Charging circuit, folding electronic equipment and charging method

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging circuit, folding electronic equipment and a charging method. The charging circuit is applied to the folding electronic equipment, and the folding electronic equipment comprises a plurality of batteries. The charging circuit comprises a control circuit and a plurality of charging branches connected in parallel, and each charging branch is connected with all the batteries; the control circuit is used for disconnecting the access between the target battery and the charging branches in the process of controlling each charging branch to perform constant-current charging on the battery if the charging voltage of the target battery is detected to reach the corresponding preset voltage, so that the charging voltage of each battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage; the target battery is at least one of the plurality of batteries. By adopting the method, the charging requirement of the multi-folding electronic equipment can be met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of battery charging, and in particular, to a charging circuit, a foldable electronic device, and a charging method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the folding technology of electronic devices, double-foldable electronic devices, multi-foldable electronic devices, etc. have emerged. Therefore, the charging demand for foldable electronic devices is also increasing.

[0003] However, the charging methods for double-foldable electronic devices in traditional technologies are difficult to meet the charging requirements of multi-foldable electronic devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a charging circuit, a foldable electronic device, and a charging method, which can meet the charging requirements of multi-foldable electronic devices.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a charging circuit. The charging circuit is applied to a foldable electronic device, and the foldable electronic device includes a plurality of batteries; the charging circuit includes a control circuit and a plurality of parallel charging branches, and each charging branch is connected to all the batteries;

[0006] The control circuit is configured to, during the process of controlling each charging branch to perform constant current charging on the battery, if it is detected that the charging voltage of the target battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, disconnect the path between the target battery and the charging branch, so that the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages; the target battery is at least one of the plurality of batteries.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a foldable electronic device, which includes a plurality of batteries with different capacities and the charging circuit as described in the first aspect.

[0008] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a charging method, which is applied to the charging circuit as described in the first aspect. The method includes:

[0009] During the process of controlling each charging branch to perform constant current charging on the battery, if it is detected that the charging voltage of the target battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, disconnect the path between the target battery and the charging branch, so that the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages; the target battery is at least one of the plurality of batteries.

[0010] The above charging circuit, foldable electronic device and charging method, the foldable electronic device includes a plurality of batteries, the charging circuit includes a control circuit and a plurality of parallel charging branches, each charging branch is connected to all the batteries. During the constant current charging of the batteries by each charging circuit, if the control circuit detects that the charging voltage of the target battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, it controls to disconnect the path between the target battery and the charging branch, so that the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages. Wherein, the target battery is at least one of the plurality of batteries. The above charging circuit uses the control circuit to control the on-off of the path between each charging branch and each battery, so that each battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, realizing the charging of the plurality of batteries in the foldable electronic device, solving the problem that the charging method for a double-foldable electronic device in the prior art is difficult to meet the charging requirements of a multi-foldable electronic device, and when the charging voltage of the battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, disconnecting the path between the charging branch and the battery can avoid damage to the battery caused by overcharging, thereby improving the service life of the battery. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of a charging circuit in an embodiment;

[0013] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of a charging circuit in another embodiment;

[0014] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of a charging circuit in another embodiment;

[0015] Figure 4 It is an internal structural diagram of a foldable electronic device in an embodiment;

[0016] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a charging method in an embodiment;

[0017] Figure 6 It is a flowchart of a charging method in an embodiment;

[0018] Explanation of the Reference Numerals in the Drawings:

[0019] 01: Charging circuit; 02: Battery; 10: Control circuit;

[0020] 20: Charging branch; 30: Switching circuit; 021: First battery;

[0021] 022: The second battery. Detailed implementation manners

[0022] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the following further elaborates on this application in combination with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not used to limit this application.

[0023] It can be understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. used in this application can be used in this text to describe various elements, but these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish a first element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, the first client can be referred to as the second client, and similarly, the second client can be referred to as the first client. Both the first client and the second client are clients, but they are not the same client. And the "connection" and "coupling" mentioned in this application, unless otherwise specified, both include direct and indirect connection (coupling). In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by orientation words such as "upper", "lower", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to this application. In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature can be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. In this application, the way to distinguish elements is not based on the difference in names, but on the difference in functions of the elements.

[0024] First, before specifically introducing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical background or the evolution context based on which the embodiments of the present disclosure are described will be introduced. With the development of the folding technology of electronic devices, double-folded electronic devices and multi-folded electronic devices have emerged. To maximize the battery capacity of a double-folded electronic device or a multi-folded electronic device, multiple batteries are usually used as the battery of the folded electronic device. For example, a double-folded electronic device may include two batteries, and a triple-folded electronic device may include three batteries. Therefore, it is necessary to charge multiple batteries of the folded electronic device. In the prior art, most are methods for charging a double-folded electronic device. However, since the structure of a multi-folded device is different from that of a double-folded electronic device, the battery capacities of multiple batteries in a multi-folded electronic device may be different. The existing methods for charging a double-folded electronic device are not applicable to a multi-folded electronic device. Therefore, there is a lack of a method for charging a multi-folded electronic device in the prior art. In addition, since the battery capacities and path impedances of each battery in a multi-folded electronic device may be different, the charging time of each battery to be fully charged is different, which easily causes the problem of overcharging of the battery with a shorter charging time to be fully charged.

[0025] It should be noted that this application can be applied to a multi-folded electronic device or to any scenario of charging a multi-battery electronic device.

[0026] In one embodiment, as Figure 1 shown, a charging circuit 01 is provided. The charging circuit 01 is applied to a folded electronic device, and the folded electronic device includes multiple batteries 02; the charging circuit 01 includes a control circuit 10 and multiple parallel charging branches 20, and each charging branch 20 is connected to all the batteries 02; the control circuit 10 is configured to, during the process of controlling each charging branch 20 to perform constant current charging on the battery 02, if it is detected that the charging voltage of the target battery 02 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, disconnect the path between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20, so that the charging voltages of all the batteries 02 reach the corresponding preset voltages; the target battery 02 is at least one of the multiple batteries 02.

[0027] Among them, the foldable electronic device can be a double-foldable electronic device, a triple-foldable electronic device, or other foldable electronic devices. In this embodiment, the battery 02 of the foldable electronic device can be any one of a lithium battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, etc. Constant Current (CC) charging of multiple batteries 02 in this embodiment means continuously charging multiple batteries 02 with a constant current to quickly charge multiple batteries 02. In addition, it should be noted that in this embodiment, the capacities of multiple batteries 02 can be the same or different. Therefore, the preset voltage corresponding to each battery 02 can be determined according to the battery capacity of each battery 02. That is to say, the preset voltages corresponding to batteries 02 with different battery capacities are also different. Optionally, in this embodiment, the charging circuit 01 and multiple batteries 02 can be arranged on a through-axis flexible printed circuit (FPC).

[0028] Optionally, in this embodiment, each battery 02 can include a battery cell and a protection board. The protection board can be arranged on the battery cell. The positive and negative electrodes of the battery cell are both connected to the protection board. The protection board can include a collection component. The collection component can collect the charging voltage and / or charging current of the battery 02 and send the collected charging voltage and / or charging current to the control circuit 10.

[0029] In this embodiment, the charging circuit 01 includes a control circuit 10 and multiple parallel charging branches 20. Each charging branch 20 is connected to all batteries 02. The control circuit 10 can obtain the charging voltage and / or charging current of all batteries 02. After the charging circuit 01 is connected to a power supply or an adapter, the charging circuit 01 can perform constant current charging on all batteries 02 through multiple parallel charging branches 20. It can be understood that the impedance of the battery 02 closer to the power supply is smaller. That is to say, the battery 02 closer to the power supply may be fully charged earlier. Further, the control circuit 10 can determine the target battery 02 that has reached the preset voltage based on the charging voltage of all batteries 02 obtained. At this time, it indicates that the target battery 02 no longer needs to be charged with a constant current. Then, the control circuit 10 can control the disconnection of the path between the target battery 02 and the charging circuit 01.

