Battery supply circuits, devices to be charged, and charging control methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11336102-B2
Application number	US-202016860331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2020
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a battery supply circuit, a device to be charged, and a charging control method. The battery supply circuit includes a first cell, a second cell, a switch, a first switching unit and a second switching unit. A first end of the second cell is coupled to a first end of the second switching unit, and a second end of the second cell is coupled to a first end of the switch, a second end of the second switching unit is coupled to a second end of the switch; a first end of the first cell is coupled to the second end of the switch, a second end of the first cell is coupled to a first end of the first switching unit, and a second end of the first switching unit is coupled to the first end of the switch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit for supplying battery, comprising a first cell, a second cell, a switch, a first switching unit and a second switching unit, wherein,
a first end of the second cell is coupled to a first end of the second switching unit, and a second end of the second cell is coupled to a first end of the switch, a second end of the second switching unit is coupled to a second end of the switch; a first end of the first cell is coupled to the second end of the switch, a second end of the first cell is coupled to a first end of the first switching unit, and a second end of the first switching unit is coupled to the first end of the switch;
in a case that the switch is turned on, and the first switching unit and the second switching unit are in an off state, the first cell and the second cell are coupled in series; and in a case that the switch is turned off, and the first switching unit and the second switching unit are in an on state, the first cell and the second cell are coupled in parallel; and
in a case that the first cell and the second cell are coupled in series for charging, after the charging is completed, at least one of the first switching unit or the second switching unit is further configured to be controlled to operate in a linear region to provide a current-limiting resistor for at least one of the first cell or the second cell in response to that a voltage difference between the first cell and the second cell is greater than a first voltage difference threshold; the first switching unit and the second switching unit are further configured to be controlled to operate in a conducting state in response to that the voltage difference between the first cell and the second cell is less than a second voltage difference threshold; and the second voltage difference threshold is less than the first voltage difference threshold.

2. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the first switching unit and the second switching unit are semiconductor switches.

3. A device to be charged, comprising:
a battery supply circuit, comprising: a first cell, a second cell, a switch, a first switching unit and a second switching unit, wherein, a first end of the second cell is coupled to a first end of the second switching unit, and a second end of the second cell is coupled to a first end of the switch, a second end of the second switching unit is coupled to a second end of the switch; a first end of the first cell is coupled to the second end of the switch, a second end of the first cell is coupled to a first end of the first switching unit, and a second end of the first switching unit is coupled to the first end of the switch; in a case that the switch is turned on, and the first switching unit and the second switching unit are in an off state, the first cell and the second cell are coupled in series; and in a case that the switch is turned off, and the first switching unit and the second switching unit are in an on state, the first cell and the second cell are coupled in parallel;
a charging interface, wherein the device to be charged receives an output voltage and an output current of an adapter through the charging interface; and
a first charging circuit, wherein the first charging circuit comprises a charging integrated circuit, and the charging integrated circuit is coupled between the battery supply circuit and other circuits of the device to be charged, and is configured to cause the battery supply circuit to supply power to the other circuits of the device to be charged,
wherein the first charging circuit is further coupled between the charging interface and the battery supply circuit, and is configured to convert the output voltage, and apply the converted output voltage on both ends of the first cell and the second cell coupled in parallel in the battery supply circuit,
wherein the charging integrated circuit comprises a circuit management module, and the circuit management module is configured to manage a charging circuit of the first cell and the second cell in the battery supply circuit and a charging circuit for supplying power to the other circuits.

4. The device according to claim 3 , further comprising a second charging circuit, wherein the second charging circuit is coupled between the charging interface and the battery supply circuit; and the second charging circuit is configured to directly apply the output voltage and the output current on both ends of the first cell and the second cell coupled in series in the battery supply circuit, or directly apply the output voltage and the output current on both ends of the first cell and the second cell coupled in parallel in the battery supply circuit.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein in a case that the second charging circuit directly applies the output voltage and the output current on both ends of the first cell and the second cell coupled in series, the first charging circuit is coupled to the first cell, and is configured to supply power to the other circuits through voltage on both ends of the first cell, or
wherein in a case that the second charging circuit directly applies the output voltage and the output current on both ends of the first cell and the second cell coupled in series, the first charging circuit is coupled to the adapter to draw energy from the adapter to charge the other circuits.

6. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the adapter supports a first charging mode, a second charging mode, and a third charging mode; in the first charging mode, the first charging circuit applies the converted output voltage on both ends of the first cell and the second cell coupled in parallel in the battery supply circuit; in the second charging mode, the second charging circuit directly applies the output voltage and the output current on both ends of the first cell and the second cell coupled in parallel in the battery supply circuit; and in the third charging mode, the second charging circuit directly applies the output voltage and the output current on both ends of the first cell and the second cell coupled in series in the battery supply circuit.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the charging interface comprises a data line, the device to be charged further comprises a control unit, and the control unit is configured to perform bidirectional communication with the adapter through the data line to negotiate the charging mode between the adapter and the device to be charged.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit performs bidirectional communication with the adapter through the data line to negotiate the charging mode between the adapter and the device to be charged, comprises: the control unit receiving a first instruction sent by the adapter, wherein the first instruction is configured to query whether the device to be charged turns on the third charging mode; and the control unit sending a reply instruction of the first instruction to the adapter, wherein the reply instruction of the first instruction is configured to indicate whether the device to be charged agrees to turn on the third charging mode.

9. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit performs bidirectional communication with the adapter through the data line to negotiate the charging mode between the adapter and the device to be charged, comprises: the control unit receiving a second instruction sent by the adapter, wherein the second instruction is configured to query whether the device to be charged turns on the second charging mode; and the control unit sending a reply instruction of the second instruction to the adapter, wherein the reply instruction of the second instruction is configured to indicate whether the device to be charged agree

Assignees

• Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Shebiao
• Zhang Jun
• Zhang Jialiang

Classifications

• H02J7/90

  Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• H02J7/40

  characterised by the exchange of charge or discharge related data · CPC title

• H02J7/575 Primary

  Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit · CPC title

• H02J7/62

  against overcurrent · CPC title