Method and structure for switching between two battery units for driving an electrically driven device

• US 7,024,574 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Odaohhara, Shigefumi, Tanaka, Akiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Application Number:
  US10/248,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20030167415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 320/132, 320/150, 320/106, 320/121, 307/46, 324/426
• US Class Current: 713/324
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence

Abstract

Electric apparatus, computer apparatus, controller, and battery switching method and program is provided to prevent a system shutdown caused by a reduction of electric power from a battery. A computer apparatus is constructed to be able to accept and be powered by a rechargeable main battery and a rechargeable sub-battery. An embedded controller in the computer apparatus monitors a remaining capacity at a pre-specified temperature of the sub-battery under discharge by receiving information from CPU. When the monitored temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature and when the monitored remaining capacity becomes less than a predetermined capacity, the embedded controller receives electric power from the main battery by switching the power supply circuit to provide power from the main battery instead of the sub-battery.

Claims

1. An electric apparatus comprising:

a first battery having a variable temperature and a given capacity which supplies electric power to an electrically driven device, said first battery being a rechargeable battery having a temperature sensor which provides an indication of the temperature of said first battery;

a second battery, different from said first battery, which supplies electric power to said electrically driven device;

a controller which couples said first and second batteries and which switches the supply of electric power to said electrically driven device by stopping the supply of electric power by said first battery and starting the supply of electric power by said second battery in response to a temperature indication by the temperature sensor which exceeds a predetermined temperature, and

wherein said controller monitors the capacity of said first battery and performs the switching in response to a further condition of detecting a capacity which is below a predetermined capacity.

2. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined temperature is preset as a temperature over which a protection circuit in said first battery is activated.

3. An electric apparatus comprising:

an electrically driven device;

a temperature monitor which monitors temperature of a first battery having a given capacity which supplies electric power to said electrically driven device;

a switch, operatively coupled to said electrically driven device and to said temperature monitor, which switches the supply of electric power to an other electric power source to said electrically driven device different from the first battery in response to a temperature as monitored by said temperature monitor exceeding a predetermined temperature;

a remaining capacity monitor which is coupled to said electrically driven device and which monitors the remaining capacity of the first battery; and

wherein said switch further switches to the electric power supplied by the other electric power source in response to monitoring a remaining capacity in said first battery which is below a predetermined capacity.

4. Apparatus of claim 3, wherein the other electric power source is a second battery different from the first battery and wherein said switch switches to the electric power supplied by the first battery to the electrically driven device if the second battery becomes exhausted after supplying electric power to the electrically driven device.

5. Apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a display which is coupled to said electrically driven device and which displays an alarm message if no dischargeable battery is available.

6. Apparatus of claim 3, wherein the other electric power source is an electric power supply which provides a connection to a commercial electric power source.

7. A computing apparatus comprising:

a main unit equipped to be able to receive electric power from a main battery and a sub-battery, both the main battery and the sub-battery each having a variable temperature and being a charge-discharge battery;

a temperature monitor operatively coupled to said main unit which monitors the temperature of the sub-battery under discharge;

a battery switch, housed within said main unit, which switches to the main battery from the sub-battery and which receives electric power supplied by the main battery when a temperature as monitored by said temperature monitor exceeds a predetermined temperature;

a remaining capacity monitor which is coupled to the main unit and which monitors the remaining capacity of the sub-battery; and

wherein said battery switch switches from the sub-battery to the main battery thereby receiving electric power supplied by the main battery if a remaining capacity as monitored by said remaining capacity monitor is below a predetermined capacity.

8. Apparatus of claim 7, wherein the predetermined temperature is 60°

C.

9. Apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a detector, coupled to the main unit, which determines whether the remaining capacity of the main battery is substantially exhausted after said main unit receives electric power supplied by the main battery through switching by said battery switch;

wherein said battery switch switches to the sub-battery and receives electric power supplied by the sub-battery if said detector determines that the remaining capacity of the main battery is substantially exhausted.

10. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a first connector which provides connection to a first battery unit having a variable temperature;

a second connector which provides connection to a second battery unit constructed as a different unit from the first battery unit;

a discharge transfer circuit which couples said first and second connectors and which transfers discharge to the second battery unit provided on said second connector prior to termination of electric power supplied to a system by activating a protection function disposed to the first battery unit when receiving said discharge from the first battery unit provided on said first connector; and

wherein said discharge transfer circuit detects the temperature and remaining capacity of a battery cell in the first battery unit provided on said first connector and, if predetermined conditions are met transfers to discharge from the second battery unit provided on said second connector.

11. Apparatus of claim 10, wherein the predetermined conditions are that the detected temperature of the battery cell is 55°

C. or higher and the remaining capacity is 20% or less.

12. Apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a processor which is coupled to said discharge transfer circuit and which executes a predetermined suspend process if the first and second battery units provided on said first and second connectors are not dischargeable.

13. A battery switching method for switching batteries attached to an electrically driven device, comprising the steps of:

detecting a cell temperature of a battery unit having an operating temperature that is discharging electrical power to said electrically driven device having a plurality of battery units;

comparing the detected cell temperature with a temperature predetermined based on the operating temperature of a battery protection facility;

effecting a switchover to discharge from another battery unit based on the result of said comparison step; and

detecting a remaining capacity of the battery unit that is discharging;

wherein the switchover is further a function of said detected remaining capacity being less than a predetermined capacity which is based on the battery protection facility.

14. The battery switching method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

executing a predetermined suspend process if the temperatures of all of the plurality of battery units exceed the predetermined temperature and the remaining capacities of all of the plurality of battery units are less than the predetermined capacity.

15. A program product comprising:

a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to which a plurality of battery units can be coupled, the computer readable program code in said program product implementing functions of;

detecting cell temperature of one of the plurality of battery units that is discharging;

presetting a reference temperature determined bused on a condition under which battery protection is activated and storing said reference temperature in a memory;

comparing the detected cell temperature with the stored reference temperature;

effecting a switchover to discharge from another coupled battery unit if the cell temperature exceeds the reference temperature;

detecting remaining capacity of the battery unit that is discharging;

presetting a reference capacity determined based on a condition under which battery protection is activated and storing said reference capacity in the memory;

comparing the detected remaining capacity with the stored reference capacity; and

effecting a switchover to discharge from another coupled battery unit if the remaining capacity is less than the reference capacity.