Power supply methods and arrangements
First Claim
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1. An apparatus comprising:
- a battery for powering a computer system; and
a control module which controls said battery and monitors a plurality of battery conditions;
said control module-further acting to;
use a first fuse to prompt disabling battery power to the computer system responsive to a first voltage associated with a battery over-charge condition; and
use a second fuse to redundantly prompt disabling battery power to the computer system responsive to a second voltage associated with the battery over-charge condition;
wherein said control module monitors and responds to the first voltage and the second voltage independently;
wherein, the second fuse is prompted to disable battery powering of the computer system as a back up to the first fuse; and
wherein said control module further acts to;
measure cell voltage when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load; and
responsive to a voltage decrease over a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time period when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load, trigger a third fuse to disable the battery.
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Abstract
In the context of a notebook computer, multiple battery safety measures in the computer, battery pack, and individual battery cells. These battery packs include industry standard safety mechanisms as well as additional safeguards designed to increase safety. The additional safeguards can be categorized in the following ways. The first safeguard deals with multiple, independent levels of battery monitoring. The second safeguard employs abnormal condition detection methods. The third safeguard deals with improvements to mechanical and thermal design.
22 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a battery for powering a computer system; and a control module which controls said battery and monitors a plurality of battery conditions; said control module-further acting to; use a first fuse to prompt disabling battery power to the computer system responsive to a first voltage associated with a battery over-charge condition; and use a second fuse to redundantly prompt disabling battery power to the computer system responsive to a second voltage associated with the battery over-charge condition; wherein said control module monitors and responds to the first voltage and the second voltage independently; wherein, the second fuse is prompted to disable battery powering of the computer system as a back up to the first fuse; and
wherein said control module further acts to;
measure cell voltage when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load; and
responsive to a voltage decrease over a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time period when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load, trigger a third fuse to disable the battery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method comprising:
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providing battery power to a computer system; monitoring a plurality of battery conditions of a battery; using a first fuse to prompt disabling battery power to the computer system responsive to a first voltage associated with a battery over-charge condition; and using a second fuse to redundantly prompt disabling battery power to the computer system responsive to a second voltage associated with the battery over-charge condition; wherein disablement responsive to the first voltage is independent of disablement responsive to the second voltage; and wherein, the second fuse is prompted to disable battery power to the computer system as a back up to the first fuse; measuring cell voltage when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load; and
responsive to a voltage decrease over a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time period when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load, triggering a third fuse to disable the battery. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform acts comprising:
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providing battery power to a computer system; monitoring a plurality of battery conditions of a battery; using a first fuse to prompt disabling battery power to the computer system responsive to a first voltage associated with a battery over-charge condition; and using a second fuse to redundantly prompt disabling battery power to the computer system responsive to a second voltage associated with the battery over-charge condition; wherein disablement responsive to the first voltage is independent of disablement responsive to the second voltage; and wherein, the second fuse is prompted to disable battery power to the computer system as a back up to the first fuse; measuring cell voltage when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load; and responsive to a voltage decrease over a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time period when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load, triggering a third fuse to disable the battery.
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16. An apparatus comprising:
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a battery having a plurality of battery cells therein, said battery configured for powering a computer system; and a control module which controls said battery and monitors a plurality of battery conditions; said control module being configured to independently use a first fuse and a second fuse for disabling the battery, wherein to independently use a first fuse and a second fuse comprises; using the first fuse to disable the battery responsive to a first voltage associated with a battery over-charge condition; and using the second fuse to redundantly and permanently disable the battery responsive to a second voltage associated with the battery over-charge condition; and wherein, the second fuse is prompted to disable battery power to the computer system as a back up to the first fuse; and wherein said control module further acts to; measure cell voltage when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load; and responsive to a voltage decrease over a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time period when the battery is neither charging nor discharging power to a load, trigger a third fuse to disable the battery.
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Specification