Battery charger integrated circuit chip
First Claim
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1. An integrated circuit (IC) chip comprising:
- an on-chip power source interface to obtain power from a separate power source;
a digital single wire communication interface circuit on-chip with the power source interface and to be directly coupled to a counterpart interface circuit of a separate battery-side gas gauge circuit that is external to the IC chip; and
a battery charging control circuit on-chip with the power source interface and the digital single wire communication interface circuit to control battery charging voltage and current at a battery cell terminal, using power that is supplied by the power source interface,the battery charging control circuit being coupled to the digital single wire communication interface circuit to read battery charging voltage and current limits from the gas gauge circuit that is external to the IC chip, and to use-control the charging of a battery in accordance with the battery charging voltage and current limits that have been read from the gas gauge circuit.
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Abstract
An on-chip digital communication interface circuit is to be directly coupled to a counterpart interface circuit of a separate battery-side gas gauge circuit. An on-chip battery charging control circuit controls battery charging voltage and current that is supplied from a separate power source interface circuit to a battery cell terminal, according to charging voltage and current limits. The charging limits are read from the gas gauge circuit and in effect carry out a selected one of several different battery charging profiles. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
13 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An integrated circuit (IC) chip comprising:
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an on-chip power source interface to obtain power from a separate power source; a digital single wire communication interface circuit on-chip with the power source interface and to be directly coupled to a counterpart interface circuit of a separate battery-side gas gauge circuit that is external to the IC chip; and a battery charging control circuit on-chip with the power source interface and the digital single wire communication interface circuit to control battery charging voltage and current at a battery cell terminal, using power that is supplied by the power source interface, the battery charging control circuit being coupled to the digital single wire communication interface circuit to read battery charging voltage and current limits from the gas gauge circuit that is external to the IC chip, and to use-control the charging of a battery in accordance with the battery charging voltage and current limits that have been read from the gas gauge circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A portable electronic device comprising:
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a battery having a battery cell, a battery temperature sensor and a battery-side gas gauge circuit; a display screen; a processor; memory having stored therein an operating system and a plurality of application programs for execution by the processor; a computer peripheral interface connector to connect with a separate pluggable power source; and an integrated circuit (IC) chip that comprises an on-chip interface to the connector, an on-chip digital single wire communication interface circuit that is directly coupled to a counterpart interface circuit in the gas gauge circuit, and an on-chip battery charging control circuit to control battery charging voltage and current that is drawn in from the connector and that is directed to a terminal of the battery cell, the battery charging control circuit a) being coupled to the digital single wire communication interface circuit to read charging voltage and current limits from the gas gauge circuit, and b) to use the read charging voltage and current limits to charge the battery cell according to a selected one of a plurality of different battery charging profiles that is selected by the gas gauge circuit. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method performed by an integrated circuit (IC) chip in a portable electronic device for charging a battery of the device, comprising:
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accessing an on-chip battery charging limit register that is in direct digital communication, through a single wire communication interface, with a battery-side gas gauge circuit that is external to the IC chip, wherein the register contains the latest battery charging voltage and battery charging current limits that have been produced by the gas gauge circuit and obtained through the single wire communication interface; and controlling a battery charging current and a battery cell voltage, using power that is drawn in from a separate power source and that is directed to a cell terminal of the battery, in accordance with one of a plurality of different battery charging profiles that is specified by the gas gauge circuit. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification