Dual battery management circuits and electronics

Abstract

The present application discloses a dual battery management circuit and electronic device, which relates to the field of battery charging, and is used to prevent large current from being generated between two batteries and to achieve voltage balancing of the two batteries. The dual battery management circuit includes: a first PMIC and a second PMIC; the first PMIC controls the charging and discharging of the first battery and measures the voltage of the first battery, and the second PMIC controls the charging and discharging of the second battery and measures the voltage of the second battery; the first battery is coupled to a coupling point through the first PMIC and the second battery is coupled to a load through the second PMIC, and the coupling point is coupled to a power source through the first PMIC and the second PMIC respectively; when the voltage difference between the first battery and the second battery is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the first PMIC and the second PMIC are used to: if the power source is not connected, the first battery and the second battery are turned on, and the conduction current between the first battery and the second battery is limited.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on July 22, 2022, with application number 202221920460.2 and invention name “Dual Battery Management Circuit and Electronic Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of battery charging, and in particular to a dual battery management circuit and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0003] Currently, some mobile phones use dual battery management circuits to improve the battery charging and discharging efficiency. However, since there will inevitably be a voltage difference between the two batteries during the production and use process, when the voltage difference is large, a large current will be generated between the two batteries, posing a risk of burning the batteries. Summary of the invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a dual-battery management circuit and an electronic device for preventing a large current from being generated between two batteries and achieving voltage balancing of the two batteries.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a dual battery management circuit is provided, including: a first power management integrated circuit PMIC and a second PMIC; the first PMIC is used to control the charge and discharge of the first battery and measure the voltage of the first battery, and the second PMIC is used to control the charge and discharge of the second battery and measure the voltage of the second battery; the first battery is coupled to a coupling point through the first PMIC, the second battery is coupled to the coupling point through the second PMIC, the coupling point is coupled to a load, and the coupling point is also used to couple to a power source through the first PMIC and the second PMIC respectively; when the voltage difference between the first battery and the second battery is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the first PMIC and the second PMIC are used to: if the power source is not connected, then the first battery and the second battery are turned on, and the conduction current between the first battery and the second battery is limited, so that the battery with a high voltage performs current limiting charging on the battery with a low voltage.

[0007] The dual battery management circuit provided in the embodiment of the present application compares the voltage difference between the two batteries. When the voltage difference is greater than a threshold, the two batteries are turned on. In addition, the two PMICs limit the conduction current between the two batteries, thereby preventing a large current from being generated between the two batteries and achieving voltage balance between the two batteries.

[0008] In a possible implementation, when the voltage difference between the first battery and the second battery is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first PMIC and the second PMIC are further used to: if a power source is connected, stop charging the battery with a higher voltage, turn on the current limiting function, and perform current limiting charging on the battery with a lower voltage, so as to make the voltage difference between the first battery and the second battery less than the threshold as soon as possible.

[0009] In a possible implementation, when the voltage difference between the first battery and the second battery is less than a threshold, the first PMIC and the second PMIC are further used to: connect the first battery and the second battery, and turn off the current limiting function, so that the two batteries are charged and discharged at the same time to ensure voltage balance of the two batteries.

[0010] In a possible implementation, a comparator is also included, which is used to compare the voltage of the first battery and the voltage of the second battery, and output an enable signal to the PMIC corresponding to the battery with a higher voltage, and the enable signal is used to instruct the corresponding PMIC to turn on the charging function for the battery with a higher voltage. For the scenario where the electronic device is shut down due to battery over-discharge, the battery voltage is too low (for example, 2.4V) to guarantee the normal operation of the entire electronic device, and only the operation of the PMIC can be guaranteed. If a power adapter is inserted at this time, the battery with a higher voltage can be charged to increase its supply voltage, so that the battery can be restored to a supply voltage (for example, 3V) that can ensure the normal operation of the electronic device as soon as possible. Therefore, the role of the comparator is to ensure that the battery with a relatively high voltage can be quickly charged in the scenario where the electronic device is shut down due to battery over-discharge.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the first PMIC includes a first switch tube, the second PMIC includes a second switch tube, the first battery is coupled to the coupling point through the first switch tube, and the second battery is coupled to the coupling point through the second switch tube. This implementation provides a solution for how to connect the first battery and the second battery in parallel.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the first battery and the second battery are connected and the current limiting function is turned on, including: controlling the first switch tube to be turned on, controlling the second switch tube to be turned on, and controlling one of the first switch tube or the second switch tube to be in a linear impedance region. By adjusting the equivalent resistance of the switch tube in the linear impedance region, the on-current of the switch tube can be adjusted, so that the on-current of the switch tube is limited and controllable, thereby preventing a large current from being generated between the first battery and the second battery.

