Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Means to identify cell or battery type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-26
2001-04-03
Wong, Peter S. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Means to identify cell or battery type
C320SDIG011, C702S063000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06211644
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a battery system comprising battery means for supplying operating power during battery operation of a battery power receiving device; a battery information circuit carried as a unit with the battery means for assembly with the battery power receiving device; said battery information circuit and said battery power receiving device being capable of communicating mutually, and having means for storing identification information and battery information in the battery information circuit and in the battery power receiving device.
The invention also relates to a method of communication between a battery power receiving device and a battery pack, the battery pack comprising battery means carried as a unit with a battery information circuit, wherein the battery information circuit and the battery power receiving device comprise memory cells for storing battery information and including battery information.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The development of cellular telephone technology has created a similar need for development in the area of batteries and battery packs, and more specifically for methods of communicating battery information e.g. in a cellular telephone. The telephones must utilise batteries in order to provide mobile capabilities. The battery is critical to the user of a cellular telephone, since the battery allows the user to move about freely without being tied to a stationary power source.
Thus, in order to fully maximise the use of a cellular telephone, it is important, from a first point of view, that a user achieves maximum performance from an attached battery. This may be achieved by e.g. correctly charging the battery and always being able to identify the exact charging status of the battery. This enables a user to know how much standby time is left on the telephone. This type of information enables a user to intelligently decide whether the charge in the battery is sufficient for their needs or whether charging of the battery is required.
However, from a second point of view and in order to aid the user in achieving such maximum performance from the battery, it is important that the cellular telephone itself is able to achieve maximum performance from an attached battery e.g. by charging and discharging the battery according to given specifications. Such specifications are typically stated as parameters and can comprise minimum and maximum charging and discharging temperatures, maximum charging current and voltage, etc.
Due to the fact that such specifications are battery specific in order to achieve maximum performance, a well-known solution within the field of battery powered equipment is to provide a so-called ‘smart’ battery or battery system. Such a battery system comprises a battery and a microprocessor or state machine capable of providing battery information to the battery powered equipment e.g. a cellular mobile telephone.
Battery systems used in small-sized hand held electronic equipment especially mobile phones differ from ordinary battery systems in that low weight and hours of use, i.e. time the equipment can be used without having to recharge the battery, are extremely important in the competition with other vendors of mobile telephones and accessories for mobile telephones.
Thus, in order to minimise the cost of manufacture only a small amount of memory is used. Consequently, the battery information stored in the battery pack must be compacted as much as possible. This can be obtained by limiting the battery information stored in the battery pack eg by representing battery parameters with a relatively low resolution.
However, when it comes to storage capacity in the battery powered equipment a relatively great memory capacity is present due to the present advanced circuits for handling the complex functionality of the battery powered equipment. Therefore, the battery powered equipment may contain relatively advanced battery information eg by representing battery parameters with a relatively high resolution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,993 discloses a battery pack selectively connectable to electrical equipment and to a battery charger. The electrical equipment or battery charger decides whether the attached battery pack is a compatible device. If the attached battery is determined to be suitable, electrical power is transferred from the battery pack to the electrical equipment or from the battery charger to the battery pack. The electrical equipment or battery charger receives an electrical signal, from the battery pack, containing battery information by means of which the type of battery pack can be distinguished. Thus, from this patent it is known to determine whether the battery pack is compatible by examining some type of identification information.
However, according to this patent battery information must always be requested from the battery pack when the battery pack has been detached from the electrical equipment. Thus, if battery parameters are represented with a relatively low resolution in the battery pack compared to the resolution in the electrical equipment, an unnecessarily low resolution will be used for judging the current performance of the battery pack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the invention is to provide a battery system which is capable of selecting the best suited battery information.
This is achieved, when the battery system mentioned in the opening paragraph is characterized in that the battery system further comprises means for using the battery information stored in the battery power receiving device as actual battery information, if the identification information stored in the battery information circuit coincides with identification information stored in the battery power receiving device.
Consequently, it is not necessary to communicate battery information from the battery information circuit to the battery power receiving device, if the identification information stored in the battery information circuit coincides with identification information stored in the battery power receiving device. Further, when the battery information, e.g. battery parameters, is represented with a relatively high resolution in the battery power receiving device compared to the resolution in the battery information circuit, a better performance in using the battery means is obtained.
When the battery system further comprises means for detecting subsequent attachments of a battery information circuit or battery information circuits to the battery power receiving device, it is possible to examine whether the identification information coincides as mentioned as above when a battery is attached to the battery receiving device.
This is possible in particular, when the battery system further comprises means for storing the identification information in the battery information circuit and in the battery power receiving device during a first attachment and a second attachment, respectively. Thereby, the examination of whether the identification information coincides as mentioned above only need be examined once during interconnection of the battery and the battery receiving device.
In an expedient embodiment the battery system further comprises means for using the battery information in the battery information circuit as actual battery information if the identification information stored in the battery information circuit does not coincide with identification information stored in the battery power receiving device. Thereby actual battery information can be obtained from the battery information circuit when the battery information in the battery power receiving device is not up to date, i.e. the battery information cannot be used as actual battery information.
When the battery system further comprises means for generating the identification information as random or pseudo random binary code information, the risk of wrongly taking the battery information in the battery power receiving device as actual battery information is minimised.
In an expedient embodiment, the battery system further com
Bengtsson Jonas
Forsberg Charles
Kellerman Michael
Mercke Johan
Ptasinski Kristoffer
Jenkens & Gilchrist A Professional Corporation
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
Toatley , Jr. Gregory J.
Wong Peter S.
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