Battery having a plurality of temperature sensors for outputting different control information to a connected computer system based upon the temperature relationships of the sensors

• US 6,948,078 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Odaohhara, Shigefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMIN, NIRAV S
• Application Number:
  US10/015,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20020079866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/322, 713/324
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery

Abstract

A battery pack includes overcurrent limiting transistors and respective sensors in proximity to battery cell and the transistors. A CPU in the battery pack receives temperature signals from the sensors and selects an action to control temperature based on the temperature signals.

Claims

1. A battery connected to a computer system for supplying power to said computer system, comprising:

a first sensor provided at a first location in said battery for detecting temperature;

a second sensor provided at a second location different from said first location in said battery for detecting temperatures; and

a CPU for outputting information on respective actions to be implemented by said computer system to said computer system according to respective temperatures detected by the respective sensor, wherein a first action is taken at least part of the time based only on the first sensor indicating a first temperature, the first action also being taken at least part of the time based only on the second sensor indicating a second temperature different than the first temperature.

2. The battery according to claim 1, wherein said CPU selects a predetermined state from a plurality of states to which said computer system can transition, according to the respective temperatures obtained by said first sensor and said second sensor, and outputs information on said selected predetermined state to said computer system.

3. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor is provided at a location in proximity to a protection circuit for preventing an overcurrent and the second sensor is provided a location in proximity to the surface of a cover housing said battery.

4. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the action to be implemented by said computer system is selected based on temperature levels indicated by said sensors from a plurality of measures including decreasing the clock frequency of the system unit CPU in the computer system, intermittently operating said system unit CPU, a suspend CPU operation, and turning off the power completely.

5. A battery pack which is attached to an electric equipment, comprising:

a cover forming a part of the outer wall of said electric equipment when said battery pack is attached to said electric equipment;

an outer wall sensor for detecting the temperature in proximity to a predetermined location on said cover;

a memory for storing predetermined relations between the temperatures detected by said outer wall sensor and a plurality of temperature rise suppressing measures;

a process determination logic for determining a temperature rise suppressing measure from the temperature detected from said out wall sensor, according to the relations stored in said memory;

an output logic for outputting to said electric equipment commands for initiating the temperature rise suppressing actions determined by said process determination logic; and

an internal temperature detecting sensor for detecting the temperature at a predetermined location in said battery pack, wherein at least a first action condition when a first temperature is detected by said internal temperature detecting sensor is different from at least a second action condition when the first temperature is detected by said outer wall sensor.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined location for which temperature is detected by said internal temperature detecting sensor is a protection circuit.

7. A computer system constructed so that a battery pack for power supply can be attached to the system unit thereof, wherein said battery pack comprises:

a cover forming a part of the outer wall in said computer system when said battery pack is attached to said computer system;

a first temperature detector for detecting the temperature in proximity to a predetermined location on said cover forming a part of said outer wall;

at least one second temperature detector;

an operation level selector for selecting a level of operation in said computer system according to the temperature detected by at least one of said temperature detectors; and

,

a transmitter for transmitting information on the level of operation selected by said operation level selector to said system unit, and

said system unit operates according to said information transmitted from said battery pack, wherein a first action is taken when the first detector indicates a first temperature and it not taken when the second detector indicates the first temperature, the first action also being taken when the second detector indicates a second temperature different than the first temperature.

8. The computer system according to claim 7, wherein said system unit includes a CPU which functions as a brain of said computer system, and said operation level selector in said battery pack selects a first state for decreasing the clock frequency of said CPU and a second state for intermittently operating said CPU as said level of operation.

9. An electric apparatus constructed so that a battery pack for power supply can be attached to the system unit thereof, comprising:

a plurality of temperature detectors provided for a plurality of locations in said battery pack;

a measure selector for selecting respective temperature rise suppressing measures according to respective temperatures detected by respective temperature detectors;

wherein said measure selector determines stepwise temperature rise suppressing measures of lower to higher levels according to the temperature condition of each of the temperatures detected by said plurality of temperature detectors, and if the temperature detected by at least one temperature detector of said plurality of temperature detectors corresponds to the temperature conditions of a stage at a level higher than the temperature rise suppressing measure of the current stage, it selects the temperature rise suppressing measure of said stage corresponding to said temperature condition; and

a suppressing measure implementing logic for implementing the temperature rise suppressing measure selected by said measure selector.

10. The electric apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said measure selector selects any two or more of a measure for decreasing the clock frequency of the CPU in said system unit, a measure for intermittently operating said CPU, a suspend measure in the system unit, and a power-down measure as stepwise temperature rise suppressing measures.

11. The electric apparatus according to claim 10, wherein if the temperature detected by all the temperature detectors of said plurality of temperature detectors correspond to the temperature conditions of a stage at a level lower than the temperature rise suppressing measure of the current stage, said measure selector selects the temperature rise suppressing measure at the lower level from the current stage.

12. The electric apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of types of battery packs can be attached to said system unit, and from said measure selector, a temperature rise suppressing measure is selected under a different temperature condition for each type of attached battery pack.

13. The electric apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said measure selector is provided in said battery pack, and said electric equipment further includes a transmitter for transmitting information on the temperature rise suppressing measure selected by said measure selector to said system unit from said battery pack.