[0013] In a second aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising a dual battery management circuit as described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof, a first battery and a second battery, wherein the dual battery management circuit is used to manage the charging and discharging of the first battery and the second battery.

[0014] The technical effects of the second aspect refer to the technical effects of the first aspect and any of its embodiments, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application is a folding screen mobile phone;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application is a folding screen mobile phone;

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a dual battery management circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the working principle of a dual battery management circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a current path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of another current path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another current path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of another current path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of another current path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of another current path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of another current path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of another current path provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] First, some concepts involved in this application are described.

[0029] The terms "first", "second", etc. involved in the embodiments of the present application are only used to distinguish features of the same type and cannot be understood as indicating relative importance, quantity, order, etc.

[0030] The terms "exemplary" or "for example" and the like in the embodiments of the present application are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the related concepts in a specific way.

[0031] The terms "coupling" and "connection" involved in the embodiments of the present application should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to a direct physical connection, or an indirect connection achieved through electronic devices, such as a connection achieved through resistors, inductors, capacitors or other electronic devices.

[0032] The embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which can be a device with at least two batteries, and the electronic device can be mobile or fixed. The electronic device can be deployed on land (for example, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted, etc.), can be deployed on the water surface (for example, ships, etc.), and can also be deployed in the air (for example, airplanes, balloons, and satellites, etc.). The electronic device can be called user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, subscriber unit, terminal station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, terminal agent or terminal device, etc. For example, the electronic device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a smart bracelet, a smart watch, a headset, a smart speaker, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a terminal in industrial control, a terminal in self-driving, a terminal in remote medical, a terminal in smart grid, a terminal in transportation safety, a terminal in smart city, a terminal in smart home, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific type and structure of the electronic device. A possible structure of the electronic device is described below.

[0033] Taking a mobile phone as an example, Figure 11 shows a possible structure of the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may include a processor 210, an external memory interface 220, an internal memory 221, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 230, a power management module 240, a battery 241, a wireless charging coil 242, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 250, a wireless communication module 260, an audio module 270, a speaker 270A, a receiver 270B, a microphone 270C, an earphone interface 270D, a sensor module 280, a button 290, a motor 291, an indicator 292, a camera 293, a display screen 294, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 295.

[0034] Among them, the sensor module 280 may include a pressure sensor, a gyroscope sensor, an air pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a distance sensor, a proximity light sensor, a fingerprint sensor, a temperature sensor, a touch sensor, an ambient light sensor, a bone conduction sensor, and the like.

[0035] It is understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiment of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 101. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device 101 may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0036] The processor 210 may include one or more processing units, for example, the processor 210 may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), a modem processor, a graphics processor (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a baseband processor, and a neural network processor (NPU). Among them, different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors. For example, the processor 210 may be an application processor AP. Alternatively, the above-mentioned processor 210 may be integrated in a system on chip (SoC). Alternatively, the above-mentioned processor 210 may be integrated in an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The processor 210 may include an analog front end (AFE) and a micro-controller unit (MCU) in an IC chip.

[0037] The controller may be the nerve center and command center of the electronic device 101. The controller may generate an operation control signal according to the instruction operation code and the timing signal to complete the control of fetching and executing instructions.

