Collapsing adaptor battery charger

• US 9,413,188 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Radke, Russell Eliot, Rutherford, Mark David
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodas, Richard Isla
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES RUIZ, JOHALI ALEJANDRA
• Application Number:
  US12/246,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20090091300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,864 Days
• Field of Search: 320/114, 320/160, 320/128
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007184 in response to battery voltage gradient

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed to charge a battery. A wall adapter may provide a power to a battery charger in a collapsed mode of operation. In the collapsed mode of operation, the wall adapter may provide the battery charger with a collapsed power. The battery charger may provide a charging current and/or voltage in a constant current charge mode of operation and/or a constant voltage charge mode of operation using the collapsed power. When operating in the constant current charge mode of operation, the battery charger provides the charging current and/or voltage having a constant current until the voltage of the battery is less than or substantially equal to a constant charge voltage. Alternatively, when operating in the constant voltage charge mode of operation, the battery provides the charging current and/or voltage having a constant voltage until the voltage of the battery is less than or substantially equal to a float voltage.

Claims

1. A battery charger for regulating an input power, the input power being in one of a nominal state or a collapsed state, comprising:

a regulator module configured to regulate the input power while in the collapsed state based upon a regulator control to provide a battery charging current;

a sensing module configured to provide a sensed voltage based upon the battery charging current;

a wall charger module configured to provide an indicator based upon the sensed voltage and to provide the regulator control based upon a current enable; and

a controller module configured to provide the current enable based upon the indicator,

wherein the regulator module does not actively transition the input power from the collapsed state to the nominal state.

2. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the regulator module includes a PNP device.

3. The battery charger of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensing resistor configured to provide a voltage differential based upon the battery charging current,

wherein the sensing module is further configured to provide the sensed voltage based upon the voltage differential.

4. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the wall charger module is further configured to provide the regulator control that causes the battery charging current to be a substantially constant current when a voltage of the battery is substantially less than or equal to a constant charge voltage.

5. The battery charger of claim 4, wherein the regulator module is further configured to adjust the battery charging current in response to the voltage of the battery to provide the substantially constant current.

6. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the wall charger module is further configured to provide the regulator control that causes a voltage of a battery to be a substantially constant voltage when the voltage of the battery is substantially less than or equal to a float voltage.

7. The battery charger of claim 6, wherein the regulator module is further configured to adjust the battery charging current in response to the voltage of the battery to provide the substantially constant voltage.

8. The battery charger of claim 6, wherein the regulator module is further configured to pulse width modulate the battery charging current to provide the substantially constant voltage.

9. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the wall charger module comprises:

a current control integrator configured to provide a current control based upon the sensed voltage and a constant current reference; and

a regulator control module configured to provide the regulator control based upon the current control.

10. The battery charger of claim 9, wherein the current control integrator is further configured to compare the sensed voltage and the constant current reference and to integrate a difference between the sensed voltage and the constant current reference to provide the current control.

11. The battery charger of claim 9, wherein the regulator control module comprises:

a switching device configured to provide the regulator control based upon the current enable and a base current limit.

12. The battery charger of claim 11, wherein the switching device comprises:

a first switching device configured to receive the current enable; and

a second switching device configured to receive the base current limit,

wherein the first switching device and the second switching device are configured to operate as a logical conjunction.

13. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the wall charger module comprises:

a current modulating comparator configured to provide a current modulating indicator based upon a battery voltage and a current modulating reference; and

a regulator control module configured to provide the regulator control based upon the current modulating indicator.

14. The battery charger of claim 13, further comprising:

a current modulating reference generator configured to provide the current modulating reference based upon a reference control.

15. The battery charger of claim 14, wherein the current modulating reference generator comprises:

a digital to analog converter (DAC), having a plurality of output levels, configured to incrementally step through the plurality of output levels to produce a ramp pulse to provide the current modulating reference.

16. The battery charger of claim 14, wherein the current modulating reference generator comprises:

a digital to analog converter (DAC) configured to produce a ramp pulse based upon the reference control.

17. The battery charger of claim 13, wherein the current modulating comparator is further configured to provide the current modulating indicator indicating an existence of no substantial difference between the battery voltage and the current modulating reference when the sensed voltage is substantially equal to the current modulating reference.

18. The battery charger of claim 13, wherein the current modulating comparator is further configured to provide the current modulating indicator indicating an existence of a substantial difference between the battery voltage and the current modulating reference when the sensed voltage is not substantially equal to the current modulating reference.

19. The battery charger of claim 13, wherein the current modulating comparator is further configured to provide a first current modulating indicator when the battery voltage is substantially equal to the current modulating reference and a second current modulating indicator when the battery voltage is substantially equal to the current modulating reference,

wherein the current modulating comparator is further configured to select between the first current modulating indicator and the second current modulating indicator based upon a difference between the battery voltage and the current modulating reference.

20. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the indicator is indicative of conditions comprising:

the battery charging current being less than a minimum current;

the current enable enabling the regulator module to provide the battery charging current;

the current enable disabling the regulator module from providing the battery charging current;

the input power being in the nominal state; and

the input power being in the collapsed state.

21. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the regulator module is further configured to regulate the input power in the nominal state based upon the regulator control to provide the battery charging current.

22. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein:

the nominal state includes a nominal voltage component and a first range of battery charging current components being less than a collapsing current,

the collapsed state includes a collapsed voltage component and a second range of battery charging current components being greater than the collapsing current,

the battery charging current is within the first range of battery charging current components while the input power is in the nominal state, and

the battery charging current is within the second range of battery charging current components while the input power is in the collapsed state.

23. The battery charger of claim 22, wherein the collapsed voltage component is less than the nominal voltage component.

24. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein:

the input power includes a range of voltage components and a range of battery charging current components,

the range of voltage components vary between a nominal voltage component and a collapsed voltage component, the collapsed voltage component being less than the nominal voltage component, and

the battery charging current is within the range of battery charging current components.

25. The battery charger of claim 24, wherein the collapsed voltage component represents a minimum voltage level within the range of voltage components.

26. A battery charger for regulating an input power, the input power being in one of a nominal state or a collapsed state, comprising:

a regulator module configured to regulate the input power while in the collapsed state based upon a regulator control to provide a battery charging current;

a sensing module configured to provide a sensed voltage based upon the battery charging current;

a wall charger module configured to provide an indicator based upon the sensed voltage and to provide the regulator control based upon a current enable;

a controller module configured to provide the current enable based upon the indicator; and

a sensing resistor configured to provide a voltage differential based upon the battery charging current,

wherein the sensing module is further configured to provide the sensed voltage based upon the voltage differential, and

wherein the sensing module comprises;

a first amplifier configured to amplify the voltage differential by a first gain to provide a first intermediate sensed voltage;

a second amplifier configured to amplify the first intermediate sensed voltage by a second gain to provide a second intermediate sensed voltage; and

a multiplexer configured to provide the first intermediate sensed voltage or the second intermediate sensed voltage as the sensed voltage.

27. A system, comprising:

a wall adapter configured to operate in a nominal mode of operation and a collapsed mode of operation and to provide an input power, the input power being in a collapsed state in the collapsed mode of operation and in a nominal state in the nominal mode of operation; and

a battery charger configured to provide a battery charging current, the battery charger comprising;

a regulator module configured to regulate the input power while in the collapsed state based upon a regulator control to provide the battery charging current;

a sensing module configured to provide a sensed voltage based upon the battery charging current;

a wall charger module configured to provide an indicator based upon the sensed voltage and to provide the regulator control based upon a current enable; and

a controller module configured to provide the current enable based upon the indicator,

wherein the regulator module does not actively transition the input power from the collapsed state to the nominal state.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the regulator module includes a PNP device.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the battery charger further comprises:

a sensing resistor configured to provide a voltage differential based upon the battery charging current,

wherein the sensing module is further configured to provide the sensed voltage based upon the voltage differential.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the wall charger module is further configured to provide the regulator control that causes the battery charging current to be a substantially constant current when a voltage of a battery is substantially less than or equal to a constant charge voltage.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the regulator module is further configured to adjust the battery charging current in response to the voltage of the battery to provide the substantially constant current.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the wall charger module is further configured to provide the regulator control that causes a voltage of a battery to be a substantially constant voltage when the voltage of the battery is substantially less than or equal to a float voltage.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the regulator module is further configured to adjust the battery charging current in response to the voltage of the battery to provide the substantially constant voltage.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the regulator module is further configured to pulse width modulate the battery charging current to provide the substantially constant voltage.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein the wall charger module comprises:

a current control integrator configured to provide a current control based upon the sensed voltage and a constant current reference; and

a regulator control module configured to provide the regulator control based upon the current control.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the current control integrator is further configured to compare the sensed voltage and the constant current reference and to integrate a difference between the sensed voltage and the constant current reference to provide the current control.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the regulator control module comprises:

a switching device configured to provide the regulator control based upon the current enable and a base current limit.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the switching device comprises:

a first switching device configured to receive the current enable; and

a second switching device configured to receive the base current limit,

wherein the first switching device and the second switching device are configured to operate as a logical conjunction.

