Electronic product with battery detection structure

Abstract

The application discloses an electronic product with a simple structure and a battery detection structure, which comprises a mainboard, a battery connected with the mainboard, and a shell covering the battery, wherein the surface of the battery facing the shell is provided with a first conductive detection unit, and the surface of the shell facing the battery is provided with a second conductive detection unit corresponding to the first conductive detection unit; the first conductive detection unit is configured to change in height along with the height change of the surface of the battery, and when the first conductive detection unit and the second conductive detection unit are electrically connected, a signal for indicating that the battery is bulging is generated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electronic products, and in particular to an electronic product with a battery detection structure. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of technology, portable electronic products such as smartphones, tablets, and wearable devices have become increasingly popular in people's daily lives. These devices are known for their portability, multifunctionality, and high efficiency, greatly enriching people's entertainment, work, and learning methods. However, while enjoying these conveniences, an issue that cannot be ignored has gradually emerged—battery aging and safety concerns.

[0003] Most portable electronic products on the market currently use lithium-ion batteries as their power source. Although lithium-ion batteries have the advantages of high energy density and long cycle life, the activity of the internal chemical substances gradually decreases over time, leading to battery capacity decay and reduced battery life. More seriously, batteries may bulge during aging due to internal short circuits, overheating, or mechanical damage. A bulging battery not only severely impacts the user experience but, more importantly, poses potential safety risks such as explosions or fires, especially when battery status cannot be monitored in a timely manner. Existing technical solutions mostly rely on users observing the battery's appearance or using third-party software for rough estimations. These methods are either not intuitive or accurate enough, or they cannot provide real-time monitoring, making it difficult to provide timely warnings of safety hazards such as battery bulging. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention solves the problems of the prior art and provides an electronic product with a simple structure and a battery detection structure.

[0005] This invention discloses an electronic product with a battery detection structure, including a motherboard, a battery connected to the motherboard, and a casing covering the battery. A first conductive detection unit is disposed on the surface of the battery facing the casing, and a second conductive detection unit corresponding to the first conductive detection unit is disposed on the surface of the casing facing the battery. The first conductive detection unit is configured to change height with the height of the battery surface. When the first conductive detection unit and the second conductive detection unit are electrically connected, a signal is generated to indicate that the battery has bulged.

[0006] A further improvement of the present invention is that the second conductive detection unit includes a conductive layer disposed on the housing.

[0007] A further improvement of the present invention is that the conductive layer is obtained by electroplating the housing or by covering the housing with conductive cloth.

[0008] A further improvement of the present invention is that the first conductive detection unit includes a flexible circuit board electrically connected to the motherboard and a conductive spring electrically connected to the flexible circuit board.

[0009] A further improvement of the present invention is that the flexible circuit board facing the conductive spring is electrically connected to the conductive spring by exposing the conductive lines in the flexible circuit board through copper leakage.

[0010] A further improvement of the present invention is that the first conductivity detection unit includes a plurality of conductive springs arranged at different positions of the battery; the plurality of conductive springs are connected to the motherboard through a first logic circuit, and the first logic circuit is configured to generate a signal indicating that the battery has bulged when one of the plurality of conductive springs is electrically connected to the second conductivity detection unit.

[0011] A further improvement of the present invention is that the first conductivity detection unit includes a plurality of conductive springs arranged at different positions of the battery; the plurality of conductive springs are connected to the motherboard through a second logic circuit, and the second logic circuit is configured to generate a signal indicating that the battery has bulged when at least two of the plurality of conductive springs are electrically connected to the second conductivity detection unit.

[0012] A further improvement of the present invention is that the motherboard includes a system load, the system load being electrically connected to the battery and configured to receive power from the battery.

[0013] A further improvement of the present invention is that it includes a battery charge-discharge protection unit, which is configured to receive the battery bulging signal and generate a control signal to disconnect the electrical connection of the battery based on the battery bulging signal.

[0014] A further improvement of the present invention is that it includes a battery detection unit configured to detect the connection between the battery and the system load, and when no connection between the battery and the battery load is detected, to generate a signal to disconnect the electrical connection between the system load and the battery interface.

[0015] A further improvement of the present invention is that it includes a reminder unit configured to receive the signal indicating that the battery is bulging, and to generate a reminder to the user about the battery bulging based on the battery bulging signal.

