Battery management method and related equipment thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a battery management method and related equipment thereof, and relates to the technical field of terminals.The method comprises the steps that charging and discharging channels of a first battery cell and a second battery cell are closed, and startup levels are received; in response to the startup level, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge and the second battery cell not to discharge; when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is smaller than or equal to a starting-up voltage difference threshold value, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to discharge; and when both the first battery cell and the second battery cell discharge, controlling the electronic equipment to start. According to the invention, the batteries are managed separately, and the discharge paths of the batteries are opened separately in sequence, so that the reliability and safety of parallel use of the multiple batteries are improved.

Description

Battery management method and related equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of terminal processing, and specifically to a battery management method and related equipment. Background Art

[0002] Currently, electronic devices often have multiple batteries connected in parallel. When the entire device is turned off, the discharge tubes of each battery remain active. To reduce power consumption, the current industry solution is to add a switch circuit to close the battery's discharge path when the device is turned off, putting each battery in ultra-low power mode.

[0003] However, after closing the discharge tubes of each battery, there will be a voltage imbalance between the batteries. If the voltage difference is large, when the batteries are opened again, a short circuit and high current will be generated, burning out the device.

[0004] Therefore, how to manage each battery to avoid short circuit and burning when opened has become an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a battery management method and related equipment, which manages each battery separately and opens the discharge path of each battery separately when the voltage difference is large, so as to improve the reliability and safety of using multiple batteries in parallel.

[0007] In a first aspect, a battery management method is provided, which is applied to an electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes a battery pack, the battery pack having a first battery branch and a second battery branch connected in parallel, the first battery branch including a first battery cell and a first battery management chip, and the second battery branch including a second battery cell and a second battery management chip; the method comprising: the charge and discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both closed, and a power-on level is received; in response to the power-on level, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge and the second battery cell not to discharge; when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is less than or equal to a power-on voltage difference threshold, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to discharge; and when both the first battery cell and the second battery cell are discharged, controlling the electronic device to power on.

[0008] It should be understood that the power-on level is actually a level signal, and receiving the power-on level here is actually receiving the power-on level signal.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, in order to avoid the problem of short-circuiting large current and burning devices when the discharge channels of two battery cells are opened at the same time, the present application can first open the discharge channel of one of the battery cells, and then open the discharge channel of the other battery cell after the voltage difference between the two battery cells meets the normal range. Therefore, by controlling the discharge channels of the two battery cells to open separately, the voltage difference between the two battery cells can be controlled, thereby avoiding the aforementioned technical problems, improving the reliability and safety of using multiple batteries in parallel, and ensuring that the entire machine can start up normally.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the present application eliminates the switch circuit and directly implements the closing and sequential opening of the discharge channels in each battery management chip.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before receiving the power-on level, the method further includes: running a battery parameter detection service, wherein the battery parameter detection service is used to at least detect the current of each of the battery cells; when it is determined that the ultra-low power consumption mode can be entered based on the detection result of the battery parameter detection service, the charging and discharging channels of the multiple battery cells are controlled to be closed after a preset time period.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, the battery management chip runs a battery parameter detection service, which can determine whether it can enter the ultra-low power consumption mode, and then close the charge and discharge channels of the battery cell when it is determined that it can enter. Therefore, a software method can be used to autonomously enter the ultra-low power consumption mode after shutdown. Compared with the existing technology, other devices are no longer required to trigger it, and the method is simple and low in power consumption.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before receiving the power-on level, the method further includes: when it is determined that the ultra-low power consumption mode can be entered, turning off the battery parameter detection service; and turning on the activation detection function, wherein the activation detection function is used to detect the power-on level.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, after entering the ultra-low power consumption mode, it is also possible to determine whether the power-on level is received through activation detection, triggering exit from the ultra-low power consumption mode when the power-on level is received, and entering the ultra-low power consumption mode cyclic power-off state when the power-on level is not received.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, after turning on the activation detection function, the method further includes: if the power-on level is not received, regularly collecting the operating voltage provided by the battery cell; when it is determined that the operating voltage is greater than or equal to the operating voltage threshold, continuing to detect the power-on level; when it is determined that the operating voltage is less than the operating voltage threshold, powering off and ending the operation.

[0016] In the embodiment of the present application, the activation detection method is simple and easy to implement. In addition, after entering the ultra-low power consumption mode and cyclic power-off state, based on the comparison between the collected voltage and the operating voltage, the battery management chip can power off when the voltage is insufficient, thereby continuing to reduce some power consumption.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the power-on level is triggered by a key operation, or by USB charging.

[0018] The key operation is used to indicate a pressing operation on the power button, and the USB charging trigger is used to indicate that a USB connector is inserted into the USB interface for charging.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, and the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge, and the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell not to discharge.

[0020] The power-on voltage difference threshold may be a preset threshold, and the power-on voltage difference threshold may be determined based on the actual working conditions of the electronic device. For example, the power-on voltage difference threshold may be a maximum voltage difference threshold that can satisfy the normal working conditions of the electronic device.

[0021] In the embodiment of the present application, when there is a large voltage difference between the two battery cells, and the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, although the voltage difference is large, the discharge path of the first battery cell has already been opened. Therefore, only the first battery cell needs to continue discharging, and the second battery cell can continue not discharging. In this way, the voltage difference between the two battery cells can be reduced by reducing the voltage of the battery cell with higher charge.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0023] When the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, and the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the second battery management chip controls the charging of the second battery cell.

[0024] In the embodiment of the present application, when there is a large voltage difference between the two battery cells and the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, although the voltage difference is large, the discharge channel of the first battery cell has been opened in advance and USB charging is available. Therefore, the USB can be used to charge the low-power battery cell, and the voltage difference between the two battery cells can be reduced by increasing the voltage of the low-power battery cell.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0026] When the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, and the voltage of the first battery cell is less than the voltage of the second battery cell, if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the first battery management chip controls the charging of the first battery cell.

[0027] In the embodiment of the present application, when there is a large voltage difference between the two battery cells and the voltage of the first battery cell is lower than the voltage of the second battery cell, due to the large voltage difference and the fact that the discharge channel of the low-power first battery cell has been opened in advance, the low-power first battery cell can be charged using the USB when USB charging is available, thereby reducing the voltage difference between the two battery cells by increasing the voltage of the low-power battery cell.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, in response to the power-on level, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge and the second battery cell not to discharge, including: the first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell; when it is determined that the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge and the second battery cell not to discharge.

[0029] The power-on voltage condition may be a preset threshold value. The power-on voltage condition may be determined according to the actual working condition of the electronic device. For example, the power-on voltage condition may be the minimum voltage that can satisfy the normal working condition of the electronic device.

[0030] In this embodiment of the present application, during battery management, the voltage of the first battery cell is first confirmed. When the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, it indicates that the first battery cell has a sufficient voltage to support power-on. Therefore, discharge of the first battery cell can be performed. Since one battery cell is opened for discharge first, the problem of short-circuiting, high current, and device burnout caused by opening all the cells simultaneously can be avoided.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, after the first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell, the method further includes: when it is determined that the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell not to discharge; if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to charge until the power-on voltage condition is met.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present application, when performing battery management, the voltage of the first battery cell is first confirmed. When the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, it means that the voltage of the first battery cell is very low and cannot support power-on. Therefore, the low-power first battery cell cannot be discharged, and needs to be charged by using the USB charging function under USB charging, so that the first battery cell is first charged to meet the power-on voltage condition to prepare for subsequent power-on.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when it is determined that the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold and the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the method further includes: the second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell; when it is determined that the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition and the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge and the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell not to discharge; when it is determined that the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition and the voltage of the first battery cell is less than the voltage of the second battery cell, if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the second battery management chip controls the charging of the second battery cell.

[0034] In the embodiment of the present application, before powering on, the voltage of the second battery cell can be further detected to determine whether the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition. If the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, it means that the second battery cell has a certain voltage and can support powering on.

[0035] The power-on voltage conditions corresponding to the first battery cell and the second battery cell can be set as needed. The two can be the same or different, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0036] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when it is determined that the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold and the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the method further includes: when it is determined that the voltage of the second battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the second battery management chip controlling the charging of the second battery cell.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present application, when the voltage difference is large, the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, while the voltage of the second battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, which means that the voltage of the second battery cell is very low and cannot support power-on. Therefore, when USB charging is available, the low-power second battery cell can be charged first, so that the second battery cell is charged to meet the power-on voltage condition first, and is ready for subsequent power-on.

[0038] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, and the voltage of the first battery cell is less than the voltage of the second battery cell, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to switch from discharging to non-discharging, and the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to switch from non-discharging to discharging.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present application, when the voltage differential between two battery cells exceeds the power-on voltage differential threshold, and the lower-voltage battery cell is turned on first, the discharge channel of the lower-voltage battery cell can be closed while the discharge channel of the higher-voltage battery cell is turned on to reduce the voltage differential between the two battery cells. This is equivalent to switching the states of the discharge channels of the two battery cells. This approach is easy to implement and is relatively simple and flexible.

[0040] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before the first battery management chip controls the discharge of the first battery cell and the second battery cell does not discharge, the method includes: the first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell; the second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell; and determines that the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell.

[0041] In this embodiment of the present application, before controlling the first battery cell, the voltages of the two battery cells can be detected to determine that the first battery cell has the higher voltage. This means that, regardless of the voltage difference between the two battery cells, the higher-voltage battery cell is directly selected for discharge by comparing the voltages, thereby reducing the voltage difference between the two battery cells. This approach selects the battery cell to be discharged initially, eliminating the need for subsequent switching and resulting in relatively good stability.

