Battery Assembly Combining Multiple Different Batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016241048-A1
Application number	US-201514624825-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 18, 2015
Priority date	Feb 18, 2015
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques for battery assembly combining multiple different batteries are described herein. Generally, an example battery assembly includes multiple individual batteries of differing sizes and capacities. In at least some embodiments, the individual batteries are connected to a battery interface that presents the multiple batteries as a single integrated power source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A mobile apparatus comprising:
a chassis with an internal cavity that contains internal components of the mobile apparatus; a battery assembly that serves as a power source for the mobile apparatus and that includes multiple different batteries that are positioned in different voids throughout the internal cavity such that at least one of the batteries is physically separated from a different battery of the multiple different batteries by an internal component of the apparatus, the at least one battery having a different capacity than the different battery; and a battery interface to which the multiple different batteries are electrically connected, the battery interface combining the power output of the multiple different batteries such that the multiple different batteries are presented as a single power source.

2 . A mobile apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one battery has different physical dimensions than the different battery.

3 . A mobile apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one battery has a smaller total capacity than the different battery.

4 . A mobile apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the multiple different batteries are not directly connected to one another.

5 . A mobile apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the battery interface is operable to perform operations including one or more of:
reducing a draw current of the at least one battery to cause a discharge rate of the at least one battery to be approximately equal to a discharge rate of the different battery; or adjusting a charging rate of the at least one battery to cause a charge rate of the at least one battery to be approximately equal to a charge rate of the different battery.

6 . A mobile apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising at least one resistance device electrically connected between the at least one battery and the battery interface to affect a discharge rate of the at least one battery such that the discharge rate of the at least one battery is approximately equal to a discharge rate of the different battery.

7 . A mobile apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the internal component is not a battery.

8 . A mobile apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising logic that is executable by a processing unit of the mobile apparatus to present a graphical user interface that displays state information for the battery assembly and that represents the battery assembly as a single power source.

9 . A mobile apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising logic that is executable by a processing unit of the mobile apparatus to present a graphical user interface that displays status information for the battery assembly and that represents the battery assembly as a single battery.

10 . A battery assembly comprising:
multiple different batteries that are positioned in different voids throughout an internal cavity of a device such that at least one of the batteries is physically separated from a different battery of the multiple different batteries by an internal component of the apparatus, the at least one battery having a different capacity and different physical dimensions than the different battery; and a battery interface to which the multiple different batteries are electrically connected, the battery interface combining the power output of the multiple different batteries such that the multiple different batteries are presented to the device as a single power source.

11 . A battery assembly as recited in claim 10 , further comprising at least one resistance device electrically connected between the at least one battery and the battery interface to affect a discharge rate of the at least one battery such that the discharge rate of the at least one battery is approximately equal to a discharge rate of the different battery.

12 . A battery assembly as recited in claim 10 , further comprising at least one resistance device electrically connected between the at least one battery and the battery interface to affect a charge rate of the at least one battery such that the charge rate of the at least one battery is approximately equal to a charge rate of the different battery.

13 . A battery assembly as recited in claim 10 , wherein the multiple different batteries are not directly connected to one another.

14 . A battery assembly as recited in claim 10 , wherein the internal component is not a battery.

15 . A battery assembly as recited in claim 10 , wherein the battery interface is operable to reduce a draw current of the at least one battery to further cause the discharge rate of the at least one battery to be approximately equal to the discharge rate of the different battery.

16 . A battery assembly as recited in claim 10 , further comprising at least one resistance device electrically connected between the at least one battery and the battery interface, and a different resistance device electrically connected between the different battery and the battery interface, the different resistance device having a lower resistance than the at least one resistance device.

17 . A system comprising:
a chassis with an internal cavity that contains internal components of the system; a battery assembly that serves as a power source for the system and that includes multiple different batteries that are positioned in different voids throughout the internal cavity such that at least one of the batteries is physically separated from a different battery of the multiple different batteries by an internal component of the system, the at least one battery having a different capacity than the different battery; one or more processors that are configured to receive power from the battery assembly; and one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations including:
detecting a reduction in a charge level of the at least one battery; and
reducing a draw current from the at least one battery to cause a discharge rate of the at least one battery to be approximately equal to a discharge rate of the different battery.

18 . The system as recited in claim 17 , further comprising a battery interface to which the multiple different batteries are electrically connected, wherein the battery interface is configured to combine current from the multiple different batteries such that the multiple different batteries are utilized by the system as a single integrated power source.

19 . The system as recited in claim 17 , wherein the operations further include:
detecting that a charge rate of the at least one battery deviates from a charge rate for the different battery; and adjusting the charge rate of the battery in response to said detecting.

20 . The system as recited in claim 17 , wherein the operations further include presenting a graphical user interface that displays state information for the battery assembly and that represents the battery assembly as a single battery.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Badam Anirudh
• Chandra Ranveer
• Meinershagen Julia L
• Priyantha Nissanka Arachchige Bodhi
• Hodges Stephen E
• Moscibroda Thomas

Classifications

• H02J7/855

  with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery · CPC title

• H02J7/585

  Sequential battery discharge in systems with a plurality of batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/575

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

• H02J7/485

  with provisions for charging different types of batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/90

  Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage · CPC title