Multi-Battery Power Control for Cycle-Based Discharge Priority

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices with multiple batteries handle them as a single power source, failing to account for individual battery characteristics, leading to decreased efficiency and premature battery degradation due to collective charging and discharging cycles.

Innovation Solution

The electronic device adjusts operating voltages and full charge voltages for each battery based on their specific charge and discharge cycles, prioritizing the consumption of removable batteries to extend the life of embedded batteries and prevent swelling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If multiple batteries are handled as a single power source with collective charging and discharging, then the device can simplify power management operations, but the efficiency of using the multi-battery decreases and battery life reduces due to not reflecting individual battery characteristics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower management operationVSAvoidbattery usage efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the power management system into separate control units for each battery, allowing independent monitoring and management of charging/discharging cycles for each battery cell. This segmentation enables the system to track individual battery characteristics while maintaining overall system coordination, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and usage efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If multiple batteries are handled as a single power source with collective charging and discharging, then the device can simplify power management operations, but the life of individual batteries decreases due to premature degradation from not reflecting individual cycle characteristics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower management operationVSAvoidbattery life
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor individual battery charge/discharge cycles and provide data to the power management system. This feedback enables dynamic adjustment of charging/discharging parameters for each battery based on its specific state, preventing premature degradation while maintaining simplified user operations through centralized control interfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If the multi-battery is collectively counted as one cycle without reflecting individual battery characteristics, then the power management system can operate with unified control, but the life of one battery decreases first due to degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower management system complexityVSAvoidbattery life
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs dynamic power management that adapts charging and discharging parameters in real-time based on individual battery states. The system dynamically adjusts voltage, current, and cycle parameters for each battery cell, allowing unified control architecture while preventing any single battery from degrading prematurely due to its specific characteristics being accounted for in the dynamic control algorithm.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3964925B1Electronic device comprising multiple batteries
Publication Date: 2024.03.06 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3964925B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3964925B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3964925B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in the present document may comprise: a first battery having a first capacity; a second battery having a second capacity; a power management module which individually controls charging or discharging of the first battery and the second battery; a memory; and a processor which controls the power management module, wherein the processor calculates a first cycle relating to the charging or discharging of the first battery and a second cycle relating to the charging or discharging of the second battery, and discharges one of the first battery and the second battery before the other battery on the basis of a reference use voltage determined based on the first cycle or the second cycle.