CHARGING SYSTEM AND CHARGING METHOD THEREOF AND BATTERY PACK

• US 20160094080A1
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chervon (HK) Limited (Chervon Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Chervon Intellectual Property Limited (Chervon Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Dong, Aixiang
• Application Number:
  US14/863,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094080A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• 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: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charging system includes a wireless power transmitter configured to transmit electromagnetic energy, a wireless power receiver, a wired power receiver, a signal detection means configured to detect whether power is supplied from a wireless power supply and/or from an external, wired power supply, a controller configured to manage power channels in accordance with states of wired and/or wireless power supply detected by the signal detection means, and a charging circuit configured to receive power energy from the wired or wireless power supply for charging a battery.

Claims

1. A charging system, comprising:

a wireless power transmitter configured to transmit electromagnetic energy;

a wireless power receiver comprising a receiving coil and a receiving circuit, wherein the receiving coil is configured to receive the electromagnetic energy wirelessly from the wireless power transmitter, and the receiving circuit is configured to rectify and detect a receiving power;

a wired power receiver comprising a connector for receiving power energy from an external, wired power supply;

a signal detection means configured to detect a state of the wireless power transmitter and/or the external wired power supply;

a controller configured to manage power channels in accordance with the state of the wireless power transmitter and/or the external wired power supply detected by signal detection means; and

a charging circuit configured to receive power energy from one of the wireless power receiver and wired power receiver and to charge a rechargeable battery.

2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmitter comprises a power supply, a transmitting circuit and a transmitting coil which are electrically coupled to each other.

3. The charging system according to claim 2, wherein power energy and data signals are transmitted between the transmitting coil of the wireless power transmitter and the receiving coil of the wireless power receiver.

4. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving circuit is electrically coupled between the receiving coil and the charging circuit and the receiving circuit comprises a resonant circuit and a rectifying circuit.

5. The charging system according to claim 1, further comprising an adapter for providing power energy through wires, wherein the adaptor is electrically coupled to the connector of the wired power receiver.

6. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the charging circuit comprises a charging detection circuit for detecting voltage states of the rechargeable battery and providing the voltage states to the controller.

7. The charging system according to claim 6, wherein the controller comprises a battery monitoring module, and the controller is configured to obtain battery parameters from the charging detection circuit by using the battery monitoring module and provide a charging control signal on the basis of the battery parameters to the wireless power transmitter through the wireless power receiver, and the wireless power transmitter comprises a power supply controller configured to automatically regulate an operation frequency and an output power of the transmitting coil in accordance with the charging control signal.

8. A method for charging a rechargeable battery in a system in which a wireless power transmitter and/or an external, wired power supply is respectively coupled to a wireless power receiver or a wired power receiver, comprising:

detecting states of power channels provided by the wireless power transmitter and/or an external, wired power supply by a signal detection means;

determining whether each of the power channels is valid or not and determining a number of the valid channels by a controller; and

when the number of valid channels is determined to be one, using the one valid power channel for supplying electric energy and, when the number of valid channels is determined to be two, using a first one of the power channels having been coupled to for supplying electric energy wherein the first one of the power channels having been coupled to is determined by comparing a time when the two power channels were coupled to.

9. The charging method according to claim 8, wherein the receiving circuit comprises a resonant circuit and a rectifying circuit, the controller controls on and off states of switch transistors in the rectifying circuit in order to control the output power of the wireless power receiver while choosing the wireless power receiver for supplying electric energy;

the rectifying circuit is a full-bridge rectifying circuit with at least two triodes, and the controller controls the switching operations of the triodes in order to control an output of the rectifying circuit by providing the control signal.

10. The charging method according to claim 8, wherein the signal detection means provides a sampling electrical signal to the controller while detecting a power supply is coupled thereto, and the controller determines if there is any valid power energy after a comparison between the sampling electrical signal and a predefined threshold.

11. The charging method according to claim 8, wherein the controller will switch to the other available valid power channel after a removal of the power channel that was being used during charging.

12. The charging method according to claim 8, wherein the controller detects a battery level of the rechargeable battery in real time, and compares the battery level with a rated value, and stops charging when the battery level reaches the rated value.

13. A battery pack, comprising:

a wireless power receiver comprising a receiving coil and a receiving circuit, wherein the receiving coil is configured to receive electromagnetic energy wirelessly from a wireless power transmitter, and the receiving circuit is configured to rectify and detect a receiving power.

a wired power receiver comprising a connector for receiving power energy from an external, wired power supply;

a signal detection means configured to detect a state of the wireless power transmitter and/or the external, wired power supply;

a controller configured to receive the state of the wireless power transmitter and/or the external, wired power supply detected by the signal detection means and manage power channels in accordance with the states while the controlling unit is powered on;

at least one rechargeable battery configured to store and discharge power energy; and

a charging and discharging circuit, comprising a charging circuit configured to receive power energy from the wireless power receiver or the wired power receiver and charge the rechargeable battery.

14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the battery pack discharges through a connector of the wired power receiver and the controller detects and controls the discharging states of the rechargeable battery.

15. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the controller determines a power channel for supplying power energy in accordance with the connection sequence of the power channels according to the states of the power channels.

16. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the signal detection means provides an electrical sampling signal to the controller while detecting a power supply is coupled thereto, the controller determines whether there is any valid input power by a comparison between the electrical sampling signal and a predefined threshold and, when both input powers are determined to be valid, the controller chooses one of the valid power channels for supplying power as a function of a predefined priority principle for charging and switches to the other of the valid power channels after a removal of the power channel that was being used prior during the charging.

17. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the receiving circuit comprises a resonant circuit and a rectifying circuit is coupled electrically between the receiving coil and the charging and discharging circuit and the controller controls the switching operations of switch transistors in the rectifying circuit in order to control output power of the wireless power receiver.

18. The battery pack according to claim 17, wherein the rectifying circuit is a full-bridge rectifying circuit including at least two triodes and the controller controls switching operations of the at least two triodes to control output power of the rectifying circuit by providing the control signals.

19. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the charging and discharging circuit further comprises a charging detection circuit configured to detect battery parameters of the rechargeable battery, the controller further comprises a battery monitoring module and receives battery parameters from the charging detection circuit through the battery monitoring module and controls output power of the wired power supply or the wireless power supply for providing proper power to the rechargeable battery.

20. The battery pack according to claim 19, wherein the charging detection circuit detects voltage states of the rechargeable battery and then transfers them to the controller, the controller provides charging control signals to the wireless power transmitter through the wireless power receiver as a function of the detected voltage states, and the wireless power transmitter regulates an operation frequency and an output frequency of the transmit coil in accordance with the receiving charging control signals.