Indirect contact battery temperature detection for rechargeable battery system
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a circuit having a recharging section that is operative to recharge a rechargeable battery;
a contact configured to engage a terminal of the rechargeable battery to power the circuit; and
a temperature measuring system thermally coupled to the contact and operative to sense a temperature value of the contact, the temperature measuring system further being electrically coupled to the circuit and being operative to control the recharging section of the circuit in response to the temperature value,wherein the temperature measuring system includes a first temperature sensor mechanically coupled to the contact for sensing the temperature value of the contact, the first temperature sensor being mechanically isolated from the battery such that the battery can be removed from the apparatus without removing the first temperature sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery recharging system and method are provided that include a rechargeable battery coupled to a recharging circuit. A recharging operation performed by the recharging circuit is controlled by a temperature measuring system, which is both electrically and thermally coupled to a contact engaging a terminal of the rechargeable battery. The temperature measuring system includes a contact temperature sensor and determination circuit, an ambient temperature sensor and determination circuit, a processing unit, and a threshold value unit. The contact temperature sensoris mechanicallyisolated from the battery such that the battery can be removed from the apparatus without removing the sensor. The determination circuits output first and second signals to the processing unit. The processing unit determines a difference value between these signals and compares the difference value to a threshold value from the threshold value unit. Based on this comparison, the processing unit sends control signals to the recharging circuit to control the recharging operation.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a circuit having a recharging section that is operative to recharge a rechargeable battery; a contact configured to engage a terminal of the rechargeable battery to power the circuit; and a temperature measuring system thermally coupled to the contact and operative to sense a temperature value of the contact, the temperature measuring system further being electrically coupled to the circuit and being operative to control the recharging section of the circuit in response to the temperature value, wherein the temperature measuring system includes a first temperature sensor mechanically coupled to the contact for sensing the temperature value of the contact, the first temperature sensor being mechanically isolated from the battery such that the battery can be removed from the apparatus without removing the first temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An apparatus, comprising:
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a contact configured to engage a terminal of a rechargeable battery; and a temperature measuring system thermally coupled to the contact to sense a temperature value of the contact, wherein the temperature measuring system includes a contact temperature sensor coupled to the contact for sensing the temperature value of the contact, the contact temperature sensor being physically isolated from the battery such that the battery can be removed from the apparatus without removing the contact temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method, comprising the steps of:
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operating a temperature measuring system to measure a temperature value of a contact, the contact engaging a terminal of a rechargeable battery during a recharging operation to create a dual-purpose electrical and thermal conduction path allowing for both electricity and heat in the battery to flow through the battery terminal to the contact; and controlling the recharging operation based on the difference between the contact temperature value and an ambient temperature value. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A recharging circuit control system for controlling a recharging operation of a rechargeable battery in a hand-held wireless two-way communications device, the system comprising:
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wireless communications circuitry; a recharging circuit; a processing unit; a threshold value unit that outputs a threshold value to the processing unit; a contact temperature sensor that senses a temperature of a contact that engages a terminal of the rechargeable battery and outputs a contact temperature value to a contact temperature determination device which converts the contact temperature value to a first temperature signal and outputs the first temperature signal to the processing unit, wherein the contact temperature sensor is coupled to the contact and mechanically isolated from the rechargeable battery; and an ambient temperature sensor that measures an ambient temperature of the device and outputs an ambient temperature value to an ambient temperature determination device which converts the ambient temperature value to a second temperature signal and outputs the second temperature signal to the processing unit; wherein the processing unit determines a difference value between the first and second temperature signals and compares the difference value to the threshold value such that if the difference value is above the threshold value the processing unit outputs a control signal to the recharging circuit to discontinue the recharging operation.
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18. A method for controlling a recharging operation of a rechargeable battery in a portable electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) initiating the recharging operation; b) determining a contact temperature of a contact engaging a terminal of the rechargeable battery using a temperature sensor that is coupled to the contact and mechanically isolated from the rechargeable battery and outputting a first temperature signal; c) determining an ambient temperature in the portable electronic device and outputting a second temperature signal; d) determining a difference value between the first and second temperature signals; and e) comparing the difference value to a threshold value, wherein; e1) if the difference value is above the threshold value, the recharging operating stopped; and e2) if the difference value is below the threshold value, the steps (b) through (e) are repeated until the difference value is above the threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification