Electronic devices

Abstract

The present application discloses an electronic device, belonging to the field of charging technology. The electronic device includes a processor, a charging controller and a battery. The processor is connected to the battery, and the processor is used to measure the charging parameters of the battery and send the charging parameters to the charging controller, and the charging parameters include charging current and / or battery voltage; the charging controller is connected to the processor, and the charging controller is used to receive the charging parameters and output control information to the power adapter according to the charging parameters, and the control information is used to instruct the power adapter to adjust the output current and / or voltage according to the control information. The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can realize the indication of the power adapter with a relatively low hardware cost, so that the power adapter adjusts its own output current and / or voltage according to the indication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of charging technology, and in particular to an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] At present, with the development of science and technology, electronic devices such as smart phones have become more and more common in people's daily lives. Among them, electronic devices are equipped with batteries. Usually, the batteries in the electronic devices can be charged through power adapters to provide the electronic devices with the power required for normal operation.

[0003] The battery charging process may include multiple charging stages, for example, the multiple charging stages may include a constant current charging stage and a constant voltage charging stage, etc. In each charging stage, the electronic device needs to output control information to the power adapter, so as to use the control information to instruct the power adapter to adjust the current and / or voltage outputted by itself. Currently, how to implement the instruction to the power adapter with a relatively low hardware cost so that the power adapter adjusts the current and / or voltage outputted by itself according to the instruction is a relatively critical issue. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an electronic device in order to provide instructions to a power adapter at a relatively low hardware cost so that the power adapter can adjust its output current and / or voltage according to the instructions.

[0005] Among them, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes a processor, a charging controller and a battery.

[0006] The processor is connected to the battery, and is used to measure the charging parameters of the battery and send the charging parameters to the charging controller, where the charging parameters include charging current and / or battery voltage; the charging controller is connected to the processor, and is used to receive the charging parameters and output control information to the power adapter according to the charging parameters, where the control information is used to instruct the power adapter to adjust the output current and / or voltage according to the control information.

[0007] The beneficial effects brought by the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application include at least:

[0008] By using the processor of the electronic device to measure the charging parameters of the battery, wherein the charging parameters include the charging current and / or the battery voltage, and using the charging controller to output control information to the power adapter according to the charging parameters measured by the processor, the control information is used to instruct the power adapter to adjust the output current and / or voltage according to the control information. Since the processor and the charging controller are both inherent and indispensable components in the electronic device, wherein the processor is used to provide processing capabilities for the electronic device, and the charging controller is used to control the charging process of the battery, therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the electronic device only needs to use its inherent and indispensable components to implement the instruction to the power adapter, so that the power adapter adjusts its own output current and / or voltage according to the instruction. Compared with the method of requiring an additional fuel meter chip in the prior art, the electronic device provided in the embodiment of the present application includes fewer components, so its hardware cost is relatively low. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0010] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0011] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0012] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of another battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of another battery provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the implementation methods of the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Generally, the electronic device needs to output control information to the power adapter at each charging stage of the battery, so as to use the control information to instruct the power adapter to adjust the current and / or voltage output by itself. In the related art, a fuel gauge chip can be provided in the electronic device, and the fuel gauge chip is connected to the battery to measure the charging current and / or battery voltage of the battery. The electronic device can output the above control information to the power adapter according to the charging current and / or battery voltage measured by the fuel gauge chip, thereby instructing the power adapter to adjust the current and / or voltage output by it.

[0019] However, additionally providing a power meter chip in an electronic device will bring about a high hardware cost. Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which can realize the control of the electronic device over a power adapter with a relatively low hardware cost.

[0020] Please refer to Figure 1 , which shows a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the electronic device in the embodiment of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, an e-book reader, and other electronic devices with charging function that need to charge the battery.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device may include a processor 101 , a charging controller 102 and a battery D. The processor 101 may be connected to the battery D, and the charging controller 102 may be connected to the processor 101 .

