Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Cell or battery charger structure – For battery pack
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-01
2001-09-11
Wong, Peter S. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Cell or battery charger structure
For battery pack
C320S149000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288520
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for compensating leakage current and battery self-discharge, and more particularly, a system having such an apparatus and method.
2. Background of the Related Art
FIG. 1A
illustrates a system, e.g., notebook computer,
50
-
1
having a recess for receiving a battery pack
40
and input
20
for receiving the voltage from an AC adapter.
FIG. 1B
illustrates a circuit diagram for detecting the remaining electric current of a battery. The battery pack
40
includes a battery
2
, a resistor R and an electric current counter
1
. When the battery is charged or discharged, an electric current flows to the resistor R and the current counter
1
measures the electric voltage generated in proportion to the electric current flowing through the resistor R. The output of the counter
1
is inputted to a micro-controller to detect the remaining electric current of the battery
2
by using the measured electric voltage.
However, such a circuit has various disadvantages. For example, the notebook uses a minute mA of electricity as stand-by electricity for operation of a control circuit when the system is turned OFF, resulting in a leakage current. The circuit can detect remaining electric current in the range of 10 mA. However, the minute mA of the stand-by electricity is too small to detect. For example, when a system is off after installing a charged battery on the system, the capacity of the battery decreases in accordance with the passage of time due to leakage current of the system. Further, the circuit cannot detect the self-leakage of the battery over time, whether the battery is connected or installed to the system.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described hereinafter.
It is an object of the present invention to compensate for leakage current.
It is another object of the present invention to compensate for self discharge.
It is a further object of the present invention to accurate manage the remaining battery power.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for compensating leakage current of a system which is capable of managing remaining capacity of a battery by compensating leakage current of the system and the self-discharge of the battery connected to the system and displaying the remaining electric current of the battery on a gauge circuit.
To achieve the object, the method for compensating leakage current of the system of the present invention comprises judging process which judges the charge/discharge state of the battery and whether the battery is connected to the system, setting process which adds self-discharge of the battery to the leakage electric current of the system and sets the added values when the battery is connected to the system and the system is OFF, and compensating process which compensates the set self-discharge of the battery and the leakage electric current of the system by using a timer.
The present invention can be also achieved in a whole or in parts by a method for compensating leakage current of a system, comprising judging whether a battery is charged/discharged and the battery is connected to a system; setting leakage current of the system after adding leakage current of the system when the battery is connected to the system and the system is off; and compensating the added setting leakage current of the system by using a timer. The judging process includes the steps of: (a) detecting generation of interrupt which compensates leakage current of the system; (b) detecting state conversion of a current count which counts current used inside of the system when interrupt is not generated; and (c) setting self-discharge current of the battery when the battery is converted into discharge state. The judging process also includes the step of setting state for making setting leakage current of the system and self-discharge current of the battery not be generated when the battery is converted into charge state in the state conversion of the current count.
The setting process includes the steps of: (a) judging whether the battery is separated from the system in order to decide compensation value of self-discharge current of the battery; (b) judging whether leakage current of the system is detected when the battery is connected to the system; and (c) setting self-discharge current of the battery when the battery is separated from the system.
The compensating process includes the steps of: (a) judging whether the added self-discharge current is set when the interrupt occurs; (b) compensating self-discharge current of the battery by using the timer when value of the self-discharge current is set in the judging step; and (c) compensating the setting leakage current of the system by using the timer when the added leakage current of the system is set in the judging step.
The judging process may also includes the step of: setting self-discharge current of the battery when the battery is converted into discharge state, the battery is separated from the system, and leakage current of the system is not detected.
The present invention can be also achieved in a whole or in parts by a method for compensating leakage current of a system, comprising: judging whether a battery is charge/discharge state and is connected to the system; judging whether the battery is separated from the system in order to decide compensation value of self-discharge current of the battery; judging whether leakage current of the system is detected when the battery is connected to the system; setting self-discharge current of the battery and leakage current of the system after adding them separately when the battery is connected to the system and the system is off; compensating the setting self-discharge current of the battery by using a timer when self-discharge current is set in the setting process; and compensating the setting leakage current of the system by using the timer when leakage current of the system is set in the setting process.
The setting process includes the step of: setting self-discharge current of the battery when the battery is separated from the system. The judging process for judging whether the battery is connected to the system includes the steps of: (a) detecting interrupt which compensates self-discharge current of the battery and leakage current of the system; (b) detecting state conversion of the current count which counts current used inside of the system when the interrupt is not detected in the detecting step; and (c) setting self-discharge current of the battery when the battery is converted into discharge state in the state conversion of the current count.
The method for compensating leakage current of the system includes the step of setting self-discharge current of the battery when the battery is converted into discharge state, the battery is separated from the system, and leakage current of the system is not detected. The setting process includes the step of: setting state for making self-discharge current of the battery and leakage current of the system not be generated when the battery is converted into charge state.
The present invention can be achieved in a whole or in parts by an apparatus comprising: a battery pack for providing a power source; and a system for performing a prescribed function and operation to achieve a prescribed result, the system having a device that outputs one of a first voltage when the battery pack is coupled to the system and an external power source is not coupled to the system, a second voltage when the battery pack is not coupled to the system and the external power source is not coupled to the system, and a third voltage when the external power source is coupled to the system, wherein said battery pack
Fleshner & Kim LLP
LG Electronics Inc.
Toatley , Jr. Gregory J.
Wong Peter S.
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