Charging control of a battery pack of an electronic apparatus

• US 9,197,077 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCNT LLC
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Whitmore, Stacy
• Application Number:
  US13/936,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20140042984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 320107-116, 320/119, 320/121, 320/138
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0018 using separate charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes first and second power receiving portions that receive first and second powers respectively supplied through two power paths, first and second battery cells that are charged with the first or second power, a first charging path that couples the first power receiving portion to the first battery cell, a second charging path that couples the second power receiving portion to the second battery cell, a third charging path that couples the first charging path to second charging path, and a processor configured to control on-and-off switching of the third charging path in accordance with receiving states of the first and second powers.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a first power receiving portion that includes at least one first terminal configured to receive a first power supplied by a first power source;

a second power receiving portion that includes a coil configured to receive a second power supplied by a second power source;

a first battery cell;

a first charging path that couples the first power receiving portion to the first battery cell such that the first charging path is configured to enable reception of the first power at the first battery cell;

a second battery cell;

a second charging path that couples the second power receiving portion to the second battery cell such that the second charging path is configured to enable reception of the second power at the second battery cell;

a third charging path configured to couple the first charging path to the second charging path such that the third charging path is configured to enable reception of the first power at the second battery cell and such that the third charging path is configured to enable reception of the second power at the first battery cell; and

a processor configured to control on-and-off switching of the third charging path in accordance with receiving states of the first and second powers, the first charging path and the second charging path being coupled when the third charging path is switched on and the first charging path and the second charging path not being coupled when the third charging path is switched off.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when both of the first and second powers are received, the processor is configured to control so that the third charging path is switched off.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when one of the first and second powers is received, the processor is configured to control so that the third charging path is switched on.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first switching circuit that switches on or off the third charging path; and

a second switching circuit that switches on or off a charging path included in the second charging path and located between the second power receiving portion and a node of the second charging path and the third charging path,

wherein, in a case in which the first power source includes an alternating-current adapter coupled to the first power receiving portion and the second power source includes a contactless power supply that supplies the second power to the second power receiving portion in a contactless manner,

the processor is configured to;

control to turn off the first switching circuit and performs control to turn on the second switching circuit, when both of the first power and the second power are received,

perform control to turn on the first switching circuit and performs control to turn off the second switching circuit, when the first power is received and the second power is not received or when neither of the first power nor the second power is received, and

perform control to turn on the first switching circuit and performs control to turn on the second switching circuit, when the second power is received and the first power is not received.

5. A charging control method comprising:

determining, by a processor, whether or not a first power is received from a first power source, a first charging path being configured to enable reception of the first power by a first battery cell;

determining whether or not a second power is received from a second power source, a second charging path being configured to enable reception of the second power by a second battery cell; and

controlling, in accordance with a result of the determination as to the reception of the first power and the second power, on-and-off switching of a third charging path configured to couple the first charging path and the second charging path such that the third charging path is configured to enable reception of the first power at the second battery cell and such that the third charging path is configured to enable reception of the second power at the first battery cell, the first charging path and the second charging path being coupled when the third charging path is switched on and the first charging path and the second charging path not being coupled when the third charging path is switched off.

6. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a charging control program causing an electronic apparatus to execute processing comprising:

determining whether or not a first power is received from a first power source, a first charging path being configured to enable reception of the first power by a first battery cell;

determining whether or not a second power is received from a second power source, a second charging path being configured to enable reception of the second power by a second battery cell; and

controlling, in accordance with a result of the determination as to the reception of the first power and the second power, on-and-off switching of a third charging path configured to couple the first charging path and the second charging path such that the third charging path is configured to enable reception of the first power at the second battery cell and such that the third charging path is configured to enable reception of the second power at the first battery cell, the first charging path and the second charging path being coupled when the third charging path is switched on and the first charging path and the second charging path not being coupled when the third charging path is switched off.