Power Supply Protection Circuit for Overcurrent Discharge Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices face challenges in accurately controlling overcurrent discharge, which is crucial for ensuring safety but is not adequately addressed by current technologies, leading to potential damage from excessive power consumption.

Innovation Solution

A power supply apparatus and method that includes a protection circuit with a controller and an electronic switch, which monitors temperature and voltage to determine an impedance value and set a voltage threshold, controlling the switch to prevent overcurrent discharge by stopping current flow when the threshold is exceeded, and includes a correspondence table for pre-stored impedance values at different temperatures and driving voltages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If a battery's discharge capacity is increased to meet growing power consumption demands, then the power supply capability is improved, but the risk of overcurrent discharge and safety hazards increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower supply capabilityVSAvoidsafety
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The protection circuit continuously monitors the discharge current and voltage of the battery, and automatically adjusts or disconnects the circuit when abnormal conditions are detected, forming a closed-loop feedback control system that ensures safe operation while enabling high power output

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

A protection circuit is introduced as an intermediary component between the battery and the electronic device, which acts as a safety mediator to monitor and control the power flow, preventing direct overcurrent damage to the battery while maintaining the battery's high power supply capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If overcurrent protection control accuracy is increased to ensure safety, then the protection effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity and control difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveovercurrent protection control accuracyVSAvoidcontrol circuit complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protection circuit uses electronic monitoring and control components to replace complex mechanical or manual protection mechanisms, achieving high-precision overcurrent detection and control through electronic means while keeping the overall device structure relatively simple

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The protection circuit dynamically adjusts protection parameters such as threshold voltages and current limits based on real-time battery state monitoring, enabling adaptive high-precision protection without requiring overly complex fixed-threshold control circuits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10033205B2Power supply apparatus and method of providing power to an electronic device to prevent overcurrent discharge
Publication Date: 2018.07.24 LENOVO (BEIJING) LTD
  • US10033205B2 patent drawing
  • US10033205B2 patent drawing
  • US10033205B2 patent drawing

AI summary

For preventing overcurrent discharge, a protection method, a power supply apparatus, and an electronic device are disclosed. The power supply apparatus may include a power supply module and a protection circuit coupled to the power supply module and an electrical terminal. The protection circuit may include a controller that directs power from the power supply module to the electrical terminal, wherein the controller stops a current flow from the power supply module to the electrical terminal in response to a voltage detected by the controller being higher than a threshold voltage based on a temperature of the protection circuit.