[0038] The processor 210 may also be provided with a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 210 is a cache memory. The memory may store instructions or data that the processor 210 has just used or cyclically used. If the processor 210 needs to use the instruction or data again, it may be directly called from the memory. This avoids repeated access, reduces the waiting time of the processor 210, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0039] In some embodiments, the processor 210 may include one or more interfaces. The interface may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface, and / or a USB interface, etc.

[0040] It is understandable that the interface connection relationship between the modules illustrated in the embodiment of the present application is only a schematic illustration and does not constitute a structural limitation on the electronic device 101. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device 101 may also adopt different interface connection methods in the above embodiments, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0041] The wireless communication function of the electronic device 101 can be implemented through the antenna 1, the antenna 2, the mobile communication module 250, the wireless communication module 260, the modem processor, the baseband processor, and the like.

[0042] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in electronic device 101 can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve the utilization of antennas. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antenna can be used in combination with a tuning switch.

[0043] The mobile communication module 250 can provide solutions for wireless communications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, etc., applied to the electronic device 101. The wireless communication module 260 can provide solutions for wireless communications including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks), bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication technology (NFC), infrared technology (IR), etc., applied to the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, the antenna 1 of the electronic device 101 is coupled to the mobile communication module 250, and the antenna 2 is coupled to the wireless communication module 260, so that the electronic device 101 can communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication technology.

[0044] The external memory interface 220 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a micro SanDisk (Micro SD) card, to expand the storage capacity of the electronic device 101. The external memory card communicates with the processor 210 through the external memory interface 220 to implement a data storage function, such as storing music, video and other files in the external memory card.

[0045] The internal memory 221 may be used to store computer executable program codes, which include instructions. The processor 210 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device 101 by running the instructions stored in the internal memory 221. In addition, the internal memory 221 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, a universal flash storage (UFS), etc.

[0046] The memory involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0047] The electronic device 101 can implement audio functions such as music playing and recording through the audio module 270, the speaker 270A, the receiver 270B, the microphone 270C, the headphone interface 270D and the application processor.

[0048] The audio module 270 is used to convert digital audio information into analog audio signal output, and is also used to convert analog audio input into digital audio signal. In some embodiments, the audio module 270 can be arranged in the processor 210, or some functional modules of the audio module 270 can be arranged in the processor 210. The speaker 270A, also known as the "speaker", is used to convert the audio electrical signal into a sound signal. The receiver 270B, also known as the "earpiece", is used to convert the audio electrical signal into a sound signal. The microphone 270C, also known as the "microphone", is used to convert the sound signal into an electrical signal. The electronic device 101 can be provided with at least one microphone 270C. The headphone interface 270D is used to connect a wired headset. The headphone interface 270D can be a USB interface 230, or it can be a 3.5mm open mobile terminal platform (OMTP) standard interface, or a cellular telecommunications industry association of the USA (CTIA) standard interface.

[0049] The button 290 includes a power button, a volume button, etc. The button 290 may be a mechanical button. It may also be a touch button. The electronic device 101 may receive a button input and generate a key signal input related to the user settings and function control of the electronic device 101. The motor 291 may generate a vibration prompt. The motor 291 may be used for an incoming call vibration prompt or for touch vibration feedback. The indicator 292 may be an indicator light, which may be used to indicate the charging status, power changes, messages, missed calls, notifications, etc. The SIM card interface 295 is used to connect a SIM card. The SIM card may be inserted into or removed from the SIM card interface 295 to achieve contact and separation with the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may support 1 or N SIM card interfaces, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The SIM card interface 295 may support a Nano SIM card, a Micro SIM card, a SIM card, etc. In some embodiments, the electronic device 101 uses an embedded SIM (eSIM) card. The eSIM card can be embedded in the electronic device 101 and cannot be separated from the electronic device 101.

[0050] The electronic device 101 can realize the shooting function through the ISP, the camera 293, the video codec, the GPU, the display screen 294, and the application processor. The ISP is used to process the data fed back by the camera 293. In some embodiments, the ISP can be set in the camera 293. The camera 293 is used to capture a static image or a video. In some embodiments, the electronic device 101 may include 1 or N cameras 293, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0051] The electronic device 101 can realize the display function through a GPU, a display screen 294, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, which connects the display screen 294 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. The processor 210 may include one or more GPUs, which execute program instructions to generate or change display information.

