Information handling system battery charge management in a dynamic discharge environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11095135-B2
Application number	US-201816170430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2018
Priority date	Oct 25, 2018
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Dynamic battery discharge at an information handling system during battery charge, such as to support increased power use associated with processor turbo mode, is managed by setting a reduced maximum charge current dynamically during constant voltage charging so that battery voltage droop from discharge does not result in command of an excessive charge current after the discharge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information handling system comprising:
a housing;
a processor operable to execute instructions that process information;
one or more power rails interfaced with the processor to supply power to the processor at a predetermined voltage;
a power supply interfaced with the one or more power rails to provide the predetermined voltage;
an external power port integrated in the housing and operable to accept external power from an external power source;
a battery integrated in the housing and operable to store power; and
a charger interfaced with the external power port and the battery, the charger providing power to the power supply, the charger receiving power from the external power port to charge the battery in one of a constant current charge mode or a constant voltage charge mode;
wherein the power supply selectively provides power to the one or more power rails from just the battery, just the external power port or both the battery and the external power port; and
wherein the charger when in the constant voltage charge mode dynamically reduces a maximum current to charge the battery in time increments based upon a battery charge state and charges the battery at the maximum current for that time increment, the charger in response to a subsequent decreased battery charge state limiting actual charge current to the battery based upon the lowest maximum current of the previous two or more time increments.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the charger determines the maximum current based upon a voltage measured at the battery at time increments and the charger limits actual current to the battery to an actual current to the battery at a most recent previous time increment.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the charger determines the maximum current based upon a voltage measured at the battery at time increments and the charger limits actual current to the battery to an actual current at a most recent time increment plus a predetermined incremental current.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a battery management unit interfaced with the battery and controlling current provided to the battery from the charger, the battery management unit interfaced with the charger, the charger communicating the value of maximum current to the battery management unit, the battery management unit providing no more than the maximum current to the battery.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the battery comprises plural battery cells managed by a battery management unit.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the external power port comprises a USB Type C port.

7. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the processor has a turbo mode associated with increased current draw.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the charger determines the maximum current based upon a voltage measured at the battery at time increments, the charger storing the maximum current for each time increment for a predetermined time, and the charger limits actual current to the battery to the lowest of the stored maximum currents.

9. A method for managing an information handling system battery charge, the method comprising:
charging a battery with a current;
determining a maximum current to charge the battery at a plurality of time increments;
comparing the maximum current determined at each present time increment with a maximum current determined at one or more previous time increments;
detecting that the maximum current of the one or more previous time increments is less than the maximum current determined at a present time increment; and
responsive to the detecting that the maximum current of the one or more previous time increments is less than the maximum current determined at the present time increment, charging the battery with the current based upon the lowest maximum current of the previous two or more time increments.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the charging the battery based upon the lowest maximum current of the previous two or more time increments further comprises:
determining an actual current applied to charge the battery at the time increment of the lowest maximum current; and
setting current to charge the battery as a function of the actual current.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the function of the actual current comprises an incremental increase of the actual current.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the function of the actual current comprises an incremental decrease of the actual current.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the charging the battery based upon the lowest maximum current of the previous two or more time increments further comprises:
setting the charge current to the lowest maximum current of the previous two or more time increments; and
applying current to the battery based upon current available to charge the battery, the applied current not exceeding the set lowest maximum current.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
determining that the maximum current determined at each present time increment equals a constant current value for a predetermined number of time increments; and
in response, configuring charge in a constant current mode.

15. A method for charging a battery, the method comprising:
detecting the battery has a voltage below a predetermined voltage;
charging the battery in a constant current mode based on the battery having below the predetermined voltage, the constant current mode applying a charging current of not greater than a maximum current;
subsequent to the charging in the constant current mode, detecting the battery has at least the predetermined voltage;
charging the battery in a constant voltage mode based on the battery having at least the predetermined voltage, the constant voltage mode applying a charging current of less than the maximum current, the applied current determined from a measured voltage of the battery;
while in the constant voltage mode, tracking the applied current over time;
while in the constant voltage mode, detecting a decrease in the measured voltage of the battery that determines an increase in the applied current; and
while in the constant voltage mode, in response to the detecting the decrease in the measured voltage of the battery that determines an increase in the applied current, adjusting the increase in the applied current according to a comparison of two or more previously applied charging currents.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
determining the applied current from the measured voltage of the battery at time increments;
wherein adjusting the increase in the applied current according to the comparison of two or more previously applied charging currents further comprises maintaining the applied current at the applied current determined from a previous time increment.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising incrementing the applied current by a predetermined amount for each subsequent time interval having a determined increase in the applied current based upon the decrease in the measured voltage.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:
detecting for a predetermined number of time increments a determined increase in the applied current based upon the decrease in the measured voltage; and
in response to the detecting, commanding a constant current mode to charge the battery.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising discharging from the battery

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Thompson Richard Christopher
• Ning Yan
• Lin Chia-Liang

Classifications

• H02J7/825

  Detection of fully charged condition · CPC title

• H02J7/62

  against overcurrent · CPC title

• G06F1/28 Primary

  Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision · CPC title

• G06F1/263

  Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/1635

  Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter · CPC title