Apparatus used with processor of portable device and arranged for performing at least one part of fuel gauge operation for battery by using hardware circuit element(s) when processor enter sleep mode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016238663-A1
Application number	US-201514935439-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 8, 2015
Priority date	Feb 12, 2015
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus used with a processor to perform fuel gauge operation for a battery of a portable device includes a voltage measuring circuit and a control circuit. The voltage measuring circuit periodically measures and records a battery pack voltage for the battery according to time information received from the processor after the processor enters a sleep mode. The control circuit generates an accumulation result by calculating and accumulating at least one value of battery characteristics according to the battery pack voltage, and compares the accumulation result with a reference threshold of battery characteristics to determine whether to trigger an interrupt to wake up the processor, so as to cause the processor to update a battery cell voltage and an internal battery resistance of the battery for performing fuel gauge operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus used with a processor of a portable device to perform fuel gauge operation for a battery of the portable device, comprising:
a voltage measuring circuit, for periodically measuring and recording a battery pack voltage for the battery according to time information received from the processor of the portable device after the processor enters a sleep mode from a non-sleep mode; a control circuit, coupled to the voltage measuring circuit, for generating an accumulation result by calculating and accumulating at least one value of battery characteristics according to the battery pack voltage periodically measured and recorded, and for comparing the accumulation result with a reference threshold of the battery characteristics to determine whether to trigger an interrupt to wake up the processor, so as to cause the processor to update a battery cell voltage and an internal battery resistance of the battery for performing fuel gauge operation for the battery.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one value of battery characteristics comprises one of amount of electric charge, the battery pack voltage periodically measured and recorded, and a voltage difference between the battery pack voltage and the battery cell voltage.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit comprises:
an accumulator circuit, for generating the accumulation result by calculating and accumulating the at least one value of battery characteristics; and a comparator, coupled to the accumulator circuit, for comparing the accumulation result with the reference threshold of battery characteristics to determine whether to trigger the interrupt to wake up the processor of the portable device.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one value of battery characteristics comprises amount of electric charge, and the accumulation circuit is an electric charge accumulator circuit configured for generating the accumulation result by calculating and accumulating the amount of electric charge.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the reference threshold of battery characteristics is determined by a percentage of electricity for a maximum capacity of the battery.

6 . the apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the electric charge accumulator circuit is arranged for dividing a voltage difference between the battery pack voltage and the battery cell voltage by the internal battery resistance to derive a value of current, and for accumulating the amount of electric charge according to the value of current and the time information received from the processor.

7 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one value of battery characteristics comprises a voltage difference between the battery pack voltage and the battery cell voltage, and the accumulator circuit is a voltage difference accumulator circuit configured for generating the accumulation result by calculating and accumulating the voltage difference between the battery voltage and the battery cell voltage.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the reference threshold of battery characteristics is determined by the internal battery resistance, the time information, and a percentage of electricity for a maximum capacity of the battery.

9 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one value of battery characteristics comprises the battery pack voltage periodically measured and recorded, and the accumulator circuit is a voltage accumulator circuit configured for generating the accumulation result by calculating and accumulating the battery pack voltage.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the reference threshold of battery characteristics is determined by the battery cell voltage, the internal battery resistance, the time information, and a percentage of electricity for a maximum capacity of the battery.

Assignees

• Mediatek Inc

Inventors

• Wu Jui-Chi

Classifications

• G01R31/367

  Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables · CPC title

• G01R31/389 Primary

  Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables · CPC title

• G01R31/3662 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01R31/3651

  Physics · mapped topic