Charging control device for supplying electronic equipment application(s) and battery with compensated current

• US 8,228,041 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: ST-Ericcson SA (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Regent, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramadan, Ramy
• Application Number:
  US12/094,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20080315844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 320/153
• US Class Current: 320/153
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery

Abstract

A charging control device (D) is installed in a piece of electronic equipment (EE) comprising a rechargeable battery (B) and at least an internal application (A) requiring an application current for its operation. This device (D) comprises a charging control module (CCM) arranged to be coupled to a charger (CH), to be fed with a charge current when it is connected to mains, and coupled i) to the battery (B) to control its charge and provide it with a chosen battery current when so required and when its temperature is within a chosen interval, and ii) to the application (A) to provide it with the application current when the electronic equipment (EE) is connected to the charger (CH). The device (D) also comprises a current sensor means (SM) arranged to determine the current consumed by the application (A) and to deliver a first signal representative of this current consumption. The charging control module (CCM) is further arranged i) either to provide the application (A) with an application current equal to the current represented by the first signal while forcing the battery (B) to keep its charge when its temperature is outside the chosen interval, ii) or to provide the application (A) with an application current equal to the current represented by the first signal while providing the battery (B) with a chosen battery current in order that it may be simultaneously charged when its temperature is within the chosen interval.

Claims

1. A charging control device for electronic equipment, comprising:

a rechargeable battery and at least one internal application requiring an application current for operation;

a charging control module coupled to a charger capable of providing a charge current, wherein the charging control module comprises a control module and is coupled to the rechargeable battery and the charging control module is configured to control a charge to the rechargeable battery and configured to provide to the rechargeable battery a predetermined battery current, wherein the amount of charge and current provided is responsive to a temperature of the rechargeable battery within a predetermined interval, wherein the charging control module further comprises a current generator configured to provide an application with an application current from a received charge current when said electronic equipment is coupled to said charger; and

a sensor module comprising a current sensor wherein the sensor module is coupled to the charging control module and wherein the sensor is configured to determine a consumed current by said application and to provide a first signal representative of said consumed current to the charging control module,

wherein said charging control module is operative to provide said application with an application current equal to the current represented by said first signal, and wherein the charging control module is configured to maintain a constant charge when the battery temperature is outside said chosen interval, and operative to provide said application with an application current equal to the current represented by said first signal while providing said battery with a chosen battery current in order that the battery can be simultaneously charged when the battery temperature is within said chosen interval.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said current sensor comprises:

a current sensory unit configured to deliver a second signal representative of the current which is instantaneously being consumed by said application; and

a filter module coupled to said current sensor, wherein the filter is configured to process said second signal so as to deliver said first signal.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the filtering module is arranged to integrate several second signals delivered by said current sensor over a chosen period in order to deliver said first signal.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the charging control module is operative to provide said battery with a constant charging time battery current, said constant charging current independent of the application current said charging module provides to the application.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said battery is of the Li-ion type.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said battery is of the Li-Polymer type.

7. An electronic equipment apparatus, comprising a rechargeable battery and at least an internal application requiring an application current for operation, wherein the electronic equipment comprises a charging control device according to claim 1.

8. The electronic equipment apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the electronic equipment apparatus is selected from a group consisting of a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a cordless phone, and a music player.

9. A mobile device, comprising:

a rechargeable battery;

at least one internal application requiring an application current to operate;

a charger port;

a charging control module coupled to the charger port, wherein the charging control module comprises a current generator and a control module;

a current sensor module coupled to the charging control module;

a battery coupled to the charging control module, wherein the charging control module is configured to receive signals from the battery and the signals are representative of battery charge state and battery temperature and the charging control module authorizes the current generator to provide a battery current to the battery when the battery temperature and the battery charge state are within a predetermined range; and

an internal application requiring an application current for operation,

wherein the current sensor is configured to provide a feedback signal to the charging control module and the feedback signal is representative of required application current for operation of the internal application, and

wherein the battery current and application current may be supplied simultaneously, and wherein the application current is provided by the current generator from a received charge current.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the current sensor comprises:

a current sensory unit configured to deliver a second signal representative of the current which is instantaneously being consumed by said application; and

a filter module coupled to said current sensor, wherein the filter is configured to process said second signal so as to deliver said first signal.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the filtering module is arranged to integrate several second signals delivered by said current sensor over a chosen period in order to deliver said first signal.

12. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the charging control module is operative to provide said battery with a constant charging time battery current, said constant charging current independent of the application current said charging module provides to the application.

13. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein said battery comprises a Li-ion type.

14. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein said battery comprises a Li-Polymer type.

15. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a cordless phone, and a music player.

16. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone.