Battery Protector Hibernate Input Separate from VDD
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery protection circuitry relies on commands from a host device to enter hibernate mode, which is inefficient in stacked configurations and can lead to self-discharge of battery cells, especially when not connected to an external load or charger, reducing storage time and increasing the need for frequent recharging.
Innovation Solution
A battery protector system with analog frontend circuitry and digital logic that distinguishes between connected and disconnected states without an external ground connection, allowing the battery protector to automatically switch between active and hibernate modes, minimizing self-discharge by internal communication between protectors in a stacked arrangement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If battery protector relies on host device commands to enter hibernate mode, then the system can control power consumption, but the device complexity increases and response time is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The battery protector autonomously determines when to enter hibernate mode by monitoring its own input terminal state (connected vs. floating), eliminating the need for external host device commands. The analog frontend circuitry automatically detects the floating condition and triggers hibernate mode without external intervention, allowing the device to serve itself in power management decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of the disconnected state through the floating input terminal condition before actually entering hibernate mode. The analog frontend circuitry continuously monitors the input terminal and prepares for hibernate transition by detecting the floating state in advance, enabling proactive power management rather than reactive response to host commands.
2Productivity
If battery protector enters hibernate mode autonomously, then productivity is improved by reducing self-discharge, but measurement precision is challenged in distinguishing connected vs. floating conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The analog frontend circuitry acts as an intermediary that translates the physical state of the input terminal (connected or floating) into a distinguishable electrical signal. It uses the floating condition itself as the detection mechanism, where the absence of a voltage source creates a detectable voltage difference that the circuitry can reliably interpret to determine disconnection state without requiring additional external references.
3Reliability
If stacked configuration of multiple protectors is used, then reliability is improved, but loss of energy increases due to each device independently entering hibernate mode
Solution Approach 1:
The low power output of one battery protector provides feedback to the hibernate mode input of other protectors in the stack. When one protector detects a disconnected state and enters hibernate mode, it sends a signal through the low power output to notify other protectors, causing them to enter hibernate mode as well. This coordinated feedback mechanism ensures all protectors in the stack synchronize their power states, preventing independent hibernate transitions that would cause energy loss.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery protector includes analog frontend circuitry coupled to a hibernate mode input terminal that is one of configured to couple to a high voltage connector terminal when the system is connected to an external load or charger to define an active mode and configured to float when the system is disconnected from the external load or charger to define a hibernate mode. The analog frontend circuitry is configured to provide a signal at an output thereof to distinguish, in the absence of an external ground connection, between connected and floating conditions for the hibernate mode input terminal. Digital logic is coupled with the output of the analog frontend circuitry, the digital logic providing a digital signal to control whether the battery protector is operating in the active mode or the hibernate mode based on the signal at the output of the analog frontend circuitry.