[0022] The processor 101 is used to measure the charging parameters of the battery D and send the charging parameters to the charging controller 102. The charging parameters include the charging current and / or the battery voltage. The charging controller 102 is used to receive the charging parameters and output control information to the power adapter according to the charging parameters. The control information is used to instruct the power adapter to adjust the output current and / or voltage according to the control information.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present application, the processor 101 may be an application processor, which is used to provide processing capabilities for the operation of an operating system and an application program in an electronic device. Optionally, an analog-to-digital conversion circuit (ADC) may be integrated in the processor 101, and the analog-to-digital conversion circuit may measure the charging parameters of the battery D. In practical applications, the analog-to-digital conversion circuit may sample the charging current and / or battery voltage of the battery D, and obtain the charging current and / or battery voltage of the battery D according to the sampling results.

[0024] The charging controller 102 may communicate with the power adapter during the charging process of the battery D, and the charging controller 102 may output the above control information to the power adapter based on the communication with the power adapter.

[0025] Battery D can generally be composed of a battery cell, a battery protection circuit, a battery pin and a casing, wherein the battery cell is the core component of the battery, used to store and output electrical energy, which determines the performance of the battery. The battery protection circuit is used to disconnect the line between the battery cell and the external components of the battery in the event of an abnormality in the battery (for example, a battery short circuit), thereby protecting the battery cell from damage. The battery pin refers to the positive and negative output pins of the battery. The external components of the battery can be connected to the battery through the battery pin to receive the electrical energy output by the battery through the battery pin. The battery cell and the battery protection circuit can be arranged in the battery casing.

[0026] In the embodiment of the present application, the battery D may include a single battery cell or multiple battery cells. When the battery D includes multiple battery cells, the multiple battery cells may be connected to each other in series or in parallel.

[0027] The electronic device provided in the embodiment of the present application can use a processor to measure the charging parameters of a battery, wherein the charging parameters include a charging current and / or a battery voltage, and can use a charging controller to output control information to a power adapter according to the charging parameters measured by the processor, wherein the control information is used to instruct the power adapter to adjust the output current and / or voltage according to the control information. Since the processor and the charging controller are both inherent and indispensable components in the electronic device, wherein the processor is used to provide processing capabilities for the electronic device, and the charging controller is used to control the charging process of the battery, therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the electronic device only needs to use its inherent and indispensable components to implement the instruction to the power adapter, so that the power adapter adjusts its own output current and / or voltage according to the instruction. Compared with the method in the prior art that requires an additional fuel meter chip to be set, the electronic device provided in the embodiment of the present application includes fewer components, so its hardware cost is relatively low.

[0028] In addition, in the process of charging the battery, the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present application only needs to communicate between the processor and the charging controller, so its process is relatively simple, and the complexity of the communication protocol between the components involved is relatively low. If other components are additionally set in the electronic device, the processor and the charging controller not only need to communicate with each other, but also need to communicate with the additional components respectively. Therefore, its process is relatively complex, and the complexity of the communication protocol between the components involved is relatively high. In other words, in the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present application, in the process of charging the battery, the process of communication between components is relatively simple, and the complexity of the communication protocol between components is relatively low.

[0029] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the processor 101 may calculate the power of the battery D according to the charging current and the battery voltage, and then the processor 101 may output the calculated power so that the electronic device can display the power of the battery D. For example, the electronic device can display the power of the battery D through a display screen. In this way, the user can understand the charging progress of the battery D.

[0030] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the processor 101 may obtain the working status of the charging controller 102 , for example, the processor 101 may periodically receive working status report information sent by the charging controller 102 , wherein the working status report information is used to indicate the working status of the charging controller 102 .

[0031] The working state of the charging controller 102 may include a normal state and an abnormal state. Generally, if all parameters of the charging controller 102 used to characterize the working state are within a normal range, the charging controller 102 is in a normal state. If one or more parameters of the charging controller 102 used to characterize the working state are not within a normal range, the charging controller 102 is in an abnormal state. For example, if the temperature value of the charging controller 102 is not within a normal range, that is, if the temperature of the charging controller 102 is too high, the charging controller 102 is in an abnormal state. For another example, if the current value inside the charging controller 102 is not within a normal range, that is, if the current value inside the charging controller 102 is too high, the charging controller 102 is in an abnormal state.

