Battery Charger Correction Device for Voltage Regulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery chargers face challenges in achieving high accuracy in charging due to the introduction of fuel gauge circuits, which increase silicon area and affect charging precision, and struggle with maintaining floating voltage accuracy and safety.
Innovation Solution
A battery charger with a fuel gauge device providing digital estimation of battery voltage, a correction device that modifies control signals based on voltage thresholds, and a supply switching circuit controlled by a control block, including a comparator and band-gap circuit, to ensure accurate voltage regulation and prevent over-voltage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fuel gauge circuit is introduced to provide digital estimation of battery voltage, then measurement precision of battery voltage is improved, but device complexity and silicon area increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fuel gauge device and correction device into a single integrated circuit chip along with the battery charger, merging multiple functions into one device to reduce overall system complexity and silicon area while maintaining high measurement precision through the dedicated fuel gauge circuit
2Measurement precision
If a fuel gauge circuit is introduced to provide digital estimation of battery voltage, then measurement precision of battery voltage is improved, but silicon area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the fuel gauge device, correction device, and battery charger into a single chip, consolidating multiple functions to minimize the total silicon area occupied while preserving the high precision voltage measurement capability provided by the fuel gauge circuit
3Manufacturing precision
If correction device modifies control signals based on digital estimation, then manufacturing precision of voltage regulation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The correction device receives the digital battery voltage estimation from the fuel gauge device and uses this feedback to modify the control signals sent to the supply switching circuit, creating a closed-loop system that automatically adjusts voltage regulation to maintain high precision while using a relatively simple correction mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The correction device is integrated into the same chip as the fuel gauge and battery charger, combining multiple control functions into one unit to reduce overall device complexity while maintaining the precision benefits of the feedback-based voltage regulation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves high precision in battery charging with reduced silicon area usage, maintaining accurate voltage regulation and preventing over-voltage, thereby enhancing battery lifetime and safety.
Implementation Method 1
including a comparator and band-gap circuit, to ensure accurate voltage regulation
Data Source
AI summary
A battery charger includes an input supply terminal configured to receive a supply signal and a battery terminal configured to be connected to a battery. A supply switching circuit is arranged between the battery terminal and the input supply terminal. A control device generates a control signal to control operation of the supply switching circuit. A fuel gauge device provide a digital estimation of a voltage signal across the battery. A correction device modifies the control signal in response to the digital estimation of the voltage signal across the battery if that digital estimation is outside of a value range between two thresholds.