Series Battery Cell Charging Control for Adaptive Overcharge Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile electronic devices with rechargeable batteries face issues due to non-uniform performance and operation between battery cells, leading to potential overcharging, which can cause deterioration and reduce battery performance.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a first and second battery cell connected in series, a charging circuit, and processing circuitry that identifies voltages and accumulates overcharge protection operations to configure a lower overcharge protection voltage when a specified number of overcharge events occurs, preventing battery deterioration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a fixed overcharge protection voltage is used for all battery cells, then the charging control is simple, but battery cells with manufacturing variations may still experience overcharging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by setting different overcharge protection voltages for different battery cells based on their individual characteristics. Each battery cell is monitored separately, and when a cell experiences overcharge, its specific overcharge protection voltage is adjusted independently without affecting other cells. This allows the system to account for manufacturing variations and usage environment differences while maintaining simple overall control architecture.
2Reliability
If the overcharge protection voltage is adjusted frequently to prevent overcharging, then battery protection is improved, but charging efficiency decreases due to repeated voltage adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing overcharge protection voltage adjustment criteria in advance. The system monitors the number of overcharge protection operations and only adjusts the overcharge protection voltage when the count reaches a predetermined threshold. This prevents frequent unnecessary voltage adjustments while ensuring protection is activated when truly needed, thereby balancing battery protection with charging efficiency.
3Reliability
If individual overcharge protection is implemented for each battery cell, then overcharge protection reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple monitoring and control circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by integrating the overcharge protection control for multiple battery cells into a single centralized control unit. The processor monitors voltage levels and counts overcharge protection operations for all cells, then adjusts overcharge protection voltages through unified control logic. This approach achieves individualized protection for each cell while avoiding the complexity of separate monitoring and control circuits for each battery cell.
Data Source
AI summary
This electronic device may comprise: a first battery cell and a second battery cell connected in series to the first battery cell; a charging circuit configured to supply power of a first specified voltage from the outside to the first battery cell and the second battery cell; and at least one processor, comprising processing circuitry, individually and/or collectively, configured to control an overcharging protection operation voltage of the first battery cell and the second battery cell to a second specified voltage, wherein at least one processor, individually and/or collectively, is configured to; identify the voltage of the first battery cell and the voltage of the second battery cell while the first battery cell and the second battery cell are charged using the power of the first specified voltage; accumulate the number of times of overcharging protection operation for a battery cell having a voltage higher than the second specified voltage, based on at least one voltage among the voltage of the first battery cell and the voltage of the second battery cell being greater than the second specified voltage; and set an overcharging protection operation voltage for a battery cell having a voltage greater than the second specified voltage as a third specified voltage less than the second specified voltage, based on the number of times of the overcharging protection operation for the battery cell having a voltage greater than the second specified voltage reaches a specified number of times.