A power supply circuit and a method for estimating remaining power thereof

Abstract

The present application discloses a power supply circuit and a method for estimating the remaining power thereof, wherein the power supply circuit is connected to a load and is used to supply power to the load, and the circuit comprises: a battery module, a positive electrode and a negative electrode; a capacitor connected in parallel between the battery module and the load, and used to supply power to the load, wherein the positive electrode of the capacitor is connected to the positive electrode of the battery module and the load, and the negative electrode of the capacitor is connected to the negative electrode of the battery module and the load; a control switch connected in series between the battery module and the positive electrode or the negative electrode of the capacitor, and used to control the power supply on and off of the battery module; and a power supply management IC, comprising a control terminal, a collection positive electrode and a collection negative electrode, and the control terminal is connected to the controlled terminal of the control switch; the collection positive electrode and the collection negative electrode are respectively connected between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the capacitor, and are used to collect the voltage value of the capacitor and estimate the remaining power of the battery module according to the voltage value. The power supply circuit of the embodiment of the present application can improve the estimation accuracy of the remaining power value of the battery of the electronic device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of power supply, and in particular to a power supply circuit and a method for estimating the remaining power thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the field of electronic devices, in order to better manage electronic devices and ensure stable power supply to ensure normal operation of electronic devices, users need to frequently estimate the remaining power of the battery to avoid power exhaustion.

[0003] The commonly used method for estimating the remaining power is to use the voltage estimation method, which uses the relationship between the voltage value and the power of the battery to estimate the remaining power of the battery by detecting the current voltage value of the battery. However, because the relationship between the voltage and power of different batteries is not completely corresponding, it is difficult to ensure an accurate value.

[0004] In addition, in order to meet storage requirements, one of the solutions for electronic devices is to use lithium-ion batteries as a power supply. However, because lithium-ion batteries have the characteristic of stable power supply voltage, the voltage estimation method cannot be used to estimate the remaining power. The remaining power can only be estimated by calculating the working time or number of loads. It is difficult to obtain a relatively accurate value of the remaining battery power during use. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a power supply circuit and a method for estimating the remaining power of a battery, which can improve the estimation accuracy of the remaining power value of a battery of an electronic device.

[0006] An embodiment of the present application provides a power supply circuit, which is connected to a load and is used to supply power to the load. The circuit includes:

[0007] A battery module, including a positive electrode and a negative electrode;

[0008] A capacitor is connected in parallel between the battery module and the load, and is used to supply power to the load, wherein the positive electrode of the capacitor is connected to the positive electrode of the battery module and the load, and the negative electrode of the capacitor is connected to the negative electrode of the battery module and the load;

[0009] a control switch, connected in series between the battery module and the positive electrode or the negative electrode of the capacitor, for controlling the on and off of power supply to the battery module; and

[0010] The power supply management IC includes a control end, a positive electrode for collecting power and a negative electrode for collecting power. The control end is connected to the controlled end of the control switch. The positive electrode for collecting power and the negative electrode for collecting power are respectively connected between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the capacitor, and are used to collect the voltage value of the capacitor and estimate the remaining power of the battery module according to the voltage value.

[0011] Optionally, the battery module consists of at least one lithium-ion battery.

[0012] Optionally, the control switch is a MOS tube;

[0013] The gate of the MOS tube is connected to the control terminal of the power management IC;

[0014] The drain and source of the MOS tube are connected between the battery module and the positive electrode of the capacitor; or the drain and source of the MOS tube are connected between the battery module and the negative electrode of the capacitor.

[0015] Optionally, the MOS tube is an N-channel MOS tube;

[0016] The source electrode of the MOS tube is connected to the positive electrode of the capacitor and the positive electrode of the load;

[0017] The drain of the MOS tube is connected to the positive electrode of the battery module.

[0018] Optionally, the control end of the power management IC is arranged between the MOS tube and the positive electrode of the capacitor.

[0019] The present application also provides a remaining power estimation method, which is applied to the power supply circuit as described in any one of the above items, and the method includes:

[0020] Obtaining a current voltage value of a capacitor and a complete discharge number of the capacitor;

[0021] estimating the power consumption value of the capacitor according to the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges;

[0022] The estimated remaining power value of the battery module is obtained according to the power consumption value of the capacitor and the total power value of the battery module.

[0023] Optionally, before obtaining the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor, the method further includes:

[0024] Determining the fully charged voltage value of the capacitor when the charging action is completed;

[0025] Determining a required charging voltage value of the capacitor for triggering a charging action;

[0026] The calibrated power value of the capacitor in a complete discharge cycle is obtained according to the full-charge voltage value and the required-charging voltage value.