[0052] The display screen 294 is used to display images, videos, etc. The display screen 294 includes a display panel. In some embodiments, the electronic device 101 may include one or more display screens 294. In other embodiments, the touch screen in the display screen 294 may be a folding screen. For example, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in , the display panel of the display screen 294 may include a first touch area 31 and a second touch area 32. When the display screen 294 is folded, the first touch area 31 and the second touch area 32 may be located in different planes, wherein: Figure 2 The display screen 294 in the embodiment is folded outward, so that the first touch area 31 and the second touch area 32 are visible to the user after folding, and the user can still perform touch operations on the display screen 294. Figure 3 The display screen 294 in the embodiment of the present application is folded inwardly, so that the first touch area 31 and the second touch area 32 are opposite to each other after being fully folded, which is beneficial to protecting the display panel of the display screen 294. The display screen 294 provided in the embodiment of the present application can be Figure 2 The folding screen shown folding outwards can also be applied to Figure 3 The folding screen is shown folding inwards.

[0053] The battery 241 may include at least two batteries, which are respectively located in two touch control areas of the display screen 294 .

[0054] The power management module 240 is used to receive charging input from a charger. The charger may be a wireless charger (such as a wireless charging base of the electronic device 101 or other device that can wirelessly charge the electronic device 101), or a wired charger. For example, the power management module 240 may receive charging input from a wired charger through the USB interface 230. The power management module 240 may receive wireless charging input through the wireless charging coil 242 of the electronic device.

[0055] The power management module 240 can charge the battery 241 and also power the electronic device. The power management module 240 receives input from the battery 241 and powers the processor 210, the internal memory 221, the external memory interface 220, the display screen 294, the camera 293, and the wireless communication module 260. The power management module 240 can also be used to monitor parameters such as the battery capacity, the number of battery cycles, and the battery health status (leakage, impedance) of the battery 241. In some other embodiments, the power management module 240 can also be set in the processor 210.

[0056] The power management module 240 includes a dual battery management circuit for charging the two batteries separately. At present, a voltage difference will inevitably occur between the two batteries during production and use. When the voltage difference is large, a large current will be generated between the two batteries, and there is a risk of damaging the battery and the power management chip. To address this problem, the dual battery management circuit provided in the embodiment of the present application compares the voltage difference between the two batteries. When the voltage difference is greater than a threshold, if it is a non-charging scenario, the battery with a high voltage is controlled to charge the battery with a low voltage to achieve a voltage difference less than the threshold. If it is a charging scenario, the battery with a low voltage is controlled to be charged first to achieve a voltage difference less than the threshold. It should be noted that the present application uses two batteries as an example for illustration, and can also be applied to more battery scenarios.

[0057] like Figure 4 As shown, the dual battery management circuit 40 provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: a first overvoltage protection (overvoltage protection, OVP) circuit 401, a second OVP circuit 402, a first power management integrated circuit (power management integrated circuit, PMIC) 403, a second PMIC 404, and a comparator 405. It also includes a capacitor C1, a capacitor C2, a capacitor C3, a capacitor C4, an inductor L1, and an inductor L2. The capacitor C1 is used to filter the charging current input to the first PMIC 403, and the capacitor C2 is used to filter the charging current input to the second PMIC 404. The inductor L1 and the capacitor C3 are used to filter the charging current output by the first PMIC 403 to the load 45 and the first battery 43, and the inductor L2 and the capacitor C4 are used to filter the charging current output by the second PMIC 404 to the load 45 and the second battery 44.

[0058] One end of the first OVP circuit 401 and one end of the second OVP circuit 402 can be coupled to the power adapter 41 (which can be referred to as the power supply) through the USB interface, the other end of the first OVP circuit 401 is coupled to the first PMIC 403, and the other end of the second OVP circuit 402 is coupled to the second PMIC 404. The first OVP circuit 401 is used to perform overvoltage protection on the first PMIC 403, and the second OVP circuit 402 is used to perform overvoltage protection on the second PMIC 404.

