Semiconductor device, battery pack and personal data assistant

• US 9,541,975 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Ukai, Toshitaka, Nagato, Hidekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/448,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20150058654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/389 Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a voltage measurement unit that measures a voltage of a battery, a current measurement unit that measures charging and discharging currents of the battery, a data processing control unit, and a current detection unit. The voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit are able to measure the voltage and the discharging current of the battery in case that the current detection unit detects that the discharging current exceeds a predetermined threshold. The data processing control unit estimates an internal resistance of the battery based on a voltage measurement value measured by the voltage measurement unit in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit and a current measurement value measured by the current measurement unit in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit, and calculates an amount of maximum power capable of being supplied from the battery.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device for monitoring a state of a battery, the semiconductor device comprising:

a voltage measurement unit that measures a voltage of the battery;

a current measurement unit that measures a charging current and a discharging current of the battery;

a data processing control unit that generates state information indicating the state of the battery, on a basis of measurement results of the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit; and

a current detection unit that detects that the discharging current exceeds a predetermined threshold,

wherein an output signal from the current detection unit is configured to be input to the voltage measurement unit such that, based on the output signal, the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit are able to measure the voltage and the discharging current in a case that the current detection unit detects that the discharging current exceeds the predetermined threshold, and

wherein the data processing control unit estimates an internal resistance of the battery on a basis of a voltage measurement value measured by the voltage measurement unit in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit and a current measurement value measured by the current measurement unit in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit, and calculates an amount of maximum power which is capable of being supplied from the battery on a basis of the estimated value.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the current measurement unit includes a delta sigma-type A/D conversion circuit, and

wherein a resolution of the A/D conversion circuit becomes lower in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit that controls a charge control transistor and a discharge control transistor which are connected in series to a supply path of power between the battery and an external device, and

wherein the control unit enables the battery to be charged by turning on the charge control transistor, enables the battery to be discharged by turning on the discharge control transistor, and further turns on the charge control transistor in a state where the discharge control transistor is turned on in a case that the current detection unit detects that the discharging current exceeds the predetermined threshold during discharge of the battery.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the current detection unit includes a comparator circuit that compares a detection voltage based on the discharging current with a reference voltage based on the predetermined threshold.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the current detection unit further includes a signal generation circuit that outputs the output signal including an interrupt signal for instructing measurement execution in a case that a state where the detection voltage exceeds the reference voltage continues for a predetermined period, and

wherein the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit start measurement in accordance with the interrupt signal.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the current detection unit further includes an amplification unit that amplifies a signal level of the detection voltage and supplies the amplified signal level to the comparator circuit.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output signal from the current detection unit is directly inputted to the voltage measurement unit.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the current detection unit further includes a signal generation circuit that outputs the output signal including an interrupt signal for instructing measurement execution in a case that a state where the detection voltage exceeds the reference voltage continues for a predetermined period.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit start measurement in accordance with the interrupt signal.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the current measurement unit includes a conversion circuit, and

wherein a resolution of the conversion circuit becomes lower in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the current measurement unit includes a conversion circuit, and

wherein a resolution of the conversion circuit changes in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit.

12. A battery pack, comprising:

an assembled battery which includes a plurality of secondary batteries;

a first terminal and a second terminal for connecting the assembled battery to an external device;

a charge control transistor and a discharge control transistor which are connected in series to a power supply path between the first terminal and the assembled battery;

a sense resistor which is connected in series to a power supply path between the second terminal and the assembled battery; and

a battery control IC that monitors a state of the assembled battery and controls turn-on and turn-off of the charge control transistor and the discharge control transistor,

wherein the battery control IC includes;

a voltage measurement unit that measures an output voltage of the assembled battery;

a current measurement unit that measures a discharging current and a charging current of the assembled battery on a basis of a voltage between both ends of the sense resistor;

a data processing control unit that generates state information indicating a state of a battery, on a basis of measurement results of the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit;