[0030] Optionally, when the charging voltage of the target battery 02 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 can send a control signal to the charging branch 20 to disconnect the path between the charging branch 20 and the target battery 02; or, each battery 02 can also be connected to a control switch. When the charging voltage of the target battery 02 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 can send a control signal to the control switch connected to the target battery 02 to disconnect the path between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 through the control switch.

[0031] It should be noted that the target battery 02 in this embodiment is the battery 02 that is charged first among multiple batteries 02. It can be understood that since the foldable electronic device includes multiple batteries 02, the target battery 02 can be one of the multiple batteries 02 or multiple batteries 02 among the multiple batteries 02. Correspondingly, when the charging voltage of the target battery 02 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the disconnection of the path between the other batteries 02 except the target battery 02 among the multiple batteries 02 of the foldable electronic device and the charging branch 20.

[0032] Exemplarily, as Figure 1 shown, taking the foldable electronic device including 3 batteries 02 and the charging circuit 01 including 3 charging branches 20 as an example, the above 3 batteries 02 are respectively battery 1, battery 2 and battery 3, the above charging branches 20 include charging branch 1, charging branch 2 and charging branch 3, and charging branch 1, charging branch 2 and charging branch 3 are in parallel, and each charging branch 20 is connected to all batteries 02. When each charging branch 20 performs constant current charging for each battery, when the charging voltage of battery 1 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the disconnection of the paths of charging branch 1, charging branch 2 and charging branch 3 from battery 1; when the charging voltage of battery 2 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the disconnection of the paths of charging branch 1, charging branch 2 and charging branch 3 from battery 2; when the charging voltage of battery 3 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the disconnection of the paths of charging branch 1, charging branch 2 and charging branch 3 from battery 3.

[0033] The above charging circuit is applied to a foldable electronic device. The foldable electronic device includes multiple batteries. The charging circuit includes a control circuit and multiple parallel charging branches. Each charging branch is connected to all batteries. During the process of constant current charging of each battery by each charging circuit, if it is detected that the charging voltage of the target battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit controls the disconnection of the path between the target battery and the charging branch, so that the charging voltages of each battery reach the corresponding preset voltages. Among them, the target battery is at least one of the multiple batteries. The above charging circuit uses the control circuit to control the on / off of the paths between each charging branch and each battery, so that each battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, realizes fast charging of multiple batteries in the foldable electronic device, solves the problem that the charging method for a double-foldable electronic device in the prior art is difficult to meet the charging requirements of a multi-foldable electronic device, and can avoid damage to the battery caused by overcharging the battery when the charging voltage of the battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, thereby improving the service life of the battery.

[0034] As an alternative embodiment, the control circuit can implement the connection and disconnection between the target battery and the charging branch through a switching circuit. Based on the above embodiments, in one embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the above charging circuit 01 further includes a switching circuit 30, and the switching circuit 30 is respectively connected to the battery 02, the charging branch 20, and the control circuit 10; the control circuit 10 is configured to control the connection and disconnection between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 through the switching circuit 30.

[0035] In this embodiment, the switching circuit 30 in the charging circuit 01 is respectively connected to the battery 02, the charging branch 20, and the control circuit 10, and one switching circuit 30 is connected to one battery 02. Therefore, the number of switching circuits 30 can be determined according to the number of batteries 02 in the foldable electronic device. In this embodiment, the control circuit 10 can send a control signal to the switching circuit 30 to control the connection and disconnection between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 through the control signal.

[0036] Further, in this embodiment, during the constant current charging of each battery 02 by the charging branch 20, if the control circuit 10 detects that the charging voltage of the target battery 02 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 can send a control signal to the switching circuit 30 corresponding to the target battery 02 to control the disconnection of the path between the target battery 02 and all the charging branches 20 through the switching circuit 30.

[0037] Optionally, as Figure 2 shown, continuing with the example of a foldable electronic device including 3 batteries 02, each battery 02 can correspond to a switching circuit 30. Battery 1 is connected to switching circuit 1, battery 2 is connected to switching circuit 2, and battery 3 is connected to switching circuit 3. When the charging voltage of battery 1 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the switching circuit 30 to disconnect the path between battery 1 and the charging branch 20; when the charging voltage of battery 2 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the switching circuit 30 to disconnect the path between battery 2 and the charging branch 20; when the charging voltage of battery 3 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the switching circuit 30 to disconnect the path between battery 3 and the charging branch 20.

[0038] As an alternative embodiment, in this embodiment, the switch circuit 30 may include a current-limiting switch, which is a common electronic device that can protect the circuit and the electronic devices connected to the circuit by controlling the magnitude of the current in the control circuit 10, avoiding risks such as equipment damage and short circuits caused by abnormal conditions such as overcurrent, overload, and short circuit. In this embodiment, the current-limiting switch is used to reduce the current between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 to 0, that is, to disconnect the path between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20, preventing the battery 02 from overcharging. The current-limiting switch is connected to the control circuit 10. When the charging voltage of the target battery 02 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 can send a control signal to the current-limiting switch corresponding to the target battery 02, and control the path between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 to be disconnected through the current-limiting switch 301. As another alternative embodiment, the switch circuit 30 may also be a field-effect transistor, a single-pole double-throw switch, a diode, etc.

[0039] In this embodiment, the charging circuit further includes a switch circuit, which is respectively connected to the battery, the charging branch, and the control circuit. By controlling the switch circuit through the control circuit, the on-off control between the target battery and the charging branch is realized, the control logic is simple, and the switch circuit is relatively stable and not prone to errors.

[0040] Generally, the capacities of the multiple batteries included in the multi-foldable electronic device may be the same, or the capacities of the multiple batteries may be different. Based on the above embodiments, in one embodiment, as Figure 3 shown, the above multiple batteries 02 include at least one first battery 021 and at least one second battery 022. The capacity of the first battery 021 is greater than the capacity of the second battery 022. The switch circuit 30 is respectively connected to each second battery 022, the charging branch 20, and the control circuit 10.

[0041] It is easy to understand that the size of the battery capacity will affect the length of time required for the battery 02 to be fully charged. The larger the battery capacity, the longer the time required for the battery 02 to be fully charged; the smaller the battery capacity, the shorter the time required for the battery 02 to be fully charged.

[0042] In this embodiment, as Figure 3As shown, the multiple batteries 02 of the multi-foldable electronic device may include a first battery 021 and a second battery 022. Among them, the battery capacity of the first battery 021 is greater than that of the second battery 022, that is, the time required to fully charge the first battery 021 is longer than the time required to fully charge the second battery 022. In addition, it can be understood that the path impedance between the battery 02 and the charging branch 20 will affect the time required to fully charge the battery 02. The greater the path impedance, the slower the charging speed of the battery 02, and the longer the time required to fully charge the battery 02; the smaller the path impedance, the faster the charging speed of the battery 02, and the shorter the time required to fully charge the battery 02. The distances between the respective batteries 02 and the power supply are different, and the path impedances corresponding to the respective batteries 02 are also different. The longer the distance between the battery 02 and the power supply, the greater the path impedance between the battery 02 and the power supply; the shorter the distance between the battery 02 and the power supply, the smaller the path impedance between the battery 02 and the power supply. Since in this embodiment, the battery capacity of the first battery 021 is greater than that of the second battery 022, and the impedance of the second battery 022 close to the power supply is smaller, therefore, the time required to fully charge the second battery 022 close to the power supply is the shortest.

