A charging control method and apparatus

Abstract

This application provides a charging control method and apparatus, relating to the field of battery management, which can prevent the battery current from exceeding the battery's allowable charge and discharge current threshold, thereby avoiding battery damage and safety issues such as explosions and fires. The method is applied to an electronic device, which includes a battery. The battery includes a charge and discharge protection circuit and a battery cell. The charge and discharge protection circuit connects the battery cell and an input power source. The charge and discharge protection circuit includes a first electronic switch. The method includes: the charge and discharge protection circuit determining whether the voltage of the input power source is greater than the voltage of the battery cell; if the voltage of the input power source is greater than the voltage of the battery cell, controlling the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to a first current threshold; wherein the first current threshold is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell in a first set of configuration parameters, and the first set of configuration parameters includes multiple current thresholds corresponding to multiple charging stages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery management, and more particularly to a charging control method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] As the functionality of electronic devices continues to improve, the requirements for battery capacity are also increasing. As a result, more and more electronic devices (such as foldable screen phones) are adopting dual or multiple batteries.

[0003] During production, use, and maintenance, electronic devices with dual or multiple batteries may experience voltage differences between multiple (e.g., two) batteries due to battery replacement or charging and discharging of batteries with different capacities. These voltage differences cause current to flow in the circuit between the batteries. The magnitude of the current is directly proportional to the voltage difference and inversely proportional to the path impedance.

[0004] During the process of achieving voltage balance, the current between the two batteries may exceed the battery's allowable charge and discharge current threshold, causing damage to the battery and even potentially leading to safety issues such as explosion and fire. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a charging control method and apparatus that can prevent the battery current from exceeding the battery's allowable charging and discharging current threshold, thereby avoiding battery damage and safety issues such as explosions and fires.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a charging control method applied to an electronic device. The electronic device includes a battery, which includes a charge / discharge protection circuit and a battery cell. The charge / discharge protection circuit is used to connect the battery cell and an input power source. The charge / discharge protection circuit includes a first electronic switch. The method includes: the charge / discharge protection circuit determining whether the voltage of the input power source is greater than the voltage of the battery cell; if the voltage of the input power source is greater than the voltage of the battery cell, controlling the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to a first current threshold; wherein the first current threshold is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell in a first set of configuration parameters, and the first set of configuration parameters includes multiple current thresholds corresponding to multiple charging stages.

[0007] Based on the method provided in the embodiments of this application, if the charge and discharge protection circuit determines that there is a voltage difference between the battery cell and the input power supply, it can control the current of the first electronic switch (e.g., the first field-effect transistor) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold, thereby preventing the battery current from exceeding the battery's allowable charge and discharge current threshold, and thus avoiding battery damage and safety issues such as explosion and fire.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the charge / discharge protection circuit further includes a storage unit, in which a first set of configuration parameters is preset. Since the first set of configuration parameters is preset in the storage unit of the charge / discharge protection circuit, the circuit can autonomously determine the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell within the first set of configuration parameters. This allows the circuit to determine a first current threshold and further control the current of the first electronic switch (e.g., a first field-effect transistor) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold. This prevents the battery current from exceeding the battery's permissible charge / discharge current threshold, thereby avoiding battery damage and safety issues such as explosions and fires.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the charge / discharge protection circuit further includes a first control terminal connected to a first device, which includes any one of a voltage divider resistor, a potentiometer, and a reference power supply. The method further includes: the charge / discharge protection circuit reading the input voltage of the first control terminal; and the charge / discharge protection circuit determining a first set of configuration parameters from at least one set of configuration parameters based on the input voltage, where different configuration parameter sets in the at least one set of configuration parameters correspond to different input voltages. Thus, the charge / discharge protection circuit can determine the first set of configuration parameters from at least one set of configuration parameters based on the input voltage of the first control terminal, and then determine the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell in the first set of configuration parameters, thereby determining a first current threshold. Further controlling the current of the first electronic switch (e.g., a first field-effect transistor) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold can prevent the battery current from exceeding the battery's allowable charge / discharge current threshold, thereby avoiding battery damage and safety issues such as explosions and fires.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the charge / discharge protection circuit further includes a storage unit, in which at least one set of configuration parameters is preset. This allows the circuit to autonomously determine a first set of configuration parameters from the at least one set, and then determine the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell within the first set of configuration parameters, thereby determining a first current threshold. Further controlling the current of the first electronic switch (e.g., a first field-effect transistor) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold can prevent the battery current from exceeding the battery's permissible charge / discharge current threshold, thus avoiding battery damage and safety issues such as explosions and fires.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the charge / discharge protection circuit further includes a first control terminal for connection to a processor. The charge / discharge protection circuit receives a first control signal from the processor, which indicates either a first set of configuration parameters or a first current threshold. Thus, the charge / discharge protection circuit can determine the first set of configuration parameters based on the first control signal, and then determine the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell within the first set of configuration parameters, thereby determining the first current threshold. Further controlling the current of the first electronic switch (e.g., a first field-effect transistor) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold can prevent the battery current from exceeding the battery's allowable charge / discharge current threshold, thereby preventing battery damage and safety issues such as explosions and fires. In other words, the charge / discharge protection circuit can perform current-limiting control (controlling the current of the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to the first current threshold) with the assistance of the processor.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first control terminal is also used to connect to a processor. The charge / discharge protection circuit receives a second control signal from the processor, which indicates at least one set of configuration parameters. The charge / discharge protection circuit can determine at least one set of configuration parameters based on the second control signal, then determine a first set of configuration parameters from at least one set of configuration parameters, and determine a first current threshold based on the current threshold corresponding to the first set of configuration parameters according to the current charging stage of the battery cell. Further controlling the current of the first electronic switch (e.g., the first field-effect transistor) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold can prevent the battery current from exceeding the battery's allowable charge / discharge current threshold, thereby avoiding battery damage and safety issues such as explosions and fires. In other words, the charge / discharge protection circuit can perform current-limiting control with the assistance of the processor.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first control terminal is configured to connect to the processor and the first device via a single bus or an integrated circuit (I2C) bus, the bus including the integrated circuit I2C bus.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the charge / discharge protection circuit further includes a temperature sensor for detecting the current temperature of the battery cell. The first configuration parameter set also includes configuration parameters corresponding to multiple temperature ranges, each temperature range including a current threshold. The first current threshold is less than or equal to a first minimum value, which is the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell in the first configuration parameter set, and the minimum value among the current thresholds corresponding to the current temperature range of the battery cell in the first configuration parameter set. Thus, by detecting the temperature and considering the charging limit parameters for different temperature ranges, the current of the first electronic switch (first field-effect transistor) can be controlled so that the current of the first field-effect transistor is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature, preventing the current of the first field-effect transistor from exceeding the charging current at the current temperature, thereby achieving balanced current limiting protection at low and high temperatures.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first current threshold is less than or equal to a second minimum value, which is the minimum of the current threshold corresponding to the first set of configuration parameters and the maximum allowable current of the first electronic switch during the current charging stage of the battery cell. This avoids excessive current to the first electronic switch (first field-effect transistor), which could lead to overheating.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the charge / discharge protection circuit further includes a temperature sensor to detect the current temperature of the battery cell: a first current threshold less than or equal to a third minimum value, where the third minimum value is the minimum of the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell in the first set of configuration parameters, the temperature range corresponding to the current temperature of the battery cell corresponding to the current threshold corresponding to the first set of configuration parameters, and the maximum allowable current of the first electronic switch. This prevents the current of the first electronic switch (first field-effect transistor) from exceeding the charging current at the current temperature, achieving balanced current limiting protection at low and high temperatures. It also prevents excessive current from the first electronic switch (first field-effect transistor), which could lead to overheating of the first electronic switch.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the charge / discharge protection circuit controls the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to a first current threshold by: if the input level of the first control terminal is a first level, controlling the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to the first current threshold, wherein the first level includes a high level.

