Battery control IC, battery pack, and authentication method thereof

• US 10,044,198 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Okawa, Masayoshi, Takahashi, Hiromasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhou, Zixuan
• Application Number:
  US14/992,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20160294206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 320106, 320112, 320128
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• 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 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

It is possible to limit the use of non-authentic battery packs. A battery control IC (200) includes an authentication circuit (208) and a charge/discharge control circuit (210). The charge/discharge control circuit (210) controls charging and discharging of a battery (22). The authentication circuit (208) performs a process for performing an authentication with a host device. The authentication circuit (208) is configured to perform a process associated with a first authentication in a common key system. The charge/discharge control circuit (210) is configured to perform a control to enable a discharge operation when the first authentication is established.

Claims

1. A battery pack authentication method, comprising:

performing a first authentication between a battery pack and a host device;

performing a control to enable the battery pack to perform a discharge operation when the first authentication is established

performing a second authentication between the battery pack and the host device; and

performing another control to enable the battery pack to perform a charge operation when the second authentication is established,

wherein a security level of the second authentication is higher than a security level of the first authentication, and

wherein a processing time of the first authentication is shorter than a processing time of the second authentication.

2. The battery pack authentication method according to claim 1, wherein processes associated with the first authentication and the second authentication in the battery pack are performed by an authentication circuit.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first authentication is performed in a common key system.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first authentication is performed in a public key system.

5. The battery pack authentication method according to claim 1, wherein a processing speed of the second authentication is less than a processing speed of the first authentication.

6. The battery pack authentication method according to claim 1, wherein the discharge operation of the battery pack is performed with a higher priority than the charge operation of the battery pack.

7. The battery pack authentication method according to claim 1, wherein the first authentication is established before the second authentication is performed.

8. A battery control IC, comprising:

a charge/discharge control circuit that controls charging and discharging of a battery; and

an authentication circuit that performs a process for performing an authentication with a host device,

wherein the authentication circuit is configured to perform a process associated with a first authentication,

wherein the charge/discharge control circuit is configured to perform a control to enable a discharge operation when the first authentication is established,

wherein the authentication circuit is configured to perform a process associated with a second authentication,

wherein the charge/discharge control circuit is configured to perform another control to enable a charge operation when the second authentication is established after the first authentication,

wherein a security level of the second authentication is higher than a security level of the first authentication, and

wherein a processing time of the first authentication is shorter than a processing time of the second authentication.

9. The battery control IC according to claim 8, wherein one authentication circuit is provided in the battery control IC, and

wherein the one authentication circuit performs processes associated with the first authentication and the second authentication in the battery pack.

10. The battery control IC according to claim 8, further comprising a Central Processing Unit (CPU) that controls operations of the charge/discharge control circuit and the authentication circuit.

11. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the first authentication is performed in a common key system.

12. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the first authentication is performed in a public key system.

13. A battery pack, comprising:

a battery;

a discharge switch that tunas on and off discharging of the battery;

a charge switch that turns on and off charging of the battery; and

a control IC that controls the battery,

wherein the control IC includes;

a charge/discharge control circuit that controls the discharge switch and the charge switch; and

an authentication circuit that performs a process for performing an authentication with a host device,

wherein the authentication circuit is configured to perform a process associated with a first authentication,

wherein the charge/discharge control circuit is configured to control the discharge switch to be turned on when the first authentication is established,

wherein the authentication circuit is configured to perform a process associated with a second authentication,

wherein the charge/discharge control circuit is configured to control the charge switch to be turned on when the second authentication is established after the first authentication,

wherein a security level of the second authentication is higher than a security level of the first authentication, and

wherein a processing time of the first authentication is shorter than a processing time of the second authentication.

14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the first authentication is performed in a common key system.

15. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the first authentication is performed in a public key system.