[0043] Exemplarily, as Figure 3 shown, the first battery 021 includes battery 3, the second battery 022 includes battery 1 and battery 2, and the magnitudes of the battery capacities are: the battery capacity of battery 3 > the battery capacity of battery 2 > the battery capacity of battery 1. The distances between the respective batteries and the power supply are: the distance between battery 3 and the power supply > the distance between battery 2 and the power supply > the distance between battery 1 and the power supply. Therefore, the magnitudes of the path impedances corresponding to the respective batteries 02 are: the path impedance corresponding to battery 3 > the path impedance corresponding to battery 2 > the path impedance corresponding to battery 1. It can be seen that battery 1 is the battery 02 that takes the shortest time to fully charge, and battery 3 is the battery 02 that takes the longest time to fully charge.

[0044] It should be noted that the foldable electronic device includes a main board, and the main board and the power supply are connected by multiple paths. To reduce the wiring length between the main board and the power supply, the main board is usually placed close to the power supply. Since the position close to the power supply in the foldable electronic device is limited, the second battery 022 close to the power supply is the battery 02 with the smallest battery capacity among the multiple batteries 02 of the foldable device.

[0045] In this embodiment, the multiple batteries of the foldable electronic device include a first battery and a second battery, and the capacity of the first battery is greater than that of the second battery. The switching circuit is connected to each second battery, the charging branch, and the control circuit, so that the control circuit controls the on / off between the second battery and the charging branch through the switching circuit, and protects the battery from being affected by overcharging.

[0046] It can be understood that when the charging voltage of the penultimate battery among multiple batteries reaches the preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the switching circuit corresponding to the penultimate battery to disconnect the path between the battery and the charging branch, and the charging branch will only charge the last battery until all batteries reach the preset voltage and then switch the charging mode. Therefore, the path between the last battery and the charging branch can be kept connected, and a switching circuit may not be provided between the last battery and the charging branch. Based on the above embodiments, in one embodiment, the number of switching circuits 30 is related to the number of second batteries 022.

[0047] In this embodiment, the number of switching circuits 30 can be the same as the number of second batteries 022. Exemplarily, as Figure 3 shown, the second battery 022 includes battery 1 and battery 2, the switching circuit 30 includes switching circuit 1 and switching circuit 2, the number of switching circuits 30 is the same as the number of second batteries 022, and the battery 02 corresponds to the switching circuit 30 one by one.

[0048] As another alternative implementation, the number of switching circuits 30 can be less than the number of second batteries 022. Exemplarily, when the second battery 022 includes multiple batteries, if the battery with the longest charging time required to be fully charged in the second battery 022 is the same as the charging time required for the first battery 021 to be fully charged, then the battery with the longest charging time required to be fully charged in the second battery 022 may not be connected to the switching circuit 30, that is, the number of switching circuits 30 is one less than the number of second batteries 022.

[0049] In this embodiment, the number of switching circuits is determined according to the number of second batteries, and the least number of switching circuits is used to control the disconnection of the paths between the corresponding batteries and the charging branch 20, so that all batteries can reach the corresponding preset voltages, avoiding resource waste caused by setting too many switching circuits and occupying the internal space of the foldable electronic device.

[0050] After the constant current charging of each battery in the foldable electronic device is completed, constant voltage charging can continue for each battery. Based on the above embodiments, in one embodiment, the control circuit 10 is further configured to control the path between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 to be conducted when the charging voltages of all batteries 02 reach the corresponding preset voltages, so that each battery 02 performs constant voltage charging.

[0051] Among them, constant voltage charging (CV) means continuously charging the battery 02 with a constant voltage, so a constant voltage can be provided for the battery 02 at the end stage of the battery 02 charging to ensure that the battery 02 is fully charged.

[0052] In this embodiment, when the charging voltages of all the batteries 02 reach the corresponding preset voltages, that is, when all the batteries 02 complete constant current charging, the control circuit 10 controls the connection between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 to be conducted, and the charging branch 20 performs constant voltage charging for all the batteries 02 until all the batteries 02 complete charging.