[0018] In one possible implementation, controlling the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to a first current threshold includes: controlling the first electronic switch to enter the linear region such that the current flowing through the first electronic switch is less than or equal to the first current threshold; or controlling the on-time of the first electronic switch such that the average current flowing through the first electronic switch is less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the charge / discharge protection circuit further includes a second electronic switch, and controlling the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to a first current threshold includes controlling the current flowing through the first electronic switch and the second electronic switch to be less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the first electronic switch includes at least one of a field-effect transistor (e.g., a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS)), gallium nitride (GaN), an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), a gate turn-off thyristor (GTO), or a silicon controlled rectifier.

[0021] In a second aspect, a battery is provided, including a charge-discharge protection circuit and a battery cell. The charge-discharge protection circuit includes a control unit and a first electronic switch. The control unit is used to perform the method as described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof.

[0022] Thirdly, a charge / discharge protection circuit is provided, including a control unit and a first electronic switch, the control unit being configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof.

[0023] Fourthly, a charge / discharge protection chip is provided, comprising: a control unit and a first electronic switch, wherein the control unit is configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof.

[0024] Fifthly, an electronic device is provided, the electronic device including a battery, the battery including a charge / discharge protection circuit and a battery cell, the charge / discharge protection circuit including a control unit and a first electronic switch, the control unit being configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof.

[0025] In a sixth aspect, an electronic device is provided, the electronic device including a first battery and a second battery connected in parallel, the first battery including a first cell and a first charge-discharge protection circuit, the second battery including a second cell and a second charge-discharge protection circuit, the first charge-discharge protection circuit and / or the second charge-discharge protection circuit being used to perform the method as described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof.

[0026] A seventh aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium including computer instructions that, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof.

[0027] Eighthly, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof.

[0028] The technical effects of the second to eighth aspects refer to the technical effects of the first aspect and any of its embodiments, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a battery connection in a related technology.

[0030] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 2C This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 3A A schematic diagram of a charge / discharge protection circuit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 3B A schematic diagram of another charge / discharge protection circuit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 3C A schematic diagram of another charge / discharge protection circuit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the operating state of a MOSFET provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 5 A flowchart is provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing the charging current and cell voltage corresponding to different charging stages provided in this application embodiment;

[0039] Figure 7 This application provides another schematic flowchart for an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 8AA schematic diagram of another charge / discharge protection circuit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 8B A schematic diagram of another charge / discharge protection circuit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 8C A schematic diagram of another charge / discharge protection circuit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 9 This application provides another schematic flowchart for an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 10 This is a circuit connection diagram provided for an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first," "second," etc., do not necessarily imply differences.

[0046] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set", "connected", and "linked" should be interpreted broadly, for example, as a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0047] Currently, electronic devices using dual or multiple batteries (such as foldable phones) are becoming increasingly common. During production, use, and maintenance, voltage differences can arise between multiple (e.g., two) batteries due to battery replacement or charging / discharging of batteries with different capacities. These voltage differences cause current to flow in the circuit between the batteries. The magnitude of this current is directly proportional to the voltage difference and inversely proportional to the path impedance. During the process of achieving voltage balance, the current between two batteries may exceed the battery's permissible charge / discharge current threshold, causing damage to the battery and potentially leading to safety issues such as explosions or fires.

[0048] In some cases, when the charge / discharge rate of an electronic device's battery is sufficiently high, even if the voltage difference between two batteries is large, the current between the two batteries will not exceed the battery's permissible charge / discharge current threshold. For example... Figure 1 As shown in (a), the two batteries are connected directly in parallel. However, if either battery malfunctions (e.g., short circuit, damage), the current between the two batteries can cause them to overheat, potentially leading to safety issues such as battery fire.

[0049] In some related technologies, such as Figure 1 As shown in (b), a balancing circuit can be added between the two batteries. The balancing circuit may include a MOSFET. The processor can control the balancing circuit to limit the current between the two batteries, preventing excessive current from causing serious battery overheating or fires.

[0050] In some related technologies, such as Figure 1 As shown in (c), a balancing integrated circuit (IC) can be added between the two batteries. The balancing IC can limit the current between the two batteries under the control of the processor, or it can automatically limit the current between the two batteries based on default parameters.

[0051] However, the above technology requires additional balancing circuits / ICs, and one set of balancing circuits / ICs can only achieve voltage balancing between two batteries. When a battery is added, an additional balancing circuit / IC is needed. For example, achieving voltage balancing between three batteries requires two sets of balancing circuits / ICs. This leads to complex circuit design.

[0052] To address the aforementioned issues, embodiments of this application provide a charge / discharge protection circuit, method, and electronic device. This eliminates the need for additional balancing circuits / balancing ICs, resulting in a simple circuit design. It can prevent the current generated by the voltage difference between multiple (e.g., two) batteries from exceeding the battery's allowable charge / discharge current threshold, which could damage the battery or even cause safety issues such as explosions or fires.

[0053] The charge / discharge protection circuit, method, and electronic device provided in this application can be applied to scenarios where voltage balance is required between two or more batteries in an electronic device. During the voltage balancing process, each battery can limit current through its own charge / discharge protection circuit, enabling the battery itself to achieve current limiting while maintaining a constant charging input voltage.

[0054] This application provides an electronic device, which can be a foldable device with multiple batteries. Exemplarily, in this embodiment, the electronic device includes two folding areas and two batteries. The two folding areas are connected together by a hinge structure, allowing them to be folded or unfolded. The two batteries are located in different folding areas, and charging of each battery is independently controlled by different charging chips.

[0055] The electronic device can be mobile or fixed. It can be deployed on land (e.g., indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted), on water (e.g., on ships), or in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, and satellites). This electronic device can be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, subscriber unit, terminal station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, terminal agent, or terminal device. For example, it can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, smart bracelet, smartwatch, headphones, smart speaker, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, terminal in industrial control, terminal in self-driving, terminal in remote medical care, terminal in smart grid, terminal in transportation safety, terminal in smart city, terminal in smart home, etc. This application does not limit the specific type and structure of the electronic device. The following describes one possible structure of an electronic device.

[0056] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device 100 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2AAs shown, the electronic device 100 may include a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, a microphone 170C, a headphone jack 170D, a sensor module 180, buttons 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195, etc.

[0057] The sensor module 180 may include a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, a barometric pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an accelerometer sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity sensor 180G, a fingerprint sensor 180H, a temperature sensor 180J, a touch sensor 180K, an ambient light sensor 180L, a bone conduction sensor 180M, etc.

[0058] It is understood that the structure illustrated in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments, the electronic device 100 may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0059] Processor 110 may include one or more processing units, such as: application processor (AP), modem processor, graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), controller, memory, video codec, digital signal processor (DSP), baseband processor, and / or neural network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0060] The charging management module 140 receives charging input from the charger. While charging the battery 142, the charging management module 140 can also supply power to the electronic device through the power management module 141.

[0061] The power management module 141 connects the battery 142, the charging management module 140, and the processor 110. The power management module 141 receives input from the battery 142 and / or the charging management module 140 to power the processor 110, internal memory 121, external memory, display screen 194, camera 193, and wireless communication module 160, etc. In some other embodiments, the power management module 141 may also be located within the processor 110. In other embodiments, the power management module 141 and the charging management module 140 may be located in the same device.

