Method for improving temperature management of battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10879715-B2
Application number	US-201715852026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2017
Priority date	Mar 8, 2017
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

The invention provides a method for improving temperature management of a battery pack. The battery pack may comprise a battery cell charged via at least one supply trace of a PCB (printed circuit board), a protection circuit module mounted on the PCB and coupled to the at least one supply trace, and a plurality of temperature sensors respectively reflecting a temperature of the battery cell and a temperature of the PCB. The method may comprise: measuring a cell temperature and a PCB temperature by the temperature sensors; when charging the battery cell by a charging current and a charging voltage, controlling the charging voltage and the charging current according to the cell temperature, and adjusting the charging current further according to the PCB temperature, so as to constrain the temperature of the PCB.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for improving temperature management of a battery pack, the battery pack comprising:
a PCB (printed circuit board);
a battery cell coupled to the PCB;
a protection circuit module mounted on the PCB;
a plurality of temperature sensors, including at least one cell temperature sensor and at least one PCB temperature sensor; each said cell temperature sensor reflecting a temperature of the battery cell, and each said PCB temperature sensor reflecting a temperature of the PCB; and
one or more temperature interface pins;
and the method comprising:
via the one or more temperature interface pins, measuring a cell temperature by the at least one cell temperature sensor, and measuring a PCB temperature by the at least one PCB temperature sensor;
when charging the battery cell by a charging current and a charging voltage, controlling the charging voltage and the charging current according to the cell temperature; and
adjusting the charging current further according to the PCB temperature, so as to constrain the temperature of the PCB; wherein
the PCB which the protection circuit module is mounted on is coupled between the one or more temperature interface pins and a first one of the at least one cell temperature sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the battery pack further comprises:
a monitoring circuit coupled between the one or more temperature interface pins and the plurality of temperature sensors, for enabling temperature measuring by each of the plurality of temperature sensors.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more temperature interface pins include a first temperature interface pin and a second temperature interface pin; the first one of the at least one cell temperature sensor is coupled to the first temperature interface pin, and one of the at least one PCB temperature sensor is coupled to the second temperature interface pin.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the battery pack further comprises:
a monitoring circuit coupled to the second temperature interface pin, for enabling temperature measuring by rest of the plurality of temperature sensors other than the first one of the at least one cell temperature sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more temperature interface pins include a first temperature interface pin and a second temperature interface pin;
the first one of the at least one cell temperature sensor is coupled to the first temperature interface pin; and
the battery pack further comprises:
a monitoring circuit coupled between the second temperature interface pin and rest of the plurality of temperature sensors other than the first one of the at least one cell temperature sensor, for enabling temperature measuring by said rest of the plurality of temperature sensors.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the charging current further according to the PCB temperature comprises:
decreasing the charging current if the PCB temperature is higher than a first temperature threshold; and
increasing the charging current if the PCB temperature is lower than a second temperature threshold;
wherein the first temperature threshold is not lower than the second temperature threshold.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein adjusting the charging current further according to the PCB temperature further comprises:
turning off charging if the PCB temperature is higher than a maximum temperature threshold;
wherein the maximum temperature threshold is not lower than the first temperature threshold.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
issuing a warning message if the PCB temperature is higher than the maximum temperature threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the charging voltage and the charging current according to the cell temperature comprises:
keeping the charging voltage below a first voltage threshold if the cell temperature is in a middle temperature range;
keeping the charging voltage below a second voltage threshold if the cell temperature is in a high temperature range; and
keeping the charging voltage below the second voltage threshold if the cell temperature is in a low temperature range;
wherein the high temperature range is higher than the middle temperature range, the low temperature range is lower than the middle temperature range, and the second voltage threshold is lower than the first voltage threshold.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the charging voltage and the charging current according to the cell temperature comprises:
keeping the charging current below a first current threshold if the cell temperature is in a middle temperature range;
keeping the charging current below a second current threshold if the cell temperature is in a high temperature range; and
keeping the charging current below the second current threshold if the cell temperature is in a low temperature range;
wherein the high temperature range is higher than the middle temperature range, the low temperature range is lower than the middle temperature range, and the second current threshold is lower than the first current threshold.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
when the battery cell discharges to a system load, adjusting the system load according to the PCB temperature.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein adjusting the system load according to the PCB temperature comprises:
lowering the system load if the PCB temperature is higher than a discharging temperature threshold.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein adjusting the system load according to the PCB temperature comprises:
disabling the system load if the PCB temperature is higher than a discharging temperature threshold.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
when the battery cell discharges to a system load, issuing a warning message if the PCB temperature is higher than a discharging temperature threshold.

15. A method for improving temperature management of a battery pack, the battery pack comprising:
a PCB;
a battery cell coupled to the PCB;
a protection circuit module mounted on the PCB; and
a plurality of temperature sensors, including at least one cell temperature sensor and at least one PCB temperature sensor; each said cell temperature sensor reflecting a temperature of the battery cell, and each said PCB temperature sensor reflecting a temperature of the PCB;
and the method comprising:
when a device drains a discharging current supplied by the battery cell via the PCB, by the device, measuring a PCB temperature by the at least one PCB temperature sensor; and
by the device, adjusting a system load of the device according to the PCB temperature to adjust the discharging current drained from the battery cell.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the system load according to the PCB temperature comprises:
lowering the system load if the PCB temperature is higher than a discharging temperature threshold.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the system load according to the PCB temperature comprises:
disabling the system load if the PCB temperature is higher than a discharging temperature threshold.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
issuing a warning message if the PCB temperature is higher than a discharging temperature threshold.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the battery pack further comprises:
one or more temperature interface pins; and
a monitoring circuit coupled between the one or more temperature interface pins and the plurality of temper

Assignees

• Mediatek Inc

Inventors

• Hsu Chih-Yuan
• Lee Chi-Ming
• Chen Shih-Ming

Classifications

• H02J7/445

  in response to measured battery parameters, e.g. voltage, current or temperature profile · CPC title

• H01M10/486

  for measuring temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/425 Primary

  Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00) · CPC title

• H01M2200/00

  Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/443

  in response to temperature · CPC title