[0059] The first battery 43 is coupled to the coupling point N through the first PMIC 403, the second battery 44 is coupled to the coupling point N through the second PMIC 404, the coupling point N is coupled to the load 45, and the coupling point N is also used to couple to the power adapter 41 (ie, power supply) through the first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC 404 respectively.

[0060] The first PMIC 403 is used to control the charge and discharge of the first battery 43, measure the voltage of the first battery 43, and supply power to the load 45. The second PMIC 404 is used to control the charge and discharge of the second battery 44, measure the voltage of the second battery 44, and supply power to the load 45.

[0061] For the first PMIC 403, the first PMIC 403 includes a switch tube Q11, a first voltage conversion circuit and a switch tube Q14, and the first voltage conversion circuit includes a switch tube Q12 and a switch tube Q13. The first voltage conversion circuit can be a buck circuit, a boost circuit, a buck-boost circuit, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the first voltage conversion circuit is named by taking the USB_IN1 port as the input port and the VSW1 port as the output port as an example. At this time, the first voltage conversion circuit is a buck circuit. Then when the VSW1 port is used as the input port and the USB_IN1 port is used as the output port, the first voltage conversion circuit is a boost circuit.

[0062] The USB_IN1 pin is used to input charging current. The USB_IN1 pin is coupled to the PMID1 pin through the switch tube Q11, and the PMID1 pin is coupled to the capacitor C1, so as to filter the charging current input to the first PMIC 403. The PMID1 pin is coupled to the VSW1 pin through the switch tube Q12, and the VSW1 pin is grounded through the switch tube Q13. The VPH_PW1 pin is coupled to the VCHG_OUT1 pin through the switch tube Q14, and the VCHG_OUT1 pin is coupled to the first battery 43 and the comparator 405.

[0063] The first PMIC 403 controls the electrical connection between the first voltage conversion circuit and the USB_IN1 pin by controlling the on and off of the switch tube Q11. The first PMIC 403 adjusts the output charging voltage and charging current by controlling the duty cycle of the switch tubes Q12 and Q13. The VSW1 pin is coupled to the inductor L1 and the capacitor C3, and is used to filter the charging current output by the first PMIC 403 to the load 45 and the first battery 43.

[0064] For the second PMIC 404, the second PMIC 404 includes a switch tube Q21, a second voltage conversion circuit and a switch tube Q24, and the second voltage conversion circuit includes a switch tube Q22 and a switch tube Q23. The second voltage conversion circuit can be a buck circuit, a boost circuit, a buck-boost circuit, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the second voltage conversion circuit is named by taking the USB_IN2 port as the input port and the VSW2 port as the output port as an example. At this time, the second voltage conversion circuit is a buck circuit. Then when the VSW2 port is used as the input port and the USB_IN2 port is used as the output port, the second voltage conversion circuit is a boost circuit.

[0065] The USB_IN2 pin is used to input the charging current. The USB_IN2 pin is coupled to the PMID2 pin through the switch tube Q21, and the PMID2 pin is coupled to the capacitor C2, so as to filter the charging current input to the second PMIC 404. The PMID2 pin is coupled to the VSW2 pin through the switch tube Q22, and the VSW2 pin is grounded through the switch tube Q23. The VPH_PW2 pin is coupled to the VCHG_OUT2 pin through the switch tube Q24, and the VCHG_OUT2 pin is coupled to the second battery 44 and the comparator 405.

[0066] The second PMIC 404 controls the electrical connection between the second voltage conversion circuit and the USB_IN2 pin by controlling the on and off of the switch tube Q21. The second PMIC 404 adjusts the output charging voltage and charging current by controlling the duty cycle of the switch tube Q22 and the switch tube Q23. The VSW2 pin is coupled to the inductor L2 and the capacitor C4, and is used to filter the charging current output by the second PMIC 404 to the load 45 and the second battery 44.

[0067] The VPH_PW1 pin of the first PMIC 403 is coupled to the VPH_PW2 pin of the second PMIC 404 , so that the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 can be connected in parallel.