a current detection unit that detects that a voltage between both ends of the sense resistor exceeds a predetermined threshold voltage; and

a control unit that controls the charge control transistor and the discharge control transistor,

wherein an output signal from the current detection unit is configured to be input to the voltage measurement unit such that, based on the output signal, the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit are able to measure the output voltage and the discharging current in a case that the current detection unit detects that the discharging current exceeds the predetermined threshold, and

wherein the data processing control unit estimates an internal resistance of the battery on a basis of a voltage measurement value measured by the voltage measurement unit in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit and a current measurement value measured by the current measurement unit in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit, and calculates an amount of maximum power which is capable of being supplied from the assembled battery on a basis of the estimated value.

13. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein the current measurement unit includes a delta sigma-type A/D conversion circuit, and

wherein a resolution of the A/D conversion circuit becomes lower in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit.

14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the control unit enables the battery to be charged by turning on the charge control transistor and turning off the discharge control transistor, enables the battery to be discharged by turning off the charge control transistor and turning on the discharge control transistor, and further turns on the charge control transistor in a state where the discharge control transistor is turned on in a case that the current detection unit detects that the discharging current exceeds the predetermined threshold during discharge of the battery.

15. A personal data assistant, comprising:

the battery pack according to claim 12; and

an internal circuit, including a CPU, which is able to be operated by a supply of power from the assembled battery,

wherein the internal circuit is configured such that a normal clock operation mode in which the CPU operates at a first clock frequency and a high-speed clock operation mode in which the CPU operates at a second clock frequency higher than the first clock frequency are capable of being switched between, and determines a magnitude of the second clock frequency on a basis of an amount of maximum power calculated by the data processing control unit in a case that the CPU operates in the high-speed clock operation mode.

16. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein the current measurement unit includes a conversion circuit, and

wherein a resolution of the conversion circuit becomes lower in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit.

17. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein the current measurement unit includes a conversion circuit, and

wherein a resolution of the conversion circuit changes in accordance with the detection performed by the current detection unit.

18. A semiconductor device for monitoring a state of a battery, the semiconductor device comprising:

a voltage measurement unit that measures an output voltage of the battery;

a current measurement unit that measures a charging current and a discharging current of the battery;

a data processing control unit that generates state information indicating a state of the battery, on a basis of measurement results of the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit; and

a current detection unit that detects that the discharging current exceeds a predetermined threshold, an output signal from the current detection unit is configured to be input to the voltage measurement unit,

wherein the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit have a first measurement mode and a second measurement mode,

wherein the voltage measurement unit measures the output voltage in the second measurement mode in a case that the current detection unit detects that the discharging current exceeds the predetermined threshold at a time of measuring the output voltage in the first measurement mode,

wherein the current measurement unit measures the discharging current in the second measurement mode in a case that the current detection unit detects that the discharging current exceeds the predetermined threshold at a time of measuring the discharging current in the first measurement mode, and

wherein the data processing control unit estimates an internal resistance of the battery on a basis of a first voltage measurement value and a first current measurement value which are measured by the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit in the first measurement mode and a second voltage measurement value and a second current measurement value which are measured by the voltage measurement unit and the current measurement unit in the second measurement mode, and calculates an amount of maximum power which is capable of being supplied from the battery on a basis of the estimated value.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 18, wherein the current measurement unit includes a delta sigma-type A/D conversion circuit, and

wherein the A/D conversion circuit is configured such that a resolution of A/D conversion in the second measurement mode becomes lower than a resolution of A/D conversion in the first measurement mode.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 19, further comprising a control unit that controls a charge control transistor and a discharge control transistor which are connected in series to a supply path of power between the battery and an external device, and

wherein the control unit enables the battery to be charged by turning on the charge control transistor, enables the battery to be discharged by turning on the discharge control transistor, and further turns on the charge control transistor in a state where the discharge control transistor is turned on in a case that the current detection unit detects that the discharging current exceeds the predetermined threshold during discharge of the battery.