[0062] The wireless communication function of electronic device 100 can be realized through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, modem processor and baseband processor, etc.

[0063] Electronic device 100 implements display functions through a GPU, a display screen 194, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, connected to the display screen 194 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations and for graphics rendering. Processor 110 may include one or more GPUs, which execute program instructions to generate or modify display information.

[0064] Electronic device 100 can perform shooting functions through an ISP, camera 193, video codec, GPU, display screen 194, and application processor. The ISP processes data fed back from the camera 193. The camera 193 captures still images or video. The digital signal processor processes digital signals, including digital image signals and other digital signals. The video codec compresses or decompresses digital video. Electronic device 100 can support one or more video codecs. Thus, electronic device 100 can play or record video in various encoding formats, such as Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 3, MPEG 4, etc.

[0065] Camera 193 may include 1 to N cameras. Each camera includes a photosensitive element (CCD / CMOS), which can sense light, collect photons and convert them into electrical charges.

[0066] Electronic device 100 can implement audio functions, such as music playback and recording, through audio module 170, speaker 170A, receiver 170B, microphone 170C, headphone jack 170D, and application processor.

[0067] Audio module 170 is used to convert digital audio information into analog audio signal output, and also to convert analog audio input into digital audio signal. Audio module 170 can also be used for audio signal encoding and decoding. Speaker 170A, also called a "loudspeaker," is used to convert audio electrical signals into sound signals. Receiver 170B, also called a "handset," is used to convert audio electrical signals into sound signals. Microphone 170C, also called a "microphone" or "microphone unit," is used to convert sound signals into electrical signals. Headphone jack 170D is used to connect wired headphones.

[0068] The methods described in the following embodiments can all be implemented in the electronic device 100 having the above-described hardware structure.

[0069] For example, Figure 2B The battery 142 is explained in detail. Taking a foldable screen phone as an example, as... Figure 2B As shown, the electronic device 200 includes at least two batteries (i.e., battery 142 may include at least two batteries), such as battery 210 and battery 220. Battery 210 may include a cell 211, a charge / discharge protection circuit 212, and a battery connector 213. Battery 220 may include a cell 221, a charge / discharge protection circuit 222, and a battery connector 223. The charge / discharge protection circuit 212 or 222 can be monolithically integrated to form a charge / discharge protection chip, i.e., a charge / discharge protection integrated circuit (IC). It should be noted that... Figure 2B Only two batteries are shown in the illustration; the electronic device may include more batteries, and this application does not limit this.

[0070] Of course, the electronic device may also include more components, such as processor 230 (i.e. processor 110), which may be connected to battery 210 and battery 220.

[0071] In this embodiment, batteries 210 and 220 can be connected in parallel. That is, the battery cell 211 and charge / discharge protection circuit 212 of battery 210 can be connected in parallel with the battery cell 221 and charge / discharge protection circuit 222 of battery 220.

[0072] In this circuit, either cell 211 or cell 221 is used to store and release electrical energy. Charge / discharge protection circuit 212 protects cell 211, preventing overcharging and / or over-discharging. Battery connector 213 electrically connects cell 211 and charge / discharge protection circuit 212 to the motherboard. Charge / discharge protection circuit 222 protects cell 221, preventing overcharging and / or over-discharging. Battery connector 223 electrically connects cell 221 and charge / discharge protection circuit 222 to the motherboard.

[0073] For example, Figure 2C The battery 210 is described in detail. The charge / discharge protection circuit 212 may include a power supply terminal VDD, a ground terminal VSS, and power input terminals PCKP and PCKN. The power supply terminal VDD can be connected to the positive terminal of the battery cell 211, the ground terminal VSS can be connected to the negative terminal of the battery cell 211, and the power input terminals PCKP and PCKN can be connected to the positive and negative terminals of the input power supply, respectively.

[0074] For example, such as Figure 3A As shown, the charge and discharge protection circuit 212 may include modules such as an analog-to-digital conversion unit, a control unit, a storage unit, a drive circuit, a current sensor, a MOSFET M1, and a MOSFET M2.

[0075] The power supply terminal VDD is connected to the positive terminal of battery cell 211, the positive terminal (P+) of the input power supply (hereinafter referred to as the power supply), and the analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The ground terminal VSS is connected to the negative terminal of battery cell 211, the ADC, and one end of the current sensor. The other end of the current sensor is connected to the drain of MOSFET M1. The power input terminal PCKN is connected to the negative terminal (P-) of the input power supply (hereinafter referred to as the power supply), the source of MOSFET M2, and the ADC. The ADC can also be connected to a control unit, which can be connected to a storage unit and a drive circuit. The control unit can control the operating states of MOSFETs M1 and M2 through the drive circuit.

[0076] It should be understood that, Figure 3A The medium current sensor, MOSFET M1, and MOSFET M2 are connected to the negative terminal of battery cell 211. The power supply terminal VDD can be connected to the power input terminal PCKP. In practical applications, such as... Figure 3B As shown, the current sensor, MOSFET M1, and MOSFET M2 can also be connected to the positive terminal of the battery cell 211, and the ground terminal VSS can be connected to the power input terminal PCKN. This application does not limit this connection. This embodiment uses the example of MOSFET M1 and MOSFET M2 being connected to the negative terminal of the battery cell 211 for illustration.

[0077] It should be noted that, Figure 3A The structure and connection method of the charge / discharge protection circuit (e.g., charge / discharge protection circuit 212) shown in the diagram are schematic. In practical applications, the charge / discharge protection circuit can have different structures and connection methods.

[0078] In one possible design, such as Figure 3CAs shown, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 may include a charge / discharge protection chip, resistors (e.g., resistors R1 and R2), capacitor C1, and MOSFETs M1 and M2. The charge / discharge protection chip may include a control unit, a power supply terminal VDD, a ground terminal VSS, a current sampling terminal CS, a discharge control terminal DO, a charge control terminal CO, and other control terminals. It may also include an analog-to-digital converter, a control unit, and a drive circuit. Optionally, the charge / discharge protection chip may also include a memory (not shown in the figure). The power supply terminal VDD is connected to one end of capacitor C1, one end of resistor R1, and the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) unit. The other end of resistor R1 is connected to the positive terminal of battery cell 211 and the positive terminal (P+) of the power supply (input power supply). The ground terminal VSS is connected to the other end of capacitor C1, one end of sampling resistor R2, the negative terminal of battery cell 211, and the ADC unit. The current sampling terminal CS is connected to the other end of current sampling resistor R2, the source of MOSFET M1, and the ADC unit. The ADC unit is also connected to the control unit, which is also connected to the drive circuit. The discharge control terminal DO is connected to the gate of MOSFET M1 and the drive circuit. The charging control terminal CO is connected to the gate of MOSFET M2 and the drive circuit. The drain of MOSFET M1 is connected to the drain of MOSFET M2. The source of MOSFET M2 is connected to the ADC unit and the negative terminal of the input power supply.

[0079] The charge / discharge protection circuit 212 includes protection mechanisms such as overvoltage charging, overcurrent charging, undervoltage discharging, and overcurrent discharging, and can control the operating state of the MOSFET (e.g., MOSFET M1 or MOSFET M2). The operating states of the MOSFET can include linear state (also known as variable resistance state), saturation state, and cutoff state. Figure 4 The diagram shows a schematic of the operating regions of a MOSFET. When the MOSFET operates in the linear region, its operating state is linear, and the current in the MOSFET can change gradually. When the current in the MOSFET reaches its maximum value (and no longer changes), the MOSFET operates in the saturation region, that is, its operating state is saturation. When the MOSFET is turned off, it operates in the cutoff region, that is, its operating state is cutoff, and the current in the MOSFET is 0.

[0080] For example, when cell 211 is working normally, the charge / discharge protection chip controls MOSFETs M1 and M2 to be in the conducting state through the discharge control terminal DO and the charge control terminal CO, respectively. When the charge / discharge protection chip detects that cell 211 is in an over-discharge state (when cell 211 is discharging, its output voltage gradually decreases; when the output voltage of cell 211 decreases to the over-discharge protection voltage (i.e., the undervoltage protection threshold), it controls MOSFET M1 to turn off through the discharge control terminal DO, thus cutting off the discharge circuit of cell 211 and stopping cell 211 from discharging). When the charge / discharge protection chip detects that cell 211 is in an overcharge state (when cell 211 is charging, its output voltage gradually increases; when the output voltage of cell 211 increases to the overcharge protection voltage), it controls MOSFET M2 to turn off through the charge control terminal CO, thus cutting off the charging circuit of cell 211 and stopping cell 211 from charging.

[0081] When cell 211 is in a discharging state, if the charge / discharge protection chip detects that the current sampled at the current sampling terminal CS is greater than the current protection threshold, the charge / discharge protection chip can control the MOSFET M1 to disconnect via the discharge control terminal DO, thus cutting off the discharge circuit of cell 211 and stopping cell 211 from discharging. When cell 211 is in a charging state, if the charge / discharge protection chip detects that the current sampled at the current sampling terminal CS is greater than the current protection threshold, the charge / discharge protection chip can control the MOSFET M2 to disconnect via the charging control terminal CO, thus cutting off the charging circuit of cell 211 and stopping cell 211 from charging.

[0082] In another possible design, MOSFETs M1 and M2 can be integrated into the charge / discharge protection chip. This application does not impose any limitations.

[0083] It should be noted that the MOSFETs (e.g., MOSFET M1 and MOSFET M2) in the embodiments of this application are electronic switches. Electronic switches may also include at least one of gallium nitride (GaN), insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) (high power), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), turn-off thyristors (GTOs), or silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs), and this application does not limit the scope. The following embodiments of this application use a first field-effect transistor (MOSFET) as the first electronic switch and a second field-effect transistor as the second electronic switch for illustration.

[0084] like Figure 5As shown, this application provides a charging control method. Taking a charge / discharge protection circuit 212 as an example, the process of automatic current limiting control by the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 is explained. The charge / discharge protection circuit 212 includes a control unit, which can perform automatic current limiting control (i.e., control the current of the MOSFET) based on a preset set of configuration parameters (e.g., a first set of configuration parameters). The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0085] S501, the control unit of the charge and discharge protection circuit 212 determines whether the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of the battery cell 211.

[0086] The control unit can acquire the voltage of the input power supply and the voltage of the cell 211, and compare the magnitude of the input power supply voltage with the voltage of the cell 211.

[0087] For example, such as Figure 3A or Figure 3B As shown, the control unit in the discharge protection circuit 212 can obtain the voltage of the cell 211 from the power supply terminal VDD and the ground terminal VSS through the analog-to-digital conversion unit, and obtain the voltage of the input power supply through the power supply terminal VDD and the power input terminal PCKN.

[0088] S502. If the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of the cell 211, the control unit controls the current of the first field-effect transistor to be less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0089] The first current threshold is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell 211 in the first configuration parameter set. The control unit can identify the current charging stage based on the voltage of the battery cell 211 and determine the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage in the first configuration parameter set.

[0090] It is understandable that the charging process of a battery cell can include stages such as trickle charging, pre-charging, constant current (CC) charging, and constant voltage (CV) charging. Different battery cells can have different capacities, and different battery cells can correspond to different charging rates, charging currents, and cutoff voltages at different charging stages.

[0091] For example, such as Figure 6 The diagram shown illustrates the charging current and cell voltage of battery cell 211 at different stages of charging. Figure 6 It can be seen that cell 211 can correspond to different charging currents and cell voltages at different charging stages.

[0092] In some embodiments, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 includes a storage unit, which can preset (integrate) a set of configuration parameters (a first set of configuration parameters). The set of configuration parameters may include at least one of the following: the capacity of the battery cell 211, the charging rate of the battery cell 211 at different charging stages, the charging current, and the cutoff voltage.

[0093] For example, a set of configuration parameters integrated in the storage unit can be as shown in Table 1. For instance, the capacity of cell 211 can be 4000mAh. During the trickle charging stage, cell 211 can be charged at a charging rate of 0.025C. After the voltage of cell 211 reaches 2.8V, it switches to the pre-charging stage. During the pre-charging stage, cell 211 can be charged at a charging rate of 0.2C. When the voltage of cell 211 reaches 3.0V, it enters the CC charging stage. During the CC charging stage, cell 211 can be charged at a charging rate of 3.0C until the voltage of cell 211 rises to 4.45V, after which it switches to the CV charging stage. During the CV charging stage, cell 211 maintains a constant voltage, and the charging current automatically decreases. When the charging rate decreases to 0.1C, charging stops (i.e., it enters the stop charging stage).

[0094] Table 1

[0095]

[0096] Based on Table 1, during the trickle charging stage, the charging current (maximum allowable charging current) of cell 211 is 0.025 * 4000 = 100 mA. During the pre-charging stage, the charging current of cell 211 is 0.2C * 4000 = 800 mA. During the CC charging stage, the charging current of cell 211 is 3.0 * 4000 = 12000 mA. During the CV charging stage, the charging current of cell 211 is less than 12000 mA. During the stop charging stage, the current of cell 211 is 0.1 * 4000 = 400 mA.

[0097] The control unit of the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can automatically identify the current charging stage by determining the voltage range of the battery cell 211. For example, when the voltage of the battery cell 211 is 2.0V, since 2.0V is less than 2.8V, the current charging stage is trickle charging. As another example, when the voltage of the battery cell 211 is 3.5V, since 3.5V is less than 4.45V and greater than 3V, the current charging stage is CC charging.

[0098] For example, taking Table 1 as the first configuration parameter set, if the current charging stage of the battery cell 211 is the trickle charging stage, the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell 211 in the first configuration parameter set can be 0.025*4000=100mA, that is, the first current threshold can be less than or equal to 100mA.

[0099] The control unit of the charge-discharge protection circuit 212 determines the current charging current of the battery cell 211 and controls the current of the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) to be less than or equal to a first current threshold through the drive circuit.

[0100] For example, such as Figure 3A or Figure 3B As shown, the control unit of the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can obtain the current charging current of the battery cell 211 from the current sensor through the analog-to-digital conversion unit. Figure 3C As shown, the control unit of the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can determine (detect) the current charging current of the cell 211 by the voltage between the ground terminal VSS and the current sampling terminal CS.

[0101] In this embodiment of the application, the control unit of the charge-discharge protection circuit 212 can control the current of the MOS transistor through the drive circuit in any of the following ways:

[0102] (1) The MOS transistor is controlled to enter the linear region by the driving circuit, so that the current of the MOS transistor is less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0103] For example, the driving circuit can use devices such as a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) or a current source to bring the MOSFET into the linear region, thereby controlling the current of the MOSFET.

[0104] (2) By dynamically controlling the conduction time (duty cycle) of the MOSFET through the driving circuit, the conduction impedance of the MOSFET is changed so that the average current of the MOSFET is less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0105] For example, the driving circuit can dynamically control the on-time (duty cycle) of the MOSFET through pulse width modulation (PWM) to achieve intermittent switching of the MOSFET, thereby changing the on-resistance of the MOSFET and thus changing the average current flowing through the MOSFET to achieve current limiting.

