Battery protection circuit
First Claim
1. A battery protection circuit, comprising:
- a. at least one rechargeable cell;
b. a safety circuit coupled to the at least one rechargeable cell, the safety circuit comprising a voltage monitoring circuit and a current monitoring circuit;
c. at least one disconnect element coupled serially with the at least one rechargeable cell;
d. a charge monitoring circuit; and
e. a circuit for stimulating an overcurrent condition within the safety circuit when the charge monitoring circuit determines that a rechargeable cell parameter selected from the group consisting of power, voltage, temperature, pressure and energy exceeds a predetermined threshold.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery protection circuit is provided that includes a safety circuit and a charge monitoring circuit. The safety circuit monitors the voltage and current of at least one rechargeable cell within the battery pack, and disconnects the cell(s) from the external terminals of the battery pack when either the voltage becomes too high or low, or when excessive current is being drawn from the battery pack. The charge monitoring circuit can include any of a number of detectors or monitoring circuits, including those that monitor temperature, pressure, voltage, energy, current or power. In one embodiment, the charge monitoring circuit includes a power meter and a pulsed current detector. The charge monitoring circuit actuates when either the power or pulsed current exceeds a predetermined power or current threshold, respectively. When the charge monitoring circuit actuates, an overcurrent condition is simulated in the safety circuit. The overcurrent condition causes a disconnect switch to open, thereby disconnecting the cell(s) from the external terminals. The battery protection circuit then latches in this disconnected state until a load is removed from the terminals of the battery pack.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A battery protection circuit, comprising:
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a. at least one rechargeable cell;
b. a safety circuit coupled to the at least one rechargeable cell, the safety circuit comprising a voltage monitoring circuit and a current monitoring circuit;
c. at least one disconnect element coupled serially with the at least one rechargeable cell;
d. a charge monitoring circuit; and
e. a circuit for stimulating an overcurrent condition within the safety circuit when the charge monitoring circuit determines that a rechargeable cell parameter selected from the group consisting of power, voltage, temperature, pressure and energy exceeds a predetermined threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A battery protection circuit having an charge monitoring circuit, wherein the charge monitoring circuit determines when a charge parameter exceeds a predetermined threshold, comprising:
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a. at least one rechargeable cell;
b. at least one safety circuit coupled to the at least one rechargeable cell;
c. at least one switch coupled serially with the at least one rechargeable cell; and
d. at least one circuit for stimulating an overcurrent condition within the safety circuit when the charge monitoring circuit determines that the charge parameter exceeds the predetermined threshold. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification