Methods and apparatus for battery current monitoring

• US 10,707,672 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cass, Devin, Zabaco, Jorge, Beckstein, III, George D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Comber, Kevin J
• Application Number:
  US15/587,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20180323607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 361 937
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/087 for dc applications
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/093 with timing means in general H02H3/027; thermal delay H02H3/085; timing means for undervoltage protection H02H3/247

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for battery current monitoring. A current controller can prevent injury from a battery operated wearable device. An isolation switch can interrupt delivery of current of a battery to a load in response to an isolation switch control signal to prevent burn injury to a wearer of the battery operated wearable device. The battery operated wearable device can be wrist wearable or head wearable.

Claims

1. A current controller to prevent injury from a battery operated head wearable device, the current controller comprising:

a haptic device;

an isolation switch to deliver power from a battery to the haptic device;

a sense resistor in circuit with the battery and the isolation switch, the sense resistor to generate a voltage based on current from the battery to the haptic device;

a current sense amplifier in circuit with the sense resistor, the current sense amplifier to sense the voltage;

an integrator in circuit with an output of the current sense amplifier, the integrator to integrate the output to generate an integrator output;

a comparator in circuit with the integrator, the comparator to compare an overcurrent threshold reference and the integrator output to generate an overcurrent indicator; and

control logic in circuit with the comparator and the isolation switch, the control logic to generate an isolation switch control signal in response to the overcurrent indicator to cause the isolation switch to interrupt delivery of the current from the battery to the haptic device to prevent burn injury to a wearer of the battery operated head wearable device.

2. The current controller of claim 1, wherein the isolation switch includes a field effect transistor.

3. The current controller of claim 1, wherein the battery operated wearable head device is a head mounted display.

4. The current controller of claim 1, wherein the control logic is to generate the overcurrent threshold reference.

5. The current controller of claim 1, wherein the control logic is to generate an integrator reset control signal in response to the integrator output not satisfying the overcurrent threshold reference.

6. The current controller of claim 5, wherein the integrator includes a reset switch to reset the integrator in response to the integrator reset control signal.

7. The current controller of claim 1, wherein the control logic is to generate a save system state control signal in response to the overcurrent indicator.

8. A method of preventing thermal injury in a head wearable device, the method comprising:

sensing current from a battery to a haptic device;

integrating a signal representative of the current to generate an integrator output;

comparing the integrator output and an overcurrent threshold reference;

generating an overcurrent indicator in response to the integrator output satisfying the overcurrent threshold reference; and

in response to the overcurrent indicator, interrupting the current from the battery to the haptic device to prevent the thermal injury associated with the head wearable device.

9. The method of claim 8, further including initiating a cool down period after the interrupting of the current from the battery to the haptic device.

10. The method of claim 8, further including generating a save system state control signal in response to the overcurrent indicator.

11. The method of claim 10, further including initiating a save system state period after generating the save system state control signal, the interrupting of the current to occur in response to determining that the save system state period is finished.

12. The method of claim 8, further including generating an isolation switch control signal in response to the overcurrent indicator.

13. The method of claim 12, further including activating an isolation switch to interrupt the current from the battery to the haptic device in response to the isolation switch control signal.

14. A head wearable system to avoid thermal head injury due to overcurrent, the head wearable system comprising:

a haptic device;

an isolation switch to deliver power from a battery to the haptic device;

a sense resistor to generate a voltage based on a current from the battery to the haptic device;

a current sense amplifier having inputs in circuit with the sense resistor, the current sense amplifier to sense the voltage;

an integrator in circuit with an output of the current sense amplifier, the integrator to integrate the output of the current sense amplifier to generate an integrator output, the integrator including a reset switch to reset the integrator;

a comparator to compare an overcurrent threshold reference and the integrator output to generate an overcurrent indicator based on the comparison; and

control logic to cause the isolation switch to interrupt the current from the battery to the haptic device based on the overcurrent indicator to avoid the thermal head injury.

15. The head wearable system of claim 14, wherein the isolation switch includes a field effect transistor.

16. The head wearable system of claim 14, further including a light emitting diode in circuit with the isolation switch, the isolation switch to interrupt current from the battery to the light emitting diode in response to the overcurrent indicator.

17. The head wearable system of claim 14, wherein the control logic is to generate a save system state control signal in response to the overcurrent indicator.

18. The head wearable system of claim 17, wherein the control logic includes a delay timer to define a save system state period after the save system state control signal is generated.

19. The head wearable system of claim 18, wherein the isolation switch is to interrupt the current from the battery to the haptic device after the save system state period.

20. The head wearable system of claim 14, wherein the reset switch is to reset the integrator in response to the comparator determining that the integrator output does not satisfy the overcurrent threshold reference.