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Short circuit detection for batteries

  • US 7,795,843 B2
  • Filed: 12/28/2007
  • Issued: 09/14/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for detecting shorts in battery cells in a system comprising:

  • powering a mobile computing system with a battery pack, the battery pack being rechargeable, the battery pack including a management unit communicatively coupled to the system and a plurality of battery cell blocks, each cell block including one or more battery cells;

    monitoring, with the management unit, a voltage of each cell block of the plurality;

    logging, with the management unit, the voltage of each cell block of the plurality prior to the system shutting down to generate a set of logged voltage values in response to determining the system is to shut down;

    restarting the system after the shut down and, after restarting the system, measuring a start-up voltage value of each cell block of the plurality;

    determining an amount of self-discharge for each cell block based at least in part on a comparison of the start-up voltage value with the logged voltage value; and

    shutting down operation of the battery pack or sending a warning from the management unit to the system in response to a determination that the amount of self-discharge is indicative of a nascent short circuit in a cell.

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