[0106] For example, the charge / discharge protection circuit can gradually increase the driving capability or conduction time of the drive circuit, thereby increasing the current flowing through MOSFET M1 and / or MOSFET M2. This current is acquired by a current sensor, and when the current approaches or equals a first current threshold, the current driving capability or conduction time is maintained. If the voltage of the battery cell or the input power supply changes, the driving capability or conduction time can be increased or decreased accordingly to ensure that the current does not exceed the first current threshold.

[0107] In one possible design, to achieve better current limiting and heat dissipation, each MOSFET can be controlled individually, or multiple MOSFETs can be controlled in combination. For example, ... Figures 3A-3C As shown, the plurality of MOSFETs may include a first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) and a second field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M1), which is not limited in this application.

[0108] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the charge and discharge protection circuit 212 can control the MOSFET M2 to enter the linear region, or dynamically control the conduction time of the MOSFET M2, so that the current of the MOSFET M2 is less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0109] For example, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can control MOSFETs M2 and M1 to enter the linear region, or dynamically control the conduction time of MOSFETs M2 and M1 so that the current of MOSFETs M2 and M1 is less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0110] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application are illustrated using the example of MOSFETs (e.g., MOSFETs M2 and M1) connected to the negative terminal (P-) of the power supply. The embodiments of this application are not limited to whether the MOSFETs are connected to the negative terminal (P-) or the positive terminal (P+). When the MOSFETs are connected to the positive terminal, the type of MOSFET (e.g., selecting a P-MOSFET) and the design of the MOSFET drive circuit can be adaptively adjusted, while the method of current limiting control for the MOSFETs remains essentially unchanged.

[0111] Based on the method provided in the embodiments of this application, if the control unit determines that there is a voltage difference between the battery cell (e.g., battery cell 211) and the input power supply, it can control the current of the MOSFET to be less than or equal to a first current threshold, thereby preventing the battery current from exceeding the battery's allowable charging and discharging current threshold, thus avoiding battery damage and safety issues such as explosion and fire.

[0112] like Figure 7As shown, this application provides a charging control method. Taking a charge / discharge protection circuit 212 as an example, the process of automatic current limiting control by the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 is explained. The charge / discharge protection circuit 212 includes a first control terminal. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0113] S701, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 detects the input level of the first control terminal.

[0114] like Figure 8A As shown, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 may also include a first control terminal (e.g., an information terminal INFO). The input level of the first control terminal can be a first level, which can be a high level.

[0115] For example, the first control terminal of the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can be connected to a general purpose input / output (GPIO) pin of the processor. If the processor controls the GPIO pin to a high level, the input level of the first control terminal is high. If the processor controls the GPIO pin to a low level, the input level of the first control terminal is low. Alternatively, the first control terminal can be connected to a port on the motherboard. If the motherboard controls the port to a high level, the input level of the first control terminal is high. If the motherboard controls the port to a low level, the input level of the first control terminal is low.

[0116] In one possible design, when the first control terminal is connected to a high level, it indicates that the electronic device includes multiple batteries connected in parallel. Each battery may include at least one cell and a charge / discharge protection circuit. Due to various reasons (such as battery replacement, charging and discharging of batteries with different capacities), a voltage difference (referred to as differential voltage) may occur between the multiple batteries connected in parallel. This differential voltage causes current to flow between the batteries. The current between the batteries may exceed the battery's permissible charge / discharge current threshold, causing damage to the batteries and potentially leading to safety issues such as explosions or fires.

[0117] When the first control terminal is connected to a low level, it indicates that the electronic device includes a battery (a battery may include one or more cells, but only includes a charge and discharge protection circuit), so the electronic device does not have the problem of excessive current caused by voltage difference between multiple batteries.

[0118] The control unit of the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can determine whether to perform current limiting control by identifying the high / low level state of the first control terminal. If the first control terminal is connected to a high level (i.e., the first control terminal is at a high level), in order to solve the problem that the voltage difference between multiple batteries may lead to excessive current, the control unit can automatically perform current limiting control, that is, it can execute steps S702-S704.

[0119] If the first control terminal is connected to a low level (i.e., the first control terminal is at a low level), since there is no problem of excessive current due to voltage difference between multiple batteries, the control unit does not need to perform current limiting control, that is, it does not need to execute steps S702-S703.

[0120] S702, The control unit determines whether the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of the battery cell 211.

[0121] For details, please refer to step 501, which will not be elaborated here.

[0122] S703. If the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of the cell 211, the control unit controls the current of the first field-effect transistor to be less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first control terminal may be connected to a processor (e.g., a CPU) external to the battery. The charge / discharge protection circuit can receive a first control signal from the processor, which can be used to indicate a first set of configuration parameters. The first set of configuration parameters includes current thresholds corresponding to multiple charging stages. The control unit of the charge / discharge protection circuit can identify the current charging stage based on the voltage of the battery cell 211 and determine the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage in the first set of configuration parameters. The first current threshold is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell in the first set of configuration parameters.

[0124] In other embodiments, the first control terminal may be connected to a processor (e.g., a CPU) external to the battery. The charge / discharge protection circuit can receive a first control signal from the processor, which can be used to indicate a first current threshold. The processor external to the battery can obtain the voltage of the cell 211 from the charge / discharge protection circuit, identify the current charging stage based on the voltage of the cell 211, and determine the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage in a first set of configuration parameters. The first current threshold is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the cell in the first set of configuration parameters.

[0125] In some other embodiments, the first control terminal may be connected to a first device, which includes any one of a voltage divider resistor, a potentiometer, and a reference power supply. The charge / discharge protection circuit may read the input voltage of the first control terminal (the input voltage read from the first control port may refer to the voltage value of the first device); determine a first configuration parameter set from at least one set of configuration parameters based on the input voltage; and determine a first current threshold based on the current charging stage of the battery cell 211 and the first configuration parameter set.

[0126] For example, such as Figure 8BAs shown, the first control terminal (e.g., the information terminal INFO) can be connected to one end of a potentiometer, voltage divider resistor, or reference power supply. The other end of the potentiometer, voltage divider resistor, or reference power supply can be connected to the negative terminal (P-) of the power supply. Alternatively, the other end of the potentiometer, voltage divider resistor, or reference power supply can also be connected to the positive terminal (P+) of the power supply; this application is not limited to this.

[0127] Optionally, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can determine the resistance value of the first device based on the input voltage read from the first control port and the current flowing through the first device, and select a set of configuration parameters (i.e., the first set of configuration parameters) from multiple sets of configuration parameters based on the resistance value.

[0128] For example, if at least one set of configuration parameters includes a first set of configuration parameters and a second set of configuration parameters, when the control unit reads the input voltage of the first control terminal as a first voltage, it can select the first set of configuration parameters for automatic current limiting control; when the control unit reads the input voltage of the first control terminal as a second voltage, it can select the second set of configuration parameters for automatic current limiting control. As another example, when the resistance value of the first device is determined to be a first resistance value, the first set of configuration parameters can be selected for current limiting control (i.e., controlling the current of the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) to be less than or equal to a first current threshold); when the resistance value of the first device is determined to be a second resistance value, the second set of configuration parameters can be selected for current limiting control.

[0129] In one possible design, at least one set of configuration parameters can be pre-configured in the charge / discharge protection circuit 212. The charge / discharge protection circuit 212 may include a storage unit that can pre-configure (integrate) multiple sets of configuration parameters. These multiple sets of configuration parameters include at least one of the following: different charging rates, charging currents, and cutoff voltages for cells with different characteristics at different charging stages. The different characteristics of the cells may have different capacities and / or different charging rates at different charging stages.