[0016] This invention provides an electronic product with a simple battery detection structure by providing a first conductive detection unit on the surface of the battery facing the casing, and a second conductive detection unit corresponding to the first conductive detection unit on the surface of the casing facing the battery; the first conductive detection unit is configured to change height with the height of the battery surface; when the first conductive detection unit and the second conductive detection unit are electrically connected, a signal is generated to indicate that the battery is bulging. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Appendix Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of an electronic product with a battery detection structure according to this application. Appendix Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of a preferred embodiment of an electronic product having a battery detection structure according to this application; Appendix Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram showing an AND gate circuit section in a preferred embodiment of an electronic product with an electronic detection structure according to this application. Appendix Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of the battery before and after bulging in a preferred embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but rather is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives provided herein, provided they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. In the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals refer to similar elements.

[0019] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to their literal meaning, but are merely used by the inventors to enable a clear and consistent understanding of this disclosure. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of this disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the purpose of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0020] It should be understood that, unless the context clearly specifies otherwise, the expressions “a” and “the” without specifying a quantity can include either a single or multiple referents. Thus, for example, a reference to “an electronic device” includes one or more such devices.

[0021] As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” or “may include,” or “may contain” indicate the presence of disclosed functions, operations, or elements, but do not exclude other functions, operations, or elements.

[0022] For example, the expression “A or B” or “at least one of A and / or B” can indicate A and B, or A or B. For example, the expression “A or B” or “at least one of A and / or B” can indicate (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B or (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0023] For example, the expression “configured as” used in various embodiments of this disclosure may be used interchangeably with “suitable for,” “capable of,” “designed to,” “adapted to,” “made,” or “capable”, depending on the context. The term “configured as” may not necessarily indicate that it is “specifically designed as” in terms of hardware. Alternatively, the expression “device configured as…” may, in some cases, indicate that the device, together with another device or part thereof, is “capable of…”. For example, the expression “processor configured to perform A, B, and C” may refer to a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing the corresponding operations or a general-purpose processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or application processor (AP)) for performing the corresponding operations by executing at least one software program stored in a storage device.

[0024] This embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided as illustrative examples of the embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice embodiments and alternatives that are obvious to them. It is important to note that the following drawings and examples are not intended to limit the scope of this embodiment to a single embodiment, but rather other embodiments are possible by interchangeing some or all of the elements described or shown. Furthermore, where certain elements of embodiments of the invention may be implemented partially or entirely using known components, only those portions of such known components necessary for understanding the embodiments of the invention will be described, and detailed descriptions of other portions of such known components will be omitted so as not to obscure the embodiments of the invention. Unless otherwise stated herein, embodiments described as being implemented in software should not be considered limited thereto, but may include embodiments implemented in hardware or a combination of software and hardware, and vice versa, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Embodiments illustrating a single component in this specification should not be considered limiting; rather, unless expressly stated otherwise herein, this disclosure is intended to cover other embodiments including multiple identical components, and vice versa. Furthermore, the applicant does not intend to assign any terminology in the specification or claims an uncommon or special meaning unless expressly stated so. Furthermore, this embodiment covers current and future known equivalents of known components mentioned herein by way of description.

[0025] This invention discloses an electronic product with a battery detection structure, including a motherboard, a battery connected to the motherboard, and a casing covering the battery. A first conductive detection unit is disposed on the surface of the battery facing the casing, and a second conductive detection unit corresponding to the first conductive detection unit is disposed on the surface of the casing facing the battery. The first conductive detection unit is configured to change height with the height of the battery surface. When the first conductive detection unit and the second conductive detection unit are electrically connected, a signal is generated to indicate that the battery is bulging.

[0026] The motherboard includes a power system, which can be suitable for portable electronic devices (not shown), such as mobile phones or tablets, and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The power system includes a power adapter, a battery, a power circuit, and a system load. The battery, power circuit, and system load are each connected to the motherboard. The motherboard is mounted in the electronic device. The power adapter is coupled to the system load through the motherboard's power circuit. The system load can also be independently electrically connected to the battery and configured to receive power from the battery.