[0042] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first battery cell is a main battery of the electronic device, and the second battery cell is a secondary battery of the electronic device.

[0043] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: if the power-on level is triggered by the key operation, there is no response; and the display screen of the electronic device displays a charging prompt.

[0044] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the battery management chip includes a GPIO pin or an interrupt pin; and both the GPIO pin and the interrupt pin are used to receive the power-on level.

[0045] In a second aspect, an electronic device is provided, wherein the battery pack has a first battery branch and a second battery branch connected in parallel, the first battery branch includes a first battery cell and a first battery management chip, the second battery branch includes a second battery cell and a second battery management chip, and the electronic device includes one or more processors; the processor calls computer instructions to cause the electronic device to execute: the charging and discharging channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both closed, and a power-on level is received; in response to the power-on level, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge and the second battery cell not to discharge; when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to discharge; when both the first battery cell and the second battery cell are discharged, the electronic device is controlled to power on.

[0046] In a third aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising a module / unit for executing the battery management method in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0047] In a fourth aspect, a chip system is provided, which is applied to an electronic device, and the chip system includes one or more processors, and the processors are used to call computer instructions to enable the electronic device to execute any aspect or any one of the battery management methods in any aspect.

[0048] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program code. When the computer program code is executed by an electronic device, the electronic device executes the battery management method in any aspect or any implementation of any aspect.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program code, which, when executed by an electronic device, enables the electronic device to execute the battery management method in any aspect or any implementation of any aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] FIG1 is a hardware system of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a distributed structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a distributed structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a distributed structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG5 is a flow chart of a battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG6 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG7 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG8 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG9 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of module interaction of a battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of module interaction of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of module interaction of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of module interaction of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a distributed structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG15 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a prompt interface provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device suitable for the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or to implicitly indicate the number of the technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0068] In the embodiment of the present application, the electronic device 100 can be a mobile phone (which may include a straight screen, a folding screen, etc.), a smart screen, a tablet computer, a wearable electronic device, an in-vehicle electronic device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, a laptop computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a projector, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on the specific type of the electronic device 100.

[0069] FIG1 shows a hardware system of an electronic device 100 suitable for the present application.

[0070] 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 pack 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, an earphone interface 170D, a sensor module 180, a button 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195, etc. The sensor module 180 may include a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, an air pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an acceleration sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity light 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.

[0071] It should be noted that the structure shown in FIG1 does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device 100 may include more or fewer components than those shown in FIG1, or the electronic device 100 may include a combination of some of the components shown in FIG1, or the electronic device 100 may include sub-components of some of the components shown in FIG1. ​​The components shown in FIG1 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0072] Exemplarily, the processor 110 may include one or more processing units. For example, the processor 110 may include at least one of the following processing units: an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and a neural-network processing unit (NPU). Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated devices. The controller may generate an operation control signal based on the instruction opcode and the timing signal to complete the control of instruction fetching and execution.

[0073] Processor 110 may also include a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in processor 110 is a cache memory. This memory can store instructions or data that have just been used or are being recycled by processor 110. If processor 110 needs to use the same instruction or data again, it can directly access the memory. This avoids duplicate accesses, reduces processor 110 latency, and thus improves system efficiency.

[0074] In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces. For example, the processor 110 may include at least one of the following interfaces: an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a SIM interface, and a USB interface.

[0075] Illustratively, in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 110 may be used to execute the battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application; for example, the charge and discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both closed, and a power-on level is received; in response to the power-on level, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge, and the second battery cell not to discharge; when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to discharge; when both the first battery cell and the second battery cell are discharged, the electronic device is controlled to power on.

[0076] 1 is merely a schematic illustration and does not limit the connection relationship between the modules of the electronic device 100. Optionally, the modules of the electronic device 100 may also adopt a combination of the multiple connection modes in the above embodiments.

[0077] Exemplarily, the charging management module 140 is used to receive power from a charger. The charger can be a wireless charger or a wired charger. In some wired charging embodiments, the charging management module 140 can receive current from the wired charger through the USB interface 130. In some wireless charging embodiments, the charging management module 140 can receive electromagnetic waves through the wireless charging coil of the electronic device 100 (the current path is shown as a dotted line). While the charging management module 140 is charging the battery pack 142, it can also power the electronic device 100 through the power management module 141.

[0078] The power management module 141 is used to connect the battery pack 142, the charging management module 140 and the processor 110. The power management module 141 receives input from the battery pack 142 and / or the charging management module 140, and provides power to the processor 110, the internal memory 121, the display 194, the camera 193, and the wireless communication module 160. The power management module 141 can also be used to monitor parameters such as battery capacity, battery cycle count and battery health status (e.g., leakage, impedance). Optionally, the power management module 141 can be set in the processor 110, or the power management module 141 and the charging management module 140 can be set in the same device.

[0079] The wireless communication function of the electronic device 100 can be implemented through components such as the antenna 1, the antenna 2, the mobile communication module 150, the wireless communication module 160, the modem processor, and the baseband processor.

[0080] Antenna 1 and Antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in electronic device 100 can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch.

[0081] Electronic device 100 can implement display functionality through a GPU, display screen 194, and an application processor. A GPU is a microprocessor for image processing that connects display screen 194 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. Processor 110 may include one or more GPUs that execute program instructions to generate or modify display information.

[0082] Display screen 194 may be used to display images or videos.

[0083] Optionally, the display screen 194 can be used to display images or videos. The display screen 194 includes a display panel. The display panel can use a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED), a mini light-emitting diode (Mini LED), a micro light-emitting diode (Micro LED), a micro OLED, or a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED). In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may include one or N display screens 194, where N is a positive integer greater than one.

[0084] Exemplarily, the electronic device 100 can implement a shooting function through an ISP, a camera 193, a video codec, a GPU, a display screen 194, and an application processor.

[0085] Exemplarily, the ISP processes data fed back by camera 193. For example, when taking a photo, the shutter is opened, and light is transmitted through the camera to the camera's photosensitive element. The light signal is converted into an electrical signal, which is then passed to the ISP for processing and converted into a visible image. The ISP can perform algorithmic optimization on image noise, brightness, and color. It can also optimize parameters such as exposure and color temperature of the captured scene. In some embodiments, the ISP can be located within camera 193.

[0086] Exemplarily, the camera 193 (also referred to as a lens) is used to capture still images or videos. It can be triggered to turn on through application instructions to implement the photo function, such as capturing images of any scene. The camera may include components such as an imaging lens, a filter, and an image sensor. The light emitted or reflected by the object enters the imaging lens, passes through the filter, and is finally converged on the image sensor. The imaging lens is mainly used to converge the light emitted or reflected by all objects in the photographic field of view (also referred to as the scene to be photographed, the target scene, or the scene image that the user expects to capture) to form an image; the filter is mainly used to filter out excess light waves in the light (for example, light waves other than visible light, such as infrared); the image sensor can be a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistor. The image sensor is mainly used to perform photoelectric conversion on the received light signal, convert it into an electrical signal, and then transmit the electrical signal to the ISP to convert it into a digital image signal. The ISP outputs the digital image signal to the DSP for processing. The DSP converts the digital image signal into an image signal in a standard format such as RGB or YUV.

[0087] Exemplarily, the digital signal processor is used to process digital signals, and can process not only digital image signals but also other digital signals. For example, when the electronic device 100 selects a frequency point, the digital signal processor is used to perform Fourier transform on the frequency point energy.

[0088] For example, a video codec is used to compress or decompress digital video. The electronic device 100 may support one or more video codecs. This allows the electronic device 100 to play or record videos in various encoding formats, such as Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) 1, MPEG2, MPEG3, and MPEG4.

[0089] The hardware system of the electronic device 100 is described above in detail.

[0090] The following description will be made using an example in which the electronic device 100 is a foldable screen mobile phone. FIG2 to FIG4 are schematic diagrams of the distribution structures of three electronic devices 100 provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0091] As shown in Figure 2, the processor 110, power management module 141, and other modules in the electronic device 100 except the battery pack 142 can be integrated on the system board, while the battery pack 142 is set independently; the power management module 141 is connected to the battery pack 142 and receives input from the battery pack 142, or in other words, the power management module 141 is used for voltage / current collection.

[0092] Battery pack 142 typically includes multiple battery branches connected in parallel. For example, in the case of two parallel battery branches, each battery branch may include a battery cell. The battery cells in the first battery branch may be referred to as first battery cells, and the battery cells in the second battery branch may be referred to as second battery cells. When the entire system is shut down, the discharge tubes of the first and second battery cells remain in the on state.

[0093] In order to reduce power consumption, the current solution provided by the industry is to add a switch between the battery cell and the power management module 141 located on the system board at the entrance of the system board or at the exit of the battery pack 142. Figure 3 shows that at the exit of the battery pack 142, a switch is added between the battery cell and the power management module 141 located on the system board to open and close the discharge channel of the battery cell.

[0094] In addition, to measure the battery charge, the existing battery pack 142 must also include a fuel gauge chip; to protect the battery, the existing battery pack 142 may also include a battery protection chip. The fuel gauge chip and the battery protection chip are not shown in FIG3 .

[0095] For example, a mobile phone may remain in the packaging box for a long time after leaving the factory and before being sold. In order to reduce power consumption, engineers can use another device to connect the mobile phone before leaving the factory and trigger the mobile phone to shut down and enter ultra-low power mode.

[0096] For example, as shown in Figure 3, a switch is added between the first battery cell and the power management module 141, and between the second battery cell and the power management module 141 located on the system board. This switch is used to control the opening and closing of the discharge channel of the first battery cell and the discharge channel of the second battery cell. When the entire system is shut down, the switch can control the discharge channel of the first battery cell and the second battery cell to be closed.