[0068] The first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC 404 can communicate with each other through an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus, a serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus, a signal processing and multimedia image (SPMI) bus, etc. One of the PMICs can be used as a master PMIC, and the other PMIC can be used as a slave PMIC. The master PMIC can notify the slave PMIC to enable a function of a certain pin, and the slave PMIC can notify the master PMIC of the voltage of the battery measured by the slave PMIC through the VCHG_OUT pin.

[0069] The comparator 405 is used to compare the voltages of the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 , and output an enable signal to the first PMIC 403 or the second PMIC 404 , where the enable signal is used to instruct the PMIC to enable a charging function for the corresponding battery.

[0070] like Figure 5 As shown, the working principle of the dual battery management circuit 40 is as follows:

[0071] S101 , the comparator 405 compares the voltages of the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 , and outputs an enable signal to the PMIC coupled to the battery with the higher voltage, so as to instruct the corresponding PMIC to enable the charging function for the battery with the higher voltage.

[0072] For example, Figure 6 As shown, if the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 is higher than the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44, the comparator 405 outputs an enable signal to the first PMIC 403 to instruct the first PMIC 403 to turn on the charging function. If the power adapter 41 is inserted at this time, the first PMIC 403 turns on the switch tube Q11, the switch tube Q12, and the switch tube Q14, so that the charging current can be output to the first battery 43 to charge the first battery 43.

[0073] For example, Figure 7 As shown, if the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is higher than the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43, the comparator 405 outputs an enable signal to the second PMIC 404 to instruct the second PMIC 404 to turn on the charging function. If the power adapter 41 is inserted at this time, the second PMIC 404 turns on the switch tube Q21, the switch tube Q22, and the switch tube Q24, so that the charging current can be output to the second battery 44 to charge the second battery 44.

[0074] For the scenario where the electronic device is shut down due to battery over-discharge, the battery voltage is too low (e.g., 2.4V) to guarantee the normal operation of the entire electronic device, and can only guarantee the operation of the PMIC. If the power adapter 41 is inserted at this time, the battery with a higher voltage can be charged to increase its supply voltage, so that the battery can be restored to a supply voltage (e.g., 3V) that can ensure the normal operation of the electronic device as soon as possible. Therefore, the role of the comparator 405 is to ensure that in the scenario where the electronic device is shut down due to battery over-discharge, the battery with a relatively high voltage can be charged quickly.

[0075] The present application takes the first PMIC 403 turning on the charging function as an example for explanation. At this time, the first PMIC 403 serves as the master PMIC and the second PMIC 404 serves as the slave PMIC, but it is not intended to be limited thereto.

[0076] S102 . When the electronic device is turned on, the first PMIC 403 detects whether the power-on is triggered by inserting the power adapter 41 or by long pressing the power button.

[0077] If the power-on is triggered by long pressing the power-on key (i.e., the power adapter 41 is not plugged in and the battery is not being charged), the first PMIC 403 detects a power-on signal at a pin (not shown) coupled to the power-on key, and steps S103-S104 are executed. If the power-on is triggered by plugging in the power adapter 41 (i.e., the battery is being charged), the first PMIC 403 detects a higher charging voltage at the USB_IN1 pin, and steps S105-S106 are executed.

[0078] S103: If the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is less than the threshold ΔVth (ie, |VBAT1-VBAT2|<ΔVth), the first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC 404 turn on the first battery 43 and the second battery 44, so that the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 are connected in parallel for discharge.

[0079] Taking the first PMIC 403 as the master PMIC and the second PMIC 404 as the slave PMIC as an example, the first PMIC 403 can obtain the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 by measuring the voltage of the VCHG_OUT1 pin, and the second PMIC 404 can obtain the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 by measuring the voltage of the VCHG_OUT2 pin, and then send the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 to the first PMIC 403, and the first PMIC 403 compares the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44.

