to the temperature sensing terminal, for reading the thermal voltage value of the thermistor and generating a signal representative of a detachment state of the battery apparatus; and

a second controller electrically connected to said battery pack detector, for controlling an on/off state of said switching circuit in response to a detection signal fed from said battery pack detector.

2. The battery apparatus of claim 1, said low power supplier enabling the current to flow from the battery cell to the positive power terminal.

3. The battery apparatus of claim 1, said low power supplier further comprising a diode and a resistor connected in series for enabling the current to flow through the diode from the battery cell to the positive power terminal.

4. The battery apparatus of claim 3, the current flowing through the low power supplier exhibiting less than one milliampere.

5. The battery apparatus of claim 1, said switching circuit further comprising first and second MOSFET transistors, where gate terminals are connected with outputs of said first controller, source terminals are connected with each other, and drain terminals of the MOSFET transistor are connected with the positive power terminal and the positive end of the battery cell, respectively, and where first and second diodes are provided between the source and drain terminals, in which cathode terminals of each diode are connected with the drain terminals of said first and second MOSFET transistors.

6. A battery apparatus, comprising:

a battery cell;

positive and negative battery terminals connectable to both ends of the battery cell;

a temperature sensing terminal connected to the negative battery terminal through a thermistor for sensing a surface temperature of said battery apparatus; and

a battery protection circuit electrically connected to provide short circuit protection to the battery cell, when said battery apparatus is removed from an electronic device, said battery protection circuit comprising;

a first controller responsive to a thermal resistive value of the thermistor, for generating a control signal;

a switching circuit disposed between said positive battery terminal and a positive end of the battery cell, for cutting off power supply to the battery cell in response to the control signal; and

a low power supplier connected in parallel with said switching circuit for permitting current to flow from the battery cell to said positive power terminal.

7. The battery apparatus of claim 6, said low power supplier further comprising a diode and a resistor connected in series for enabling the current to flow through the diode from the battery cell to the positive power terminal.

8. The battery apparatus of claim 6, the current flowing through the low power supplier exhibiting less than one milliampere.

9. The battery apparatus of claim 6, said first controller further comprising:

a battery pack detector connected to the temperature sensing terminal, for reading the terminal voltage value of the thermistor and generating a first detection signal representative of a detachment state of said battery apparatus;

an overcharge and discharge detector for detecting an overcharge/discharge state of the battery cell by sensing the voltage values at both ends of the battery cell and generating a second detection signal; and

a second controller electrically connected to said battery pack detector and said overcharge and discharge detector, for controlling an on/off state of said switching circuit in response to at least one of said first and said second detection signal.

10. The battery apparatus of claim 6, further comprised of said switching circuit comprising first and second MOSFET transistors, where gate terminals are connected with outputs of said switching controller, source terminals are connected with each other, and drain terminals of the MOSFET transistors are connected with the positive power terminal and the positive end of the battery cell, respectively, and where first and second diodes are provided between the source and drain terminals, in which cathode terminals of each diode are connected with the drain terminals of said first and second MOSFET transistors.

11. A battery apparatus, comprising:

a chargeable battery cell;

positive and negative battery terminals connectable to both ends of the battery cell;

a temperature sensing terminal connected to the negative battery terminal through a thermistor for sensing a surface temperature of said battery apparatus; and

a battery protection circuit electrically connected to open at least one power supply line between one of the positive terminal and the positive end of the battery cell and the negative terminal and the negative end of the battery cell, when said battery apparatus is separated from an electronic device, said battery protection circuit comprising;

a first controller having an input terminal connected to the temperature sensing terminal for detecting a thermal resistive value of the thermistor and generating a control signal when the thermal resistive value is below a preset level;

a switching circuit provided along one of the power supply lines for cutting off the power supply line in response to the control signal supplied from said first controller; and

a low power supplier connected in parallel with the positive power supply line for supplying an operating voltage for a battery controller of the electronic device, and said battery controller including a micro-controller of a smart battery circuit provided in the electronic device for regulating said operating voltage,

wherein said first controller includes;

an overcharge/discharge detector for detecting an overcharge/discharge state of the battery cell by sensing the voltage values at both ends of the battery cell and generating a corresponding detection signal; and

a second controller for controlling an on/off state of switching circuit in response to the corresponding detection signal fed from the overcharge/discharge detector.

12. A battery apparatus, comprising:

a chargeable battery cell;

positive and negative battery terminals connectable to both ends of the battery cell;

a temperature sensing terminal connected to the negative battery terminal through a thermistor for sensing a surface temperature of said battery apparatus; and

a battery protection circuit electrically connected to open at least one power supply line between one of the positive terminal and the positive end of the battery cell and the negative terminal and the negative end of the battery cell, when said battery apparatus is separated from an electronic device, said battery protection circuit comprising;

a first controller having an input terminal connected to the temperature sensing terminal for detecting a thermal resistive value of the thermistor and generating a control signal when the thermal resistive value is below a preset level;

a switching circuit provided along one of the power supply lines for cutting off the power supply line in response to the control signal supplied from said first controller; and

a low power supplier connected in parallel with the positive power supply line for supplying an operating voltage for a battery controller of the electronic device, and said battery controller including a micro-controller of a smart battery circuit provided in the electronic device for regulating said operating voltage,

wherein said first controller includes;

a battery pack detector connected to the temperature sensing terminal, for reading the thermal voltage value of the thermistor and generating a signal representative of a detachment state of the battery apparatus;

an overcharge/discharge detector for detecting an overcharge/discharge state of the battery cell by sensing the voltage values at both ends of the battery cell and generating a corresponding detection signal; and

a second controller for controlling an on/off state of said switching circuit in response to at least one detection signal fed from the battery pack detector and the overcharge/discharge detector.