[0130] In another possible design, the charge / discharge protection circuit can receive a second control signal from the processor, which can indicate at least one set of configuration parameters, including the first set of configuration parameters.

[0131] For example, at least one set of configuration parameters may include two sets of configuration parameters, namely a first set of configuration parameters and a second set of configuration parameters. The first set of configuration parameters may be as shown in Table 1 above. The second set of configuration parameters may be as shown in Table 2.

[0132] Table 2

[0133]

[0134] For example, assuming the first set of configuration parameters is as shown in Table 2, when the voltage of cell 211 is 3V, the current charging stage is the pre-charging stage. The current threshold multiplier corresponding to the pre-charging stage is 0.3, and the current threshold corresponding to the pre-charging stage is 0.3 * 5000 = 1500mA. At this time, the first current threshold is less than or equal to 1500mA.

[0135] It should be noted that the first control terminal can be configured to connect to the processor and / or the first device via a bus. The bus can include an I2C bus, a single-bus bus, or a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus. Optionally, the first control terminal can also connect to the processor and / or the first device via a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART), which is not limited in this application.

[0136] In some embodiments, since the allowable charging current of the battery varies at different temperatures, the control unit can include temperature in its monitoring range. The control unit can determine whether to perform current limiting control based on the current charging stage and the current temperature. That is, when the control unit controls the current of the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2), it considers not only the current charging stage but also the current temperature. In this case, S502 or S703 can be replaced by the following step (S704).

[0137] S704. If the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of the cell 211, the control unit controls the current of the first field-effect transistor to be less than or equal to the first minimum value. The first minimum value is the minimum value between the current threshold corresponding to the first configuration parameter set for the current charging stage and the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature in the first configuration parameter set.

[0138] In one possible design, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 may include a temperature sensor to determine the current temperature of the battery cell 211.

[0139] For example, such as Figure 8C As shown, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 may include a temperature sensor, which is connected to the analog-to-digital converter unit via the TEMP pin. The control unit obtains the current temperature of the battery cell 211 through the analog-to-digital converter unit.

[0140] Alternatively, the temperature sensor can also be directly connected to the control unit via the TEMP pin, which is not limited in this application.

[0141] In this embodiment of the application, the first set of configuration parameters may further include charging limitation parameters (e.g., charging rate and cutoff voltage) for the battery cell 211 in different temperature ranges. For example, the charging limitation parameters for the battery cell 211 in different temperature ranges may be as shown in Table 3.

[0142] Table 3

[0143]

[0144] As shown in Table 3, within the temperature range of 0–5℃, the charging rate of cell 211 can be 0.1C, and the cutoff voltage is 4.45V. Within the temperature range of 5–10℃, the charging rate of cell 211 can be 0.5C, and the cutoff voltage is 4.45V. Within the temperature range of 10–20℃, the charging rate of cell 211 during both the CC and CV charging stages can be 1.0C, and the cutoff voltage is 4.45V. Charging stops when the charging rate drops to 0.025C. Within the temperature range of 20–45℃, the charging rate of cell 211 during both the CC and CV charging stages can be 3.0C, and the cutoff voltage is 4.45V. Charging stops when the charging rate drops to 0.025C. Within a temperature range of 45–60℃, the charging rate of cell 211 can be 0.35C, and the cutoff voltage of cell 211 is 4.1V.

[0145] For example, taking the first configuration parameter set including Tables 1 and 3 as an example, if the current charging stage of battery cell 211 is trickle charging, the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of battery cell 211 in the first configuration parameter set can be 0.025 * 4000 = 100mA. The current temperature of battery cell 211 is 6℃, and the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature in the first configuration parameter set can be 0.5 * 4000 = 2000mA. Since 100mA is less than 2000mA, the first current threshold is less than or equal to 100mA.

[0146] In this embodiment of the application, each set of configuration parameters in at least one set of configuration parameters may also include charging limit parameters for battery cells with different characteristics in different temperature ranges.

[0147] In this way, by detecting the temperature and considering the charging limit parameters for different temperature ranges, when the current charging current of cell 211 is close to the minimum of the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage and the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature, the current of the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) is controlled so that the current of the first field-effect transistor is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature, thus preventing the current of the first field-effect transistor from exceeding the charging current at the current temperature. This achieves balanced current limiting protection at low and high temperatures.

[0148] In some embodiments, the control unit can protect the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) from excessive current and overheating. In this case, S502 or S703 can be replaced by the following step (S705).

[0149] S705. If the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of the cell 211, the control unit controls the current of the first field-effect transistor to be less than or equal to the second minimum value. The second minimum value is the minimum value between the current threshold corresponding to the first configuration parameter set and the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET during the current charging stage.

[0150] The control unit can calculate the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET using the following formula:

[0151] I = P / U (Formula 1)

[0152] Where I represents the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET, U represents the voltage difference between the cell voltage Ucell and the input voltage U(P+-P-), and P represents the rated power of the MOSFET.

[0153] For example, taking the first configuration parameter set including Table 1 as an example, if the current charging stage of battery cell 211 is trickle charging stage, the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of battery cell 211 in the first configuration parameter set can be 0.025*4000=100mA. If the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET is 1000mA, since 100mA is less than 1000mA, the first current threshold is less than or equal to 100mA.

[0154] In some embodiments, the control unit can not only determine whether to automatically perform current limiting control based on the current charging stage and the current temperature, but also protect the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) to prevent excessive current and overheating of the MOSFET. In this case, S502 or S703 can be replaced by the following step (S706).

[0155] S706. If the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of cell 211, the control unit controls the current of the first field-effect transistor to be less than or equal to the third minimum value. The third minimum value is the minimum of the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage, the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature, and the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET.

[0156] For example, taking the first configuration parameter set including Tables 1 and 2 as an example, if the current charging stage of battery cell 211 is trickle charging, the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of battery cell 211 in the first configuration parameter set can be 0.025 * 4000 = 100mA. If the current temperature of battery cell 211 is 6℃, the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature in the first configuration parameter set can be 0.5 * 4000 = 2000mA. If the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET is 1000mA, since 100mA is less than 1000mA and 2000mA, the first current threshold is less than or equal to 100mA.

[0157] The current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage and the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature can be found in the relevant description of step S705. The maximum allowable current of the MOSFET can be found in the relevant description of step S706, and will not be elaborated here.

[0158] like Figure 9 As shown, this application provides a charging control method. Taking the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 and the charge / discharge protection circuit 222 as examples, the process of the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 and the charge / discharge protection circuit 222 performing current limiting control according to the control signal of the processor is described. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0159] S901, The processor determines whether the electronic device is a multi-battery electronic device.

[0160] If an electronic device includes multiple battery cells and multiple charge / discharge protection circuits, then the electronic device is determined to be a multi-battery electronic device. Each battery cell in a multi-battery electronic device can correspond to a separate charge / discharge protection circuit. Alternatively, the multiple battery cells can be divided into multiple groups, with each group of cells corresponding to a separate charge / discharge protection circuit. The number of cells in each group can be greater than or equal to one; this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0161] If an electronic device includes multiple battery cells, but these cells share a single charge / discharge protection circuit, then the electronic device is not a multi-battery electronic device.

[0162] The following explanation uses an electronic device comprising two batteries as an example. Figure 2B As shown, the two batteries may include battery 210 and battery 220. Battery 210 may include cell 211 and charge / discharge protection circuit 212, and battery 220 may include cell 221 and charge / discharge protection circuit 222.

[0163] S902, Optionally, the processor reads the voltages of battery cell 211 and battery cell 221 to determine whether the voltage difference between battery cell 211 and battery cell 221 is greater than a preset threshold.

