Battery charging and discharging control circuit which charges an expansion battery only if there is a full charge on an internal battery

• US 6,031,356 A
• Filed: 09/29/1998
• Issued: 02/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Hirotaka, Kawata, Kaoru, Harada, Naofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US09/162,061
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 320/110, 320/116, 320/118, 320/119, 320/121, 320/126, 320/134, 320/136, 320/128, 320/137
• US Class Current: 320/119
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit

Abstract

An electronic device including an internal battery and an expansion battery can not be operated when the charge in both batteries is drained. Accordingly, when charging the batteries, a control circuit, after confirming that the internal battery is not fully charged, sets an FET to a conductive state and an FET to a non-conductive state. The result is that charging occurs from the internal battery provided the internal battery is not fully charged. After the internal battery is fully charged, the control circuit sets the FET to a non-conductive state and the FET to a conductive state so that this time the expansion battery is charged. Thus, if a short operating time is sufficient, the internal battery can be rapidly charged so that the electronic equipment can be operated by itself after charging for only a short period.

Claims

1. A battery charging and discharging control circuit for controlling charging and discharging of an internal battery of an electronic device and an expansion battery that is disposed separately from said internal battery, comprising:

an internal charge switching circuit for supplying charging power to said internal battery;

an expansion charge switching circuit for supplying charging power to said expansion battery; and

a control circuit for controlling said internal charge switching circuit and said expansion charge switching circuit;

wherein

said control circuit sets only said internal charge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to charge said internal battery when said internal battery is not in a fully charged state.

2. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 wherein said control circuit sets, after charging of said internal battery completes, said internal charge switching circuit to a non-conductive state and sets only said expansion charge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to charge said expansion battery.

3. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1, comprising an expansion discharge switching circuit for discharging said expansion battery, wherein said control circuit sets said expansion discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to set a state in which said expansion battery can be discharged even when said internal charge switching circuit has been set to the conductive state and charging of said internal battery is being performed.

4. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 2, comprising an internal discharge switching circuit for discharging said said internal battery, wherein said control circuit sets said internal discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to set a state in which said internal battery can discharge even when said expansion charge switching circuit has been set to the conductive state and charging of said expansion battery is being performed.

5. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 3, comprising an internal discharge switching circuit for discharging said said internal battery, wherein said control circuit sets said internal discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to set a state in which said internal battery can discharge even when said expansion charge switching circuit has been set to the conductive state and charging of said expansion battery is being performed.

6. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said expansion battery is detachable from said electronic device.

7. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 comprising an internal discharge switching circuit for discharging said internal battery, wherein said control circuit sets said internal discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to set a state in which said internal battery can be discharged even when said expansion charge switching circuit has been set to the conductive state and charging of said expansion battery is being performed.

9. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of small expansion batteries is detachable from said electronic device.

10. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 wherein said control circuit sets, after charging of said internal battery completes, said internal charge switching circuit to the non-conductive state and sets said plurality of expansion charge switching circuits in sequence to conductive states so as to charge said small expansion batteries in sequence.

11. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 comprising:

a plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits disposed to respectively correspond to said plurality of small expansion batteries, for discharging said respective small expansion batteries;

said control circuit sets any one of said plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits to a conductive state so as to set a state in which one of said small expansion batteries can be discharged even when said internal charge switching circuit has been set to the conductive state and charging of said internal battery is being performed.

12. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 comprising an internal discharge switching circuit for discharging said internal battery, wherein said control circuit sets said internal discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to set a state in which said internal battery can be discharged even when said plurality of small expansion charge switching circuits have been set to conductive states and charging of any of said plurality of small expansion batteries is being performed.

13. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 comprising:

an internal discharge switching circuit for connecting said internal battery to a predetermined electric circuit so as to cause said internal battery to discharge;

an expansion discharge switching circuit for connecting said expansion battery to a predetermined electric circuit so as to cause said expansion battery to discharge; and

a control circuit for controlling said internal discharge switching circuit and said expansion discharge switching circuit;

wherein

said control circuit sets only said expansion discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to cause said expansion battery to discharge when there exists a remaining amount of charge in said expansion battery.

14. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 wherein said control circuit sets, after discharging of said expansion battery completes, said expansion discharge switching circuit to a non-conductive state and sets only said internal discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to cause said internal battery to discharge.

15. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 comprising:

an internal discharge switching circuit for causing said internal battery to discharge;

a small expansion discharge switching circuit disposed at said small expansion battery, for discharging the corresponding small expansion battery; and

a control circuit for controlling said internal discharge switching circuit and said small expansion discharge switching circuit;

said control circuit individually sets said plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits to conductive states in a predetermined sequence so as to cause the corresponding plurality of said small expansion batteries to discharge in that sequence when there exists a remaining amount of charge in any of said plurality of small expansion batteries.

16. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 1 wherein said control circuit sets, after discharging of said small expansion battery completes, said plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuit to a non-conductive state and sets only said internal discharge switching circuit to the conductive state so as to cause said internal battery to discharge.

8. A battery charging and discharging control circuit wherein a battery charging control circuit for controlling the charging of an internal battery of an electronic device and a plurality of small expansion batteries that are disposed separately from said internal battery, comprises:

an internal charge switching circuit for supplying charging power to said internal battery;

a plurality of small expansion charge switching circuits disposed to respectively correspond to said plurality of small expansion batteries, for supplying charging power to corresponding said small expansion batteries among said plurality of small expansion batteries; and

a control circuit for controlling said internal charge switching circuit and said plurality of small expansion charge switching circuits;

wherein

said control circuit sets only said internal charge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to charge said internal battery when said internal battery is not in a fully charged state.

17. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 8 wherein said control circuit sets, after charging of said internal battery completes, said internal charge switching circuit to the non-conductive state and sets said plurality of expansion charge switching circuits in sequence to conductive states so as to charge said small expansion batteries in sequence.

18. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 8 comprising:

a plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits, which are disposed to correspond respectively to said plurality of small expansion batteries, for discharging respective corresponding said small expansion batteries;

said control circuit sets any one of said plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits to a conductive state so as to set a state in which one of said small expansion batteries can be discharged, even when said internal charge switching circuit has been set to the conductive state and charging of said internal battery is being performed.

19. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 8 comprising an internal discharge switching circuit for discharging said internal battery, wherein said control circuit sets said internal discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to set a state in which said internal battery can be discharged, even when said plurality of small expansion charge switching circuits have been set to conductive states and charging of any of said plurality of small expansion batteries is being performed.

20. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 8 comprising:

an internal discharge switching circuit for connecting said internal battery to a predetermined electric circuit so as to cause said internal battery to discharge;

an expansion discharge switching circuit for connecting said expansion battery to a predetermined electric circuit so as to cause said expansion battery to discharge; and

a control circuit for controlling said internal discharge switching circuit and said expansion discharge switching circuit;

wherein;

said control circuit sets only said expansion discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to cause said expansion battery to discharge when there exists a remaining amount of charge in said expansion battery.

21. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 8 wherein said control circuit sets, after discharging of said expansion battery completes, only said expansion discharge switching circuit to a non-conductive state and sets said internal discharge switching circuit to a conductive state so as to cause said internal battery to discharge.

22. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 8 comprising:

an internal discharge switching circuit for causing said internal battery to discharge;

a plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits, of which one small expansion discharge switching circuit is disposed at each one of said expansion batteries, for discharging that corresponding small expansion battery; and

a control circuit for controlling said internal discharge switching circuit and said plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits;

said control circuit individually sets said plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits to a conductive state in a predetermined sequence so as to cause the corresponding plurality of small expansion batteries to discharge in that sequence when there exists a remaining amount of charge in any of said plurality of small expansion batteries.

23. A battery charging and discharging control circuit according to claim 8 wherein said control circuit sets, after discharging of said plurality of small expansion batteries all completes, said plurality of small expansion discharge switching circuits to non-conductive states and sets only said internal discharge switching circuit to the conductive state so as to cause said internal battery to discharge.