TW202029609A - Power supply method and battery management device - Google Patents

Abstract

A power supply method suitable for a battery management device coupling to an external electric device. The method includes determining whether a power supply mode of the battery management device is a maximum power mode; in response to determining that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, connecting in series a first battery among a plurality of batteries of the battery management device, and providing power to the external electric device via the first battery connected in series; and in response to determining that the power supply mode is the maximum power mode and a plurality of voltage value of the batteries are all equal, connecting in parallel the batteries, and providing power to the external electric device together via the batteries connected in parallel.

Description

Power supply method and battery management device

The present invention relates to a power supply method, and in particular, to a power supply method and a battery management device using the method.

At present, due to the popularity of portable devices (such as mobile phones, notebook computers (laptops)), the demand for mobile power or backup power is also increasing. Consumers usually purchase multiple batteries (such as mobile power or laptop batteries) to provide power to their own portable devices.

However, traditionally, there is no device for managing idle mobile power supplies or laptop batteries. As a result, these idle mobile power sources cannot be used well, resulting in a waste of resources.

Based on this, how to effectively manage multiple batteries in order to give full play to their functions is the goal of the people in the field.

The "prior art" paragraph is only used to help understand the content of the present invention. Therefore, the content disclosed in the "prior art" paragraph may contain some conventional technologies that do not constitute the common knowledge in the technical field. The content disclosed in the "prior art" paragraph does not represent the content or the problem to be solved by one or more embodiments of the present invention, and has been known or recognized by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field before the application of the present invention.

The present invention provides a power supply method and battery management device. Multiple batteries of the battery management device can be connected in parallel or in series according to the determined power supply mode to provide higher power to external electronic devices or provide longer Time power to the electronic device.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a power supply method suitable for a battery management device connected to an external electronic device, wherein the battery management device has a plurality of batteries. The method includes determining whether a power supply mode of the battery management device is a maximum power mode; in response to determining that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, a first battery of the plurality of batteries is connected in series , And provide power to an external electronic device through the first battery connected in series; in response to determining that the power supply mode is the maximum power mode, identifying multiple voltage values corresponding to the multiple batteries, and determining Whether the multiple voltage values are equal; and in response to determining that the multiple voltage values are equal, the multiple batteries are connected in parallel, and power is provided to the external electronic device through the multiple batteries connected in parallel .

An embodiment of the present invention provides a battery management device. The battery management device includes a power connection interface circuit, a battery module and a controller. The power connection interface circuit is used for coupling to an external electronic device. The battery module includes a plurality of batteries and a battery connection interface. The controller is coupled to the power connection interface circuit and the battery module, and is used to determine whether a power supply mode of the battery management device is a maximum power mode. In addition, in response to determining that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, the controller is further configured to control the battery connection interface to connect a first battery of the plurality of batteries in series, and pass the series connection The first battery provides power to the external electronic device. On the other hand, in response to determining that the power supply mode is the maximum power mode, the controller is further configured to identify multiple voltage values corresponding to the multiple batteries, and determine whether the multiple voltage values are equal, In response to determining that the multiple voltage values are equal, the controller is further used to control the battery connection interface to connect the multiple batteries in parallel, and to provide power to all the batteries through the multiple batteries connected in parallel. The external electronic device.

Based on the above, the power supply method and battery management device provided by the embodiments of the present invention can reflect the determination that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, connect a first battery of the plurality of batteries in series, and pass the Connecting the first battery in series to provide power to an external electronic device; or in response to determining that the power supply mode is the maximum power mode, paralleling the multiple batteries with the same voltage value and passing the multiple Two batteries together to provide power to the external electronic device, so as to provide higher power to the external electronic device or provide longer time power to the electronic device, thereby improving the power supply capability of the battery management device .

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The foregoing and other technical content, features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, for example: up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only directions for referring to the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are used to illustrate but not to limit the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a battery management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is an external schematic diagram of a battery management device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2B is an internal schematic diagram of a battery management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1, in this embodiment, the battery management device 20 includes a controller 110, a battery module 220, a power connection interface circuit 230, a display 240, a power supply 250, and an input unit 260.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A at the same time. The power connection interface circuit 230 has various slots for connecting to the electronic device 10. In more detail, different types of slots of the power connection interface circuit 230 (as shown in FIG. 2A, slots of various shapes correspond to different types of power cords) can be used for different types of power cords (eg, USB cables) Inserted to connect to the electronic device 10 (eg, the power management circuit unit of the electronic device 10) external to the battery management device 20 via the inserted power cord, so that the power of the battery in the battery module 220 can be transmitted to the electronic device 10 . The controller 110 can also learn the power requirements and specifications of the power management circuit unit of the electronic device 10 through the power connection interface circuit 230. The electronic device 10 is, for example, a smart phone, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a portable amusement instrument, an electric vehicle, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, etc., which can receive external power and execute Electronic device for charging operation. The present invention is not limited to the electronic device 10 exemplified above.