[0027] The power adapter is configured to rectify AC voltage received from an AC power source and generate a first supply voltage to power each electrical component on the motherboard, wherein the first supply voltage is a DC voltage. The power adapter may be configured to electrically connect to the power terminals of a portable electronic device via power lines and output the first supply voltage to the motherboard via the power terminals. Conventional mobile electronic devices may include a dedicated and typically proprietary plug-in port for the power adapter. When the adapter is plugged into this dedicated port, it is responsible for charging the battery using the adapter voltage specified by the manufacturer of the mobile computing device, in addition to controlling the power supply to the system load.

[0028] The battery is built into the portable electronic device. When the portable electronic device is not connected to a power adapter, the battery can power the system load. The battery can be a single rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion battery, a Ni-Cd battery, a Ni-MH battery, or a rechargeable battery pack consisting of multiple rechargeable batteries. For example, the battery can be a rechargeable 1S / 2S / 3S / 4S (i.e., one battery, two batteries, three batteries, or a stack of four batteries) lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery. This disclosure is also specifically designed according to the exact type and structure of the portable electronic device, and is not limited thereto.

[0029] System load can represent all power-consuming components mounted on the motherboard. System load may include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU). The actual structure and implementation of the system load may include system operating modules and peripheral devices. It can vary depending on the exact type and structure of the portable electronic device. Furthermore, since the structure of the system load is known to those skilled in the art and is not the primary focus of this disclosure, further details regarding the system load are also not the primary focus here.

[0030] The second conductive detection unit includes a conductive layer disposed on the housing. The conductive layer can be obtained by electroplating the housing or by covering the housing with conductive cloth. This ensures that the first conductive detection unit is electrically connected to the conductive layer of the housing after the battery bulges, generating a high-to-low voltage signal. By using a flat conductive layer, connection to multiple first conductive detection units can be achieved.

[0031] The first conductivity detection unit includes a flexible circuit board electrically connected to the motherboard and a conductive spring electrically connected to the flexible circuit board. The conductive lines in the flexible circuit board are exposed via copper-exposed contact and then electrically connected to the conductive spring. The conductive spring can change height according to the height of the battery surface. When the conductive spring is electrically connected to the second conductivity detection unit, it generates a signal indicating that the battery has bulged.

[0032] The first conductivity detection unit includes multiple conductive contacts arranged at different locations on the battery. The multiple conductive contacts are connected to the main board through a first logic circuit. The first logic circuit is configured to generate a signal indicating that the battery is bulging when one of the multiple conductive contacts is electrically connected to the second conductivity detection unit.

[0033] The first conductivity detection unit includes multiple conductive contacts arranged at different locations on the battery. The multiple conductive contacts are connected to the motherboard through a second logic circuit. The second logic circuit is configured to generate a signal indicating that the battery has bulged when at least two of the multiple conductive contacts are electrically connected to the second conductivity detection unit.

[0034] It also includes a battery charge / discharge protection unit, which is configured to receive a battery bulging signal and generate a control signal to disconnect the battery's electrical connection based on the battery bulging signal.

[0035] It includes a battery detection unit, which is configured to detect the connection between the battery and the system load. When no connection between the battery and the battery load is detected, it generates a control signal to cause the motherboard to disconnect the electrical connection between the system load and the battery interface.

[0036] It also includes a reminder unit, which is configured to receive a signal indicating that the battery is bulging, and generate a reminder for the user to be alerted about the battery bulging based on the battery bulging signal.

[0037] See appendix Figure 1 , attached Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the electronic product with a battery detection structure according to this application. A first conductivity detection unit is provided on each battery, and the unit can be located near the center of each battery, or empirically in a location where the battery is prone to bulging. In this embodiment, the batteries are arranged in other spaces allocated in the electronic device; however, the batteries can be integrated and arranged on the motherboard.

[0038] The electronic circuitry can utilize flexible circuit boards, such as FPCs or PPFs. The exposed copper on the surface of the flexible circuit board is conductive and is attached to the battery. The first conductivity detection unit may include a conductive spring attached to the exposed copper location on the flexible circuit board. The first conductivity detection signal on each battery is connected to the main board via a connecting wire, drawing power from the main board for battery bulging detection.

