Charge regulator for a radio telephone

• US 5,771,471 A
• Filed: 06/13/1997
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeMuro, David Mark, Kamke, James, Alberth, William P. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US08/874,878
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 455/572, 455/573, 455/343, 363/8, 363/97
• US Class Current: 455/573
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers

Abstract

An electronic device, such as a radiotelephone, is connectable to a variable-level power source. The electronic device includes a rechargeable power source which is repowered responsive to application of operative power generated by the variable-level power source. The electronic device provides a constant charge current regulator for converting operative power of a constant voltage into operative power of a constant current to be applied to the rechargeable power source to recharge the rechargeable power source. The constant charge current regulator is made up of a series connected diode and resistor pair. According to a further aspect of the invention, when the rechargeable power source becomes fully recharged, application of the operative power can be reduced.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device for performing a primary function and for performing a secondary function, the secondary function being support of rechargeable operation using an external voltage supply for supplying a variable voltage to the portable electronic device in response to a power-source voltage control signal, the portable electronic device comprising:

a connector for connecting the variable voltage from the external voltage supply to the portable electronic device via a first connecting element and for connecting the power-source voltage control signal from the portable electronic device to the external voltage supply via a second connecting element;

a charging circuit operatively coupled to the first connecting element to receive the variable voltage from the external voltage supply and provide a charging current therefrom;

at least one rechargeable cell operatively coupled to the charging circuit to receive the charging current;

a tracking voltage sensing connection operatively coupled between the rechargeable cell and the second connecting element for sensing voltage levels of the rechargeable cell to provide the power-source voltage control signal to the external voltage supply which tracks a voltage level of the rechargeable cell;

a controller circuit for generating a charge control signal based on a charging status;

a power control circuit operatively coupled to the rechargeable cell, the control circuit and the second connecting element for connecting the power-source voltage control signal from the tracking voltage sensing connection to the external voltage supply via the second connecting element based on the charge enable control from the threshold comparitor; and

electronic circuitry for performing the primary function of the portable electronic device and operatively coupled to the rechargeable cell to receive power from the rechargeable cell when the external voltage supply is not present during portable operation and operatively coupled to the external voltage supply to receive power from the external voltage when the external voltage supply is present regardless of whether the rechargeable cell is present.

2. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the charging circuit comprises a constant charge current regulator operatively coupled to the first connecting element and the rechargeable cell and consisting essentially of a pair of a series connected resistor and diode of a selected characteristic impedance of a value sufficient to cause a selected voltage drop across the pair and convert the variable voltage from the external voltage supply into the charging current to charge the rechargeable cell.

3. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device further comprises a transceiver and wherein the electronic circuitry comprises portions of the transceiver.

4. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensing circuit for sensing temperature levels of the rechargeable cell.

5. A portable electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the temperature sensing circuit comprises a thermistor positioned within the at least one rechargeable cell and a temperature threshold sensing circuit coupled to the thermistor wherein the temperature sensing circuit is operative to generate a temperature-sense signal of at least a first selected value when the thermistor indicates the rechargeable cell to be beyond a selected temperature level.

6. A portable electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the temperature-sense signal generated by the temperature threshold sensing circuit is applied to the power control switch to connect the power-source voltage control signal to the second connecting element responsive to values of the temperature-sense signal.

7. A portable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the power control switch comprises a transistor circuit and wherein the temperature-sense signal generated by the temperature sensing circuit and applied to the power control switch is coupled to the transistor circuit to bias the transistor circuit thereby.

8. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising indicating circuitry for indicating times during which operative power of power levels at least as great as a selected power level is applied to the first connecting element of the connector.

9. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising device control circuitry for variably generating the threshold used by the threshold comparitor.

10. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a radiotelephone and the electronic circuitry comprises at least portions of a radiotelephone.

11. A radiotelephone for transmitting and receiving a radio signal and for performing a recharging control function using an external voltage supply, the external voltage supply for supplying a variable voltage to the portable electronic device in response to a power-source voltage control signal, the radiotelephone comprising:

a connector for connecting the variable voltage from the external voltage supply to the radiotelephone via a first connecting element and for connecting the power-source voltage control signal from the radiotelephone to the external voltage supply via a second connecting element;

a charging circuit operatively coupled to the first connecting element to receive the variable voltage from the external voltage supply and provide a charging current therefrom;

at least one rechargeable cell operatively coupled to the charging circuit to receive the charging current;

a tracking voltage sensing connection operatively coupled between the rechargeable cell and the second connecting element for sensing voltage levels of the rechargeable cell to provide the power-source voltage control signal to the external voltage supply which tracks a voltage level of the rechargeable cell;

a controller circuit for generating a charge control signal based on a charging status;

a power control circuit operatively coupled to the rechargeable cell, the control circuit and the second connecting element for connecting the power-source voltage control signal from the tracking voltage sensing connection to the external voltage supply via the second connecting element based on the charge enable control from the threshold comparitor; and

transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry for transmitting and receiving a radio signal and operatively coupled to the rechargeable cell to receive power from the rechargeable cell when the external voltage supply is not present during portable operation and operatively coupled to the external voltage supply to receive power from the external voltage supply when the external voltage supply is present regardless of whether the rechargeable cell is present.

12. A portable electronic device for performing a primary function and for performing a secondary function, the secondary function being support of rechargeable operation using an external voltage supply for supplying a variable voltage to the portable electronic device in response to a power-source voltage control signal, the portable electronic device comprising:

a connector for connecting the variable voltage from the external voltage supply to the portable electronic device via a first connecting element and for connecting the power-source voltage control signal from the portable electronic device to the external voltage supply via a second connecting element;

a charging circuit operatively coupled to the first connecting element to receive the variable voltage from the external voltage supply and provide a charging current therefrom;

at least one rechargeable cell operatively coupled to the charging circuit to receive the charging current;

a tracking voltage sensing connection operatively coupled between the rechargeable cell and the second connecting element for sensing voltage levels of the rechargeable cell to provide the power-source voltage control signal to the external voltage supply which tracks a voltage level of the rechargeable cell;

a controller circuit for generating a charge control signal based on a charging status;

a power control circuit operatively coupled between the rechargeable cell, the controller circuit and the first connecting element to control the charge rate based on the charge control signal from the threshold comparitor; and

electronic circuitry for performing the primary function of the portable electronic device and operatively coupled to the rechargeable cell to receive power from the rechargeable cell when the external voltage supply is not present during portable operation and operatively coupled to the external voltage supply to receive power from the external voltage when the external voltage supply is present regardless of whether the rechargeable cell is present.

13. A portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the charging circuit comprises a diode operatively coupled in series between the first connecting element and the rechargeable cell.

14. A portable electronic device according to claim 12 wherein the portable electronic device further comprises a transceiver and wherein the electronic circuitry comprises portions of the transceiver.