[0032] When the processor 101 determines that the working state of the charging controller 102 is abnormal, the processor 101 can shut down the charging controller 102. By shutting down the charging controller 102 when the charging controller 102 is in an abnormal state, damage to the battery D caused by the abnormality of the charging controller 102 can be avoided.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 2 In an optional embodiment of the present application, the electronic device described above may further include a measuring resistor 103, wherein the measuring resistor 103 is connected in series with the battery D, and the processor 101 is connected in parallel with the measuring resistor 103. Optionally, in the case where the processor 101 is integrated with an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, the processor 101 and the measuring resistor 103 are connected in parallel may refer to: the analog-to-digital conversion circuit integrated in the processor 101 is connected in parallel with the measuring resistor 103.

[0034] Since the processor 101 is connected in parallel with the measuring resistor 103, the processor 101 can measure the voltage across the measuring resistor 103. After measuring the voltage, the processor 101 can calculate the charging current according to the measured voltage and the resistance value of the measuring resistor 103. Optionally, the processor 101 can calculate the charging current using Ohm's law.

[0035] Optionally, when the processor 101 is integrated with an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, the analog-to-digital conversion circuit can measure the voltage across the measuring resistor 103. After the analog-to-digital conversion circuit measures the voltage, the processing core of the processor 101 can calculate the charging current based on the voltage measured by the analog-to-digital conversion circuit and the resistance value of the measuring resistor. The processing core in English is core, which is the most important component of the processor. All calculation and processing functions of the processor are implemented by the processing core. Currently, the more common saying "dual-core mobile phone" refers to the fact that the processor of the mobile phone has two processing cores.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 3 In one embodiment of the present application, the processor 101 may be connected in parallel with the battery cells of the battery D. Optionally, in the case where the battery D includes multiple battery cells, the processor 101 may be connected in parallel with the multiple battery cells. It should be noted that when the multiple battery cells are connected to each other in parallel, the processor 101 may be connected in parallel with each of the multiple battery cells. When the multiple battery cells are connected to each other in series, the processor 101 may be connected in parallel with the multiple battery cells in series. In this parallel relationship, the multiple battery cells in series may be connected in parallel with the processor 101 as a whole as a circuit structure. Optionally, in the case where the processor 101 is integrated with an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, the processor 101 being connected in parallel with the battery cells of the battery D may refer to: the analog-to-digital conversion circuit integrated in the processor 101 is connected in parallel with the battery cells of the battery D.

[0037] Since the processor 101 is connected in parallel with the battery cell of the battery D, the processor 101 can measure the voltage across the battery cell, thereby obtaining the voltage across the battery cell through the measurement of the processor 101, and the processor 101 can use the measured voltage across the battery cell as the battery voltage. Optionally, in the case where the processor 101 is integrated with an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, the analog-to-digital conversion circuit in the processor 101 can measure the voltage across the battery cell of the battery D.

[0038] In an optional embodiment of the present application, line c1 between the processor 101 and the positive pole of the battery cell prohibits current from passing through, and at the same time, line c2 between the processor 101 and the negative pole of the battery cell also prohibits current from passing through. In other words, the line between the processor 101 and the positive pole of the battery cell and the line between the processor 101 and the negative pole of the battery cell are not lines used for the battery cell to output electrical energy.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 4 , which is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of battery D, such as Figure 4 As shown, the battery D may include a battery cell x, a VBAT+ pin, a GND pin and a battery protection circuit B, wherein the VBAT+ pin is the positive pin of the battery D, the GND pin is the ground pin of the battery D, the positive electrode of the battery cell x is connected to the VBAT+ pin, the negative electrode of the battery cell x is connected to the GND pin, and the battery protection circuit B is connected to the line between the battery cell x and the GND pin. The battery protection circuit B can cut off the line between the battery cell x and the GND pin when the battery D is in an abnormal state (such as a short circuit state), thereby protecting the battery cell x from damage.