[0053] Optionally, the control circuit 10 may send an analog signal to the charging branch 20 to make the connection between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 conducted; or, the control circuit 10 may send a digital signal to the switch circuit 30 arranged between the charging branch 20 and the target battery 02 to make the switch circuit 30 closed, so as to make the connection between the target battery 02 and the charging branch 20 conducted.

[0054] Exemplarily, as Figure 3 shown, continuing to take the foldable electronic device including 3 batteries 02 as an example, the above 3 batteries 02 are respectively battery 1, battery 2 and battery 3. During the process of the charging branches 20 performing constant current charging for battery 1, battery 2 and battery 3, when the charging voltage of battery 1 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the connection between battery 1 and the charging branch 20 to be disconnected, and the charging branch 20 continues to perform constant current charging for battery 2 and battery 3. When the charging voltage of battery 2 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the connection between battery 2 and the charging branch 20 to be disconnected, and the charging branch 20 continues to perform constant current charging for battery 3. When the charging voltage of battery 3 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the charging voltages of all the batteries 02 reach the corresponding preset voltages, and the control circuit 10 controls the connection between battery 1 and the charging branch 20 to be conducted, and at the same time controls the connection between battery 2 and the charging branch 20 to be conducted, so that the charging branch 20 performs constant voltage charging for battery 1, battery 2 and battery 3.

[0055] Further, the control circuit 10 is further configured to disconnect the connection between each charging branch 20 and the power supply when the charging currents of all the batteries 02 reach the corresponding preset currents. The control circuit 10 may obtain the charging currents of all the batteries 02 through the acquisition components arranged on each battery 02. When the charging currents of all the batteries 02 are reduced to the corresponding preset currents, it means that all the batteries 02 are fully charged, and the control circuit 10 controls the charging branch 20 to disconnect the connection with the power supply.

[0056] In this embodiment, when the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages, the control circuit controls the connection between the target battery and the charging branch to be conducted, so that each battery performs constant voltage charging, ensuring that each battery is fully charged, and when each battery is fully charged, timely disconnecting the connection between the charging branch and the power supply to avoid damaging the battery.

[0057] The control circuit can be a control circuit exclusive to the charging circuit 01, or the control chip in the foldable electronic device can be reused as the control circuit. Based on the above embodiments, in one embodiment, the control circuit 10 includes the power management chip of the foldable electronic device.

[0058] Among them, the power management chip can be a chip that performs functions such as power conversion, distribution, detection, and other power management functions in the foldable electronic device.

[0059] In this embodiment, the power management chip can be a system-on-chip (SOC) in the foldable electronic device, that is, the existing SOC chip in the foldable electronic device is reused as the control circuit 10; alternatively, a dedicated control chip can be provided for the charging circuit 01 to control the on / off of the path between the charging branch 20 and each battery 02, and the on / off of the path between the charging branch 20 and the power supply.

[0060] In this embodiment, the control circuit includes the power management chip of the foldable electronic device. Reusing the SOC chip as the power management chip can save the internal space and resources of the foldable electronic device; providing a dedicated power management chip for the charging circuit 01 has stronger pertinence in managing the charging process.

[0061] In one embodiment, the present application further provides a foldable electronic device, which includes the charging circuit 01 described in the above embodiments.

[0062] Optionally, in this embodiment, the foldable electronic device can be a portable device such as a mobile phone, a watch, a wearable device, etc. The internal structure diagram of the terminal provided in this embodiment can be as Figure 4As shown in the figure, the terminal includes a processor, a memory, an input / output interface, a communication interface, a display unit, and an input device. Among them, the processor, the memory, and the input / output interface are connected through a system bus, and the communication interface, the display unit, and the input device are connected to the system bus through the input / output interface. Among them, the processor of the terminal is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the terminal includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The input / output interface of the computer device is used for exchanging information between the processor and external devices. The communication interface of the terminal is used for communicating with external terminals in a wired or wireless manner, and the wireless manner can be implemented through WIFI, a mobile cellular network, NFC (Near Field Communication), or other technologies. The display unit of the terminal is used to form a visually visible picture, which can be a display screen, a projection device, or a virtual reality imaging device. The display screen can be a liquid crystal display screen or an electronic ink display screen. The input device of the terminal can be a touch layer covering the display screen, or a button, a trackball, or a touchpad provided on the terminal housing, or an external keyboard, touchpad, or mouse, etc.

[0063] In this embodiment, the foldable electronic device includes a charging circuit 01 as described in the above embodiment, and the multiple batteries 02 in the foldable electronic device can be charged through the charging circuit 01 to meet the charging requirements of the foldable electronic device.

[0064] Those skilled in the art can understand that Figure 4 the structure shown in the figure is only a block diagram of some structures related to the solution of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the solution of the present application is applied. The specific computer device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have different component arrangements.

[0065] In one embodiment, the present application further provides a charging method, including: during the process of controlling each charging branch to perform constant current charging on the battery, if it is detected that the charging voltage of the target battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the path between the target battery and the charging branch is disconnected, so that the charging voltage of each battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage; the target battery is at least one of the multiple batteries.

[0066] In this embodiment, the control circuit obtains the charging voltage and / or charging current of all batteries. Further, the control circuit can determine the target battery whose charging voltage has reached the preset voltage based on the obtained charging voltage of all batteries. At this time, it indicates that the target battery no longer needs to perform constant current charging, and then the path between the target battery and the charging circuit can be disconnected through the control circuit.

[0067] Exemplarily, taking the folded electronic device including three batteries as an example, the above three batteries are battery 1, battery 2, and battery 3 respectively. When each charging branch performs constant current charging for each battery, when the charging voltage of battery 1 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit controls the charging branch to disconnect the path with battery 1; when the charging voltage of battery 2 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit controls the charging branch to disconnect the path with battery 2; when the charging voltage of battery 3 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit controls the charging branch to disconnect the path with battery 3.

[0068] In the above charging method, during the process of each charging circuit performing constant current charging for the battery, if it is detected that the charging voltage of the target battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit controls to disconnect the path between the target battery and the charging branch, so that the charging voltage of each battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage. Among them, the target battery is at least one of multiple batteries. By controlling the on / off of the path between each charging branch and each battery, each battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, realizing fast charging of multiple batteries in the folded electronic device, and solving the problem that the charging method for the double-folded electronic device in the prior art is difficult to meet the charging requirements of the multi-folded electronic device. And when the charging voltage of the battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, disconnecting the path between the charging branch and the battery can avoid damage to the battery caused by overcharging, thereby increasing the service life of the battery.

[0069] In another embodiment, as Figure 5 shown, the above power supply method further includes:

[0070] S201, when the charging voltage of each battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, control the path between the target battery and the charging branch to conduct, so that each battery performs constant voltage charging.

[0071] In this embodiment, when the charging voltage of each battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, that is, when each battery has completed constant current charging, the control circuit controls the path between the target battery and the charging branch to conduct, and the charging branch performs constant voltage charging for each battery until each battery completes charging.

[0072] Optionally, the control circuit can send an analog signal to the charging branch to make the path between the target battery and the charging branch conduct; or, the control circuit can send a digital signal to the switch circuit arranged between the charging branch and the target battery to make the switch circuit close, so that the path between the target battery and the charging branch conducts.

[0073] S202, when the charging current of each battery reaches the corresponding preset current, disconnect the path between each charging branch and the power supply.

[0074] In this embodiment, the control circuit can obtain the charging current of each battery through the acquisition components provided on each battery. When the charging current of each battery drops to the corresponding preset current, it indicates that all the batteries are fully charged, and the control circuit controls the charging branch to disconnect the path with the power supply.

