Battery power management in over-discharge situation
AssigneeNXP B.V.
InventorsLambertus Franciscus Maria De Koning, Eddy Aziz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of operating battery power management unit (PMU) in over-discharge situation is disclosed. Furthermore, a power management unit (PMU) and a device comprising a power management unit (PMU) are disclosed. The power management unit (PMU) is part of a system, comprising a battery and a safety circuit connected to the battery. The state of the safety circuit of the battery is determined and the on/off control of the device is made inactive while the safety circuit remains active. Thereby avoiding an application run on the device to go into an active state, i.e. to be turned on, at a moment when the battery has not returned to its normal operation mode.
Claims19
Method of operating a battery power management unit in an over-discharge situation, the power management unit being part of a system, comprising a battery and a safety circuit connected to the battery, the method comprising the steps of:
- charging the battery;
- detecting an off-state of a device powered by the battery,
- detecting a state of the power management unit, and
- determining a state of the safety circuit of the battery, wherein the state of the safety circuit is determined by stopping the charging of the battery while the device is turned off and subsequently loading the battery with a test current to obtain a battery voltage while the device is turned off and comparing the battery voltage to a test voltage while the device is turned off, and wherein an on/off control of the device is made inactive while the safety circuit remains active,
- wherein the on/off control of the device is maintained inactive such that the device cannot be turned on if the battery voltage is below the test voltage, and wherein the on/off control of the device is made active such that the device can be turned on if the battery voltage is above the test voltage.
A battery power management unit electrically connectable with a battery that is being charged and a safety circuit connected to the battery, the power management unit comprising:
- an on/off-detector for detecting an off-state of a device powered by the battery, and
- a power management unit state detector for detecting a state of the power management unit,
- wherein the state of the safety circuit of the battery is determined by stopping the charging of the battery while the device is turned off and subsequently loading the battery with a test current to obtain a battery voltage while the device is turned off and comparing the battery voltage to a test voltage while the device is turned off, and wherein an on/off control of the device is made inactive while the safety circuit remains active, wherein the on/off control of the device is maintained inactive such that the device cannot be turned on if the battery voltage is below the test voltage, and wherein the on/off control of the device is made active such that the device can be turned on if the battery voltage is above the test voltage.
Method of operating a battery power management unit in an over-discharge situation, the power management unit being part of a system, comprising a battery and a safety circuit connected to the battery, the method comprising the steps of:
- detecting that a battery charger is connected to the battery while a device powered by the battery is turned off;
- detecting a state of the power management unit as being inactive or active;
- and
- determining a state of the safety circuit as being inactive or active if the state of the power management unit is detected as being inactive, wherein determining the state of the safety circuit comprises:
- stopping a charging of the battery while the device is turned off;
- after stopping the charging of the battery, loading the battery with a test current to obtain a battery voltage while the device is turned off;
- and
- comparing the battery voltage to a test voltage while the device is turned off.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.