[0080] The first PMIC 403 turns on the switch tube Q14 and is in the saturation region. The first PMIC 403 instructs the second PMIC 404 to turn on the switch tube Q24 and is in the saturation region, thereby connecting the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 in parallel. When the switch tube is in the saturation region, the on-current reaches the maximum (i.e., the on-current no longer increases with the increase of the gate voltage). At this time, the discharge current of the battery is not limited, i.e., the current limiting function is turned off, so that the battery can normally supply power to the load. Figure 8 As shown, the first PMIC 403 can turn off the switch tubes Q11 and Q12 , the second PMIC 404 can turn off the switch tubes Q21 and Q22 , and the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 connected in parallel can jointly supply power to the load 45 .

[0081] During normal use of the electronic device (non-charging mode), the switch tube Q14 and the switch tube Q24 are always turned on, the voltage difference between the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 is very small, and they can be discharged synchronously without generating a large current between them and damaging the battery or PMIC.

[0082] S104. If the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is greater than or equal to the threshold value △Vth, the first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC 404 conduct the first battery 43 and the second battery 44, and the first PMIC 403 or the second PMIC 404 limits the conduction current between the first battery 43 and the second battery 44, so that the battery with a higher voltage performs current-limiting charging on the battery with a lower voltage until the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is less than the threshold value △Vth.

[0083] At this time, the first PMIC 403 turns on the switch tube Q14, the second PMIC 404 turns on the switch tube Q24, and controls one of the switch tube Q14 or the switch tube Q24 to be in the linear impedance region. By adjusting the equivalent resistance of the switch tube in the linear impedance region, the on-current of the switch tube can be adjusted, so that the on-current of the switch tube is limited and controllable, thereby preventing a large current from being generated between the first battery 43 and the second battery 44.

[0084] For example, Fig. 9As shown, assuming that VBAT1>VBAT2+△Vth, the first PMIC 403 turns on the switch tube Q14 and is in the saturation region, and instructs the second PMIC 404 to turn on the switch tube Q24 and is in the linear impedance region. At this time, the first battery 43 not only supplies power to the load 45, but also charges the second battery 44 in a current limiting manner. In this process, the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 will gradually decrease until the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is less than the threshold value △Vth, and step S103 will continue to be executed.

[0085] For example, Fig.10 As shown, assuming that VBAT2>VBAT1+△Vth, the first PMIC 403 turns on the switch tube Q14 and is in the linear impedance region, and instructs the second PMIC 404 to turn on the switch tube Q24 and is in the saturation region. At this time, the second battery 44 not only supplies power to the load 45, but also charges the first battery 43 in a current limiting manner. In this process, the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 will gradually decrease until the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is less than the threshold △Vth, and step S103 will continue to be executed.

[0086] S105. If the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is less than the threshold ΔVth (ie, |VBAT1-VBAT2|<ΔVth), the first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC 404 turn on the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 so that the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 are charged in parallel.

[0087] The first PMIC 403 turns on the switch tube Q14 and is in the saturation region. The first PMIC 403 instructs the second PMIC 404 to turn on the switch tube Q24 and is in the saturation region, thereby connecting the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 in parallel. When the switch tube is in the saturation region, the on-current reaches the maximum (i.e., the on-current no longer increases with the increase of the gate voltage). At this time, the charging current of the battery is not limited, i.e., the current limiting function is turned off, so that the battery can be charged as quickly as possible. Fig.11 As shown, the first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC 404 not only supply power to the load 45 , but also charge the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 at the same time.

[0088] During the charging process of the electronic device, the switch tube Q14 and the switch tube Q24 are always turned on, the voltage difference between the first battery 43 and the second battery 44 is very small, and they can be charged synchronously, and no large current will be generated between them, and the battery or PMIC will not be damaged. In addition, when a battery is fully charged first, the corresponding PMIC can turn off the function of charging the battery (that is, turn off the switch tube Q14 or Q24), and the two PMICs can continue to charge the other uncharged battery until both batteries are fully charged, which solves the problem that a battery cannot be fully charged in a single PMIC solution with multiple batteries.

[0089] S106. If the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is greater than or equal to the threshold ΔVth, the PMIC corresponding to the battery with a higher voltage stops charging the battery with a higher voltage, and the PMIC corresponding to the battery with a lower voltage turns on the current limiting (regulation) function, and the first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC 404 jointly charge the battery with a lower voltage in a current limiting manner.

