Battery pack, electrical device connectable to battery pack, and method of identifying battery pack type

• US 7,486,045 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Masao, Sakai, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah; Akm Enayet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fantu; Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US10/934,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20050057216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/107, 320/141, 320/1, 429/1
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/30 Nickel accumulators H01M10/34 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4221 with battery type recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack has a rechargeable battery, a pair of externally exposed charge/discharge terminals connected to the electrodes of the rechargeable battery, and an externally exposed battery pack signal terminal for identifying the type of the battery pack. The battery pack further has a battery pack communication portion connected to the battery pack signal terminal for receiving an authenticity signal transmitted from an electrical equipment unit through the battery pack signal terminal; a random number generating portion for generating a random number based on a predetermined condition; and a battery pack control portion for generating a detection signal based on the authenticity signal received by the battery pack communication portion and the random number generated by the random number generating portion, and for transmitting the detection signal from the battery pack communication portion to the electrical equipment unit side through the battery pack signal terminal.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

at least one rechargeable battery having a pair of positive and negative electrodes;

a pair of externally exposed charge/discharge terminals connected to the electrodes of the rechargeable battery for supplying power to an electrical equipment unit connected to the battery pack;

an externally exposed battery pack signal terminal for identifying the type of the battery pack;

a battery pack communication portion connected to the battery pack signal terminal for receiving an authenticity signal transmitted from the electrical equipment unit through the battery pack signal terminal;

a random number generating portion for generating a random number based on a predetermined condition; and

a battery pack control portion for generating a detection signal from the authenticity signal received by the battery pack communication portion and the random number generated by the random number generating portion, and for transmitting the detection signal from the battery pack communication portion to the electrical equipment unit side through the battery pack signal terminal, wherein the detection signal generated by the battery pack control portion is a random signal generated from the authenticity signal and the random number generated by the random number generating portion.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the random number generating portion is a pseudo-random number generating circuit.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the random number generating portion includes a shift register having a plurality of registers, which are connected whereby varying stored data in a predetermined manner and shifts data based on a provided clock, wherein a predetermined resistor successively provides random numbers.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the random number generating portion includes a preset register retaining a predetermined initial value from an initial value storing portion, the shift register, and an exclusive-OR gate calculating exclusive OR of outputs of some digits of the shift register.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the random number generating portion is composed of a sequential circuit.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the sequential circuit of the random number generating portion is composed of a counter circuit, and generates a random number by providing a main clock signal of the battery pack control portion to the counter circuit.

7. The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein the counter circuit is composed of a plurality of flip-flops.

8. The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein the counter circuit is a binary counter.

9. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack control portion varies the detection signal transmitted to the electrical equipment unit at every identification process of the type of the battery.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack communication portion includes a receiving portion and a transmitting portion, wherein the receiving portion receives the authenticity signal from the electrical equipment unit, and transmits it to the battery pack control portion, and the transmitting portion transmits the detection signal generated by the battery pack control portion to the electrical equipment unit.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the battery pack signal terminal is commonly used for connecting the receiving portion and the transmitting portion of the battery pack communication portion to the electrical equipment unit.

12. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery is any of nickel-cadmium battery, nickel-hydrogen battery, lithium-ion battery, and lithium polymer battery.

13. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein if the same value of the authenticity signal is transmitted from the electrical equipment unit to the battery pack, the detection signal returned from the battery pack to the electrical equipment unit is varied depending upon the random number.

14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein a calculation method or function used by the battery pack control portion and a range of the random numbers are set, and thus the detection signal value that can be taken is predetermined depending upon the random number.