39. The system of claim 27, wherein the wall charger module comprises:

a current modulating comparator configured to provide a current modulating indicator based upon a battery voltage and a current modulating reference; and

a regulator control module configured to provide the regulator control based upon the current modulating indicator.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the battery charger further comprises:

a current modulating reference generator configured to provide the current modulating reference based upon a reference control.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the current modulating reference generator comprises:

a digital to analog converter (DAC) having a plurality of output levels, configured to incrementally step through the plurality of output levels to produce a ramp pulse to provide the current modulating reference.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the current modulating reference generator comprises:

a digital to analog converter (DAC) configured to produce a ramp pulse based upon the reference control.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein the current modulating comparator is further configured to provide the current modulating indicator indicating an existence of no substantial difference between the battery voltage and the current modulating reference when the sensed voltage is substantially equal to the current modulating reference.

44. The system of claim 39, wherein the current modulating comparator is further configured to provide the current modulating indicator indicating an existence of a substantial difference between the battery voltage and the current modulating reference when the sensed voltage is not substantially equal to the current modulating reference.

45. The system of claim 39, wherein the current modulating comparator is further configured to provide a first current modulating indicator when the battery voltage is substantially equal to the current modulating reference, and

a second current modulating indicator when the battery voltage is substantially equal to the current modulating reference,

wherein the current modulating comparator is further configured to select between the first current modulating indicator and the second current modulating indicator based upon a difference between the battery voltage and the current modulating reference.

46. The system of claim 27, wherein the indicator is indicative of conditions comprising:

the battery charging current being less than a minimum current;

the current enable enabling the regulator module to provide the battery charging current;

the current enable disabling the regulator module from providing the battery charging current;

the input power being in the nominal state; and

the input power being in the collapsed state.

47. The system of claim 27, wherein the regulator module is further configured to regulate the input power in the nominal state based upon the regulator control to provide the battery charging current.

48. The system of claim 27, wherein:

the nominal state includes a nominal voltage component and a first range of battery charging current components being less than a collapsing current,

the collapsed state includes a collapsed voltage component and a second range of battery charging current components being greater than the collapsing current,

the battery charging current is within the first range of battery charging current components while the input power is in the nominal state, and

the battery charging current is within the second range of battery charging current components while the input power is in the collapsed state.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the collapsed voltage component is less than the nominal voltage component.

50. The system of claim 27, wherein:

the input power includes a range of voltage components and a range of battery charging current components,

the range of voltage components vary between a nominal voltage component and a collapsed voltage component, the collapsed voltage component being less than the nominal voltage component, and

the battery charging current is within the range of battery charging current components.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the collapsed voltage component represents a minimum voltage level within the range of voltage components.

52. A system, comprising:

a wall adapter configured to operate in a nominal mode of operation and a collapsed mode of operation and to provide an input power, the input power being in a collapsed state in the collapsed mode of operation and in a nominal state in the nominal mode of operation; and

a battery charger configured to provide a battery charging current, the battery charger comprising;

a regulator module configured to regulate the input power while in the collapsed state based upon a regulator control to provide the battery charging current;

a sensing module configured to provide a sensed voltage based upon the battery charging current;

a wall charger module configured to provide an indicator based upon the sensed voltage and to provide the regulator control based upon a current enable;

a controller module configured to provide the current enable based upon the indicator; and

a sensing resistor configured to provide a voltage differential based upon the battery charging current,

wherein the sensing module is further configured to provide the sensed voltage based upon the voltage differential, and

wherein the sensing module comprises;

a first amplifier configured to amplify the voltage differential by a first gain to provide a first intermediate sensed voltage;

a second amplifier configured to amplify the first intermediate sensed voltage by a second gain to provide a second intermediate sensed voltage; and

a multiplexer configured to provide the first intermediate sensed voltage or the second intermediate sensed voltage as the sensed voltage.