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US 8,896,272 B2Granted
Systems and methods of battery charging with dynamic float voltage
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsShadi Hawawini, M. Abid Hussain
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention include electronic circuits, systems, and methods for charging a battery. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method, which may be implemented by an integrated circuit, comprising charging the battery using a constant current until the voltage on the battery increases to a first voltage level, and charging the battery using a constant voltage, wherein the constant voltage is set to a second voltage level. The constant current charging transitions to constant voltage charging when the voltage on the battery reaches the first voltage level, where the first voltage level is greater than the second voltage level.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- generating a current from a regulator, in a current control mode, to a terminal of a battery pack over a first time period, wherein the battery pack comprises a battery cell and an equivalent series resistance in series inside the battery pack;
- transitioning the regulator from the current control mode to a constant voltage mode when a voltage on the terminal of the battery pack increases to a first voltage level;
- and
- generating a constant voltage to the battery pack in the constant voltage mode over a second time period following the first time period, wherein the constant voltage is set to a second voltage level at which the battery pack is considered fully charged,
- wherein a difference between the first voltage level and the second voltage level corresponds to a voltage produced by said equivalent series resistance and said current at the end of said current control mode just prior to said transitioning so that the voltage on the battery cell, during current control mode, is less than a maximum battery cell voltage, and wherein the voltage on the battery cell, just prior to said transitioning, is approximately equal to the second voltage level, and wherein the first voltage level is determined dynamically based on the equivalent series resistance of the battery pack.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a regulator;
- a current controller;
- a voltage controller;
- and
- a battery pack comprising a battery cell and an equivalent series resistance in series inside the battery pack,
- wherein the regulator generates a current, in a current control mode, to a terminal of a battery pack over a first time period,
- wherein the regulator transitions from the current control mode to a constant voltage mode when a voltage on the terminal of the battery pack increases to a first voltage level,
- wherein the regulator generates a constant voltage to the battery pack in the constant voltage mode over a second time period following the first time period,
- wherein the constant voltage is set to a second voltage level at which the battery pack is considered fully charged, and
- wherein a difference between the first voltage level and the second voltage level corresponds to a voltage produced by said equivalent series resistance and said current at the end of said current control mode just prior to said transitioning so that the voltage on the battery cell, during current control mode, is less than a maximum battery cell voltage, and wherein the voltage on the battery cell, just prior to said transitioning, is approximately equal to the second voltage level, and wherein the first voltage level is determined dynamically based on the equivalent series resistance of the battery pack.
7 more elements
An integrated circuit comprising:
- a regulator having an output coupled to a battery pack, the battery pack comprising a battery cell and an equivalent series resistance in series inside the battery pack;
- a current controller;
- and
- a voltage controller;
- wherein the regulator generates a current, in a current control mode, to a terminal of a battery pack over a first time period,
- wherein the regulator transitions from the current control mode to a constant voltage mode when a voltage on the terminal of the battery pack increases to a first voltage level,
- wherein the regulator generates a constant voltage to the battery pack in the constant voltage mode over a second time period following the first time period,
- wherein the constant voltage is set to a second voltage level at which the battery pack is considered fully charged, and
- wherein a difference between the first voltage level and the second voltage level corresponds to a voltage produced by said equivalent series resistance and said current at the end of said current control mode just prior to said transitioning so that the voltage on the battery cell, during current control mode, is less than a maximum battery cell voltage, and wherein the voltage on the battery cell, just prior to said transitioning, is approximately equal to the second voltage level, and wherein the first voltage level is determined dynamically based on the equivalent series resistance of the battery pack.
6 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- means for generating a current, in a current control mode, to a terminal of a battery pack over a first time period and for generating a constant voltage to the battery pack, in a constant voltage mode, over a second time period following the first time period, wherein the battery pack comprises a battery cell and an equivalent series resistance in series inside the battery pack;
- and
- means for transitioning from the current control mode to a constant voltage mode when a voltage on the terminal of the battery pack increases to a first voltage level, wherein the constant voltage in constant voltage mode is set to a second voltage level at which the battery pack is considered fully charged;
- wherein a difference between the first voltage level and the second voltage level corresponds to a voltage produced by said equivalent series resistance and said current at the end of said current control mode just prior to said transitioning so that the voltage on the battery cell, during current control mode, is less than a maximum battery cell voltage, and wherein the voltage on the battery cell, just prior to said transitioning, is approximately equal to the second voltage level, and wherein the first voltage level is determined dynamically based on the equivalent series resistance of the battery pack.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.