Method and apparatus for charging a battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019097431-A1
Application number	US-201816194711-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Dec 23, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method is provided comprising: detecting a connection between an electronic device and a battery charger; transmitting to the battery charger a first request for at least one of a first voltage level and a first current level; receiving from the battery charger a signal; and charging a battery of the electronic device with the signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method in an electronic device, comprising:
detecting a connection with a battery charger; transmitting to the battery charger a first request for at least one of a first voltage level and a first current level; receiving from the battery charger a signal, wherein the signal is either an echo of the first request, a list of supported signal characteristics, or NACK (Not Acknowledge); and charging a battery of the electronic device in response to the signal.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is a list of supported signal characteristics identifying at least one of (i) a first plurality of voltage levels that the battery charger is capable of providing and (ii) a second plurality of current levels that the battery charger is capable of providing; generating, based on the list, a second request for at least one of a second voltage level and a second current level; and transmitting the second request to the battery charger.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein generating the second request includes retrieving from the list a code corresponding to the second voltage level and inserting the code into the second request.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein generating the second request includes retrieving from the list a code corresponding to the second current level and inserting the code into the second request.

5 . A method in a battery charger, comprising:
detecting a connection with an electronic device; receiving from the electronic device a first request for one of a first voltage level and a first current level; detecting whether the battery charger is capable of outputting a signal having one of the first voltage level and the first current level; and in response to detecting that the battery charger is capable of outputting the signal having one of the first voltage level and the first current level, outputting one of the first voltage level and the first current level to the electronic device.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the first request includes a first voltage level further comprising:
extracting, from the first request, a code corresponding to the first voltage level; and comparing the code against a data structure identifying a plurality of voltage levels that are supported by the battery charger, wherein the data structure is stored in a memory of the battery charger.

7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising, in response to detecting that the battery charger is not capable of outputting the signal having one of the first voltage level and the first current level, transmitting to the electronic device a list of signal characteristics that are supported by the battery charger.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the list includes a first plurality of signal characteristic identifiers and a second plurality of codes corresponding to the signal characteristic identifiers, wherein each one of the first plurality of signal characteristic identifier is mapped to a different one of the second plurality of codes.

9 . An electronic device comprising a processing circuitry configured to:
detect a connection with a battery charger; transmit to the battery charger a first request for at least one of a first voltage level and a first current level; receive from the battery charger a signal, wherein the signal is either an echo of the first request, a list of supported signal characteristics, or NACK (Not Acknowledge); and charge a battery in response to the signal.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
receive the list of supported signal characteristics, the list identifying at least one of (i) a first plurality of voltage levels that the battery charger is capable of providing and (ii) a second plurality of current levels that the battery charger is capable of providing;
generate, based on the list of supported signal characteristics, a second request for at least one of a second voltage level and a second current level; and
transmit the second request to the battery charger.

11 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein generating the second request includes retrieving from the list a code corresponding to the second voltage level and inserting the code into the second request.

12 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein generating the second request includes retrieving from the list a code corresponding to the second current level and inserting the code into the second request.

13 . A battery charger comprising processing circuitry configured to:
detect a connection with an electronic device; receive from the electronic device a first request for a first signal characteristic; detect whether the battery charger is capable of outputting a signal having the first signal characteristic; and in response to detecting that the battery charger is capable of outputting the signal having the first signal characteristic, output the signal to the electronic device.

14 . The battery charger of claim 13 , wherein the first signal characteristic includes a specified voltage level and detecting whether the battery charger is capable of outputting the signal having the first signal characteristic includes:
extracting, from the first request, a code corresponding to the specified voltage level; and comparing the code against a data structure identifying a plurality of voltage levels that are supported by the battery charger, wherein the data structure is stored in a memory of the battery charger.

15 . The battery charger of claim 13 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to, in response to detecting that the battery charger is not capable of outputting the signal having the first signal characteristic, transmit to the electronic device a list of signal characteristics that are supported by the battery charger.

16 . The battery charger of claim 15 , wherein the list includes a first plurality of signal characteristic identifiers and a second plurality of codes corresponding to the signal characteristic identifiers, wherein each one of the first plurality of signal characteristic identifier is mapped to a different one of the second plurality of codes.

17 . The method of claim 1 wherein the signal is NACK, further comprising re-transmitting to the battery charger a second request for at least one of a second voltage level and a second current level.

18 . The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the signal is NACK, the processing circuitry is further configured to re-transmitting to the battery charger a second request for at least one of a second voltage level and a second current level.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Fairchild Korea Semiconductor Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Ku-Chul
• Maier Erik Wilson
• Freitas Oscar
• Lee Kisun
• Yun Chul-Eun
• Lee Kwang-Sub

Classifications

• H02J7/47

  Arrangements for checking compatibility or authentication between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source · CPC title

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J7/92 Primary

  with prioritisation of loads or sources · CPC title

• H02J7/44 Primary

  between battery management systems and power sources · CPC title

• H01M10/4257

  Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries · CPC title