Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Battery or cell discharging
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-25
2001-06-26
Tso, Edward H. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Battery or cell discharging
C320S135000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252375
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to battery-powered computer peripheral systems, and more particularly to a current augmentation and power management method and apparatus therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many computer peripherals such as CDROM and disc drives are connected in operation with a lightweight, portable computer such as a laptop. Such peripherals are battery powered and their batteries require periodic battery charging to sustain high performance. Such peripherals are typically compact and are not equipped with separate AC power converters or other charging platforms. Thus, techniques for delivering power to the peripherals for their sustained operation have included dedicated power signal lines within the interface cable that also performs the logic and communication functions. One such technique is described in the
Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision
1
.
0
,
available from In-System Design of Boise, Id., assignee of the present invention.
With increased capacity and higher speed peripherals such as disc drives, higher power is consumed. This is especially true for disc drives during start up (so-called spin up) of the spindle drive motor after a period of dormancy. There is also higher power consumption during the taxing seek cycles between adjacent tracks when the disc's read/write head's voice coil is repeatedly, rapidly started and stopped. The result of sustained operation of higher power peripherals connected to computers have demanded more power than could be provided by the computer through the interface while remaining within the bus specified power.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The current augmentation method is for use with a battery-powered or conventional AC powered computer subsystem including a dynamic load powered by a power node connected with a battery having a characteristic drive capability. The method includes monitoring the dynamic load on the computer bus by one or more of load voltage sensing and load current sensing means, and injecting current into the power node to augment the current available from the computer interface to the dynamic loads generated by the peripheral. Preferably, the injecting is performed selectively based upon the result of the monitoring, e.g. only when the sensed load current is greater than a defined threshold level. The method preferably further comprises charging the battery wherein the charging is performed only when it is determined that no current is being drawn through the battery to avoid distorting the voltage reading.
The apparatus is for selectively charging a battery from a voltage source on a bus during periods of relative idle of a bus-connected battery-powered load. The apparatus includes means for determining the chargeability of the battery in accordance with predefined chargeability criteria, and a battery charging circuit responsive to the determining means for selectively charging the battery only during times of relative peripheral inactivity. Preferably, the determining means includes a surplus current detector operative to detect when the bus-powered load is drawing sufficiently less than a defined current to permit battery charging. Preferably, the battery charge circuit charges the battery by injecting a pulsed charge current into the battery, the pulsed charge current defining an on time when current is injected and an off time when current is not injected. Preferably, the determining means includes a battery voltage detector operative to measure the voltage level of the battery when the pulsed charge current is off.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5914844 (1999-06-01), Lutley et al.
DeHart Scott A.
Richter Ronald J.
In-System Design, Inc.
Marger & Johnson & McCollom, P.C.
Tso Edward H.
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