[0039] The second conductive detection unit is configured to connect electrically with the first conductive detection unit when the battery bulges, thereby generating an electrical signal indicating battery bulging. The second conductive detection unit can be a metal casing or a non-metallic casing that has undergone electroplating or is covered with conductive cloth, to ensure that the conductive contacts of the first conductive detection unit are electrically connected to the casing after the battery bulges, resulting in a high-low voltage level transition.

[0040] See appendix Figure 2 , attached Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of a preferred embodiment of an electronic product having a battery detection structure according to this application.

[0041] The battery bulge detection unit can be connected to the motherboard via a NOT circuit. The NOT circuit includes: a common node 101 connected to the detection signal generated by the first conductivity detection unit; resistors R1 and R2; and an N-channel enhancement-type MOSFET Q6, all connected to the common node 101. One end of R1 is connected to the common node 101, and the other end is connected to the electrical signal VCC. One end of R2 is connected to the common node 101, and the other end is grounded. The gate of Q6 is connected to the common node 101, the source is grounded, and the drain is connected to the electrical signal VCC via resistor R3. A common node 102 is provided between Q6 and resistor R3, allowing the signal indicating battery bulging to continue transmitting from Q6 to the common node 102.

[0042] Common node 102 is connected to the first input of OR gate U2, and the second input of OR gate U2 is connected to the battery interface. The second input of OR gate U2 is configured to detect whether the battery is connected to the system load. The output signal CHG_BATGONE of OR gate U2 is connected to the BATGONE port of the control chip.

[0043] The adapter converts AC voltage to DC input. The DC input is provided to the drain of N-channel MOSFET Q1, whose gate is coupled to the motherboard charge controller and whose source is coupled to common source node 103.

[0044] Node 103 is further coupled to the drain of an N-channel MOSFET Q2 and one end of an inductor L1, the other end of which is coupled to a common node 104. The gate of Q2 is coupled to the motherboard charge controller, and the source is grounded. Node 103 is also coupled to the drain of an NFET Q5.

[0045] Node 104 is coupled to the source of an NFET Q4 and the drain of an NFET Q3. The gates of Q4 and Q3 are connected to the motherboard charge controller, respectively. The drain of Q4 is connected to the system load Vsys, and the source of Q3 is grounded.

[0046] The GPIO_1 interface of the controller EC is coupled to the first input of the OR gate U2; the GPIO_0 interface of the controller EC is coupled to the second input of the comparator U2; the SMBUS connection of the controller EC is connected to the battery interface, and the EC communicates with the battery through SMBUS.

[0047] The battery interface is connected to the battery, and also to the drain of the P-channel MOSFET Q5. The gate of Q5 is connected to the BGATE interface on the motherboard. The source of Q5 is connected to the system load.

[0048] When the battery is connected and appears normal with no or slight bulging, and the spring contacts are not in contact with the housing, the EC communicates with the battery via SMBUS, identifies the battery, and the signal BAT_DET# is low, connected to the input pin of the OR gate U2. At this time, the spring contacts on the battery are not in contact with the housing, so the battery bulging detection signal Swelling_DET# remains high, the drain output of the N-channel MOSFET Q6 is low, therefore all inputs of the OR gate U2 are low, so CHG_BATGONE is low, U1 can normally drive the P-channel MOSFET Q5 to open, and the battery can charge and discharge normally.

[0049] When the battery is not connected to the system load, the SMBUS connection of the controller EC does not detect battery information, and the signal BAT_DET# is high. At this time, regardless of whether the Swelling_DET# level is high or low, the output of the OR gate U2 is high. The logic high of the BATGONE pin of the charging controller will force the channel field-effect transistor Q5 connected to BGATE P to be forcibly turned off, and the circuit will no longer have a charging function. However, the Buck-Boost can still work normally and output Vsys for the system load.

[0050] The battery is connected to the system load, but it has bulged and the contact spring has made contact with the casing. The detection signal Swelling_DET# is grounded and goes low, pulling the gate of Q6 low. The drain output of Q6 becomes high and is connected to the input pin of OR gate U2. At this time, the OR gate output is high, i.e., CHG_BATGONE is high. The charging controller forcibly shuts down the BGATE MOSFET, disconnecting the system load from the battery. However, the power supply circuit can still output Vsys normally for the system load.