[0027] Optionally, estimating the power consumption value of the capacitor according to the current voltage value and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor includes:

[0028] Obtaining a current power consumption value of the capacitor according to a current voltage value of the capacitor;

[0029] Determining a historical power consumption value of the capacitor according to the number of complete discharges and the calibrated power value;

[0030] The current power consumption value is added to the historical power consumption value to estimate the power consumption value of the capacitor.

[0031] Optionally, before obtaining the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor, the method further includes:

[0032] Get the current voltage value of the capacitor;

[0033] Determining whether the current voltage value is equal to or less than the required charging voltage value of the capacitor for triggering a charging action;

[0034] If yes, then control the control switch to turn on, so that the battery module charges the capacitor, and the count of the number of complete discharges increases by 1;

[0035] If not, the control switch is controlled to be closed so that the battery module and the capacitor are in a disconnected state.

[0036] Optionally, the load includes a working state and a standby state;

[0037] Before obtaining the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor, the method further includes:

[0038] When the load needs to switch from the standby state to the working state, determining whether the control switch is in the on state;

[0039] If yes, then controlling to close the control switch;

[0040] When the load switches from the working state back to the standby state, the control switch is turned on again.

[0041] As can be seen from the above, the power supply circuit and the remaining power estimation method in the present application are to set a capacitor in parallel with the battery module, use the capacitor to power the load, and detect the voltage of the capacitor through the power management IC to estimate the remaining power of the battery module according to the power consumption of the capacitor. Estimating the remaining power of a capacitor with a smaller capacity can be more accurate than the result obtained by directly estimating the remaining power of the battery module, thereby improving the estimation accuracy of the remaining power value of the battery of the electronic device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1A schematic diagram of the structure of the power supply circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] Figure 2 Another schematic diagram of the structure of the power supply circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] Figure 3 A flowchart for implementing the remaining power estimation method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Figure 4 A flowchart for implementing the on-off control of a control switch provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Figure 5 Another implementation flow chart of the switch on / off control provided in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that the advantages and features of the present application can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, thereby making a clearer definition of the protection scope of the present application.

[0048] See also Figure 1-2 , the figure shows the structure of the power supply circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the power supply circuit 10 includes a battery module 1, a capacitor 2, a control switch and a power supply management IC 4.

[0050] The battery module 1, including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, is mainly used to charge the capacitor 2, and in some cases can also be used as a power source to power the load 5. The battery module 1 can use various types and specifications of batteries according to actual needs, such as lithium-ion batteries, alkaline batteries, nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion / lithium polymer batteries, etc., which are not enumerated here. In the embodiment of the present application, in order to meet the storage and use requirements of the device, at least one lithium-ion battery can be used to form the battery module 1.

[0051] The capacitor 2 is connected in parallel between the battery module 1 and the load 5 to supply power to the load 5 . The positive electrode of the capacitor 2 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery module 1 and the load 5 , and the negative electrode of the capacitor 2 is connected to the negative electrode of the battery module 1 and the load 5 .

[0052] Specifically, the capacitance value of the capacitor 2 can be determined according to the power of the load 5. If the power consumption of the load 5 is small, a smaller capacitor 2 can be used. Conversely, if the power consumption of the load 5 is large, a larger capacitor 2 can be used to ensure the normal operation of the load 5.

[0053] The control switch is connected in series between the positive electrode or negative electrode of the battery module 1 and the capacitor 2, and is used to control the power supply of the battery module 1. The control switch is used to control the charging process of the battery module 1 for charging the capacitor 2. Of course, it can also be used to control the power supply process of the battery module 1.

[0054] In some embodiments, a MOS tube or a triode may be used as a control switch. The MOS tube may be an N-channel MOS tube or a P-channel MOS tube, etc. The specific model of the control switch may be selected according to actual conditions.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown in the figure, an N-channel MOS tube is used as a control switch, and the gate of the MOS tube is connected to the control terminal of the power management IC4 to be controlled by the power management IC4. The drain and source of the MOS tube can be connected between the battery module 1 and the positive electrode of the capacitor 2 to control the charging process between the battery module 1 and the capacitor 2. In another case, the drain and source of the MOS tube can also be connected between the battery module 1 and the negative electrode of the capacitor 2. Of course, the specific pin connection method can be changed according to different options.

[0056] The power supply management IC4 includes a control end, a collection positive electrode and a collection negative electrode. The control end is connected to the controlled end of the control switch; the collection positive electrode and the collection negative electrode are respectively connected between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the capacitor 2, and are used to collect the voltage value of the capacitor 2 and estimate the remaining power of the battery module 1 according to the voltage value.

[0057] The power supply management IC4 can estimate the charge of the capacitor 2 by detecting the voltage value of the capacitor 2 using the voltage estimation method. Since the capacitance value of the capacitor 2 is a certain value and its storage capacity is smaller than the storage capacity of the battery module 1, the relationship between the charge value and the voltage value of the capacitor 2 is relatively certain, and it is easy to obtain a more accurate charge value by detecting the voltage value of the capacitor 2.

[0058] The power management IC 4 detects the voltage value of the capacitor 2 to estimate the power value of the capacitor 2, charges the capacitor 2 with the battery module 1 when the capacitor 2 is exhausted, and disconnects the battery module 1 when the capacitor 2 is fully charged. The capacitor 2 can be regarded as a complete discharge cycle from a fully charged state to an exhausted state.

[0059] Since the battery module 1 only charges the capacitor 2 , by detecting the current power value of the capacitor 2 and the number of complete discharges, the power consumption value of the battery module 1 can be obtained more accurately, and then the remaining power value of the battery module 1 can be obtained.

[0060] As can be seen from the above, the power supply circuit in the present application sets a capacitor in parallel with the battery module, uses the capacitor to power the load, and detects the voltage of the capacitor through the power management IC to estimate the remaining power of the battery module according to the power consumption of the capacitor. Estimating the remaining power of a capacitor with a smaller capacity can be more accurate than the result obtained by directly estimating the remaining power of the battery module, thereby improving the estimation accuracy of the remaining power value of the battery of the electronic device.

[0061] See also Figure 3 , the figure shows the remaining power estimation method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0062] like Figure 3 As shown, the remaining power estimation method is applied to Figure 1-2 The specific embodiment of the power supply circuit can refer to Figure 1-2 Any of the above embodiments mentioned.

[0063] The remaining power estimation method can be executed by a power management IC in a power supply circuit, and includes the following implementation steps:

[0064] 101. Obtain the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor.

[0065] The current voltage value of the capacitor can be obtained through the power management IC. The number of complete discharges can be marked with the number of complete discharges each time the capacitor is charged. The number of complete discharges can be reset after the battery module is updated to ensure accurate counting.

[0066] In some embodiments, before obtaining the complete discharge times of the capacitor, the method may further include:

[0067] Determine the full-charge voltage value of the capacitor when the charging action is completed; determine the required charging voltage value of the capacitor for triggering the charging action; and obtain the calibrated power value of the capacitor in a complete discharge cycle based on the full-charge voltage value and the required charging voltage value.

[0068] The full-charge voltage value and the required charging voltage value can be determined according to the actual specifications of the capacitor, so as to manage the charging and discharging of the capacitor by setting specific parameters.

[0069] For example, the full-charge voltage value is set to a voltage value VH, and the required charging voltage value is set to a voltage value VL. The calibrated charge value of the capacitor can be determined according to the capacitance value of the capacitor and the voltage difference (VH-VL).

[0070] After the above calibration of the power value of the capacitor, the device can more accurately estimate the remaining power value of the battery module through the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges.

[0071] 102. Estimate the power consumption of the capacitor based on the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges.

[0072] Among them, the current voltage value of the capacitor can be estimated by a voltage estimation method.

[0073] Before estimating, the conversion relationship between the voltage value and the electric quantity value of the capacitor can be preset according to the test result, and the current voltage value of the capacitor can be converted into the current electric quantity value according to the conversion relationship.

[0074] The process from a fully charged state to a fully exhausted state of the capacitor can be regarded as a complete discharge cycle. When the capacitor completes a complete discharge cycle, it can be regarded as one complete discharge number.

[0075] The power management IC may have a built-in counter, and when a complete discharge is detected, it may be recorded once, so that the complete discharge times of the device can be obtained by reading the counter.

[0076] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 2 First, the capacitor SPC is calibrated, that is, the calibration power value ΔQ when the full-charge voltage value VH of the capacitor SPC in the fully charged state is discharged to the required charging voltage value VL. The calibration process can be determined in combination with the capacitance value of the capacitor SPC.

[0077] A counter N is set internally. Every time a complete discharge cycle is completed, N is increased by 1. In this way, the power consumed by the completed complete discharge cycle can be estimated through N*ΔQ.