[0164] For example, such as Figure 10 As shown, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can be connected to the processor via a first control terminal (e.g., INFO 1). The charge / discharge protection circuit 222 can be connected to the processor via a second control terminal (e.g., INFO 2). Both the charge / discharge protection circuits 212 and 222 can also be connected to the power management module 141.

[0165] The processor can read the voltage of cell 211 from the charge / discharge protection chip in the charge / discharge protection circuit 212, and read the voltage of cell 221 from the charge / discharge protection chip in the charge / discharge protection circuit 212. The processor calculates the voltage difference between the voltage of cell 211 and the voltage of cell 221. If it is determined that the voltage difference is greater than a preset threshold (e.g., 200mV), step 903 can be executed.

[0166] S903, the processor sends a first control signal to the charge / discharge protection circuit 212.

[0167] The processor can control the charge and discharge protection circuit 212 through port control or protocol communication.

[0168] Among them, the charge and discharge protection chip in the charge and discharge protection circuit 212 corresponds to the battery cell 211, and the voltage of the battery cell 211 can be lower than the voltage of the battery cell 221.

[0169] In one possible design, the first control signal is used to indicate a first current threshold. That is, the processor sends the first current threshold to the control unit via the first control signal. The first current threshold is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current stage of charging of the battery cell 211.

[0170] The processor can determine a set of configuration parameters (e.g., a first set of configuration parameters) corresponding to the battery cell 211. This set of configuration parameters may include at least one of the following: the capacity of the battery cell 211, the charging rate of the battery cell 211 in multiple different charging stages, the charging current, and the cutoff voltage. The processor can determine the current charging stage of the battery cell 211 based on its current voltage, thereby determining the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell 211, and further determining the first current threshold.

[0171] In another possible design, the first control signal is used to indicate a set of configuration parameters (i.e., the first configuration parameter set) corresponding to cell 211.

[0172] In another possible design, the first control signal is used to indicate at least one set of configuration parameters. That is, the processor can write at least one set of configuration parameters to the charge protection chip of the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 via the first control signal.

[0173] S904, the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 receives the first control signal and controls the current of the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0174] In one possible design, the first control signal is used to indicate a first current threshold. Upon receiving the first control signal, the control unit of the charge / discharge protection circuit 212 can control the current of the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold indicated by the first control signal.

[0175] In another possible design, the first control signal is used to indicate the identifier of a set of configuration parameters corresponding to cell 211. Upon receiving the first control signal, the control unit can select a set of configuration parameters (i.e., the set of configuration parameters corresponding to the identifier indicated by the first control signal) from multiple preset sets of configuration parameters in the charge / discharge protection chip. Furthermore, the control unit can determine a first current threshold and control the current of the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold.

[0176] In another possible design, the first control signal is used to indicate at least one set of configuration parameters. That is, the processor can write at least one set of configuration parameters to the charging protection chip via the first control signal. The control unit can determine the first configuration parameter set from this at least one set of configuration parameters based on the input voltage of the first control terminal. Furthermore, the control unit can determine a first current threshold and control the current of the first field-effect transistor (e.g., MOSFET M2) to be less than or equal to the first current threshold. The specific process can be found in 703, and will not be elaborated here.

[0177] Optionally, the processor and charge / discharge protection circuit 222 may perform the following steps:

[0178] S905, the processor sends a third control signal to the charge / discharge protection circuit 222.

[0179] Among them, the charge and discharge protection circuit 222 corresponds to the battery cell 221, and the voltage of the battery cell 221 can be higher than the voltage of the battery cell 211.

[0180] In one possible design, a third control signal is used to indicate a second current threshold, which is less than or equal to the current threshold corresponding to the current charging phase of cell 221.

[0181] In another possible design, the third control signal is used to indicate a set of configuration parameters (the second set of configuration parameters) corresponding to cell 221.

[0182] In another possible design, the third control signal is used to indicate at least one set of configuration parameters. That is, the processor can write at least one set of configuration parameters to the charge protection chip of the charge / discharge protection circuit 222 via the third control signal.

[0183] S906, the control unit of the charge and discharge protection circuit 222 receives the third control signal and controls the current of the MOS transistor to be less than or equal to the second current threshold.

[0184] For details, please refer to step S904, which will not be elaborated here.

[0185] In some embodiments, since the battery allows different charging currents at different temperatures, the processor can incorporate temperature into its monitoring. Thus, the first current threshold varies.

[0186] For example, the first current threshold may be less than or equal to the minimum of the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the cell 211 and the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature.

[0187] In some embodiments, the processor can determine the current temperature and, based on the current temperature, determine the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature from the charging limit parameters of the battery cell 211 in different temperature ranges. For example, the charging limit parameters of the first battery cell in different temperature ranges may be as shown in Table 3.

[0188] The control unit of the charge and discharge protection circuit 212 receives a first control signal. Under the control of the first control signal, it can control the current of the MOS transistor to be less than or equal to the minimum value between the maximum charging current of the cell 211 in the current charging stage and the maximum charging current at the current temperature.

[0189] Similarly, the second current threshold can also be varied. The second current threshold can be less than or equal to the minimum of the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of cell 221 and the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature.

[0190] In some embodiments, the processor can determine the current temperature and, based on the current temperature, determine the charging current at the current temperature from the charging limit parameters of cell 221 in different temperature ranges. The charging limit parameters of cell 221 in different temperature ranges may be different from the charging limit parameters of cell 211 in different temperature ranges.

[0191] The charge / discharge protection circuit 222 receives a third control signal. Under the control of the third control signal, the current of the control MOSFET is less than or equal to the minimum value between the maximum charging current of the cell 221 in the current charging stage and the maximum charging current at the current temperature.

[0192] In some embodiments, the processor can protect the MOSFET from excessive current and overheating. This changes the first current threshold.

[0193] For example, the first current threshold may be less than or equal to the minimum of the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of cell 211 and the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET.

[0194] The control unit of the charge and discharge protection circuit 212 receives a first control signal. Under the control of the first control signal, it can control the current of the MOSFET to be less than or equal to the minimum value between the current threshold corresponding to the current stage of the cell 211 and the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET.

[0195] In some embodiments, the processor not only monitors temperature but also protects the MOSFET from excessive current and overheating. This alters the first current threshold.

[0196] For example, the first current threshold can be less than or equal to the minimum of the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of cell 211, the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature, and the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET.

[0197] The control unit of the charge and discharge protection circuit 212 receives a first control signal. Under the control of the first control signal, it can control the current of the MOSFET to be less than or equal to the minimum value among the current threshold corresponding to the current stage of the cell 211, the current threshold corresponding to the current temperature, and the maximum allowable current of the MOSFET.

[0198] Based on the method provided in the embodiments of this application, balanced current limiting can be achieved through the charging and discharging protection circuit of each battery, which can ensure that the current between two or more batteries does not exceed the battery's allowable charging and discharging current threshold, thus avoiding safety issues such as battery damage, explosion, and fire.

[0199] Compared to related technologies, achieving voltage balance among multiple batteries requires adding additional balancing circuits / ICs to the motherboard. For example, to achieve voltage balance between two batteries, an additional balancing circuit / IC is needed on the motherboard; to achieve voltage balance between three or more batteries, at least two additional balancing circuits / ICs are needed, resulting in complex circuit design. The method provided in this application achieves balanced current limiting through the charging and discharging protection circuit of each battery itself, eliminating the need for additional balancing circuits / ICs on the motherboard. This overcomes the limitation of related technologies where an additional balancing circuit is required for each additional battery, simplifying the circuit design. Furthermore, in this application, the battery's charging and discharging protection circuit can integrate a temperature protection mechanism, enabling self-protection during charging and discharging in low and high temperature environments. It does not rely on external (processor) protection, and even if external temperature control fails, it can effectively meet the differentiated charging and discharging requirements of the cells under different temperature scenarios.

