Battery module, computer system and power supply method thereof

• US 8,201,008 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Jeong-gyu
• Primary Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US11/853,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/340
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence

Abstract

A battery module usable with a computer system includes a circuit to generate a power, and a controller to output the power of the circuit to an external device, for example, the computer system, and to prevent the power from being output from the circuit to the external device according to an external signal received from the external device. The computer system includes a circuit to receive the power from the battery module, a second circuit to generate another power other than the power of the battery module, and a second controller to generate a detection signal as the external signal according to existence of the another power of the second circuit. The circuit may include an adapter to receive an extern power from an external power source and a battery to receive the external power from the adapter or to generate an auxiliary power and the power.

Claims

1. A battery module usable with a computer system, the battery module comprising:

a power port to receive an external power;

a battery to output an auxiliary power;

an interface port to receive an external signal; and

a controller to output a power through the interface port, and to prevent the power from being transmitted to the interface port according to the external signal received through the interface port, and

wherein the interface port is connectable to an external computer system to receive the external signal from and generated by the external computer system, and the external signal represents that the external computer system receives a second power from an external power source other than the power from the interface port,

wherein the controller selectively supplies one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power to the interface port, and prevents at least the one of the external power and the auxiliary power from being transmitted to the interface port, according to the external signal.

2. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the power is transmitted to the external computer system through the interface port.

3. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the interface port is connectable to an external computer system to receive the external signal from the external computer system, such that the power is supplied to the external computer system through the interface port and the external signal is supplied from the external computer system to the controller through the interface port.

4. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the interface port comprises a plurality of signal lines, and the power and the external signal are transmitted through corresponding ones of the plurality of signal lines of the interface port.

5. The battery module of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface connected to the interface port to transmit the power to the interface port and to transmit the external signal received from the interface port to the controller.

6. The battery module of claim 5, wherein the interface comprises a power line to transmit the power and a data line to transmit the external signal.

7. The battery module of claim 1,

wherein the controller prevents the auxiliary power from being transmitted to the interface port according to the external signal received through the interface port.

8. The battery module of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch connected between the interface port and at least one of the power port and the battery,

wherein the controller controls the switch to supply the external power to the battery to charge the battery, and to supply the external power to the interface port as the power.

9. A battery module usable with a computer system, the battery module comprising:

a power port to receive an external power;

a battery to output an auxiliary power;

a circuit to generate a power; and

a controller to output the power of the circuit to an external device, and to prevent the power from being output from the circuit to the external device according to an external signal received from and generated by the external device, and

wherein the external signal represents that the external device receives a second power from an external power source other than the power from the circuit, and wherein the external device is the computer system,

wherein the controller selectively supplies one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power to the external device, and prevents at least the one of the external power and the auxiliary power from being transmitted to the external device, according to the external signal.

10. A battery module usable with a computer system, the battery module comprising:

a power port to receive an external power;

a battery to output an auxiliary power;

an interface port connectable to an external device;

an interface to receive an external signal received from and generated by the external device through the interface port; and

a controller to control the interface to output a power through the interface port, and to prevent the power from being transmitted to the interface according to the received external signal, and

wherein the external signal represents that the external device receives a second power from an external power source other than the power from the interface port, and wherein the external device is the computer system,

wherein the controller selectively supplies one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power to the interface port, and prevents at least the one of the external power and the auxiliary power from being transmitted to the interface port, according to the external signal.

11. A battery module usable with a computer system, the battery module comprising:

an interface port to receive an external signal generated from an external device;

a circuit to output a power;

an interface connected between the circuit and the interface port; and

a controller to control at least one of the circuit and the interface to output the power through the interface port, and to prevent the power from being transmitted to the interface port according to the received external signal, and

wherein the external signal represents that the external device receives a second power from an external power source other than the power from the interface port, and wherein the external device is the computer system,

wherein the circuit comprises an adapter to generate an external power and a battery to generate an auxiliary power, and the controller selectively outputs one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power.

12. The battery module of claim 11, wherein the adapter and the battery are formed in a single body.

13. A battery module usable with a computer system, comprising:

a power port to receive a first power from a first external power source;

a battery to generate an auxiliary power;

an interface port connectable to an external computer system; and

a controller to transmit one of the first power and the auxiliary power to the interface port, and to prevent the first power and the auxiliary power from being transmitted to the interface port according to a signal received from and generated by the external computer system through the interface port.

14. A computer system comprising:

a computer body comprising a system interface port connectable to an interface port of an external battery module to receive a power from the external battery module, and a controller to generate an external signal to the interface port of the external battery module through the system interface port such that the external battery module terminates the supply of the power through the interface port according to an existence of another power other than the power of the external battery module,

wherein the external battery module includes an adapter to receive an external power and a battery to generate an auxiliary power, and the external battery module selectively outputs one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power of the external battery module.

15. A computer system comprising:

a system part;

a circuit to generate a power to the system part;

a second circuit to receive another power from an external device to be supplied to the system part; and

a controller to generate a detection signal to the external device according to the existence of the power of the circuit such that the external device terminates the supply of the another power to the second circuit based on the detection signal;

wherein the external device comprises an adapter to generate an external power and a battery to generate an auxiliary power, and the controller selectively outputs one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power.

16. A computer system comprising:

a battery module comprising a port and a controller to transmit a power to the port and to prevent the power from being transmitted to the port according to a signal received through the port; and

a computer body comprising another port connectable to the port of the battery module and another controller to transmit the signal to the port through the another port according to existence of another power other than the battery module, so that the battery module does not transmit the power to the another port through the port,

wherein the battery module includes an adapter to receive an external power and a battery to generate an auxiliary power, and the controller of the battery module selectively outputs one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power.

17. A method of a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a power from an external battery module;

generating an external signal by the computer system to the external battery module when receiving another power other than the power of the external battery module; and

outputting the external signal to the external battery module so that the external battery module terminates the supply of the power according to the external signal,

wherein the external battery module includes an adapter to receive an external power and a battery to generate an auxiliary power, and the external battery module selectively outputs one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power of the external battery module.

18. A method of a computer system having a battery module, the method comprising:

connecting a battery module to a computer system;

controlling the battery module to output a power from the battery module to the computer system;

controlling the computer system to generate an external signal when the computer receives another power other than the power of the battery module;

controlling the computer system to output the external signal to the battery module; and

controlling the battery module to prevent the power from being transmitted from the battery module to the computer system according to the external signal,

wherein the battery module includes an adapter to receive an external power and a battery to generate an auxiliary power, and the controlling the battery module to output the power includes controlling the battery module to selectively output one of the external power and the auxiliary power as the power.