Battery pack and method of controlling the same

• US 9,035,618 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Myung-Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOATENG, ALEXIS ASIEDUA
• Application Number:
  US13/159,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20120032646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 320/134, 320/135, 320/136, 320/127, 320/128, 320/129, 320/148, 320/149, 320/165, 320/132, 320/114, 361/78, 361/93.1, 361/79, 361/87
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/12 for adjusting voltage in ac networks by changing a characteristic of the network load
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage

Abstract

A battery pack, and a method of controlling the battery pack are disclosed. The battery pack detects consumption current when a load is not turned on, and shuts off power when a load is turned off or in stand-by mode, thereby preventing consumption current of the load from flowing.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a battery cell; and

a protection circuit for the battery cell,

wherein the protection circuit is configured to detect;

i) consumption current of a load and ii) a range of variation in the consumption current over a predetermined time period, and

wherein the protection circuit is further configured to control discharge in the load according to;

i) the detected consumption current and ii) the range of variation in the consumption current over the predetermined time period.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the protection circuit comprises a detection terminal configured to detect the consumption current which flows through a ground terminal of the load.

3. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein the protection circuit is configured to determine whether the consumption current is less than a first threshold value, and

wherein, if the detected consumption current is less than the first threshold value, the protection circuit is configured to output a discharge control signal for turning off a discharge switch through a discharge control terminal of the protection circuit.

4. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein the protection circuit is configured to determine whether the consumption current is less than a first threshold value,

wherein, if the detected consumption current is less than the first threshold value, the protection circuit is further configured to determine whether the range of variation in the consumption current over the predetermined time period is less than a second threshold value, and

wherein, if the range of variation is less than the second threshold value, the protection circuit is further configured to output a discharge control signal for turning off a discharge switch through a discharge control terminal of the protection circuit.

5. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the protection circuit comprises an analog front end integrated circuit (AFE IC), and a computer, and

wherein the computer comprises a detection terminal configured to detect the consumption current of the load.

6. The battery pack of claim 5, wherein the computer comprises:

a detector configured to detect the consumption current flowing through the ground terminal of the load through the detection terminal;

a comparator configured to determine whether the consumption current is less than a first threshold value, and if the consumption current is less than the first threshold value, the comparator is further configured to determine whether the range of variation in the consumption current over the predetermined time period is less than a second threshold value; and

a discharge controller configured to output a discharge control signal for turning off a discharge switch when the range of variation in the consumption current over the predetermined time period is less than the second threshold value.

7. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the discharge controller is configured to output the discharge control signal to the AFE IC, and

wherein the AFE IC is configured to turn off the discharge switch, according to the discharge control signal.

8. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the first threshold value and/or the second threshold value are determined based on the specifications of the load.