[0097] By comparing Figures 2 and 3, it can be seen that for the battery pack 142 shown in Figure 2 without the additional hardware switch, after the entire device is shut down, the parallel circuit formed by the first battery cell and the second battery cell still exists, and the current between the first battery cell and the second battery cell can be automatically balanced. Therefore, even if the time is long, there is no voltage difference between the first battery branch and the second battery branch.

[0098] However, for the battery pack 142 shown in FIG3 , which has a newly added hardware switch, after the entire system is shut down and the switch closes the discharge paths of the first and second battery cells, the first and second battery cells are essentially connected at only one end (the ground end), with the other end completely disconnected. Therefore, a parallel circuit no longer exists. When entering ultra-low power mode, the first and second battery cells consume power independently, and the current between the two battery cells cannot automatically balance. Consequently, after a long period of imbalance, a large voltage difference will exist between the first and second battery cells.

[0099] When the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is large, if the entire device is turned on and the discharge channels of the two batteries are opened at the same time, a large short-circuit current will be generated, which may burn out the device.

[0100] Therefore, how to manage each battery cell to avoid short-circuit current and device burnout when the discharge channels are opened simultaneously has become an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0101] In view of this, the embodiment of the present application provides a battery management method, which removes the hardware switch and directly manages each battery cell independently through software. For example, after a preset time period after shutdown, the ultra-low power consumption mode is entered, and the charge and discharge channels of each battery cell are closed; when the power-on level is detected in the ultra-low power consumption mode, the discharge channels of each battery cell are controlled to be opened separately in sequence; when the power-on level is detected in the ultra-low power consumption mode, in the abnormal case that the voltage of the battery cell is low, the battery cell is charged first and then the discharge channels of each battery cell are controlled to be opened separately in sequence; when the power-on level is detected in the ultra-low power consumption mode, when the voltage difference between the battery cells is large, the battery cell with relatively low voltage is charged, or the battery cell with relatively high voltage is discharged, and then the discharge channels of each battery cell are controlled to be opened separately in sequence. The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can avoid the problem of opening the discharge tubes of multiple parallel battery cells at the same time when they are turned on, causing short circuit, large current and burning of components due to the large pressure difference.

[0102] In order to reduce hardware costs, an embodiment of the present application provides a structural diagram of another electronic device. FIG4 is a structural diagram of the electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 4 , at the outlet of the battery pack 142 , a battery management chip is added between the battery cells and the power management module 141 on the system board. The battery management chip and the battery cells are integrated into the battery pack 142 .

[0104] In an embodiment of the present application, a battery management chip is used to detect battery cell parameters, including voltage, current, and charge. The battery management chip is also used to control the opening and closing of the battery cell's charge and discharge channels, the opening and closing of communication channels, and the entry and exit of ultra-low power modes. Furthermore, the battery management chip integrates battery protection and anti-counterfeiting functions. Compared to existing electronic devices that include multiple independent functional devices (such as hardware switches, fuel gauge chips, and battery protection chips), the battery management chip provided in this application integrates more functions, resulting in a higher level of integration, smaller footprint, and lower cost.

[0105] Of course, the battery management chip provided in the embodiment of the present application may also integrate other functions, which may be specifically configured as needed, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0106] It should also be noted that the battery management chip can also shut down the discharge path in various situations, such as when it detects abnormal battery cell activity. One example of how the battery management chip shuts down the discharge path is when the system shuts down and the device enters ultra-low power mode.

[0107] For example, a mobile phone may remain in its packaging for a long time after leaving the factory and before being sold. To reduce power consumption, the phone can be controlled by software to enter ultra-low power consumption mode autonomously after a preset period of time, without the need for other devices to trigger it.

[0108] For example, as shown in Figure 4, within the battery pack 142 provided in an embodiment of the present application, a first battery management chip is added between the first battery cell and the power management module to manage the first battery cell; a second battery management chip is added between the second battery cell and the power management module to manage the second battery cell. When the entire device is powered off, if the charge and discharge paths of the first and second battery cells are both turned off, the electronic device enters ultra-low power mode; when the charge and discharge paths of the first and second battery cells are both turned on, the electronic device exits ultra-low power mode.

[0109] In addition, the first battery management chip can also manage the communication channel between the first battery cell and the power management module, and the second battery management chip can also manage the communication channel between the second battery cell and the power management module, supporting the power management chip on the system side to read the battery data of the first battery cell and the second battery cell through IIC communication.

[0110] Based on the structure shown in FIG4 , although the ultra-low power consumption mode can be entered and exited through software after the entire device is shut down without external triggering, thus reducing hardware costs, the circuit still has the problem that when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is large, the discharge channels of the two battery cells are opened simultaneously, resulting in a short circuit, a large current, and burning of the device.

[0111] To address the aforementioned safety issues, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery management method. This method can be applied to an electronic device 100 having the structure shown in FIG4 . The battery management method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0112] Here, the battery management method can also be understood as a method for managing multiple battery cells (also referred to as batteries or cells). A battery cell is a battery in the usual sense.

[0113] FIG5 is a flow chart of a battery management method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the method 200 may include the following steps S200 to S260 . The shutdown schemes involved in S200 to S260 are described in detail below. The shutdown scheme can be applied to the electronic device 100 shown in FIG4 .

[0114] S200: In response to a shutdown operation, the electronic device is shut down.

[0115] For example, the shutdown operation may indicate a user pressing a power button. For example, when the power button is pressed for more than two seconds, the electronic device is triggered to shut down.

[0116] S210. The battery management chip determines whether the parameters of the battery cell meet the preset parameter thresholds. If so, the system enters the ultra-low power consumption mode and executes S220. If not, the system does not enter the ultra-low power consumption mode and continues to repeat S210.

[0117] Ultra-low power mode can also be called ship mode.

[0118] Optionally, in response to the shutdown operation, the battery management chip executes a battery parameter detection service to determine the current corresponding to the current battery, and then identifies whether the electronic device is powered off based on the current. If the electronic device is powered off, the battery management chip determines that it can enter the ultra-low power mode and executes S220. If the electronic device is not powered off, the battery management chip determines that it cannot enter the ultra-low power mode. S210 can be executed multiple times subsequently, and the battery management chip re-determines whether it can enter the ultra-low power mode.

[0119] For example, when the battery management chip identifies whether the electronic device is turned off based on the current size, it can include: the battery management chip compares the detected current with a preset current threshold. If it is less than or equal to the preset current threshold, it can be determined that the current parameter meets the preset parameter conditions, and the electronic device has been turned off and can enter the ultra-low power consumption mode; if it is greater than the preset current threshold, it can be determined that the current parameter does not meet the preset parameter conditions and cannot enter the ultra-low power consumption mode.

[0120] The above is only an example. Of course, the battery parameter detection service can also be used to detect other parameters of the battery and set their corresponding preset parameter conditions; then, the battery management chip can determine whether to enter the ultra-low power consumption mode based on whether other parameters meet the preset parameter conditions. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0121] S220: When it is determined that the parameters meet the preset parameter conditions, that is, when it is determined that the ultra-low power consumption mode can be entered, the battery management chip turns off the charge and discharge channels of the corresponding battery cells.

[0122] Optionally, when it is determined that the ultra-low power consumption mode can be entered, the battery management chip may close the charge and discharge channels of the battery cell after a preset time period.

[0123] It should be understood that before entering the ultra-low power consumption mode, if the shutdown time is not long, the user may only shut down the device temporarily, and may restart it soon after shutdown. Therefore, in order to avoid temporary shutdown, a time limit needs to be preset as a transition. After the preset time, when the user is less likely to use the electronic device again, the ultra-low power consumption mode will be entered.

[0124] Optionally, when the battery management chip determines that it can enter the ultra-low power consumption mode, it can trigger the timing function and start timing from zero; after the time reaches a preset time, the charging and discharging channels of the corresponding battery cells are closed.

[0125] With respect to FIG4 , the first battery management chip can be used to shut down the charge and discharge channels of the first battery cell after a preset time, and the second battery management chip can be used to shut down the charge and discharge channels of the second battery cell after a preset time. It should be understood that to minimize power consumption, the charge and discharge channels of all battery cells must be shut down.

[0126] Optionally, when it is determined that the ultra-low power consumption mode can be entered, the battery management chip will stop the battery parameter detection service.

[0127] S230: The battery management chip turns on the activation detection function.

[0128] The activation detection function is used to instruct the battery management chip to detect the power-on level.

[0129] Optionally, the above S220 can be executed first and S230 can be executed later; or, the order of the two can be reversed; or, S220 and S230 can be executed simultaneously, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0130] S240: The battery management chip determines whether a power-on level is received; when the power-on level is received, S250 may be executed; when the power-on level is not received, S260 may be executed.

[0131] S250: When the power-on level is received, the ultra-low power consumption mode is exited, and the battery management chip sequentially opens the discharge channel of each battery cell separately.

[0132] For example, in the circuit structure shown in Figure 4, the first pin of the first battery management chip and the second pin of the second battery management chip are used to receive the power-on level; when the first pin and the second pin receive the power-on level, the first battery management chip is used to trigger the exit of the ultra-low power consumption mode and open the discharge channel of the first battery cell; the second battery management chip is used to trigger the exit of the ultra-low power consumption mode and open the discharge channel of the second battery cell, and the opening order is staggered.

[0133] Optionally, in response to a pressing operation on a power button, or in response to a USB connector being inserted into a USB interface for USB charging using a power source, the battery management chip may detect a power-on level.

