Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Serially connected batteries or cells
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-26
2003-01-21
Tso, Edward H. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Serially connected batteries or cells
Reexamination Certificate
active
06509717
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery connection apparatus of a portable computer system, and in particular to a secondary smart battery connection apparatus of a portable computer and a connection method thereof which are capable of connecting a secondary smart battery to a primary smart battery without using any additional equipment or changing the structure of a portable computer system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As used herein, the terms “primary” and “primary smart battery” and “secondary” and “secondary smart battery” refer to batteries intended for use with portable battery-powered devices such as portable computer systems, often called “notebook” computers, which conform with the industry specifications for so-called “smart batteries”, as specified in the following specifications, which are incorporated herein by reference made thereto:
“Smart Battery System (SBS), Specifications”, collectively comprised of:
“Smart Battery Data Specifications”, Revision 1.1. SBS-Implementers Forum, December 1998;
“Smart Battery Charger Specification”, Revision 1.1, SBS-Implementers Forum December 1998;
“Smart Battery System Manager Specification”, Revision 1.1, SBS-Implementers Forum, December 1998;
“System Management Bus Specification”, Revision 1.0, SBS-Implementers Forum, December 1998; and
“System Management Bus BIOS Interface Specification”, Revision 1.0, Feb. 15, 1995.
The above-listed specifications are available on the Internet via http://www.sbs-forum.org/specs/index.html and http://www.smbus.org/specs/.
Basically, the primary/secondary designation refers to smart batteries which contain internal discharge control mechanisms (e.g. blocking diodes and/or FET switches) to allow multiple batteries to be connected in parallel, and which of the batteries in a multiple battery is acting as a primary or secondary battery. This is not to be confused with the use of “primary” and “secondary” in reference to non-rechargeable and rechargeable type batteries, respectively, in that the smart batteries described herein are rechargeable type batteries.
In general, in supplying power to a portable computer system, a portable computer system is supplied with DC power by an AC adapter receiving AC power from an external power source, or is supplied power from a main primary smart battery without having any power supplied externally or is supplied power from the main primary smart battery and a secondary smart battery in case of continuous use for a long time.
In addition, in a signal control unit for supplying power to the portable computer system, a battery control microcomputer reads state information of a primary smart battery according to its discharge state and notifies it to a user through a System Management BUS (SM BUS) (i.e., the SM BUS is capable of transmitting optimum data by being constructed with a clock (SCL) and date (SDA), the user judges whether it is necessary to exchange the primary smart battery for a secondary smart battery and continues the operation of the system in accordance with the state information of the primary smart battery of the system. Accordingly, the user is less sensitive to a necessity of an adapter using AC power in use of the portable computer system at away from a source of AC power.
FIG. 1
illustrates changing a smart battery by a so-called “hot plugging” or “hot swapping” method in accordance with the prior art. As depicted in
FIG. 1
, a system can be operated by removing a presently installed storage module (i.e., a detachable floppy disc drive or a CD-ROM drive, etc.) from a portable computer system and inserting a secondary smart battery into the system by the conventional hot plugging method.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram illustrating a method for using a secondary smart battery in the conventional portable computer system. As depicted in
FIG. 2
, in a portable computer system being supplied power from a primary or a secondary smart battery, the portable computer system includes a smart battery selecting unit
5
selecting a primary smart battery
3
or a secondary smart battery
4
in the system, a system power supplying unit
1
being supplied power from the primary smart battery
3
selected by the smart battery selecting unit
5
and outputting power for operating the system, a System Management BUS (SM BUS) host
2
checking an operation state or operation information of the smart batteries
3
,
4
through the SM BUS and requesting a charging of the smart batteries
3
,
4
, an AC/DC adapter
6
being supplied AC power from a power source and outputting DC power to the system, and a charger unit
7
being supplied DC power from the AC/DC adapter
6
and supplying charging power to the secondary smart battery.
The operation for supplying power to the conventional portable computer system will now be described.
First, when the portable computer system is being powered by the primary smart battery
3
, in order to use the secondary smart battery
4
in the portable computer system, the secondary smart battery
4
is inserted into the portable computer system after removing a storage module (not shown) from the portable computer or a secondary bay module (not shown) is installed in the portable computer system and the secondary smart battery
4
is connected to the secondary bay module
4
.
After that, when a remaining capacity of the primary smart battery
3
installed in the portable computer system reaches the limit and a rated voltage is not outputted from it, the smart battery selecting unit
5
switches a power source connection from the primary smart battery
3
used as a power supplier in the portable computer system to the secondary smart battery
4
in order for the secondary smart battery
4
to supply power to the portable computer system.
Herein, when the user wants to charge the primary smart battery
3
while the portable computer system is being powered by the secondary smart battery
4
in accordance with the switching operation of the smart battery selecting unit
5
, the charger unit
7
of the portable computer system is supplied DC power from the AC/DC adapter
6
and charges the primary smart battery
3
. Similarly, when the portable computer system is being by the primary smart battery
3
, the charger unit
7
of the portable computer system charges the secondary smart battery
4
after a battery selection operation of the smart battery selecting unit
5
.
However, in the secondary battery connection apparatus of the portable computer system in accordance with the prior art, when the user directly changes a battery, a powering-off and re-booting of the portable computer system has to be performed after ending a present system operation, when a secondary smart battery is to be used by the hot plugging method in operation of the system, and a storage module has to be removed in order to insert the secondary smart battery. Accordingly, if the user wishes to continue using the storage module, there is a limitation in use. And, when the secondary smart battery is connected to the portable computer system through a docking station (i.e., an apparatus for indirectly combining the storage module with the portable computer system when the storage module can not be directly combined with the portable computer system due to a thin thickness of the portable computer system) or a port replicator, the user has to additionally buy a second bay module such as the docking station or the port replicator and carry it always in use of the portable computer system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a secondary battery connection apparatus for a portable computer system and a connection method thereof which are capable of not requiring a change in functions of a presently operating portable computer system when installing a secondary smart battery and not causing any inconveniences to users such as requiring a storage module change, by directly connecting a secondary smart battery to a primary smart battery.
It is another object of the
Fleshner & Kim LLP
LG Electronics Inc.
Tso Edward H.
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