Methods and apparatus for measuring battery characteristics
AssigneeSemiconductor Components Industries, LLC
InventorHideo Kondo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise a method and apparatus for measuring battery characteristics. In various embodiments, the apparatus comprises a lithium ion battery and a fuel gauge to monitor the resistance of the battery and the capacity of battery as it ages. The fuel gauge may perform two different methods for computing two different capacity values. The fuel gauge may utilize the capacity values from each method to determine the resistance of the battery as it ages and related battery characteristics, such as the state of health of the battery.
Claims20
An apparatus for determining a state of health of a battery, comprising:
- a fuel gauge circuit, coupled to the battery, and configured to:
- compute a first battery capacity according to a change in an output voltage of the battery;
- compute a second battery capacity according to a voltage across a current shunt coupled to a negative terminal of the battery;
- compute a capacity ratio according to the computed first and second battery capacities;
- compute an aged resistance value according to the computed capacity ratio;
- utilize battery characteristic data to determine an aged capacity according to the computed aged resistance value;
- and
- compute the state of health according to the computed aged capacity and the computed second battery capacity.
A method for determining a state of health of a battery, comprising:
- computing a first battery capacity based on the change in an output voltage of the battery;
- computing a second battery capacity based on a voltage across a current shunt;
- computing a capacity ratio based on the computed first battery capacity and the computed second battery capacity;
- computing an aged resistance value based on an original resistance value and the computed capacity ratio;
- utilizing capacity-resistance data of the battery to determine an aged capacity according to the computed aged resistance;
- and
- computing the state of health based on the computed aged capacity and the computed second battery capacity.
A system capable of monitoring a battery and battery characteristics, comprising:
- a fuel gauge circuit coupled to the battery, comprising:
- a first circuit coupled to the battery, and configured to compute a first battery capacity according to an output voltage of the battery;
- a second circuit coupled to the battery, and configured to compute a second battery capacity according to a voltage across a current shunt;
- and
- a logic unit coupled to the first circuit and the second circuit, and configured to:
- compute a capacity ratio according to the first and second battery capacities;
- compute an aged resistance value according to the computed capacity ratio;
- utilize battery characteristic data to determine an aged capacity according to the computed aged resistance value;
- and
- compute the state of health according to the computed aged capacity and the computed second battery capacity;
- and
- an application processor coupled to the fuel gauge circuit and configured to provide an indicator reflecting the state of health of the battery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.