[0134] It should be understood that when the power-on level is received, it means that the user may have pressed the power button or used the USB interface to charge. At this time, the user may need to use the electronic device. Therefore, in order to improve the user experience and provide services quickly when the user needs to use it, the battery management chip can be set to exit the ultra-low power consumption mode first when the power-on level is received.

[0135] Optionally, as a possible implementation manner, the first pin and the second pin may be GPIO pins.

[0136] When the battery management chip turns on the activation detection function, the battery management chip can periodically query whether there is a level change at the GPIO pin. It should be noted that when the first pin and the second pin are both GPIO pins, the chip cost of the battery management chip is relatively low.

[0137] Optionally, as another possible implementation manner, the first pin and the second pin may be interrupt pins.

[0138] When the voltage level changes, a chip interrupt can be triggered. The battery management chip is used to receive the interrupt signal without actively querying. It should be noted that when the first pin and the second pin are both interrupt pins, the battery management chip can receive the interrupt signal in real time and quickly determine that the voltage level has changed.

[0139] S260: When no power-on level is received, the system enters an ultra-low power consumption mode and a power-down cycle state.

[0140] It should be understood that after the entire device is shut down, when no power-on level is received, the electronic device will remain in ultra-low power consumption mode. In ultra-low power consumption mode, for example, the battery cell is still providing voltage to the battery management chip to support the battery management chip to work. In an embodiment of the present application, in order to prevent the abnormal power failure of the battery management chip from causing other abnormalities (such as illogical software running, resulting in unknown and uncontrollable software status, etc.), the battery management chip is required to detect the working voltage provided by the battery cell for itself, and when it detects that the working voltage is insufficient, it triggers the battery management chip to power off and completely shut down the battery management chip.

[0141] Optionally, the above S260 may include the following S261 to S264.

[0142] S261. The battery management chip regularly collects the operating voltage provided by the battery cells.

[0143] The battery management chip's timed operating voltage acquisition interval can be set as needed, and this embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on this. It should be understood that when the interval is longer, that is, when the period of time for regularly acquiring the operating voltage is longer, the impact on power consumption is very small and can be ignored.

[0144] Optionally, the battery management chip can collect the operating voltage provided by the battery cells through an ADC module integrated within the battery management chip.

[0145] S262: Determine whether the collected operating voltage is greater than or equal to an operating voltage threshold.

[0146] It should be understood that the operating voltage is used to indicate the voltage provided by the battery cell to the battery management chip; the operating voltage threshold is used to indicate the voltage required for the battery management chip to work normally.

[0147] The operating voltage threshold is determined by the battery management chip itself. The operating voltage thresholds of different battery management chips may be different, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitation on this.

[0148] S263: When it is determined that the operating voltage is less than the operating voltage threshold, power off and terminate the operation.

[0149] It should be noted that, when the USB interface of the electronic device is subsequently plugged into a USB connector for USB charging, the powered-off battery management chip can resume operation.

[0150] S264: When it is determined that the operating voltage is greater than or equal to the operating voltage threshold, return to execute the above S240.

[0151] It should be understood that when it is determined that the collected voltage does not meet the operating voltage, for example, when the collected voltage is less than the operating voltage threshold, it indicates that the battery management chip can no longer support operation in the ultra-low power consumption mode. Therefore, the battery management chip can be powered off to completely terminate its operation. When the collected voltage is greater than or equal to the operating voltage threshold, it indicates that the operating voltage can still meet the requirements for continued operation. Therefore, the ultra-low power consumption mode can be maintained, and the process returns to S240 to continue determining whether the power-on level has been received. The subsequent process is similar and will not be further described here.

[0152] In addition, when the voltage is not collected at a fixed time, the process may return to S240 .

[0153] It should be understood that when the voltage is not collected regularly, it means that the battery management chip may have just received the power-on level. Therefore, it is necessary to return to S240 to determine again whether the power-on level is received, and the subsequent process is similar.

[0154] In an embodiment of the present application, the battery management chip runs a battery parameter detection service, which can determine whether it can enter the ultra-low power consumption mode, and then close the charge and discharge channels of the battery cell when it is determined that it can enter. Therefore, a software method can be used to autonomously enter the ultra-low power consumption mode after shutdown. Compared with the existing technology, other devices are no longer required to trigger it, and the method is simple and low in power consumption.

[0155] In the embodiment of the present application, after entering the ultra-low power mode, activation detection can also be used to determine whether a power-on level has been received. When the power-on level is received, the ultra-low power mode is triggered to exit. When the power-on level is not received, the ultra-low power mode is entered into a cyclic power-down state. The activation detection method is simple and easy to implement. In addition, after entering the cyclic power-down state in the ultra-low power mode, based on the comparison of the collected voltage with the operating voltage, the battery management chip can power off when the voltage is insufficient, thereby further reducing power consumption.

[0156] FIG6 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the method 300 may include the following steps S310 to S350 . The normal startup schemes involved in S310 to S350 are described in detail below. The method can be applied to the electronic device 100 shown in FIG4 .

[0157] It should be understood that the method 300 may be performed after step S240 shown in FIG. 5 , that is, after determining that the power-on level is received. In other words, the method 300 is equivalent to the specific process of step S250 .

[0158] S310 : After receiving the power-on level, one of the battery management chips controls the discharge channel of the corresponding battery cell to open.

[0159] For example, after receiving the power-on level, the first battery management chip can control the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open first. When the discharge channel of the first battery cell is opened, it is equivalent to using the first battery cell to power the system side.

[0160] At this time, the second battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the second battery cell to remain in a closed state.

[0161] Alternatively, after receiving the power-on level, the second battery management chip may control the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open first, and the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to remain closed.

[0162] The order of priority can be set and modified as needed. For example, the order of priority can be divided according to the capacity, and the discharge channels of the battery cells with large capacity can be opened first. The embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0163] S320: The first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell, and the second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell.

[0164] It should be understood that in S310 , the discharge channel of the first battery cell or the second battery cell has been opened and the voltage has changed, so the voltage of the first battery cell and the second battery cell needs to be detected.

[0165] S330: The system side determines a voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell, and determines whether the voltage difference is less than or equal to a power-on voltage difference threshold (Vth).

[0166] Optionally, after the first battery management chip and the second battery management chip detect the voltage of each battery cell, the power management module on the system side can read the voltage of the first battery cell from the first battery management chip and the voltage of the second battery cell from the second battery management chip via IIC communication. Alternatively, the first battery management chip can send the detected voltage of the first battery cell to the power management module on the system side via IIC communication, and similarly, the second battery management chip can also send the detected voltage of the second battery cell to the power management module on the system side via IIC communication.

[0167] Then, the power management module on the system side is used to determine the voltage difference between the voltage of the first battery cell and the voltage of the second battery cell, and after comparing it with the power-on voltage difference threshold, the corresponding instruction of the result can be sent to the first battery management chip and the second battery management chip. The instruction is used to instruct the first battery management chip to control the first battery cell, and to instruct the second battery management chip to control the second battery cell.

[0168] It should be noted that the voltage difference may indicate the voltage of the first battery cell minus the voltage of the second battery cell, or may also indicate the voltage of the second battery cell minus the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0169] The power-on voltage difference threshold can be set and modified as needed, and the present embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this. For example, the power-on voltage difference threshold can be 0.2V, that is, the system side needs to determine whether the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is less than or equal to 0.2V.

[0170] S340: When the voltage difference is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, another battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the battery cell that remains closed to open.

[0171] When the battery cell that remains closed is the second battery cell, the second battery management chip can control the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open. Opening the discharge channel of the second battery cell is equivalent to using the second battery cell to supply power to the system side.

[0172] Alternatively, when the battery cell that remains closed is the first battery cell, the first battery management chip can control the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open. Opening the discharge channel of the first battery cell is equivalent to using the first battery cell to supply power to the system side.

[0173] It should be understood that when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is relatively small, it means that although the two are consumed independently, the difference is not large and it is relatively safe. When the discharge channel of one battery cell is already opened, the discharge channel of the other battery cell can be opened without generating a large short-circuit current or burning the device.

[0174] Optionally, the capacity of the first battery cell is greater than that of the second battery cell.

[0175] Optionally, the capacity of the first battery cell is less than or equal to that of the second battery cell.

[0176] The first battery management chip may also be referred to as a main battery management chip, and the first battery cell may be referred to as a main battery cell accordingly; the second battery management chip may also be referred to as a secondary battery management chip, and the second battery cell may be referred to as a secondary battery cell accordingly.

[0177] S350: After the discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both opened, the entire device is turned on.

[0178] In an embodiment of the present application, when exiting the ultra-low power consumption mode, in order to avoid the problem of the discharge channels of two battery cells being opened at the same time to generate a short-circuit, large current, and burn out the device, the present application can first open the discharge channel of one of the battery cells, and then open the discharge channel of the other battery cell after the voltage difference between the two battery cells meets the normal range. Thus, by controlling the discharge channels of the two battery cells to open separately in sequence, the voltage difference between the two battery cells can be controlled, thereby avoiding the aforementioned technical problems, improving the reliability and safety of using multiple batteries in parallel, and ensuring that the entire machine can start up normally.

[0179] FIG7 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0180] As shown in Figure 7, based on Figure 6, taking the example of S310 controlling the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open first and S340 controlling the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open later, the battery management method provided in this application may further include S401 to S405 after receiving the power-on level and before S310. The abnormal power-on solutions for low battery voltage involved in S401 to S405 are described in detail below.

[0181] S401: After receiving a power-on level, the first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0182] When the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the subsequent step S406 (equivalent to S310 in the solution of FIG. 6 ) is executed; when the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, the subsequent step S402 is executed.