[0051] When the battery is connected to the system load and the circuit breaker protection has been triggered, the controller EC GPIO_0 is at a low level and GPIO_1 is at a high level, triggering the system pop-up window condition. The system pop-up window prompts the user: "Your battery has bulged to the warning value. The system has disconnected the charging line. Please replace the battery in time!"

[0052] The table below is a logical truth table. BAT_DET# represents the detection signal for checking whether the battery is connected; Swelling_DET# represents the battery bulging detection signal.

[0053]

[0054] 1. BAT_DET#=0 indicates that the battery is connected to the system load, 1 indicates that the battery is not connected.

[0055] 2. Swelling_DET#=0 indicates that the signal logic is low after the spring contacts the housing, 1 indicates no contact.

[0056] 3. Battery switch Q5, Y indicates that P-channel MOSFET Q5 is off, N indicates that P-channel MOSFET Q5 is on.

[0057] 4. Charging function: Y indicates normal charging function, N indicates no charging function.

[0058] 5. Pop-up notification: Y indicates a system pop-up, N indicates no pop-up occurred.

[0059] In some embodiments, Q6 may also use an NPN transistor or the entire circuit within the dashed box may be replaced with a NOT gate integrated circuit.

[0060] In another embodiment, only one NOT gate IC can be used, which requires shorting the detection signals of all the springs together, so that any cell bulging to a set value can trigger the power-off protection.

[0061] See appendix Figure 3 , attached Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram showing an AND gate circuit in a preferred embodiment of an electronic product with an electronic detection structure according to this application. To avoid false triggering due to casing deformation, such as when the casing is held or placed on the lap, an AND gate circuit can be added to further process the signal transmitted from the common node 102. This design requires two or more battery cells to bulge simultaneously to reach a set value before triggering the protection.

[0062] See appendix Figure 4 , attached Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of the battery before and after bulging in a preferred embodiment of this application. Before bulging, the battery and the casing are separated. After bulging, the first conductive detection unit on the battery and the second conductive detection unit on the casing come into contact.

[0063] The description above simply illustrates preferred embodiments of the present disclosure; however, the features of the present disclosure are by no means limited thereto. All changes, substitutions, or modifications that are readily apparent to those skilled in the art are considered to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic product with a battery detection structure, characterized in that: The device includes a motherboard, a battery connected to the motherboard, and a casing covering the battery. A first conductive detection unit is provided on the surface of the battery facing the casing, and a second conductive detection unit corresponding to the first conductive detection unit is provided on the surface of the casing facing the battery. The first conductive detection unit is configured to change height with the height of the battery surface. When the first conductive detection unit and the second conductive detection unit are electrically connected, a signal is generated to indicate that the battery is bulging.

2. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second conductive detection unit includes a conductive layer disposed on the housing.

3. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive layer is obtained by electroplating the housing or by covering the housing with conductive cloth.

4. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first conductivity detection unit includes a flexible circuit board electrically connected to the motherboard and a conductive spring electrically connected to the flexible circuit board.

5. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The flexible circuit board facing the conductive spring has its conductive lines exposed through copper leakage and is then electrically connected to the conductive spring.

6. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first conductivity detection unit includes multiple conductive contacts arranged at different positions of the battery; the multiple conductive contacts are connected to the motherboard through a first logic circuit, and the first logic circuit is configured to generate a signal indicating that the battery is bulging when one of the multiple conductive contacts is electrically connected to the second conductivity detection unit.

7. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first conductivity detection unit includes multiple conductive contacts arranged at different positions of the battery; the multiple conductive contacts are connected to the motherboard through a second logic circuit, and the second logic circuit is configured to generate a signal indicating that the battery has bulged when at least two of the multiple conductive contacts are electrically connected to the second conductivity detection unit.

8. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motherboard includes a system load and a battery detection unit. The system load is electrically connected to the battery and configured to receive power from the battery. The battery detection unit is configured to detect the connection between the battery and the system load. When no connection between the battery and the battery load is detected, a signal is generated to disconnect the electrical connection between the system load and the battery interface.

9. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device includes a battery charge / discharge protection unit configured to receive the battery bulging signal and generate a control signal that disconnects the electrical connection of the battery based on the battery bulging signal.

10. The electronic product with a battery detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device includes a reminder unit configured to receive a signal indicating that the battery is bulging, and to generate a reminder to the user about the battery bulging based on the battery bulging signal.

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