Rechargeable battery pack
DCFirst Claim
1. A rechargeable battery pack, comprising:
- a power cell;
a protection circuit module, said protection circuit module including a control circuit operatively coupled to an electronic switching device, said power cell and said electronic switching device being in an electrical connection in which substantially all of the current passing through said power cell passes through said electronic switching device, wherein when one or both of an overvoltage and overcurrent condition exists, said control circuit controls said electronic switching device to cause said electronic switching device to assume a non-conducting condition; and
a thermal protection circuit operatively coupled to said electronic switching device and said power cell, said thermal protection circuit receiving a negligible current from said power cell, wherein in response to a temperature within said rechargeable battery pack exceeding a threshold value, said thermal protection circuit controls said electronic switching device to assume a non-conducting condition.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery pack comprising a power cell for providing power to a load or for receiving a charge from a charger, a first protection circuit for protecting from overvoltage and/or overcurrent conditions, and a second protection circuit for protecting from overtemperature conditions. The protection circuits independently control one or more electronic switching devices, through which passes substantially all of the current supplied by the power cell. When overvoltage and/or overcurrent conditions exist, the first protection circuit causes at least one of the switching devices to move to a non-conducting condition. Similarly, when an overtemperature condition exists, the second protection circuit causes at least one of the switching devices to move to a non-conducting condition.
26 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A rechargeable battery pack, comprising:
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a power cell; a protection circuit module, said protection circuit module including a control circuit operatively coupled to an electronic switching device, said power cell and said electronic switching device being in an electrical connection in which substantially all of the current passing through said power cell passes through said electronic switching device, wherein when one or both of an overvoltage and overcurrent condition exists, said control circuit controls said electronic switching device to cause said electronic switching device to assume a non-conducting condition; and a thermal protection circuit operatively coupled to said electronic switching device and said power cell, said thermal protection circuit receiving a negligible current from said power cell, wherein in response to a temperature within said rechargeable battery pack exceeding a threshold value, said thermal protection circuit controls said electronic switching device to assume a non-conducting condition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of operating a rechargeable battery pack, comprising:
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employing a power cell to supply current; employing an electronic switch to conduct substantially all of the current passing through the power cell when the electronic switch is in a conducting condition, and to prevent substantially all of the current from passing through the power cell when the electronic switch is in a non-conducting condition; employing a thermal protection circuit to monitor for an overtemperature condition and to cause the electronic switch to assume the non-conducting condition when the overtemperature condition exists; and providing a negligible current from the power cell to the thermal protection circuit. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A rechargeable battery pack, comprising:
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a power cell; a first electronic switching device operatively coupled to the power cell in which current passing through the power cell passes through the first electronic switching device when first electronic switching device is in a conducting condition; a second electronic switching device operatively coupled to the power cell in which current passing through the power cell passes through the second electronic switching device when the second electronic switching device is in a conducting condition; a first protection circuit module operatively coupled to the first electronic switching device and configured to cause the first electronic switching device to assume a non-conducting condition when one or both of an overvoltage and overcurrent condition exists; and a second protection circuit module operatively coupled to the second electronic switching device and configured to cause the second electronic switching device to assume a non-conducting condition when a temperature in the rechargeable battery pack exceeds a threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification