Charging system and charging method

• US 9,030,152 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Liang, Houxing
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SUN J
• Application Number:
  US13/580,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20130082638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/107
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present invention discloses a charging system, and the system comprises: a base which charges a mobile terminal or an own base battery and is connected with the mobile terminal and a base charger respectively; a mobile terminal control module which controls the base to charge the base battery after fully charging the mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal control module is located in the mobile terminal and connected with the base. A charging method is also disclosed by the present invention, and adopting the system and the method of the present invention can improve the charging efficiency and prevent the over-discharge of the base battery.

Claims

1. A charging system, comprising:

a base, which is configured to charge a mobile terminal or a base battery in the base and to be respectively connected with the mobile terminal and a base charger; and

a mobile terminal control module, which is configured to control the base to charge the base battery after a mobile battery in the mobile terminal is fully charged, to be located in the mobile terminal and to be connected with the base.

2. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the charging system further comprises:

a mobile terminal dual-channel selection switch which is configured to select a channel to charge the mobile terminal and is connected with the mobile terminal control module which is also configured to determine a type of a charger and select a charging process;

the mobile terminal dual-channel selection switch, which is configured to provide a channel for being connected with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) charger or alternating current (AC) charger and for conveying a charging current, and also configured to provide a channel for being connected with a charging interface of the base and for conveying the charging current.

3. The charging system of claim 2, wherein the base comprises:

a charging module, which is connected with the base battery to receive the charging current received from the base charger and send the charging current to the base battery;

the base battery is connected with a direct current to direct current (DCDC) booster to output the charging current to the DCDC booster; and

the base battery is connected with the charging module to receive the charging current output by the charging module;

the DCDC booster, which is connected with the base battery to receive the charging current output by the base battery and send the charging current to a base dual-channel selection switch after being boosted;

the base dual-channel selection switch, which is configured to select a channel to charge the mobile terminal and is connected with the base charger and the DCDC booster to convey the charging current sent by the base charger or the DCDC booster, is connected with the mobile terminal via the charging interface of the base to output the charging current of the base to the mobile terminal.

4. The charging system of claim 3, wherein,

the mobile terminal control module is specifically configured to:

read a voltage of an interface which is connected with the charging interface of the base and determine if the voltage of the interface is lower than a set value of the voltage of the interface;

furthermore, if a USB signal line is shorted in lines connecting to the AC/USB charger, the AC charger charges the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal selects an AC charging process, and if the USB signal line is not shorted, a USB charging process is selected; and

the voltage of the interface is determined to be higher than the set value of the voltage of the interface, and the base charges the mobile terminal, and a voltage of an interface connected with the base charger is read, and if the voltage of the interface is exceeding a set value of the voltage of the interface connected with the base charger, the base charger charges the mobile terminal, and the USB charging process or the AC charging process is selected to charge the mobile terminal, otherwise the base battery is determined to charge the mobile terminal, and the USB charging process or the AC charging process is selected to charge the mobile terminal.

5. The charging system of claim 4, wherein,

the mobile terminal control module is connected with the charging module for allowing to charge the base battery, and if it is determined that a voltage of a mobile terminal battery reaches a specified value when charging the base battery is prohibited;

correspondingly, the charging module is configured to disconnect a channel between the base charger and the base battery, when charging the base battery is prohibited; and

to connect the channel between the base charger and the base battery, when allowing the base battery to be charged.

6. The charging system of claim 4, wherein,

the mobile terminal control module is connected with the base battery for determining that a voltage of the base battery is lower than a set value of the voltage of the base battery and then disconnecting a charging circuit of the mobile terminal, when the base battery charges the mobile terminal.

7. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the base comprises:

a charging module, which is connected with the base battery to receive the charging current received from the base charger and send the charging current to the base battery;

the base battery is connected with a direct current to direct current (DCDC) booster to output the charging current to the DCDC booster; and

the base battery is connected with the charging module to receive the charging current output by the charging module;

the DCDC booster, which is connected with the base battery to receive the charging current output by the base battery and send the charging current to a base dual-channel selection switch after being boosted;

the base dual-channel selection switch, which is configured to select a channel to charge the mobile terminal and is connected with the base charger and the DCDC booster to convey the charging current sent by the base charger or the DCDC booster, is connected with the mobile terminal via the charging interface of the base to output the charging current of the base to the mobile terminal.

