Battery Pack Memory Write-Inhibit Area for Data Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery pack chargers may improperly write data to the battery pack due to operational errors or noise disturbances, leading to improper charging and potential malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack with a rewritable nonvolatile memory that includes a write-inhibit area, where each storage area has a unique address, and a write controller that prevents writing to the inhibit area and checks the validity of data before writing, ensuring proper data storage and charging operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is written to the battery pack memory during charging, then charge history can be recorded, but improper writing may occur due to operational errors or noise
Solution Approach 1:
The memory is divided into multiple storage areas with unique addresses, including a specific write-inhibit area. By segmenting the memory into protected and non-protected regions, the system prevents improper writing to critical data while allowing normal writing operations in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The write-inhibit area is pre-designated as protected before any writing operation occurs. The controller checks whether the target address falls within the write-inhibit area before executing the write operation, thereby preventing improper writing in advance rather than correcting it after occurrence.
2Reliability
If all storage areas are protected from writing, then data integrity is maintained, but the battery pack cannot store charge history
Solution Approach 1:
The memory is segmented into a write-inhibit area for protected data and other writable storage areas for charge history. This segmentation allows simultaneous data integrity protection and information storage by designating only critical areas as protected while leaving other areas accessible for normal operations.
3Productivity
If the charger writes data to the battery pack, then charging information is recorded, but improper operation may cause incorrect data writing
Solution Approach 1:
The controller provides feedback by checking whether the target storage area is the write-inhibit area before executing the write operation. This feedback mechanism ensures that charging operations can proceed efficiently while maintaining data writing accuracy through real-time address verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary between the charger and the memory system. It receives write requests from the charger, verifies whether the target address is protected, and decides whether to permit or block the write operation, thereby ensuring both operational efficiency and data accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery pack (10) in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a rechargeable battery (20), a rewritable nonvolatile memory (33), a write request receiver (30), and a write controller (30). The rewritable nonvolatile memory includes storage areas including a write-inhibit area. The write request receiver receives a write request and data from a charger (40). The write request includes a first address assigned to a first storage area of the storage areas. The data includes a first data element. The write controller executes a write process for the received data. The write process includes avoiding writing the first data element to the first storage area in response to determining that the first storage area is the write-inhibit area.