[0183] For example, satisfying the power-on voltage condition means that the voltage is greater than or equal to a preset voltage threshold, for example, the voltage is greater than or equal to 3 V. Correspondingly, not satisfying the power-on voltage condition means that the voltage is less than the preset voltage threshold, that is, the voltage is less than 3 V. The preset voltage threshold or power-on voltage condition can be set and adjusted as needed and is not a fixed value, and the present embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0184] S402: When the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, if the power-on level is triggered by a button, S403 may be executed; if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, S404 may be executed.

[0185] In addition, the power-on level may carry data indicating the trigger source. For example, the power-on level may carry an identifier, where 1 indicates a button trigger and 0 indicates a USB charging trigger.

[0186] The above is only an example. The power-on level can also be used to distinguish different trigger modes by means of voltages of different sizes, etc., which can be set specifically as needed. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitation on this.

[0187] S403: No response from the system side, waiting for charging.

[0188] It should be understood that at this time, the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, which is equivalent to the first battery cell being in a low-power state. If it is triggered by a button, there is no empowerment, so the system side cannot perform any processing.

[0189] After S403 , if the user inserts a slave charger to charge the electronic device, S404 may be executed in response to the user operation to charge the first battery cell that does not meet the power-on voltage condition.

[0190] Optionally, in response to USB charging, the first battery cell can supply power to the system side, supporting the display screen to display the prompt interface shown in FIG16 .

[0191] It should be understood that the prompt interface is actually displayed when the electronic device is turned off and before it is turned on.

[0192] S404: The system side starts up by relying on USB power supply.

[0193] It should be understood that although the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the startup voltage condition at this time, which is equivalent to the first battery cell being in a low-power state, the electronic device is connected to a USB plug for charging, and the system side can rely on USB power supply to start.

[0194] S405: The system side instructs the first battery management chip to open the charging channel of the first battery cell, and charges the first battery cell until the voltage meets the power-on voltage condition.

[0195] It should be understood that since the voltage of the first battery cell is in a low power state, when the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the system side can send a command to instruct the first battery management chip to open the charging channel of the first battery cell and charge the first battery cell after startup, thereby increasing the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0196] S406. After S401 or S405, when the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the first battery management chip may control the discharge channel of the first battery cell to be opened, and the second battery management chip may control the discharge channel of the second battery cell to remain closed.

[0197] S407 : The first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell, and the second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell.

[0198] It should be understood that since the first battery cell is discharged, the voltage of the first battery cell changes. Therefore, the first battery management chip can be used again to detect the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0199] S408: The system side determines a voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell, and determines whether the voltage difference is less than or equal to a power-on voltage difference threshold.

[0200] S409: The second battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open, and the second battery cell discharges.

[0201] S410 : After the discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both opened, the entire device is turned on.

[0202] It should be noted that, for the description of S406 to S407 , reference may be made to the introduction of S310 to S350 in FIG. 6 , which will not be repeated here.

[0203] It should be understood that the above embodiment is described by taking the example of controlling the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open first. When controlling the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open first, the process is similar to the above process and can be referred to the above description, which will not be repeated here.

[0204] In an embodiment of the present application, after the power-on level is triggered, before the power is turned on, the voltage of one of the battery cells is detected. If the voltage does not meet the power-on voltage condition, that is, when it is in a low-power state, it cannot be turned on directly. The present application first determines whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, or whether the electronic device is connected to USB charging. If USB charging is available, it indicates that the battery cell can be energized. Therefore, the charging channel of the battery cell can be controlled to open and charge it until the power-on voltage condition is met. Then, when the power-on voltage condition is met, the discharge channels of multiple battery cells are controlled to open separately. The method provided by the embodiment of the present application can solve the low-power abnormality during the power-on process while ensuring the safety of power-on, increase the reliability of using multiple parallel batteries, and improve the user experience.

[0205] FIG8 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0206] As shown in Figure 8 , method 500 may include steps S406 through S410, and may also include the following steps S510 through S530. For the description of steps S406 through S410, reference can be made to the above description of Figure 7 , and will not be repeated here. The following details the abnormal startup solutions for a large voltage differential between the two batteries involved in steps S510 through S530.

[0207] S510: After S408, if the system determines that the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, the entire device is not allowed to power on. In this case, if the power-on level is triggered by a button, S520 can be executed; if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, S530 can be executed.

[0208] It should be understood that when the voltage difference between the two battery cells is large, the device cannot be turned on. If it is turned on, a short circuit, high current, and device burnout may occur.

[0209] For an introduction to the trigger source of the power-on level, please refer to the description in S402 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0210] S520: The display screen displays a charging prompt.

[0211] The charging prompt word indicates a prompt to remind the user to insert the charger to charge the electronic device. The specific content can be set as needed, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0212] For example, FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a prompt interface provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0213] As shown in FIG16 , a first interface may be displayed on the display screen of the electronic device. The first interface may include textual content such as "Battery low, please plug in charger to charge"; in addition, the first interface may also include other icons, such as an icon of a USB connector. The form and content of the first interface may be configured as needed and are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0214] It should be noted that since the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, when the power-on level is triggered by a button, in response to the button operation, the first battery cell can power the system side and support the display screen to display the prompt interface shown in Figure 16.

[0215] It should be understood that the prompt interface is actually displayed when the electronic device is turned off and before it is turned on.

[0216] After S520 , if the user plugs in a charger to charge the electronic device, S530 may be executed in response to the user operation to charge the battery cells with relatively low voltage.

[0217] S530: The system side compares the voltage of the first battery cell and the voltage of the second battery cell, and opens the charging channel of the battery cell with relatively lower voltage for charging.

[0218] It should be understood that the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is relatively large. In order to reduce the voltage difference between the two, the voltages of the first battery cell and the second battery cell can be compared, and the battery cell with a relatively lower voltage can be charged to increase its voltage, thereby reducing the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

[0219] Exemplarily, the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, for example, the voltage is equal to 3V; the voltage difference between the voltage of the first battery cell and the second battery cell is large, such as the voltage difference is 2.5V, and 2.5V is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold; at this time, the entire device is not allowed to start up, because the voltage of the second battery cell may be 5.5V or 0.5V. After the system side compares the voltages of the first battery cell and the second battery cell, when the voltage of the second battery cell is 5.5V, the voltage of the first battery cell is relatively low, and therefore, the charging channel of the first battery cell can be opened for charging; and when the voltage of the second battery cell is 0.5V, the voltage of the second battery cell is relatively low, and therefore, the charging channel of the second battery cell can be opened for charging.

[0220] Optionally, after S530, during the charging process, the system can continuously return to execute S408, and the system side determines the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell in real time; when the pressure difference is still greater than the power-on pressure difference threshold, continue to loop through steps S510 to S530; until the pressure difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is less than or equal to the power-on pressure difference threshold, jump out of the above loop and start executing S409 and S410.

[0221] Optionally, as an embodiment, before S406, the method 500 may further include S401 to S405. That is, the battery management method provided by the embodiment of the present application may include: S401 to S405, S406 to S410 and the above-mentioned S510 to S530.

[0222] In an embodiment of the present application, in response to a power-on level trigger, before powering on, the voltage of the first battery cell is detected. If the voltage meets the power-on voltage condition, the present application can first open the discharge channel of the first battery cell and keep the discharge channel of the second battery cell closed; thereafter, the voltage difference between the two is detected. When it is determined that the voltage difference is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, in order to avoid the problem of a large short-circuit current and device burnout when the discharge channels are opened at the same time due to a large voltage difference between the two battery cells, the present application sets a setting that does not allow the entire device to be powered on first, but instead determines whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging; in the case of USB charging, it means that the battery cell can be energized, so the voltages of the two battery cells can be compared; the charging channel of the battery cell with a relatively lower voltage among the two battery cells is controlled to open, and it is charged to increase its voltage until the voltage difference between the two battery cells is reduced, and the voltage difference is reduced to meet the condition of being less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold.

[0223] FIG9 is a flow chart of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0224] As shown in FIG9 , method 600 may include S406 to S410, and may further include the following S610 to S670. For the description of S406 to S410, reference may be made to the above description of FIG7 , and will not be repeated here. For the description of S650 to S670, reference may be made to the above description of FIG8 , and will not be repeated here.

[0225] The abnormal startup solutions for the case of large voltage difference between two batteries involved in S501 to S504 are described in detail below.

[0226] S610: After S408, if the system determines that the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, it may determine whether the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition.

[0227] In this case, when the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, S620 may be executed; when the voltage of the second battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, S650 may be executed.

[0228] It should be understood that at this time, the voltage difference between the two battery cells is too large to start the device. If the device is started, a short circuit problem will occur.

[0229] For an introduction to the trigger source of the power-on level, please refer to the above description of S402 and will not be repeated here.

[0230] S620: When the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the system compares the voltage of the first battery cell with the voltage of the second battery cell to determine whether the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell. If the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, S630 is executed; if the voltage of the first battery cell is less than the voltage of the second battery cell, S650 may be executed.

[0231] S630: Allow the entire device to start up.

[0232] S640: The first battery management chip controls the discharge of the first battery cell.

[0233] It should be understood that in S406, the first battery management chip has controlled the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open. However, by comparing the voltages, it can be seen that the voltage of the first battery cell is still greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, and the voltage difference between the two is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold. Therefore, the first battery cell with the higher voltage can continue to be discharged to reduce its voltage, thereby narrowing the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

[0234] For example, the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage requirement, for example, 6V. The voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is large, for example, 2.5V, which is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold. Furthermore, the voltage of the second battery cell is 3.5V, also meeting the power-on voltage requirement. Furthermore, the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell. In this case, because the discharge path of the first battery cell has already been opened, the voltage difference can be reduced by lowering the voltage of the first battery cell, even if the voltage of the first battery cell is higher.

