Energy storage charging from an adjustable power source

• US 9,698,618 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sawyers, Thomas P., Wozniak, John A, Lloyd, Jon G, Matthews, Christopher K
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US14/397,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 320134, 320106
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/446 Initial charging measures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/448 End of discharge regulating measures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An energy storage device includes an integrated fuel gauge that is operatively connected to the energy storage device. The fuel gauge evaluates an operating parameter of the energy storage device and dynamically determines a state of charge. The fuel gauge communicates a communication including a requested operating parameter to the charging component with the single communication line and the signal indicates to an operating system component a change of an energy storage device state. The signal is used to trigger an alert or interrupt that causes the operating system component to display the change of the enemy storage state based on the signal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an energy storage unit comprising;

an energy storage device;

a fuel gauge operatively integrated to the energy storage device, the fuel gauge to;

evaluate an operating parameter of the energy storage device;

dynamically determine a state of charge of the energy storage device;

communicate a communication via a communication line to an adjustable power source and an operating system component, the communication comprising;

a requested operating parameter to the adjustable power source according to a predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge determined; and

a pulse width modulated signal;

cause a modification of the pulse width modulated signal in response to a change in the energy storage device state; and

a detection component coupleable to the fuel gauge and the operating system component, the detection component to;

detect the modification of the pulse width modulation signal using a low pass filter; and

cause the operating system component to generate an interrupt or alarm to update data representing the energy storage device state.

2. The system of claim 1, the operating system component generates a display update of the energy storage device state in response to the communication via the communication line.

3. The system of claim 1, the fuel gauge causes an alert or an interrupt to the operating system component to indicate the change of the energy storage device state via the communication line.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a detection component that detects the change of the energy storage device state that includes a charge beginning point, a charge ending point, a discharge beginning point, a discharge ending point, or a percentage full indicator update.

5. The system of claim 1, the communication line comprising a single communication line including one connection to the fuel gauge.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the fuel gauge modifies the pulse width modulated signal that causes an interrupt to the operating system component in response to the change in the energy storage device state being detected by the detection component.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the low pass filter is to detect the pulse width modulated signal temporarily decreasing and the detection component generates the interrupt or alarm to update a display for the energy storage device state.

8. The system of claim 1, the fuel gauge controls the adjustable power source with the communication via one connection to the communication line, and the adjustable power source adjusts a charge current to charge the energy storage device according to a taper algorithm during a charging cycle.

9. The system of claim 1, the fuel gauge writes a requested charge current or a requested charge voltage in registers of the energy storage unit according to the predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge determined, and continually updates the requested charge current or the requested charge voltage throughout a charging cycle of the energy storage device.

10. A method comprising:

monitoring, via a fuel gauge, a state of charge of an energy storage unit that includes an energy storage device with the fuel gauge operatively integrated with the energy storage device;

determining, by the fuel gauge, an operating parameter of the energy storage device and a requested operating parameter for the energy storage device according to a predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge;

modifying, via the fuel gauge, a pulse width modulated signal to cause an interrupt to the operating system component in response to a change in the energy storage device state;

communicating a request comprising the requested operating parameter via a single communication line for an adjustable power source to adjust a charge current to charge the energy storage device; and

indicating, to an operating system component communicatively coupled to the energy storage unit, the change of an energy storage device state via the single communication line by, in response to the operating system component detecting a modification of the pulse width modulated signal, generating an alter flag or an interrupt pulse that varies according to a frequency of the pulse width modulated signal.

11. The method of claim 10, the change of the energy storage device state comprising a charge beginning point, a charge ending point, a discharge beginning point, a discharge ending point, or a percentage full indicator update.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling the adjustable power source with the request from the fuel gauge via the single communication line to adjust a charge current that charges the energy storage device according to a taper algorithm during a charging cycle.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating an adjusting signal that modifies an output current of the adjustable power source to a different current during a charging of the energy storage device than a charge current received by the energy storage device initially when charging begins.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the modifying the pulse width modulated signal comprises toggling the pulse width modulated signal to trigger an event detector of the operating system component.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

filtering the pulse width modulation signal to detect the frequency.

16. A computing device comprising:

an operating system component to manage hardware and software for the computing device; and

a fuel gauge to;

determine a state of charge of an energy storage device;

communicate a requested operating parameter via communication line to an adjustable power source according to a charge profile based on the state of charge determined by the fuel gauge; and

communicate a pulse width modulated signal via a communication line to the operating system component, the signal having a modification based on a change in the state of the energy storage device;

wherein the operating system component is to, in response to detection of the modification of the signal, generate a triggering event to update the state of the energy storage device in accordance with the modification of the signal.

17. The computing device of claim 16, further comprising:

a detection component coupled to the operating system component, the detection component to detect a variation in a frequency of the signal using a low pass filter.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the triggering event is an interrupt or alarm that causes a display for the state of the energy storage device to update.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the triggering event comprises an alter flag or an interrupt pulse that varies according to a frequency associated with the modification of the signal.