Methods and systems for detecting battery presence

• US 8,604,748 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: ST-Ericcson SA (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Littow, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ARUN C
• Application Number:
  US12/767,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20110260755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/54 Testing for continuity
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/58 Testing of lines, cables or conductors testing of electric windings G01R31/72
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00041 in response to measured battery parameters, e.g. voltage, current or temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/153 Arrangements in which a pulse is delivered at the instant when a predetermined characteristic of an input signal is present or at a fixed time interval after this instant switching at zero crossing H03K17/13

Abstract

A device has a battery presence detection system. A line charging pulse signal is applied to a terminal battery detection line, which is connected when the battery is present to a ground line via a resistor and a capacitance. A detector determines whether the battery is connected to the mobile terminal based on detecting whether a line voltage edge or a line voltage level on the terminal battery detection line is present.

Claims

1. A battery presence detection circuit inside a device connectable to a battery, the battery presence detection circuit comprising:

a terminal battery detection line configured to be connected to the battery when the battery is connected to the device;

a terminal ground line configured to be connected to the battery when the battery is connected to the device;

a terminal capacitance connected between the terminal battery detection line and the terminal ground line;

a pulse generator configured to generate a line charging pulse signal applied to the terminal battery detection line; and

a detector configured to detect a presence of one of a line voltage edge and a line voltage level on the terminal battery detection line, and to output an indication as to whether the battery is connected to the device, based on whether the one of the line voltage edge and the line voltage level is present on the terminal battery detection line in response to the line charging pulse signal.

2. A device, comprising:

a peripheral presence detection system inside the device, including;

a terminal communication line;

a terminal ground line; and

a detector configured to detect a presence of one of a line voltage edge and a line voltage level on the terminal communication line occurring in response to a line charging pulse signal applied by the device to the terminal communication line, and to output an indication of whether a peripheral is connected to the device based on the detected presence,

wherein the terminal communication line and the terminal ground line are connectable to corresponding lines of the peripheral.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

a pulse generator configured to generate the line charging pulse signal applied to the terminal communication line.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the indication output by the detector is a first voltage value if the line voltage edge or the line voltage level of the voltage on the terminal communication line is detected at a predetermined time after applying the charging pulse signal, and a second voltage value if the line voltage edge or the line voltage level of the voltage on the terminal communication line is not detected at said predetermined time.

5. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

a control unit configured to receive the indication from the detector, and to shut down the device in a controlled manner when the indication is that the peripheral is not connected to the device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the control unit shuts down the detector when shutting down the device in the controlled manner.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein the detector is a level detector determining whether a voltage on the terminal communication line becomes larger than a predetermined level.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein the detector is a rising edge detector determining whether a rising edge of a voltage on the terminal communication line is present.

9. The device of claim 3, further comprising:

a remnant power source providing power to the pulse generator when the peripheral becomes disconnected.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the remnant power source is a clock signal generating unit.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the remnant power source is a temporary power storage unit that is discharged at a slow rate after the peripheral becomes disconnected.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein a time interval between when the peripheral is disconnected and when the detector outputs the indication that the peripheral is disconnected is less than 500 μ

s.

13. The device of claim 3, wherein the pulse generator operates at a frequency of at least 20 KHz.

14. The device of claim 3, further comprising:

a battery type adjusting unit that adjusts at least one of a pulse generator frequency and voltage reference levels used by the detector to detect the presence of the one of the line voltage edge and the line voltage level, according to values of a pull-down resistor and a capacitance between the terminal communication line and the terminal ground line when the peripheral is connected.

15. The device of claim 3, wherein the pulse generator is connected to the detector to enable the detector to synchronize a detector sampling pulse train used to select the predetermined times in the detector with the pulse signal.

16. The device of claim 2, further comprising

a digital debounce filter connected to an output of the detector.

17. A method for detecting by a device whether a battery is connected to the device, the method comprising:

applying by the device a line charging pulse signal to a terminal battery detection line

detecting whether one of a line voltage edge and a line voltage level of a voltage on the terminal battery detection line occurs on the terminal battery detection line in response to the line charging pulse; and

determining whether the battery is connected to the device based on the detecting,

wherein the terminal battery detection line is connected to a ground line via a pull down resistor and a capacitance while the battery is connected to the device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

outputting a first voltage value if determined that the battery is connected to the device, and a second voltage value if determined that the battery is disconnected from the device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

shutting down the device in a controlled manner when the determining concludes that the battery is not connected to the device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

adjusting at least one of a pulse generator frequency of the pulse signal and voltage reference levels used to detect whether the one of the line voltage edge and the line voltage level on the terminal battery detection line is present, according to values of the pull-down resistor and the capacitance.