[0235] Optionally, after S640, during the discharge process, the system may continuously return to execute S408, and the system side may continuously determine the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell; if the pressure difference is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, the steps S610 to S640 may be continuously executed in a loop; when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold during discharge, the above loop may be exited and execution of S409 and S410 may be started.

[0236] S650: When the voltage of the second battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, or when the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition but is greater than the voltage of the first battery cell, the entire device is not allowed to power on. In this case, if the power-on level is triggered by a button, S660 may be executed; if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, S670 may be executed.

[0237] S660: Prompt the user to insert a charger for charging.

[0238] After S660 , if the user plugs in a charger to charge the electronic device, S670 may be executed in response to the user operation to charge the battery cells with relatively low voltage.

[0239] S670: The system compares the voltages of the first battery cell and the second battery cell, and opens a charging channel for the battery cell with a relatively lower voltage for charging.

[0240] It should be understood that S650 includes two situations. For example, in situation 1: the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, and the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, but the voltage of the second battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition. In this case, the voltage of the first battery cell is higher and the voltage of the second battery cell is relatively lower. In this case, after the system performs a voltage comparison, it can charge the second battery cell with the lower voltage when USB charging is available.

[0241] Case 2: The voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, and the voltage of the second battery cell also meets the power-on voltage condition, but the voltage of the second battery cell is higher than the voltage of the first battery cell. In this way, after the system compares the voltages, it can charge the first battery cell with the lower voltage when USB charging is available.

[0242] Optionally, after S670, during the charging process, the system can continuously return to execute S408, and the system side continuously determines the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell; if the pressure difference is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, the steps S610 to S640 are continuously executed in a loop; when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is charged to be less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, the above loop is jumped out and S409 and S410 are started.

[0243] Optionally, as an embodiment, before S406, the method 500 may further include S401 to S405. That is, the battery management method provided by the embodiment of the present application may include: S401 to S405, S406 to S410 and the above-mentioned S610 to S670.

[0244] In an embodiment of the present application, after responding to the power-on level trigger, before powering on, the voltage of the first battery cell is detected. If the voltage meets the power-on voltage condition, the present application can first open the discharge channel of the first battery cell, while keeping the discharge channel of the second battery cell closed; thereafter, the voltage difference between the two is detected to determine whether the voltage difference is still greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold. In order to solve the problem that the voltage difference between the two battery cells is large and the discharge channels are opened at the same time, which may cause a short circuit and large current and burn out of the device, the present application is set to continue to determine whether the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition. When both the first battery cell and the second battery cell meet the power-on voltage condition and the voltage of the first battery cell is relatively large, the first battery cell is controlled to discharge and its voltage is reduced until the voltage difference between the two battery cells is reduced to a value that is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold.

[0245] In addition, for other situations, the entire device is not allowed to start up. Instead, it is determined whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging. In the case of USB charging, the charging channel of the battery cell with relatively low voltage in the two battery cells is controlled to open, charging it and increasing its voltage until the voltage difference between the two battery cells is reduced to a level that is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold.

[0246] Next, the specific process of the battery management method shown in Figures 6 to 9 is described in detail. The following description is based on an example in which the first battery cell is the primary battery, the second battery cell is the secondary battery, and the primary battery's discharge channel is opened first by default.

[0247] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of module interaction of a battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0248] As shown in FIG. 10 , the method may include S1001 to S1018 .

[0249] S1001. The charging and discharging channels of the first battery cell are both closed, and neither charging nor discharging is performed.

[0250] S1002: The charging and discharging channels of the second battery cell are both closed, and neither charging nor discharging occurs.

[0251] S1003: The first battery management chip and the second battery management chip receive a power-on level.

[0252] S1004: The power management module sends a first instruction to the first battery management chip, where the first instruction instructs to open a discharge channel of the first battery cell.

[0253] S1005 . In response to the first instruction, the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0254] S1006 : Discharge the first battery cell.

[0255] S1007: The first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0256] S1008: The second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell.

[0257] S1009: The power management module reads the voltage of the first battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0258] S1010. The first battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0259] S1011: The power management module reads the voltage of the second battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0260] S1012. The second battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0261] S1013 : The power management module determines a voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

[0262] S1014: The power management module determines whether the voltage difference is less than or equal to a power-on voltage difference threshold.

[0263] S1015: If yes (the voltage difference is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold), send a second instruction to the second battery cell, the second instruction instructing the second power management chip to open a discharge channel of the second battery cell.

[0264] S1016 . In response to the second instruction, the second battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open.

[0265] S1017 , the second battery cell is discharged.

[0266] S1018: After the discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both opened, the entire device is turned on.

[0267] For the introduction and effect analysis of S1001 to S1018 , please refer to the above introduction and effect analysis of each step in FIG6 , which will not be repeated here.

[0268] The above is only an example. The execution order of each step can be changed, and other steps can be added or some steps can be deleted. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitations on this.

[0269] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of module interaction of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0270] As shown in FIG. 11 , the method may include S1101 to S1133 .

[0271] S1101: The charging and discharging channels of the first battery cell are both closed, and neither charging nor discharging is performed.

[0272] S1102: The charging and discharging channels of the second battery cell are both closed, and neither charging nor discharging occurs.

[0273] S1103 : The first battery management chip and the second battery management chip receive a power-on level.

[0274] S1104: The first battery manager detects the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0275] S1105: The power management module reads the voltage of the first battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0276] S1106. The first battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0277] S1107 , the power management module determines whether the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, and if so, executes S1119 ; if not, executes S1108 .

[0278] S1108: The power management module sends a third instruction to the first battery management chip, where the third instruction is used to instruct the discharge channel of the first battery cell to be kept closed.

[0279] S1109 , in response to the third instruction, the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to remain closed.

[0280] S1110: The first battery chip does not discharge.

[0281] S1111. The power management module reads a power-on level signal received by the first battery cell.

[0282] S1112. The first battery cell returns a result.

[0283] S1113 , the power management module determines whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging. If so, execute S1114 ; if not, execute S1118 .

[0284] S1114: The system side (including the power management module) starts up by USB charging.

[0285] S1115. The power management module sends a fourth instruction to the first battery cell, where the fourth instruction is used to instruct to open a charging channel for the first battery cell.

[0286] S1116 . In response to the fourth instruction, the first battery management chip controls the charging channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0287] S1117 , charging the first battery chip.

[0288] S1118: No response from the system side, waiting for USB charging.

[0289] S1119: The power management module sends a first instruction to the first battery management chip, where the first instruction instructs to open a discharge channel of the first battery cell.

[0290] S1120 . In response to the first instruction, the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0291] S1121 . Discharge the first battery cell.

[0292] S1122: The first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0293] S1123: The second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell.

[0294] S1124: The power management module reads the voltage of the first battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0295] S1125. The first battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0296] S1126: The power management module reads the voltage of the second battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0297] S1127. The second battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0298] S1128 : The power management module determines a voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

[0299] S1129. The power management module determines whether the voltage difference is less than or equal to a power-on voltage difference threshold.

[0300] S1130: If (the voltage difference is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold), send a second instruction to the second battery cell, the second instruction instructing the second power management chip to open a discharge channel of the second battery cell.

[0301] S1131 . In response to the second instruction, the second battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open.

[0302] S1132 , discharging the second battery cell.

[0303] S1133: After the discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both opened, the entire device is turned on.

[0304] For the introduction and effect analysis of S1101 to S1133 , please refer to the above introduction and effect analysis of each step in FIG7 , which will not be repeated here.

[0305] The above is only an example. The execution order of each step can be changed, and other steps can be added or some steps can be deleted. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitations on this.

[0306] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of module interaction of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0307] As shown in FIG. 12 , the method may include S1201 to S1244 .

[0308] S1201: The charging and discharging channels of the first battery cell are both closed, and neither charging nor discharging is performed.

[0309] S1202: The charging and discharging channels of the second battery cell are both closed, and neither charging nor discharging occurs.

[0310] S1203: The first battery management chip and the second battery management chip receive a power-on level.

[0311] S1204: The first battery manager detects the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0312] S1205: The power management module reads the voltage of the first battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0313] S1206. The first battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0314] S1207 , the power management module determines whether the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, and if so, executes S1219 ; if not, executes S1208 .

[0315] S1208: The power management module sends a third instruction to the first battery management chip, where the third instruction is used to instruct the discharge channel of the first battery cell to be kept closed.

[0316] S1209 . In response to the third instruction, the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to remain closed.

[0317] S1210: The first battery chip does not discharge.

[0318] S1211. The power management module reads a power-on level signal received by the first battery cell.

[0319] S1212. The first battery cell returns a result.

[0320] S1213: The power management module determines whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging. If so, execute S1214; if not, execute S1218.

[0321] S1214: The system side (including the power management module) starts up by USB charging.

[0322] S1215. The power management module sends a fourth instruction to the first battery cell, where the fourth instruction is used to instruct to open a charging channel for the first battery cell.

[0323] S1216 . In response to the fourth instruction, the first battery management chip controls the charging channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0324] S1217: Charge the first battery chip.

[0325] S1218: No response from the system side, waiting for USB charging.

[0326] S1219: The power management module sends a first instruction to the first battery management chip, where the first instruction instructs to open a discharge channel of the first battery cell.

[0327] S1220 . In response to the first instruction, the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0328] S1221. Discharge the first battery cell.

[0329] S1222: The first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0330] S1223. The second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell.