[0078] It can be understood that by adding the power value consumed in the completed full discharge cycle to the current power value of the capacitor, the power consumption value of the capacitor can be obtained.

[0079] 103. Obtain an estimated remaining power value of the battery module according to the power consumption value of the capacitor and the total power value of the battery module.

[0080] The total power value of the battery module is fixed and is related to the capacity of the battery module. By subtracting the power consumption value of the capacitor from the total power value of the battery module, the estimated remaining power value of the battery module can be obtained.

[0081] As can be seen from the above, the power supply circuit in the present application sets a capacitor in parallel with the battery module, uses the capacitor to power the load, and detects the voltage of the capacitor through the power management IC to estimate the remaining power of the battery module according to the power consumption of the capacitor. Estimating the remaining power of a capacitor with a smaller capacity can be more accurate than the result obtained by directly estimating the remaining power of the battery module, thereby improving the estimation accuracy of the remaining power value of the battery of the electronic device.

[0082] See also Figure 4 , the figure shows the implementation process of the switch opening and closing control provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0083] like Figure 4 As shown, in some cases, the power consumption of the capacitor is difficult to determine. In order to obtain a more accurate remaining power value through the number of complete discharges, before obtaining the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor, the following may also be included:

[0084] 201. Obtain the current voltage value of the capacitor.

[0085] 202. Determine whether the current voltage value is equal to or less than the required charging voltage value of the capacitor for triggering a charging action.

[0086] The required charging voltage value may be a voltage value when the capacitor is exhausted. The required charging voltage value may be determined according to the component characteristics of the capacitance value. Different capacitors of different specifications may correspond to different required charging voltage values.

[0087] In some embodiments, a preset voltage value required for charging may be obtained first, and then the current voltage value may be compared with the voltage value required for charging.

[0088] 203. If yes, the control switch is turned on to enable the battery module to charge the capacitor and the count of the number of complete discharges is increased by 1.

[0089] When the current voltage value is equal to or less than the required charging voltage value, it means that the capacitor has been exhausted and the battery module needs to be charged. At this time, the control switch can be turned on to connect the battery module and the capacitor and transfer the power of the battery module to the capacitor. At this time, because it is confirmed that the capacitor has been exhausted and a full discharge cycle has been completed, the count of the number of complete discharges can be increased by 1, so that the number of complete discharges can be retrieved when the remaining power value needs to be estimated.

[0090] 204. If not, the control switch is controlled to be closed so that the battery module and the capacitor are disconnected.

[0091] When the current voltage value is greater than the voltage value to be charged, it means that the power of the capacitor has not been consumed. At this time, the control switch is kept closed and the load continues to be powered by the capacitor.

[0092] In some embodiments, please combine Figure 2 , including the following judgment steps.

[0093] S1: When the voltage of the capacitor SPC is greater than the required charging voltage VL, the capacitor SPC is in a dischargeable state, and the control switch Q1 is turned off;

[0094] S2: When the voltage of the capacitor SPC is lower than the required charging voltage VL, the capacitor SPC is in a charging state, and the control switch Q1 is turned on;

[0095] S3: When the voltage of the capacitor SPC is higher than the full-charge voltage value VH, the capacitor SPC is fully charged, and then the control switch Q1 is turned off to enter the S1 state;

[0096] From the above, it can be seen that by judging the relationship between the current voltage value in the capacitor and the voltage value to be charged and the fully charged voltage value, and thereby controlling the charging process of the capacitor by the battery module, the remaining power value estimated based on the number of complete discharges can be made more accurate.

[0097] See also Figure 5 , the figure shows another implementation process of the switch opening and closing control provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0098] In some cases, if the load has a working power demand while the battery module is controlling the charging of the capacitor, if the battery module charges the capacitor while supplying power to the load, it is easy to make inaccurate estimates when calculating the remaining power value based on the capacitor.

[0099] In order to solve the above problems, Figure 5 As shown, the load includes a working state and a standby state; before obtaining the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor, it also includes:

[0100] 301. When the load needs to switch from the standby state to the working state, determine whether the control switch is in the on state.

[0101] Among them, by judging whether the control switch is in the on state, it can be judged whether the capacitor is in the charging state at this time, so as to avoid the conflict between the charging of the capacitor and the power consumption of the load, resulting in inaccurate estimation of the remaining power value.

[0102] For example, in a satellite positioning transmitter, the transmitter generally only needs to report / download positioning data at certain times. At this time, the power management IC can be used to determine whether the flag bit related to the control switch is an indicator that the control switch is turned on, thereby determining whether the control switch is turned on.

