Power management system

• US 8,125,188 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Acoustics Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Haller, Markus, Döll, Walter, Fielder, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Jue
• Application Number:
  US10/552,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,882 Days
• Field of Search: 320/118, 320/119, 320/121, 320/134, 307/65, 307/66
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit

Abstract

A power management system for supplying power to an output circuit comprising a plurality of rechargeable batteries, a conversion means for converting a supply voltage to a battery voltage to enable charging of one or more of the rechargeable batteries and switch means to enable a selected battery of the plurality of rechargeable batteries to be connected to an output circuit to enable the selected battery to be discharged through the output circuit.

Claims

1. A method of managing the supply of power to an output circuit of an implantable hearing prosthesis comprising a voltage converter circuit and a plurality of rechargeable batteries, the method comprising the steps of:

converting, with the voltage converter circuit, a supply voltage to a battery voltage;

selectively connecting, using a switch matrix, a desired one of the batteries to the voltage converter circuit;

charging the desired one of the batteries based on information on each of the batteries stored in a register;

selectively connecting, based on the information on each of the batteries stored in the register and using the switch matrix, a selected one of the batteries to the voltage converter circuit to enable the selected one of the batteries to be discharged through the output circuit; and

converting, with the voltage converter circuit, the voltage output from the selected one of the batteries to a voltage for use by the output circuit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the switch matrix comprises:

a plurality of switches having at least one switch for each of the batteries.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

multiplexing and measuring parameters pertaining to each of the batteries for storage as digital values in the register.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

maintaining a record in the register on the state of charge of each of the batteries.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

providing an optimum range, as a percentage value of the state of charge, within which each battery may be charged and discharged.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

disabling charging of the desired one of the batteries where the charge of the desired one of the batteries is above a first percentage limit of the state of charge.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

terminating the discharging of the selected one of the batteries where the charge of the selected one of the batteries is below a second percentage limit of the state of charge.

8. An implantable hearing prosthesis, comprising:

an output circuit; and

a power management system configured to supply power to the output circuit comprising;

a plurality of rechargeable batteries;

a voltage converter circuit configured to convert a supply voltage to a battery voltage;

a multiplexer having inputs each connected to a terminal of each of the batteries;

a shunt resistor connected to a second terminal of each of the batteries, wherein the shunt resistor is connected in parallel to a shunt switch to short circuit the resistor when the resistor is not in use; and

a control unit configured to control a switch matrix to selectively connect a desired one of the batteries to the voltage converter circuit for charging of the desired one of the batteries and to selectively connect a selected one of the batteries to the output circuit to enable the selected one of the batteries to be discharged through the output circuit,

wherein the voltage converter circuit further connects the output circuit to the switch matrix and is configured to convert the voltage of the selected one of the batteries to a voltage for use by the output circuit.

9. The hearing prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the switch matrix comprises a plurality of switches enabling connection of the desired one of the batteries to the voltage converter circuit and of the selected one of the batteries to the output circuit.

10. The hearing prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the power management system further comprises:

an amplifier connected between the shunt resistor and the multiplexer to amplify a voltage drop across the resistor to an input voltage range of an analog to digital converter.

11. The hearing prosthesis of claim 10, wherein the analog to digital converter measures individual battery voltage of any one of the batteries and converts the measured voltage to a digital value.

12. The hearing prosthesis of claim 10, wherein the analog to digital converter measures the voltage drop across the shunt resistor and converts the measured voltage into a digital value.

13. The hearing prosthesis of claim 12, further comprising:

a register configured to store information pertaining to each battery.

14. The hearing prosthesis of claim 13, wherein said information comprises any one or more of charge status of each of the batteries, error status of each of the batteries or a flag identifying whether one of the batteries has been disabled from being charged or discharged.

15. The hearing prosthesis of claim 14, wherein the control unit is in communication with the register and with the analog to digital converter for processing signals and data from the analog to digital converter and from the register.

16. The hearing prosthesis of claim 15, wherein the control unit is configured to periodically sense the presence of a voltage at the input to the switch matrix.

17. The hearing prosthesis of claim 16, wherein the control unit is configured to select one of the batteries to be charged or discharged on the basis of information stored in the register.

18. The hearing prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the voltage converter circuit includes an inductor, one or more switches and a switch control unit to enable charging of the desired one of the batteries.

19. The hearing prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the voltage converter circuit includes an inductor, one or more switches and a switch control unit to enable discharging of the selected one of the batteries.

20. A system comprising:

a power supply having a first induction coil; and

an implantable hearing prosthesis comprising;

a second induction coil configured to detect a varying magnetic field from the first induction coil when the first and second induction coils are in close proximity;

an output circuit; and

a power management system configured to receive a supply voltage from the second induction coil and provide power to the output circuit, comprising;

a plurality of rechargeable batteries;

a multiplexer having an input connected to one terminal of each of the batteries;

a shunt resistor connected to a second terminal of each of the batteries, wherein the shunt resistor is connected in parallel to a shunt switch to short circuit the resistor when the resistor is not in use;

a voltage converter circuit configured to convert the supply voltage to a battery voltage; and

a switch matrix configured to selectively connect a desired one of the batteries to the voltage converter circuit for charging of the desired one of the batteries and for selectively connecting a selected one of the batteries to the output circuit to enable the selected one of the batteries to be discharged through the output circuit,

wherein the voltage converter circuit further connects the output circuit to the switch matrix and is configured to convert the voltage of the selected one of the batteries to a voltage for use by the output circuit.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the switch matrix comprises a plurality of switches enabling connection of the selected one of the batteries to the voltage converter circuit.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

a control unit configured to control the switch matrix to enable the charging of the desired one of the plurality of batteries and the discharging of the selected one of the batteries based on the state of charge of the plurality of batteries.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the power management system further comprises:

an amplifier connected between the shunt resistor and the multiplexer to amplify a voltage drop across the shunt resistor to the input voltage range of an analog to digital converter.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the power management system further comprises:

a register configured to store information pertaining to each of the batteries.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said information comprises any one or more of charge status of each of the batteries, error status of each of the batteries or a flag identifying whether one of the batteries has been disabled from being charged or discharged.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the voltage converter circuit is configured to enable discharging of the selected one of the batteries such that charge in the selected one of the batteries is forwarded to the output circuit.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the voltage converter circuit includes an inductor, one or more switches and a switch control unit to enable charging of the desired one of the batteries.