Smart battery pack system capable of providing power during errors in its firmware data

• US 9,176,561 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Soojin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): POUDEL, SANTOSH RAJ
• Application Number:
  US13/475,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20120297211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320, 713/310, 713/300
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A battery pack management system and method that can increase the stability of a product employing the battery pack by directly or indirectly correcting an error when the error is generated in a microprocessor of the battery pack. In the battery pack management system, the host device receives updated data of a predetermined program from the server through communication with the server and transmits the received updated data to the battery pack. The battery pack includes a battery cell, a charge/discharge control unit that controls charging and discharging of the battery cell, a microprocessor that incorporates a storage medium that records and stores the updated to data of the predetermined program transmitted from the host device, the microprocessor controls the charge/discharge control unit to be reset and applies the updated data of the predetermined program to the charge/discharge control unit to operate the charge/discharge control unit in a safety mode.

Claims

1. A battery pack management system, comprising:

a server;

an external set device including a battery pack and a host device, the host device including a storage medium that receives updated data of a predetermined program from the server via communication with the server and stores within the received updated data, the battery pack comprises;

a battery cell;

a charge/discharge control unit that controls charging and discharging of the battery cell;

a microprocessor that controls driving of the charge/discharge control unit; and

a data communication unit that receives the updated data of the predetermined program from the storage medium and transmits the received updated data to the microprocessor,

wherein upon errors being generated in product data and program data of the microprocessor, the microprocessor resets the charge/discharge control unit and applies the updated data of the predetermined program to the charge/discharge control unit while operating the charge/discharge control unit in a safety mode to safely operate the external set device until the charge/discharge control unit is updated with the received updated data of the predetermined program.

2. The battery pack management system of claim 1, wherein the data of the predetermined program includes at least one of product data of the microprocessor, and firmware version or data flash version data.

3. The battery pack management system of claim 1, further comprising an external update device arranged between the server and the host device to provide communication between the server and the host device, wherein the external update device encodes the data of the predetermined program and transmits the encoded data to the host device.

4. A battery pack management system, comprising:

a server;

an external set device including a battery pack and a host device, wherein the host device receives updated data of a predetermined program from the server through communication with the server and stores the received updated data, the battery pack comprises;

a battery cell;

a charge/discharge control unit that controls charging and discharging of the battery cell;

a microprocessor that controls driving of the charge/discharge control unit;

a first storage medium external to the microprocessor that receives the updated data of the predetermined program from the microprocessor, records and stores the received updated data and transmits the updated data of the predetermined program to the microprocessor; and

a data communication unit that receives the updated data of the predetermined program from the host device and transmits the received updated data to the microprocessor,

wherein upon errors being generated in product data and program data of the microprocessor, the microprocessor resets the charge/discharge control unit and applies the updated data of the predetermined program to the charge/discharge control unit while operating the charge/discharge control unit in a safety mode to safely operate the external set device until the charge/discharge control unit is updated with the received updated data of the predetermined program.

5. The battery pack management system of claim 4, wherein the microprocessor comprises a second storage medium that stores the data of the predetermined program.

6. The battery pack management system of claim 4, wherein the data of the predetermined program includes at least one of product data of the microprocessor, and firmware version or data flash version data.

7. The battery pack management system of claim 4, the first storage medium being only connected to the microprocessor.

8. The battery pack management system of claim 4, updated data of the predetermined program from the server gets to the first storage medium by way of the host, the data communication unit and the microprocessor.

9. A battery pack management system, comprising:

a server;

an external set device including a battery pack and a host device, wherein the host device includes a first storage medium to receive updated data of a predetermined program from the server via communication with the server and store within the received updated data from the server, the host to transmit the received updated data to the battery pack, the battery pack comprises;

a battery cell;

a charge/discharge control unit that controls charging and discharging of the battery cell;

a microprocessor that controls driving of the charge/discharge control unit;

a data communication unit that receives the updated data of the predetermined program from the host device and transmits the received updated data to the microprocessor; and

the first storage medium records and stores the updated data transmitted from the data communication unit, wherein upon errors being generated in product data and program data of the microprocessor, the microprocessor resets the charge/discharge control unit and applies the updated data of the predetermined program to the charge/discharge control unit while operating the charge/discharge control unit in a safety mode to safely operate the external set device while and until the charge/discharge control unit is updated with the received updated data of the predetermined program.

10. The battery pack management system of claim 9, wherein the microprocessor comprises a second storage medium that stores the data of the predetermined program.

11. The battery pack management system of claim 9, wherein the data of the predetermined program includes at least one of product data of the microprocessor, and firmware version or data flash version data.

12. A battery pack management system, comprising:

a server;

an external set device including a battery pack and a host device, wherein the host device receives updated data of a predetermined program from the server via communication with the server and transmits the received updated data to the battery pack, the battery pack comprises;

a battery cell;

a charge/discharge control unit that controls charging and discharging of the battery cell;

a microprocessor that includes a storage medium that records and stores the updated data of the predetermined program transmitted from the host device and controls driving of the charge/discharge control unit; and

a data communication unit that receives the updated data of the predetermined program from the host device and transmits the received updated data to the microprocessor,

wherein upon errors being generated in product data and program data of the microprocessor, the microprocessor resets the charge/discharge control unit and applies the updated data of the predetermined program to the charge/discharge control unit while operating the charge/discharge control unit in a safety mode to safely operate the external set device while the charge/discharge control unit is being updated with the received updated data of the predetermined program, the safety mode to be run while the external set device is waiting for an update.

13. The battery pack management system of claim 12, wherein the data of the predetermined program includes at least one of product data of the microprocessor, and firmware version or data flash version data.