[0075] Exemplarily, as Figure 6 shown, continuing with the example where the foldable electronic device includes 3 batteries, the above 3 batteries are Battery 1, Battery 2, and Battery 3 respectively. During the constant-current charging of Battery 1, Battery 2, and Battery 3 by each charging branch 20, when the charging voltage of Battery 1 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit controls the path between Battery 1 and the charging branch to be disconnected, and the charging branch continues to perform constant-current charging for Battery 2 and Battery 3. When the charging voltage of Battery 2 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the control circuit 10 controls the path between Battery 2 and the charging branch to be disconnected, and the charging branch continues to perform constant-current charging for Battery 3. When the charging voltage of Battery 3 reaches the corresponding preset voltage, the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages, and the control circuit 10 controls the path between Battery 1 and the charging branch to be conducted, and at the same time controls the path between Battery 2 and the charging branch to be conducted, so that the charging branch performs constant-voltage charging for Battery 1, Battery 2, and Battery 3. Further, the control circuit can obtain the charging current of Battery 1, Battery 2, and Battery 3 through the acquisition components provided on Battery 1, Battery 2, and Battery 3. When the charging currents of Battery 1, Battery 2, and Battery 3 all drop to the corresponding preset current, it indicates that Battery 1, Battery 2, and Battery 3 are all fully charged, and the control circuit controls the charging branch to disconnect the path with the power supply.

[0076] In this embodiment, when the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages, the control circuit controls the path between the target battery and the charging branch to be conducted, so that each battery performs constant-voltage charging, ensuring that each battery is fully charged, and when each battery is fully charged, the path between the charging branch and the power supply is timely disconnected to avoid damaging the battery.

[0077] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combinations of these technical features do not conflict, they should all be considered as the scope described in this specification.

[0078] The above-described embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application. Their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the patent scope of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several deformations and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A charging circuit, characterized in that, the charging circuit is applied to a foldable electronic device, and the foldable electronic device includes a plurality of batteries; the charging circuit includes a control circuit and a plurality of parallel charging branches, and each charging branch is connected to all of the batteries; the control circuit is configured to, during the process of controlling each charging branch to perform constant current charging on the battery, if it is detected that the charging voltage of the target battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, disconnect the path between the target battery and the charging branch, so that the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages; the target battery is at least one of the plurality of batteries.

2. The charging circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that, the charging circuit further includes a switch circuit, and the switch circuit is respectively connected to the battery, the charging branch and the control circuit; the control circuit is configured to control the on / off between the target battery and the charging branch through the switch circuit.

3. The charging circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that, the plurality of batteries include at least one first battery and at least one second battery, the capacity of the first battery is greater than the capacity of the second battery, and the switch circuit is respectively connected to each second battery, the charging branch and the control circuit.

4. The charging circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that, the switch circuit includes a current limiting switch, and the current limiting switch is respectively connected to each second battery, the charging branch and the control circuit.

5. The charging circuit according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, the number of the switch circuits is related to the number of the second batteries.

6. The charging circuit according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, the control circuit is further configured to, when the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages, control the path between the target battery and the charging branch to be conducted, so that all the batteries perform constant voltage charging.

7. The charging circuit according to claim 6, characterized in that, the control circuit is further configured to, when the charging currents of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset currents, disconnect the paths between each charging branch and the power supply.

8. The charging circuit according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, the control circuit includes a power management chip of the foldable electronic device.

9. A foldable electronic device, characterized in that, the foldable electronic device includes a plurality of batteries with different capacities and the charging circuit according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. A charging method, characterized in that, applied to the charging circuit according to any one of claims 1-8, the method includes: during the process of controlling each charging branch to perform constant current charging on the battery, if it is detected that the charging voltage of the target battery reaches the corresponding preset voltage, disconnect the path between the target battery and the charging branch, so that the charging voltages of all the batteries reach the corresponding preset voltages; the target battery is at least one of the plurality of batteries.

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