[0040] Normally, electronic devices can use the voltage between the VBAT+ pin and the GND pin as the battery voltage of battery D. However, since current flows through the line between the cell x and the GND pin, and current flows through the line between the cell x and the VBAT+ pin, the resistance of the line between the cell x and the GND pin and the line between the cell x and the VBAT+ pin will cause a voltage drop on the voltage output by the cell x. Due to the voltage drop, the voltage between the VBAT+ pin and the GND pin is not equal to the actual voltage output by the cell x. Therefore, using the voltage between the VBAT+ pin and the GND pin as the battery voltage of battery D is not accurate.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, the processor 101 can be connected in parallel with the battery cell of battery D, and the line c1 between the processor 101 and the positive electrode of the battery cell and the line c2 between the processor 101 and the negative electrode of the battery cell prohibit current from passing through. Therefore, the line c1 between the processor 101 and the positive electrode of the battery cell and the line c2 between the processor 101 and the negative electrode of the battery cell will not produce a voltage drop on the voltage output by the battery cell of battery D. Therefore, the voltage across the battery cell measured by the processor 101 is the voltage actually output by the battery cell. Therefore, the battery voltage measured by the processor 101 is more accurate.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 5 , which shows a schematic diagram of the processor 101 being connected in parallel with the battery cell x of the battery D.

[0043] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the line c1 between the processor 101 and the positive electrode of the battery cell and / or the line c2 between the processor 101 and the negative electrode of the battery cell described above may be connected to the battery protection circuit B. Figure 6Optionally, the line c2 between the negative electrode of the battery cell x and the processor 101 may be connected to the battery protection circuit B. In the embodiment of the present application, the battery protection circuit B may cut off the line connected to the battery protection circuit B when the battery D is in an abnormal state (e.g., a short circuit state), thereby protecting the battery cell x from damage. For example, the battery protection circuit B may cut off the line c2 between the processor 101 and the negative electrode of the battery cell when the battery D is in an abnormal state.

[0044] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the electronic device may further include a power interface, and the power interface is used for the power adapter to charge the battery D. The power interface may be a parallel port or a serial port for transmitting electric energy, for example, the power interface may be a USB 2.0 port, a Micro USB port, a lightning port, or a USB TYPE-C port, etc. It should be noted that in some embodiments of the present application, the power interface may be used to transmit data in addition to transmitting electric energy.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 7 Optionally, the electronic device may include a power interface 104, the power interface 104 includes a data signal pin, the charging controller 102 is connected to the data signal pin, and the charging controller 102 can send the above-mentioned control information to the power adapter through the data signal pin.

[0046] Taking the power interface 104 as a USB interface as an example, the power interface 104 may include data signal pins D+ and D-, wherein the data signal pins D+ and D- are used to transmit differential data signals, and the charging controller 102 can be connected to the data signal pins D+ and D- through a USB switch, and the charging controller 102 can send the above control information to the power adapter in the form of differential signals through the data signal pins D+ and D-.

[0047] Please continue to refer to Figure 7 The power interface 104 further includes an electrical signal pin, wherein the electrical signal pin is connected to the battery D, and the charging controller 102 can control the disconnection and connection of the line between the electrical signal pin and the battery D. For example, the charging controller 102 can control the connection of the line between the electrical signal pin and the battery D at the beginning of charging, and for another example, the charging controller 102 can control the disconnection of the line between the electrical signal pin and the battery D at the end of charging, and for another example, the charging controller 102 can control the disconnection of the line between the electrical signal pin and the battery D when the temperature of the battery D is higher than a preset temperature threshold.

[0048] Taking the power interface 104 as a USB interface as an example, the power interface 104 may include an electrical signal pin VBUS, the electrical signal pin VBUS is connected to the battery D, and the charging controller 102 can control the disconnection and connection of the line between the electrical signal pin VBUS and the battery D.

[0049] It should be pointed out that the above Figures 1 to 7 The circuit structures shown in the figure can be arbitrarily combined to form the electronic device protected by the embodiments of the present application.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 8 , which shows Figures 1 to 7 A schematic diagram of an exemplary electronic device formed by combining certain circuit structures in FIG.

[0051] like Figure 8 As shown, the electronic device may include a battery D, a processor 101 , a charging controller 102 , a measuring resistor 103 , and a power interface 104 .

[0052] The processor 101 is integrated with an analog-to-digital conversion circuit ADC, wherein the analog-to-digital conversion circuit ADC is connected in parallel with the measuring resistor 103, and the analog-to-digital conversion circuit ADC is respectively connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery cell of the battery D. The processor 101 is used to measure the charging parameters of the battery D, wherein the charging parameters include the charging current and / or the battery voltage.

