Apparatus and method for controlling power supply to a battery-powered electronic device
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorYeon-Chul Choo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A battery-powered electronic device having a main battery and a second battery, and method for controlling power supply to a battery-powered electronic device, are described. If the two batteries are simultaneously mounted in the electronic device, the electronic device receives power from the battery having a relatively higher voltage level in advance of receiving power from the other battery. When the voltage levels of the two batteries are substantially identical to each other, as the one battery is discharged, the other battery is also simultaneously discharged.
Claims22
An electronic device, comprising:
- a main circuit power input terminal for supplying power to a main circuit of the electronic device from any of a first battery and a second battery;
- a battery control circuit, said battery control circuit responsive to an output voltage of said first battery, when said first battery is connected to said electronic device, and responsive to an output voltage of said second battery, when said second battery is connected to said electronic device, for generating a corresponding battery selection control signal dependent upon an output voltage level of said first battery and an output voltage level of said second battery;
- and
- a battery selection circuit, said battery selection circuit for electrically connecting one of said first battery and said second battery that has a relatively higher output voltage level than the other of said first battery and said second battery to said main circuit power input terminal in response to the corresponding battery selection control signal when both of said first battery and said second battery are connected to the electronic device.
An electronic device, comprising:
- a main circuit power input terminal for supplying power to a main circuit of the electronic device;
- a first battery and a second battery;
- a battery control circuit, said battery control circuit responsive to an output voltage of said first battery and to an output voltage of said second battery, for generating a battery selection control signal dependent upon an output voltage level of said first battery and an output voltage level of said second battery;
- and
- a battery selection circuit, said battery selection circuit for electrically connecting one battery of said first battery and said second battery that has a relatively higher output voltage level than the other of said first battery and said second battery to said main circuit power input terminal in response to the battery selection control signal.
A method of controlling power supply to a battery-powered electronic device, comprising the steps of:
- determining whether a first battery and a second battery are simultaneously connected to said electronic device;
- supplying power to said electronic device from a connected one of said first battery and said second battery, when one of said first battery and said second battery is solely connected to said electronic device;
- comparing an output voltage level of said first battery with an output voltage level of said second battery, when said first battery and said second battery are simultaneously connected to said electronic device;
- and
- supplying power to said electronic device from one of said first battery and said second battery that has a relatively higher output voltage level that the other of said first battery and said second battery as a result of said comparing step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.