Battery pack and electronic device for selecting path for measuring voltage of battery cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11189866-B2
Application number	US-201916680655-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2019
Priority date	Nov 12, 2018
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a battery pack comprises a battery cell including a positive electrode and a negative electrode and configured to generate an electromotive force via the positive electrode and the negative electrode, a plurality of first sub paths configured to connect the positive electrode to a sensing circuit of an electronic device to which the battery pack is connected, a plurality of second sub paths configured to connect the negative electrode to the sensing circuit, a power line configured to connect the positive electrode and the negative electrode to at least one of a system of the electronic device or a charging circuit of the electronic device, a first switch configured to selectively connect at least one of the plurality of first sub paths, selected depending on a voltage applied to the positive electrode and the negative electrode, to the sensing circuit, and a second switch configured to selectively connect at least one of the plurality of second sub paths, selected depending on the voltage, to the sensing circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack, comprising:
a battery cell, including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, configured to generate an electromotive force via the positive electrode and the negative electrode;
a plurality of first sub paths configured to connect the positive electrode to a sensing circuit of an electronic device to which the battery pack is connected;
a plurality of second sub paths configured to connect the negative electrode to the sensing circuit;
a first power line configured to connect the positive electrode to at least one of a system of the electronic device or a charging circuit of the electronic device;
a second power line configured to connect the negative electrode to the at least one of the system of the electronic device or the charging circuit;
a first switch configured to selectively connect at least one of the plurality of first sub paths to the sensing circuit, wherein the at least one of the plurality of first sub paths is selected based on a voltage applied to the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and
a second switch configured to selectively connect at least one of the plurality of second sub paths to the sensing circuit, wherein the at least one of the plurality of second sub paths is selected based on the voltage.

2. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of first sub paths has a different resistance, and each of the plurality of second sub paths has a different resistance.

3. The battery pack of claim 2 , wherein a state of the first switch is configured to be controlled to connect a path with a relatively lower resistance, among the plurality of first sub paths, to the sensing circuit based on the voltage falling within a first range, and a state of the second switch is configured to be controlled to connect a path with a relatively lower resistance, among the plurality of second sub paths, to the sensing circuit based on the voltage falling within the first range.

4. The battery pack of claim 3 , wherein a state of the first switch is configured to be controlled to connect a path with a relatively higher resistance, among the plurality of first sub paths, to the sensing circuit based on the voltage falling within a second range, and a state of the second switch is configured to be controlled to connect a path with a relatively higher resistance, among the plurality of second sub paths, to the sensing circuit based on the voltage falling within the second range.

5. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the first switch is configured to selectively connect the positive electrode to a path with a relatively lower resistance, among the plurality of first sub paths, and the second switch is configured to selectively connect the negative electrode to a path with a relatively lower resistance, among the plurality of second sub paths.

6. The battery pack of claim 5 , wherein the first switch is configured to be controlled to turn on based on the voltage falling within a first range, and the first switch is configured to be controlled to turn off based on the voltage falling within a second range, and wherein the second switch is configured to be controlled to turn on based on the voltage falling within the first range, and the second switch is configured to be controlled to turn off based on the voltage falling within the second range.

7. The battery pack of claim 4 , wherein the first switch is configured to connect the positive electrode of the battery cell to any one of the plurality of first sub paths, and the second switch is configured to connect the negative electrode of the battery cell to any one of the plurality of second sub paths.

8. The battery pack of claim 7 , wherein the first switch is configured to connect the positive electrode of the battery cell to a path with a relatively lower resistance, among the plurality of first sub paths based on the voltage falling within the first range, and the first switch is configured to connect the positive electrode of the battery cell to a path with a relatively higher resistance, among the plurality of first sub paths based on the voltage falling within the second range, and wherein the second switch is configured to connect the negative electrode of the battery cell to a path with a relatively lower resistance, among the plurality of second sub paths based on the voltage falling within the first range, and the second switch is configured to connect the negative electrode of the battery cell to a path with a relatively higher resistance, among the plurality of second sub paths based on the voltage falling within the second range.

9. The battery pack of claim 3 , further comprising at least one protection circuit, wherein the at least one protection circuit is configured to connect the battery cell to at least one of the system or the charging circuit based on the voltage falling within the first range, and the at least one protection circuit is configured to not connect the battery cell to the system and the charging circuit based on the voltage falling within the second range.

10. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first sub paths includes a first offset block and a first operational amplifier (OP-AMP), and at least one of the plurality of second sub paths includes a second offset block and a second OP-AMP, and wherein based on the voltage falling within a third range, the first offset block is configured to apply a first offset voltage to a voltage applied from the positive electrode, the first OP-AMP is configured to remove noise from a voltage output from the first offset block and output the noise-removed voltage to the sensing circuit, the second offset block is configured to apply a second offset voltage to a voltage input from the negative electrode, and the second OP-AMP is configured to remove noise from a voltage output from the second offset block and output the noise-removed voltage to the sensing circuit.

11. An electronic device electrically connected with a battery pack, the electronic device comprising:
a sensing circuit, included in the battery pack, configured to sense a voltage applied to a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a battery cell configured to generate an electromotive force via the positive electrode and the negative electrode;
a plurality of first sub paths configured to connect the positive electrode to the sensing circuit;
a plurality of second sub paths configured to connect the negative electrode to the sensing circuit;
a plurality of power lines configured to receive power from the battery cell, wherein a first power line of the plurality of power lines is electrically connected to the positive electrode and a second power line of the plurality of power lines is electrically connected to the negative electrode;
a first switch configured to selectively connect at least one of the plurality of first sub paths to the sensing circuit, wherein the at least one of the plurality of first sub paths is selected based on the voltage; and
a second switch configured to selectively connect at least one of the plurality of second sub paths to the sensing circuit, wherein the at least one of the plurality of second sub paths is selected based on the voltage.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of first sub paths has a different resistance, and each of the plurality of second sub paths has a different resistance.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein a state of the first switch is configured to be controlled to connect a path with a lower resistance, among the plurality of first sub paths, to the sensing circuit b

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Moon Sungsoo
• Lin Chihyuan
• Yoon Sunggeun

Classifications

• H01M10/48 Primary

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• H02J7/60

  including safety or protection arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/63 Primary

  against overdischarge · CPC title

• G01R19/16566

  Circuits and arrangements for comparing voltage or current with one or several thresholds and for indicating the result not covered by subgroups G01R19/16504, G01R19/16528, G01R19/16533 · CPC title