[0103] 302. If yes, then control the control switch to be turned off.

[0104] In order to avoid inaccurate estimation of the remaining power value, the control switch can be turned off at this time to cut off the charging process of the capacitor, and the capacitor is used to supply power to the load, so as to ensure that the power used by the load is provided by the capacitor.

[0105] 303. When the load switches from the working state to the standby state, the control switch is turned on again.

[0106] When the load receives a signal to switch back to the standby state, the power management IC can detect the switching action of the load and then reopen the control switch to continue the charging process of the capacitor until the charging is completed.

[0107] From the above, it can be seen that by controlling the control switch in the load working scenario, the capacitor charging process is controlled to ensure that the load power is provided by the capacitor, thereby ensuring that the remaining power value estimated based on the capacitor power consumption has a high accuracy.

[0108] The implementation modes of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above implementation modes, and various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of ordinary technicians in the field without departing from the purpose of the present application.

Claims

1. A power supply circuit, the power supply circuit being connected to a load and used to supply power to the load, characterized in that: The circuit comprises: A battery module, including a positive electrode and a negative electrode; A capacitor is connected in parallel between the battery module and the load, and is used to supply power to the load, wherein the positive electrode of the capacitor is connected to the positive electrode of the battery module and the load, and the negative electrode of the capacitor is connected to the negative electrode of the battery module and the load; a control switch, connected in series between the battery module and the positive electrode or the negative electrode of the capacitor, for controlling the on and off of power supply to the battery module; and A power management IC, comprising a control end, a positive electrode for collecting power and a negative electrode for collecting power, wherein the control end is connected to the controlled end of the control switch; the positive electrode for collecting power and the negative electrode for collecting power are respectively connected between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the capacitor, and are used to collect the voltage value of the capacitor and estimate the remaining power of the battery module according to the voltage value; The battery module is composed of at least one lithium-ion battery; The control switch is a MOS tube; The gate of the MOS tube is connected to the control terminal of the power management IC; The drain and source of the MOS tube are connected between the battery module and the positive electrode of the capacitor; or the drain and source of the MOS tube are connected between the battery module and the negative electrode of the capacitor.

2. The power supply circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MOS tube is an N-channel MOS tube; The source electrode of the MOS tube is connected to the positive electrode of the capacitor and the positive electrode of the load; The drain of the MOS tube is connected to the positive electrode of the battery module.

3. The power supply circuit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The control end of the power supply management IC is arranged between the MOS tube and the positive electrode of the capacitor.

4. A method for estimating remaining power, applied to a power supply circuit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtaining a current voltage value of a capacitor and a complete discharge number of the capacitor; estimating the power consumption value of the capacitor according to the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges; Obtaining an estimated remaining power value of the battery module according to the power consumption value of the capacitor and the total power value of the battery module; The estimating the power consumption value of the capacitor according to the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges includes: Obtain the rated capacity value of the capacitor in a complete discharge cycle; Obtaining a current power consumption value of the capacitor according to a current voltage value of the capacitor; Determining a historical power consumption value of the capacitor according to the number of complete discharges and the calibrated power value; The current power consumption value is added to the historical power consumption value to estimate the power consumption value of the capacitor.

5. The method for estimating remaining power according to claim 4, characterized in that: Before obtaining the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor, the method further includes: Determining the fully charged voltage value of the capacitor when the charging action is completed; Determining a required charging voltage value of the capacitor for triggering a charging action; According to the full-charge voltage value and the required-charging voltage value, a calibrated power value of the capacitor in a complete discharge cycle is obtained.

6. The method for estimating remaining power according to claim 4, characterized in that: Before obtaining the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor, the method further includes: Get the current voltage value of the capacitor; Determining whether the current voltage value is equal to or less than the required charging voltage value of the capacitor for triggering a charging action; If yes, then control the control switch to turn on, so that the battery module charges the capacitor, and the count of the number of complete discharges increases by 1; If not, the control switch is controlled to be closed so that the battery module and the capacitor are in a disconnected state.

7. The method for estimating remaining power according to claim 4, characterized in that: The load includes a working state and a standby state; Before obtaining the current voltage value of the capacitor and the number of complete discharges of the capacitor, the method further includes: When the load needs to switch from the standby state to the working state, determining whether the control switch is in the on state; If yes, then controlling to close the control switch; When the load switches from the working state back to the standby state, the control switch is turned on again.

Images