[0200] This application also provides a battery, including a charge-discharge protection circuit and a battery cell. The charge-discharge protection circuit includes a control unit and a first field-effect transistor (e.g., a MOSFET M2). The control unit is used to execute the various steps in the above method embodiments.

[0201] This application also provides a charge / discharge protection circuit, including a control unit and a first field-effect transistor, wherein the control unit is used to execute the various steps in the above method embodiments.

[0202] This application also provides a charge / discharge protection chip, including a control unit, which is used to execute the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0203] This application also provides an electronic device, which includes a battery, a charge / discharge protection circuit and a battery cell, and a charge / discharge protection circuit including a control unit and a first field-effect transistor. The control unit is used to execute the various steps in the above method embodiments.

[0204] This application also provides an electronic device, which includes a first battery and a second battery connected in parallel. The first battery includes a first cell and a first charge-discharge protection circuit, and the first charge-discharge protection circuit includes a first control unit. The second battery includes a second cell and a second charge-discharge protection circuit, and the second charge-discharge protection circuit includes a second control unit. The first control unit and / or the second control unit are used to perform the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0205] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including computer instructions that, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the steps described in the above method embodiments.

[0206] This application also provides a computer program product including instructions that, when executed on the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the steps in the method embodiments described above.

[0207] The technical effects of the chip system, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product are described in the preceding method embodiments.

[0208] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply 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 this application.

[0209] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples 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 implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0210] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0211] In the several embodiments provided in this 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 merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0212] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located on one device or distributed across multiple devices. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0213] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one device, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one device.

[0214] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs), etc.

[0215] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A charging control method, characterized in that, An electronic device is applied to an electronic device comprising at least two batteries connected in parallel. Each of the at least two batteries includes a charge / discharge protection circuit and a battery cell. The charge / discharge protection circuit connects the battery cell to an input power source. The charge / discharge protection circuit includes a first electronic switch, a control unit, a storage unit, a drive circuit, a temperature sensor, and a first control terminal. The control unit is connected to the storage unit, the drive circuit, and the temperature sensor, respectively. The first control terminal is connected to a first device, which includes any one of a voltage divider resistor, a potentiometer, and a reference power source. The method includes: When the control unit recognizes that the first control terminal is connected to the first level, it determines whether the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of the battery cell. If the voltage of the input power supply is greater than the voltage of the battery cell, the control unit reads the input voltage of the first control terminal, where the input voltage is the voltage of the first device, and determines the first configuration parameter set from at least one set of configuration parameters preset in the storage unit based on the input voltage; The at least one set of configuration parameters includes current thresholds corresponding to battery cells of different capacities. The first set of configuration parameters includes the capacity of the battery cell, current thresholds corresponding to multiple charging stages, and current thresholds corresponding to multiple temperature ranges. The control unit controls the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to a first current threshold through the drive circuit. Wherein, the first current threshold is less than or equal to the third minimum value, the third minimum value is the minimum value among the first threshold, the second threshold and the third threshold, the first threshold is the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell in the first configuration parameter set, the second threshold is the current threshold corresponding to the temperature range of the current temperature of the battery cell in the first configuration parameter set, and the third threshold is the maximum current threshold allowed by the first electronic switch.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first control terminal is used to connect to the processor. The charge / discharge protection circuit receives a first control signal from the processor from the first control terminal. The first control signal is used to indicate the first set of configuration parameters, or the first control signal is used to indicate the first current threshold.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first control terminal is also used to connect to the processor. The charge / discharge protection circuit receives a second control signal from the processor from the first control terminal, the second control signal being used to indicate the at least one set of configuration parameters.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first control terminal is configured to connect to the processor via a single bus or an integrated circuit I2C bus.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The charge / discharge protection circuit also includes a temperature sensor, which is used to detect the current temperature of the battery cell. The first current threshold is less than or equal to the first minimum value, which is the current threshold corresponding to the current charging stage of the battery cell in the first set of configuration parameters, and the minimum value of the temperature range corresponding to the current temperature of the battery cell in the first set of configuration parameters.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first current threshold is less than or equal to the second minimum value, which is the minimum value of the current threshold corresponding to the first set of configuration parameters and the maximum current allowed by the first electronic switch during the current charging stage of the battery cell.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The charge / discharge protection circuit controls the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to a first current threshold, including: If the input level of the first control terminal is a first level, the current flowing through the first electronic switch is controlled to be less than or equal to a first current threshold, and the first level includes a high level.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The control that the current flowing through the first electronic switch is less than or equal to the first current threshold includes: Control the first electronic switch to enter the linear region, such that the current flowing through the first electronic switch is less than or equal to the first current threshold; or The conduction time of the first electronic switch is controlled such that the average current flowing through the first electronic switch is less than or equal to the first current threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The charge / discharge protection circuit further includes a second electronic switch, and controlling the current flowing through the first electronic switch to be less than or equal to the first current threshold includes: The current flowing through the first electronic switch and the second electronic switch is controlled to be less than or equal to the first current threshold.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first electronic switch includes at least one of a field-effect transistor, gallium nitride (GaN), an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), a turn-off thyristor (GTO), or a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR).

11. A battery, characterized in that, The device includes a charge / discharge protection circuit and a battery cell. The charge / discharge protection circuit includes a control unit, a first electronic switch, a storage unit, a drive circuit, a temperature sensor, and a first control terminal. The control unit is connected to the storage unit, the drive circuit, and the temperature sensor. The first control terminal is connected to a first device, which includes any one of a voltage divider resistor, a potentiometer, and a reference power supply. The control unit is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

12. A charge / discharge protection circuit, characterized in that, The device includes a control unit, a first electronic switch, a storage unit, a drive circuit, a temperature sensor, and a first control terminal. The control unit is connected to the storage unit, the drive circuit, and the temperature sensor, respectively. The first control terminal is connected to a first device, which includes any one of a voltage divider resistor, a potentiometer, and a reference power supply. The control unit is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

13. A charge / discharge protection chip, characterized in that, include: The control unit comprises a control unit, a first electronic switch, a storage unit, a drive circuit, a temperature sensor, and a first control terminal. The control unit is connected to the storage unit, the drive circuit, and the temperature sensor, respectively. The first control terminal is connected to a first device, which includes any one of a voltage divider resistor, a potentiometer, and a reference power supply. The control unit is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

14. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes a battery, the battery includes a charge / discharge protection circuit and a battery cell, the charge / discharge protection circuit includes a control unit, a first electronic switch, a storage unit, a drive circuit, a temperature sensor and a first control terminal, the control unit is connected to the storage unit, the drive circuit and the temperature sensor respectively, the first control terminal is connected to a first device, the first device includes any one of a voltage divider resistor, a potentiometer and a reference power supply, and the control unit is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes a first battery and a second battery connected in parallel. The first battery includes a first cell and a first charge-discharge protection circuit, and the second battery includes a second cell and a second charge-discharge protection circuit. The first charge-discharge protection circuit and / or the second charge-discharge protection circuit includes a control unit, a first electronic switch, a storage unit, a drive circuit, a temperature sensor, and a first control terminal. The control unit is connected to the storage unit, the drive circuit, and the temperature sensor, respectively. The first control terminal is connected to a first device, which includes any one of a voltage divider resistor, a potentiometer, and a reference power supply. The control unit in the first charge-discharge protection circuit and / or the second charge-discharge protection circuit is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Includes computer instructions that, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

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