Battery management system

• US 6,501,249 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2000
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xicor LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Xicor LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Drori, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIBBITS, PIA FLORENCE
• Application Number:
  US09/620,089
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 320/149
• US Class Current: 320/149
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3832 without measurement of battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00716 in response to integrated charge or discharge current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage

Abstract

A battery management system is provided having a battery management unit (BMU) and an integrated switch and sense device (SSD) for accurately measuring the charge state of a rechargeable battery and providing charge protection for the rechargeable battery. The system includes a load, a integrated power and sense device including a power device and a sense device, the integrated power and sense device connected between the rechargeable battery and the load wherein the sense device provides a mirror current proportional to the current in the power device, a first circuit that measures the rechargeable battery current using the mirror current, and a second circuit that measures the charge in the rechargeable battery using the mirror current.

Claims

1. A battery management system for a rechargeable battery, comprising:

a charger unit capable of providing a charge current to charge the rechargeable battery;

a load capable of receiving a discharge current from the rechargeable battery;

an integrated power and sense device including a power device and a sense device, the integrated power and sense device coupled between the rechargeable battery, the load, and the charger unit wherein;

the sense device provides a first mirror current proportional to the charge current flowing into the battery from the charger unit and a second mirror current proportional to the discharge current from the rechargeable battery; and

the power device is configured to disconnect the rechargeable battery from the charger and the load upon receipt of a disconnect signal; and

a battery management unit coupled to the integrated power and sense device, the battery management unit operable to;

use the first and second mirror currents to measure charge flowing into and out of the rechargeable battery and determine a total charge of the rechargeable battery.

2. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the battery management unit is further operable to use the first and second mirror current to detect an overcurrent, overvoltage or undercurrent condition in the rechargeable battery;

and wherein the disconnect signal is generated in response to an overcurrent, overvoltage, or undercurrent condition in the rechargeable battery.

3. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery has a charge, the battery management unit further comprising:

a first circuit operable to measure the charge current and discharge current using the first and second mirror currents, and

a second circuit operable to measure the charge of the rechargeable battery without using a time base.

4. The battery management system of claim 3, wherein the second circuit includes a capacitor to continuously integrate the first or second mirror current to measure the rechargeable battery charge without a time period for sampling.

5. A battery management system for a rechargeable battery, comprising:

a load capable of receiving a rechargeable battery current from the rechargeable battery;

an integrated power and sense device including a power device and a sense device, the integrated power and sense device connected between the rechargeable battery and the load wherein the sense device provides a mirror current proportional to the rechargeable battery current;

a first circuit that measures the rechargeable battery current using the mirror current; and

a second circuit that measures a charge in the rechargeable battery using the mirror current.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the current measured by the first circuit is used to detect an overcurrent condition.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first circuit causes the power device to shutoff the current in the rechargeable battery upon detection of the overcurrent condition.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second circuit further measures voltage of the rechargeable battery and in the event of an overvoltage condition causes the power device to disconnect the rechargeable battery.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second circuit further measures voltage of the rechargeable battery and in the event of an undervoltage condition causes the power device to disconnect the rechargeable battery from the load.

10. A battery management system for a rechargeable battery having current flowing into and out of the rechargeable battery, comprising:

a load;

a charger;

a bi-directional integrated power and sense device including first and second power devices and first and second sense devices, the bi-directional integrated power and sense device connected between the rechargeable battery and the load wherein the first sense device provides a first mirror current proportional to the current in the first power device and the second sense device provides a second mirror current proportional to the current in the second power device;

a first circuit that uses the first and second mirror currents to measure the currents flowing into and out of the rechargeable battery; and

a second circuit that uses the first and second mirror currents to measure a charge in the rechargeable battery.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the currents measured by the first circuit are used to detect an overcurrent condition into or out of the rechargeable battery.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the overcurrent condition causes the power device to shutoff the current in the rechargeable battery.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second circuit further measures the voltage of the rechargeable battery and in the event of an overvoltage condition causes at least one of the power devices to disconnect the rechargeable battery.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second circuit further measures the voltage of the rechargeable battery and in the event of an undervoltage condition causes at least one of the power devices to disconnect the rechargeable battery from the load.

15. A method of measuring a charge in a rechargeable battery, comprising the steps of:

providing a mirror current proportional to a current flowing into or out of the rechargeable battery; and

integrating the mirror current to measure the charge in the rechargeable battery.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mirror current is provided by an integrated power and sense device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the integrated power and sense device is a bi-directional sense FET.

18. A method of disconnecting a rechargeable battery from a load or a charger, comprising the steps of:

providing a mirror current proportional to a current flowing into or out of the rechargeable battery;

measuring the current flowing into or out of the rechargeable battery using the mirror current;

comparing the current flowing into or out of the rechargeable battery with a threshold value; and

disconnecting the rechargeable battery from a load or a charger based on the comparison of the current to the threshold value.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the rechargeable battery has a voltage, the method further comprising:

measuring the voltage of the rechargeable battery using the mirror current;

comparing the voltage to a threshold value; and

disconnecting the rechargeable battery based on the comparison of the voltage to the threshold value.

20. A battery management method comprising the steps of:

providing an integrated power and sense device;

generating a mirror current using the integrated power and sense device;

measuring charge using the integrated power and sense device and the mirror current; and

disconnecting a rechargeable battery using the integrated power and sense device.

21. A battery management method comprising:

generating a mirror current proportional to a current flowing into or out of a rechargeable battery;

providing the mirror current to a capacitor; and

continuously integrating the mirror current using the capacitor to measure a charge level of the rechargeable battery.