[0331] S1224: The power management module reads the voltage of the first battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0332] S1225. The first battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0333] S1226: The power management module reads the voltage of the second battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0334] S1227. The second battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0335] S1228. The power management module determines a voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

[0336] S1229. The power management module determines whether the voltage difference is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold; if so, execute S1230; if not, execute S1234.

[0337] S1230: If yes (ie, the voltage difference is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold), the power management module sends a second instruction to the second battery cell, the second instruction instructing the second power management chip to open the discharge channel of the second battery cell.

[0338] S1231. In response to the second instruction, the second battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open.

[0339] S1232: Discharge the second battery cell.

[0340] S1233: After the discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both opened, the entire device is turned on.

[0341] S1234: If not, based on whether the USB charging trigger is determined in S1213, execute S1237 or S1238; or, if not (i.e., the voltage difference is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold), the power management module reads the power-on level signal received by the first battery cell.

[0342] S1235. The first battery cell returns a result.

[0343] S1236: The power management module determines whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging. If so, execute S1238; if not, execute S1237.

[0344] S1237. The display screen shows a charging prompt and waits for charging.

[0345] S1238: The power management module compares the voltage of the first battery cell with the voltage of the second battery cell. If the voltage of the first battery cell is lower, execute S1239; if the voltage of the second battery cell is lower, execute S1242.

[0346] S1239: The power management module sends a fifth instruction to the first battery cell, where the fifth instruction is used to instruct the first power management chip to control the charging channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0347] S1240: In response to the fifth instruction, the first battery management chip opens the charging channel of the first battery cell.

[0348] S1241. Charge the first battery cell.

[0349] S1242: The power management module sends a sixth instruction to the second battery cell, where the sixth instruction is used to instruct the second power management chip to control the charging channel of the second battery cell to open.

[0350] S1243. In response to the sixth instruction, the second battery management chip opens the charging channel of the second battery cell.

[0351] S1244: Charge the second battery cell.

[0352] After charging, the process may return to steps S1222 and S1223 in the above steps.

[0353] For the introduction and effect analysis of S1201 to S1244, please refer to the above introduction and effect analysis of each step in Figure 9, which will not be repeated here.

[0354] The above is only an example. The execution order of each step can be changed, and other steps can be added or some steps can be deleted. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitations on this.

[0355] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of module interaction of another battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0356] As shown in FIG. 13 , the method may include S1301 to S1344 .

[0357] S1301: The charging and discharging channels of the first battery cell are both closed, and neither charging nor discharging is performed.

[0358] S1302: The charging and discharging channels of the second battery cell are both closed, and neither charging nor discharging occurs.

[0359] S1303: The first battery management chip and the second battery management chip receive a power-on level.

[0360] S1304: The first battery manager detects the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0361] S1305: The power management module reads the voltage of the first battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0362] S1306. The first battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0363] S1307 , the power management module determines whether the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, and if so, executes S1319 ; if not, executes S1308 .

[0364] S1308: The power management module sends a third instruction to the first battery management chip, where the third instruction is used to instruct the discharge channel of the first battery cell to be kept closed.

[0365] S1309: In response to the third instruction, the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to remain closed.

[0366] S1310: The first battery chip does not discharge.

[0367] S1311. The power management module reads a power-on level signal received by the first battery cell.

[0368] S1312. The first battery cell returns a result.

[0369] S1313: The power management module determines whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging. If so, execute S1314; if not, execute S1318.

[0370] S1314: The system side (including the power management module) starts up by USB charging.

[0371] S1315: The power management module sends a fourth instruction to the first battery cell, where the fourth instruction is used to instruct to open a charging channel for the first battery cell.

[0372] S1316 . In response to the fourth instruction, the first battery management chip controls the charging channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0373] S1317: Charge the first battery chip.

[0374] S1318: No response from the system side, waiting for USB charging.

[0375] S1319: The power management module sends a first instruction to the first battery management chip, where the first instruction instructs to open a discharge channel of the first battery cell.

[0376] S1320: In response to the first instruction, the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0377] S1321. Discharge the first battery cell.

[0378] S1322: The first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0379] S1323: The second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell.

[0380] S1324: The power management module reads the voltage of the first battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0381] S1325. The first battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0382] S1326: The power management module reads the voltage of the second battery cell, or issues a reading instruction.

[0383] S1327. The second battery management chip returns a result to the power management module.

[0384] S1328. The power management module determines a voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

[0385] S1329. The power management module determines whether the voltage difference is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold; if so, execute S1330; if not, execute S1334.

[0386] S1330: If yes (ie, the voltage difference is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold), the power management module sends a second instruction to the second battery cell, the second instruction instructing the second power management chip to open the discharge channel of the second battery cell.

[0387] S1331. In response to the second instruction, the second battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the second battery cell to open.

[0388] S1332: Discharge the second battery cell.

[0389] S1333: After the discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both opened, the entire device is turned on.

[0390] S1334: If not, the power management module determines whether the voltage of the second battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition; if so, execute S1335; if not, execute S1339.

[0391] S1335. The entire machine is allowed to start up.

[0392] S1336. The power management module sends a seventh instruction to the first battery management chip. The seventh instruction is used to instruct the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0393] S1337. In response to the seventh instruction, the first battery management chip controls the discharge channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0394] S1338. Discharge the first battery cell.

[0395] It should be understood that during the process of the first battery cell being discharged and the voltage being reduced, the process may return to S1322 and S1323 .

[0396] S1339: The whole machine is not allowed to start up.

[0397] S1340 , based on the result of whether the USB charging trigger is determined in S1313 , executing S1343 or S1344 ; or, the power management module reads the power-on level signal received by the first battery cell.

[0398] S1341. The first battery cell returns a result.

[0399] S1342: The power management module determines whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging. If so, execute S1344; if not, execute S1343.

[0400] S1343. The display screen shows a charging prompt and waits for charging.

[0401] S1344: The power management module compares the voltage of the first battery cell with the voltage of the second battery cell. If the voltage of the first battery cell is lower, execute S1345; if the voltage of the second battery cell is lower, execute S1348.

[0402] S1345. The power management module sends a fifth instruction to the first battery cell. The fifth instruction is used to instruct the first power management chip to control the charging channel of the first battery cell to open.

[0403] S1346. In response to the fifth instruction, the first battery management chip opens the charging channel of the first battery cell.

[0404] S1347. Charge the first battery cell.

[0405] S1348. The power management module sends a sixth instruction to the second battery cell. The sixth instruction is used to instruct the second power management chip to control the charging channel of the second battery cell to open.

[0406] S1349: In response to the sixth instruction, the second battery management chip opens the charging channel of the second battery cell.

[0407] S1350: Charge the second battery cell.

[0408] After charging, the process may return to execute steps S1322 and S1323 in the above steps.

[0409] For the introduction and effect analysis of S1301 to S1350 , please refer to the above introduction and effect analysis of each step in FIG10 , which will not be repeated here.

[0410] The above is only an example. The execution order of each step can be changed, and other steps can be added or some steps can be deleted. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitations on this.

[0411] The above are all battery management methods introduced using an electronic device including two parallel batteries as an example. The following takes three parallel batteries as an example to introduce another distributed structure of an electronic device and the corresponding battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0412] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a distributed structure of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0413] Compared to the structure shown in FIG4 , in addition to the first and second battery branches, the electronic device shown in FIG14 may also include a third battery branch connected in parallel with the first and second battery branches. The battery cells in the third battery branch are referred to as third battery cells. When the device is shut down, the third battery cells retain their discharge tubes in an on-state.

[0414] As shown in Figure 14, the third battery branch also includes a third battery management chip. One end of the third battery management chip is connected to the power management module on the system board, and the other end is connected to the third battery cell. The third battery management chip is used to enable and disable the charge and discharge channels of the third battery cell. Furthermore, the third battery management chip manages the communication channel between the third battery cell and the power management module. The third battery management module supports system-side IIC communication to read battery data from the third battery cell.

[0415] 14 , the third pin of the third battery management chip is used to receive a power-on level. When the third pin receives the power-on level, the third battery management chip is used to trigger the exit of the ultra-low power consumption mode and open the discharge channel of the third battery cell.

[0416] Optionally, as a possible implementation manner, the third pin may be a GPIO pin.

[0417] Optionally, as another possible implementation manner, the third pin is an interrupt pin.

[0418] The shutdown solution involved in the electronic device shown in FIG14 is similar to the process shown in FIG5 . For details, please refer to the above introduction to FIG5 , which will not be repeated here.

[0419] The normal startup solution involved in the electronic device shown in FIG14 is based on the process shown in FIG6 , and adds voltage detection and charge-discharge control of the third battery cell, which will not be described in detail here.

[0420] FIG14 is a flow chart showing one of the abnormal startup solutions for the electronic device, in which the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the startup voltage condition. The flow chart is similar to the flow chart shown in FIG7 and will not be described in detail here.

[0421] FIG14 shows a second abnormal startup solution for an electronic device, which is a process for a large voltage difference between battery cells. Based on the process shown in FIG8 , voltage detection and charge-discharge control of a third battery cell are added.

[0422] In order to solve the safety problem of large voltage difference between three battery cells, the embodiment of the present application further provides a battery management method, which is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0423] FIG15 is a flow chart of a battery management method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG15 , the method 700 may include the following steps S710 to S780 , which are described in detail below.

[0424] S710: When the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the first battery management chip may control the discharge channel of the first battery cell to be open; and the other battery management chips may control the discharge channels of the other battery cells to remain closed.

[0425] S720: Each battery management chip detects the voltage of each battery cell.

[0426] For example, the first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell, the second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell, and the third battery management chip detects the voltage of the third battery cell.