8. The charging system of claim 7, wherein,

the mobile terminal control module is specifically configured to:

read a voltage of an interface which is connected with the charging interface of the base and determine if the voltage of the interface is lower than a set value of the voltage of the interface;

furthermore, if a USB signal line is shorted in lines connecting to an AC/USB charger, the AC charger charges the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal selects an AC charging process, and if the USB signal line is not shorted, a USB charging process is selected; and

the voltage of the interface is determined to be higher than the set value of the voltage of the interface, and the base charges the mobile terminal, and a voltage of an interface connected with the base charger is read, and if the voltage of the interface is exceeding a set value of the voltage of the interface connected with the base charger, the base charger charges the mobile terminal, and the USB charging process or the AC charging process is selected to charge the mobile terminal, otherwise the base battery is determined to charge the mobile terminal, and the USB charging process or the AC charging process is selected to charge the mobile terminal.

9. The charging system of claim 8, wherein,

the mobile terminal control module is connected with the charging module for allowing to charge the base battery, and if it is determined that a voltage of a mobile terminal battery reaches a specified value when charging the base battery is prohibited;

correspondingly, the charging module is configured to disconnect a channel between the base charger and the base battery, when charging the base battery is prohibited; and

to connect the channel between the base charger and the base battery when allowing the base battery to be charged.

10. The charging system of claim 8, wherein,

the mobile terminal control module is connected with the base battery for determining that a voltage of the base battery is lower than a set value of the voltage of the base battery and then disconnecting a charging circuit of the mobile terminal, when the base battery charges the mobile terminal.

11. A charging method, comprising:

controlling, by a mobile terminal, a base to charge a base battery in the base when a mobile terminal battery in the mobile terminal is fully charged by the base;

wherein the base is respectively connected with the mobile terminal and a base charger.

12. The charging method of claim 11, wherein, before the base charges the mobile terminal, the charging method further comprises:

the mobile terminal reading a voltage of an interface connected with a charger, if the voltage of the interface is higher than a set value of the voltage of the interface, determining a charger to charge the mobile terminal;

selecting a channel connecting to the charger for charging the mobile terminal, and selecting, by the mobile terminal, a corresponding charging process according to a type of the charger.

13. The charging method of claim 12, wherein, the mobile terminal determining the corresponding charging process according to the type of the charger comprises:

the mobile terminal reading a voltage of an interface connected with a charging interface of the base, which is determined to be lower than a set value of the voltage of the interface connected with the charging interface of the base;

furthermore, if a universal serial bus (USB) signal line is shorted in lines of channels connecting to an alternative current (AC) charger or a USB charger, the AC charger charging the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal selecting an AC charging process, and if the USB signal line is not shorted, selecting a USB charging process; and

determining that the voltage of the interface is higher than the set value of the voltage of the interface connected with the charging interface of the base, the base charging the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal reading the voltage of the interface connected with the base charger, if exceeding the set value of the voltage of the interface connected with the base charger, determining that the base charger performs charging and the USB charging process or the AC charging process is selected;

if less than the set value of the voltage of the interface connected with the base charger, determining that the base battery performs charging and the USB charging process or the AC charging process is selected.

14. The charging method of claim 13, wherein, after determining that the base charger performs charging, the charging method further comprises:

the mobile terminal sending information for prohibiting charging the base battery to the base, preventing the base charger from charging the base battery, and after the mobile terminal is fully charged, sending information for allowing to charge the base battery to the base, the base charger charging the base battery.

15. The charging method of claim 13, wherein,

after determining that the base battery performs charging, the charging method further comprises:

the mobile terminal detecting a voltage of the base battery, and determining that the voltage of the base battery is lower than a set value of the voltage of the base battery, disconnecting a charging circuit.