Peak Current Provider Regulates Battery Output for Portable Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable devices experience rapid battery charge drainage due to fluctuating output currents, leading to premature shutdown when the charge drops below a cutoff voltage, as they perform multiple functions requiring varying current levels.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a peak current provider with a current limiter and capacitor to regulate and store current, disconnecting the battery from the power amplifier module during high current demands and using the capacitor to supply peak currents, thereby limiting battery output to a preset value and maintaining a relatively constant current from the battery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the battery directly supplies current to the electronic circuitry without current regulation, then the device can operate during peak current demands, but the battery charge drains quickly due to severe current fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a current limiter circuit as an intermediary component between the battery and the power amplifier module. This current limiter acts as a mediator that regulates the current flow, preventing severe fluctuations from reaching the battery while still allowing the device to operate during peak current demands. The current limiter ensures the battery charge drains slowly by maintaining relatively constant current output.
2Power
If the battery outputs large peak currents to meet electronic circuitry demands, then the device can function at higher speeds, but the battery charge drains more quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-charging a capacitor during periods when the device does not require peak current. This capacitor is charged in advance during low-current operation phases, so when peak current demands occur, the capacitor can immediately supply the required current without drawing it from the battery. This allows the device to maintain high power output capability while preserving battery charge for extended usage time.
3Reliability
If the battery charge drops below the cutoff voltage, then the portable device shuts off, but this happens prematurely due to current fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The current limiter circuit serves as a protective intermediary that stabilizes the current drawn from the battery, preventing severe fluctuations that would otherwise cause premature shutdown. By maintaining relatively constant current output from the battery, the system ensures the battery charge depletes smoothly and predictably, allowing the device to operate until the battery charge genuinely drops below the cutoff voltage rather than shutting off prematurely.
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
This solution extends battery usage time by reducing maximum output current, allowing a lower cutoff voltage and stabilizing battery discharge, as demonstrated by a 13-hour 35-minute usage time compared to 12 hours 35 minutes with conventional devices.
Implementation Method 1
The peak current provider may include a capacitor connected in parallel with the battery. The capacitor may have a capacitance of tens to hundreds of mE.
Implementation Method 2
a battery which supplies power to the portable device must have a charge of at least a minimum voltage
Data Source
AI summary
A portable device includes a battery, electronic circuitry, and a peak current provider that provides a peak current to the electronic circuitry. Power is supplied to the portable device by connecting a battery to a peak current provider, charging the peak current provider, and supplying a current from the battery to electronic circuitry of the portable device, when a current required by the electronic circuitry is less than or equal to a preset value, and disconnecting the battery from the peak current provider and supplying a current from the peak current provider to the electronic circuitry, when a current required by the electronic circuitry is greater than the preset value.