[0427] It should be understood that since the first battery cell is discharged, the voltage of the first battery cell changes. Therefore, the first battery management chip can be used again to detect the voltage of the first battery cell.

[0428] S730: The system side determines a voltage difference between the first battery cell and each of the other battery cells.

[0429] It should be understood that for the three parallel-connected battery cells shown in FIG14 , the system side needs to determine the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell, and needs to determine the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the third battery cell.

[0430] S740. After S730, when the maximum pressure difference among the determined multiple pressure differences is less than or equal to the power-on pressure difference threshold, the battery management chips except the first battery management chip all control the discharge channels of their corresponding battery cells to open.

[0431] It should be understood that for the three parallel battery cells shown in Figure 14, when it is determined that the maximum voltage difference is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, it means that all voltage differences are less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, all voltage differences are small, and there will be no problem of short-circuit and large current. Therefore, each battery management chip can control the discharge channel of its corresponding battery cell to open, and each battery cell discharges.

[0432] S750: After the discharge channels of all battery cells are opened, the entire device is turned on.

[0433] S760: After S730, if any of the multiple voltage differences determined is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, the entire device is not allowed to power on. In this case, if the power-on level is triggered by a button, S770 can be executed; if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, S780 can be executed.

[0434] It should be understood that when any other voltage difference is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, it means that there is a large voltage difference between the two battery cells. At this time, the device cannot be turned on. If it is turned on, a short circuit, high current, and device burnout may occur.

[0435] S770: Prompt the user to insert a charger to charge the electronic device.

[0436] After S770 , if the user plugs in a charger to charge the electronic device, S780 may be executed in response to the user operation to charge the battery cells with relatively low voltage.

[0437] S780: The system compares the voltages of all battery cells, takes the maximum voltage as the standard, and opens the charging channels of all other battery cells with voltages lower than the maximum voltage for charging.

[0438] It should be understood that in order to reduce the voltage difference, the voltages of all battery cells can be compared, the highest voltage among all battery cell voltages can be determined, and all other battery cells can be charged based on the highest voltage, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the voltage difference.

[0439] Among them, the voltage difference between the voltage of each battery cell and the maximum voltage can be calculated first. If it is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, the voltage that needs to be supplemented can be calculated. Then, based on the voltage that needs to be supplemented, the charging tube is turned on for charging.

[0440] Optionally, after S780, during the charging process, the system can continuously return to execute S730, and the system side determines the voltage difference between the first battery cell and each other battery cell in real time; when the pressure difference is still greater than the power-on pressure difference threshold, continue to loop through steps S760 to S780; until the charging pressure difference is less than or equal to the power-on pressure difference threshold, jump out of the Shanghai Su cycle and start executing S740 and S750.

[0441] Optionally, as an embodiment, before S710 , the method 700 may further include: a process of one of the abnormal startup solutions, in which the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the startup voltage condition.

[0442] In an embodiment of the present application, after the power-on level is triggered, before powering on, the voltage of the first battery cell is detected. If the voltage meets the power-on voltage condition, the present application can first open the discharge channel of the first battery cell, while keeping the discharge channels of the other battery cells closed. Thereafter, the voltage difference between the first battery cell and each of the other battery cells is detected. When it is determined that any one of the voltage differences is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, in order to avoid the problem of a large short-circuit current and device burnout caused by a large voltage difference between the two battery cells and the simultaneous opening of the discharge channels, the present application sets a setting that does not allow the entire device to be powered on first, but instead determines whether the power-on level is triggered by USB charging. In the case of USB charging, it means that the battery cells can be energized, so the voltages of the various battery cells can be compared. The charging channel of the battery cell with a voltage relatively lower than the highest voltage of the two battery cells is controlled to open, and it is charged to increase its voltage until the voltage difference between the battery cells is reduced to a voltage that meets the condition of being less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold.

[0443] The above is only an example of three battery cells connected in parallel. Of course, the electronic device may also include more battery cells. The management method for the more battery cells is similar to the above and will not be repeated here.

[0444] The battery management method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 16; the structure of an electronic device suitable for the present application will be introduced below in conjunction with Figure 17.

[0445] Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided by the present application. The dotted lines in Figure 17 indicate that the unit or module is optional; the electronic device 800 can be used to implement the battery management method described in the above method embodiment.

[0446] The electronic device 800 includes one or more processors 801, which can support the electronic device 800 in implementing the battery management method in the method embodiment. The processor 801 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor 801 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, such as discrete gates, transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0447] Optionally, the processor 801 may be used to control the electronic device 800, execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. The electronic device 800 may further include a communication unit 805 for implementing signal input (reception) and output (transmission).

[0448] For example, the electronic device 800 may be a chip, the communication unit 805 may be an input and / or output circuit of the chip, or the communication unit 805 may be a communication interface of the chip, and the chip may be a component of a terminal device or other electronic device.

[0449] For another example, the electronic device 800 may be a terminal device, and the communication unit 805 may be a transceiver of the terminal device, or the communication unit 805 may be a transceiver circuit of the terminal device.

[0450] The electronic device 800 may include one or more memories 802 on which a program 804 is stored. The program 804 can be executed by the processor 801 to generate instructions 803, so that the processor 801 executes the battery management method described in the above method embodiment according to the instructions 803.

[0451] Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 802 .

[0452] Optionally, the processor 801 may also read data stored in the memory 802 . The data may be stored at the same storage address as the program 804 , or may be stored at a different storage address from the program 804 .

[0453] Optionally, the processor 801 and the memory 802 may be provided separately or integrated together, for example, integrated on a system on chip (SOC) of the terminal device.

[0454] Exemplarily, the memory 802 may be used to store a program 804 related to the battery management method provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the processor 801 may call the program 804 related to the battery management method stored in the memory 802 to execute the battery management method in an embodiment of the present application. For example: the charge and discharge channels of the first battery cell and the second battery cell are both closed, and a power-on voltage level is received; in response to the power-on voltage level, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge and the second battery cell to not discharge; when the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to discharge; when both the first battery cell and the second battery cell are discharged, the electronic device is controlled to power on.

[0455] Optionally, the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when executed by the processor 801, implements the battery management method in any method embodiment of the present application.

[0456] For example, the computer program product may be stored in the memory 802 , such as a program 804 , which is converted into an executable target file that can be executed by the processor 801 after undergoing processes such as preprocessing, compilation, assembly, and linking.

[0457] Optionally, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the battery management method of any method embodiment of the present application. The computer program may be a high-level language program or an executable target program.

[0458] For example, the computer-readable storage medium is memory 802. Memory 802 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0459] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0460] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0461] 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 embodiments of the electronic device described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0462] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0463] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0464] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0465] In addition, the term "and / or" in this document simply describes an association between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0466] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0467] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A battery management method, characterized in that, The method is applied to an electronic device, which includes a battery pack. The battery pack has a first battery branch and a second battery branch connected in parallel. The first battery branch includes a first battery cell and a first battery management chip, and the second battery branch includes a second battery cell and a second battery management chip. The method includes: The charge and discharge channels of both the first battery cell and the second battery cell are closed, and a power-on level is received. In response to the power-on level, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge, while the second battery cell does not discharge. When the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is less than or equal to the power-on voltage difference threshold, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to discharge. When both the first battery cell and the second battery cell are discharging, the electronic device is controlled to power on.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, and the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge, and the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell not to discharge.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further includes: When the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, and the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to charge.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold, and the voltage of the first battery cell is less than the voltage of the second battery cell, if the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to charge.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, In response to the power-on level, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge, while the second battery cell does not discharge, including: The first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell. When it is determined that the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge, while the second battery cell does not discharge.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein After the first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell, the method further includes: When it is determined that the voltage of the first battery cell does not meet the power-on voltage condition, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell not to discharge. If the power-on level is triggered by USB charging, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to charge until the power-on voltage condition is met.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, When it is determined that the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the power-on voltage difference threshold and the voltage of the first battery cell meets the power-on voltage condition, the method further includes: The second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell. When it is determined that the voltage of the second battery cell meets the boot voltage condition and the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge, and the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell not to discharge; When it is determined that the voltage of the second battery cell meets the boot voltage condition and the voltage of the first battery cell is less than the voltage of the second battery cell, if the boot level is triggered by USB charging, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to charge. When it is determined that the voltage of the second battery cell does not meet the boot voltage condition and the boot level is triggered by USB charging, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to charge.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that, When it is determined that the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the boot voltage difference threshold and the voltage of the first battery cell meets the boot voltage condition, the method further includes: When it is determined that the voltage of the second battery cell does not meet the boot voltage condition and the boot level is triggered by USB charging, the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to charge.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further includes: When the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell is greater than the boot voltage difference threshold and the voltage of the first battery cell is less than the voltage of the second battery cell, the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to switch from discharging to not discharging, and the second battery management chip controls the second battery cell to switch from not discharging to discharging.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the first battery management chip controls the first battery cell to discharge and the second battery cell not to discharge, the method includes: The first battery management chip detects the voltage of the first battery cell; The second battery management chip detects the voltage of the second battery cell; Determine that the voltage of the first battery cell is greater than the voltage of the second battery cell.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first battery cell is the main battery of the electronic device, and the second battery cell is the secondary battery of the electronic device.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes a battery pack. The battery pack has a first battery branch and a second battery branch connected in parallel. The first battery branch includes a first battery cell and a first battery management chip. The second battery branch includes a second battery cell and a second battery management chip. The electronic device includes one or more processors. The processor is used to call computer instructions so that the electronic device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system is applied to an electronic device. The chip system includes one or more processors. The processor is used to call computer instructions so that the electronic device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program. When the computer program runs on the electronic device, it causes the electronic device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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