[0053] The charging controller 102 and the processor 101 are connected via the clock signal interface AP_CLK of the processor 101 and the data signal interface AP_DATA of the processor 101. The processor 101 can send charging parameters to the charging controller 102 through the connection with the charging controller.

[0054] The power interface 104 may be a USB interface, and the power interface 104 may include an electrical signal pin VBUS and data signal pins D+ and D−.

[0055] The electrical signal pin VBUS is connected in series with the measuring resistor 103 and the battery D, and the charging controller 102 is connected to the switch G1 arranged on the line between the electrical signal pin VBUS and the battery D. The charging controller 102 is used to control the disconnection and connection of the switch G1.

[0056] The data signal pins D+ and D- are connected to the charging controller 102 through a USB switch, wherein the line connected to the data signal pin D- is the data line DM, and the line connected to the data signal pin D+ is the data line DP. The charging controller 102 can generate control information based on the charging parameters sent by the processor 101, and then the charging controller 102 can send the control information to the power adapter through the data signal pins D+ and D-.

[0057] An embodiment of the present application also provides a charging system, which includes the electronic device and a power adapter described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0058] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be an electrical connection or a communication connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0059] In addition, "and / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the existence of A alone, B alone, and the existence of both A and B. The symbol " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0060] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0061] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device includes a processor, a charging controller and a battery; the processor is an application processor for providing processing power for the operation of an operating system and application programs in the electronic device; The processor is connected to the battery, and is used to measure the charging parameters of the battery and send the charging parameters to the charging controller, wherein the charging parameters include the charging current and / or the battery voltage; wherein the processor is used to measure the voltage across the battery cell of the battery and use the measured voltage as the battery voltage; the processor is also used to calculate the power of the battery according to the charging current and the battery voltage, and output the power; The charging controller is connected to the processor, and is used to receive the charging parameters and output control information to the power adapter according to the charging parameters, wherein the control information is used to instruct the power adapter to adjust the output current and / or voltage according to the control information.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processor is integrated with an analog-to-digital conversion circuit; The analog-to-digital conversion circuit is used to measure the charging parameters of the battery.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The electronic device also includes a measuring resistor connected in series with the battery; The processor is connected in parallel with the measuring resistor, and is used to measure the voltage across the measuring resistor and calculate the charging current according to the measured voltage and the resistance value of the measuring resistor.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The processor is connected in parallel with the battery cells.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The circuit between the processor and the positive electrode of the battery cell and the circuit between the processor and the negative electrode of the battery cell are both prohibited from passing current.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The line between the processor and the positive electrode of the battery cell and / or the line between the processor and the negative electrode of the battery cell is connected to a battery protection circuit, and the battery protection circuit is used to cut off the line connected to the battery protection circuit when the battery is in an abnormal state.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The amount of electricity is used for the electronic device to perform display.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic device further comprises a power interface, the power interface is used for the power adapter to charge the battery, the power interface comprises a data signal pin, and the charging controller is connected to the data signal pin; The charging controller is used to send the control information to the power adapter through the data signal pin.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The power interface also includes an electrical signal pin, and the electrical signal pin is connected to the battery; The charging controller is also used to control the disconnection and connection of the line between the electrical signal pin and the battery.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processor is further configured to shut down the charging controller when the charging controller is in an abnormal state.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic device further comprises a measuring resistor and a power interface, wherein the measuring resistor is connected in series with the battery, and the power interface is used for the power adapter to charge the battery; The processor is integrated with an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, which is respectively connected in parallel with the measuring resistor and the battery cell of the battery, and is used to measure the voltage across the measuring resistor, and calculate the charging current according to the measured voltage and the resistance value of the measuring resistor, and the analog-to-digital conversion circuit is also used to measure the voltage across the battery cell, and use the measured voltage as the battery voltage; The power interface includes a data signal pin and an electrical signal pin, the data signal pin is connected to the charging controller, and the electrical signal pin is connected to the battery. The charging controller is used to send the control information to the power adapter through the data signal pin, and the charging controller is also used to control the disconnection and connection of the line between the electrical signal pin and the battery.

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