Battery Pack With Separate Charging And Discharging Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face issues where charging can cause unexpected behaviors or malfunctions in electronic devices due to electrical connections between the battery and the load during charging or discharging, leading to a need for separate charging and discharging paths to prevent such interactions.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design that includes separate charging and discharging paths, controlled by a processor, which uses charging and discharging switches to manage electrical connections between the battery and the charging device or load, ensuring proper isolation during charging and discharging modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single path is used for both charging and discharging, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to unexpected behaviors or malfunctions caused by electrical connection between load and charging device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the electrical path into separate charging path and discharging path sections. The charging path includes a charging switch that can be independently controlled to connect or disconnect the battery from the charging device, while the discharging path includes a discharging switch for controlling battery connection to the load. This segmentation allows independent control of charging and discharging operations, preventing unexpected electrical interactions between the charging device and load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces switches as intermediary control elements between the battery and the external devices (charging device and load). The charging switch and discharging switch act as mediators that can open or close the electrical connection as needed. These intermediary switches provide isolation and control, allowing the system to maintain separate charging and discharging paths while using a generally unified processor for cost efficiency.
2Reliability
If separate charging and discharging paths are implemented, then reliability is improved by preventing electrical connection between load and charging device, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a single processor that serves multiple functions: monitoring the battery state, controlling the charging switch, controlling the discharging switch, and managing both charging and discharging operations. By using a generally unified processor for these diverse control tasks, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated control circuits for charging and discharging, thereby mitigating the increase in device complexity while maintaining reliable path separation.
3Ease of manufacture
If charging switch and discharging switch are both controlled by the same processor, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but control precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the charging switch and discharging switch based on real-time battery state monitoring. The processor continuously monitors battery parameters (such as voltage, current, temperature) and dynamically adjusts the state of the charging and discharging switches according to the detected battery state. This dynamic, state-based control approach ensures precise and appropriate switch operation while using a single multi-functional processor, balancing manufacturing simplicity with control precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack having separate charging and discharging paths includes a battery including at least one battery cell, a processor configured to monitor the battery and to control charging and discharging operations of the battery, a charging switch arranged along at least one of a first path electrically connecting a first pole of the battery to a charging device and a third path electrically connecting a second pole of the battery to the charging device, the charging switch being configured to operate according to a control signal generated by the processor, and a discharging switch arranged along at least one of a second path electrically connecting the first pole of the battery to a load and a fourth path electrically connecting the second pole of the battery to the load, the discharging switch being configured to operate according to the control signal generated by the processor.