[0090] For example, Fig.12 As shown, assuming that VBAT1>VBAT2+△Vth, the first PMIC 403 turns off the switch tube Q14, and instructs the second PMIC 404 to turn on the switch tube Q24 and is in the linear impedance region. At this time, the first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC404 jointly charge the second battery 44 in a current limiting manner. In this process, the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 will gradually decrease until the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is less than the threshold △Vth, and step S105 will continue to be executed.

[0091] For example, Fig.13 As shown, assuming that VBAT2>VBAT1+△Vth, the first PMIC 403 turns on the switch tube Q14 and is in the linear impedance region, and instructs the second PMIC 403 to turn off the switch tube Q24. At this time, the first PMIC 403 and the second PMIC404 jointly charge the first battery 43 in a current limiting manner. In this process, the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 will gradually decrease until the voltage difference between the voltage VBAT1 of the first battery 43 and the voltage VBAT2 of the second battery 44 is less than the threshold △Vth, and step S105 will continue to be executed.

[0092] The dual battery management circuit and electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application compare the voltage difference between the two batteries. When the voltage difference is greater than a threshold, the two batteries are turned on. In addition, the two PMICs limit the conduction current between the two batteries, thereby preventing a large current from being generated between the two batteries and achieving voltage balance between the two batteries.

[0093] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0094] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the modules and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0095] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and modules described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0096] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0097] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one device or distributed on multiple devices. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0098] In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one device, or each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into one device.

[0099] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loading and executing a computer program instruction on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, a computer, a server or a data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (Digital Subscriber Line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or may contain one or more servers, data centers and other data storage devices that can be integrated with a medium. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0100] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A dual battery management circuit, characterized in that: include: A comparator, a first PMIC, and a second PMIC; the first PMIC is used to control the charge and discharge of the first battery and measure the voltage of the first battery, and the second PMIC is used to control the charge and discharge of the second battery and measure the voltage of the second battery; The first battery is coupled to a coupling point through the first PMIC, the second battery is coupled to the coupling point through the second PMIC, the coupling point is coupled to a load, and the coupling point is further used to couple to a power source through the first PMIC and the second PMIC respectively; When the voltage difference between the first battery and the second battery is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first PMIC and the second PMIC are used to: if no power source is connected, conduct the first battery and the second battery, and limit the conduction current between the first battery and the second battery, so that the battery with a higher voltage performs current-limited charging on the battery with a lower voltage; When the electronic device where the dual battery management circuit is located is shut down due to battery over-discharge, if a power source is connected, the comparator is used to compare the voltage of the first battery and the voltage of the second battery, and output an enable signal to the PMIC corresponding to the battery with a higher voltage, and the enable signal is used to instruct the corresponding PMIC to turn on the charging function for the battery with a higher voltage.

2. The circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that When a voltage difference between the first battery and the second battery is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first PMIC and the second PMIC are further configured to: If the power supply is connected, the charging of the battery with high voltage is stopped, the current limiting function is turned on, and the battery with low voltage is charged with current limiting.

3. The circuit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: When a voltage difference between the first battery and the second battery is less than a threshold, the first PMIC and the second PMIC are further configured to: The first battery and the second battery are connected to each other, and the current limiting function is turned off.

4. The circuit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first PMIC includes a first switch tube, the second PMIC includes a second switch tube, the first battery is coupled to the coupling point through the first switch tube, and the second battery is coupled to the coupling point through the second switch tube.

5. The circuit according to claim 4, characterized in that The step of conducting the first battery with the second battery and turning on the current limiting function includes: The first switch tube is controlled to be turned on, the second switch tube is controlled to be turned on, and one of the first switch tube or the second switch tube is controlled to be in a linear impedance region.

6. An electronic device, characterized in that: It comprises the dual battery management circuit as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, a first battery and a second battery, wherein the dual battery management circuit is used to manage the charging and discharging of the first battery and the second battery.

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