Please refer to FIG. 2B and FIG. 1 at the same time. In this embodiment, the battery module 220 includes a battery connection interface 221 and a plurality of batteries 222(1)-222(N). The battery module 220 is used to provide power for the operation of the battery management device itself and power for charging the connected electronic device 10. The multiple batteries 222(1) to 222(N) can be placed in an adjustable drawer 223 (which can have sliding rails), and inserted into the slots of the battery connection interface 221 (for example, the multiple inserts shown in FIG. 2B). Slot) to connect to the battery management device 20. The controller 210 can identify the battery currently inserted into the slot of the battery connection interface 221 through the battery connection interface 221, and the power information (eg, voltage value) of the plurality of batteries 222(1)-222(N) , Power), control the electrical connection state of the plurality of batteries 222(1)-222(N) with the battery connection interface 221 through the indicating battery connection interface 221.

For example, when the battery 222(1) is inserted into a slot of the battery connection interface 221, the controller 210 can control the electrical connection state of the slot to be an off state (Off), so that the battery 222( 1) It is not substantially electrically connected to the battery management device 20; for another example, the controller 210 can control the electrical connection state of the socket to be in the on state (On) by indicating the battery connection interface 221 to connect the battery in series Battery 222(1). For another example, the controller 210 can control the electrical connection state of the plurality of batteries 222(1) to 222(N) to the on state (On) through the indicating battery connection interface 221, so as to further connect all connected batteries 222 in parallel. (1)～222(N). N is a positive integer. The battery connection interface 221 may be, for example, a system management bus (System Management Bus, abbreviated as SMBus or SMB).

In one embodiment, the controller 210 can be connected to one of the batteries 222(1) to 222(N) through the battery connection interface 221 to communicate with the battery control chip (eg, measuring IC, Gauge IC) to communicate to obtain the power information of the battery.

2B and FIG. 1 at the same time, the display 240 is used for receiving instructions from the controller 210 to display information. The information may include the current power supply status of the battery management device, the remaining power of the connected battery, power information related to the power currently supplied to the electronic device 10, and the like.

The input unit 260 is used to receive input operations applied to the input unit by the user to generate control signals to the controller 210. The input unit 260 includes, for example, a plurality of buttons corresponding to different functions (buttons A to C as shown in FIG. 2A).

The power supply 250 is used to receive AC power provided by an external power source (for example, commercial power) to convert the received AC power into DC power, and provide the DC power to the battery management device 20. In addition, the power supply 250 can distribute the received power to the battery module 220 to charge one or more of the batteries 222(1)-222(N).

The controller 210 is a hardware with computing capability, which is used to control the overall operation of the battery management device 20. Specifically, the controller 210 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor (micro-processor), or other programmable processing units (Microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor). DSP), programmable controller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Programmable Logic Device (PLD) or other similar circuit elements, the present invention is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the storage controller 210 can load and execute multiple program code modules to implement the power supply method provided by the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a power supply method according to an embodiment of the invention. 3, in step S31, the controller 210 determines whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode. In response to determining that the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode (S31àYes), execute step S32; in response to determining that the power supply mode of the battery management device is not the maximum power mode (S31àNo), execute step S36.

Specifically, the controller 210 can recognize the currently recorded power supply mode of the battery management device 20. The user can use the input unit 260 to switch the power supply mode of the battery management device 20 to a maximum power mode or a non-maximum power mode (also known as a long-term power supply mode). It should be noted that the power supply mode may be preset as a long-term power supply mode.

In this embodiment, when the power supply mode is the long-term power supply mode, each of the batteries 222(1) to 222(N) will be selected one by one to provide power (eg, step S36). In addition, when the power of the battery currently providing power is exhausted, another battery will be replaced to continue to provide power. This mode can make good use of the power of each battery, thereby extending the total time that the battery management device provides power.

On the other hand, when the power supply mode is the maximum power mode, each of the batteries 222(1) to 222(N) will be connected in parallel to provide high power at the same time. It should be noted that, in this mode, the voltage values of the batteries 222(1)-222(N) connected in parallel need to be the same.

For example, suppose that the user switches the power supply mode of the battery management device 20 to the maximum power mode via the input unit 260. The input unit 260 can generate a corresponding control signal to notify the controller 210 that the power supply mode should be the maximum power mode. Then, the controller 210 can set the register corresponding to the power supply mode to the corresponding bit value. That is, in step S31, the controller 210 can determine whether the power supply mode is the maximum power mode through a register.

Next, in step S32, the controller 210 identifies multiple voltage values corresponding to multiple batteries. Specifically, as described above, the controller 210 can recognize the power information (eg, voltage values) of the plurality of batteries 222(1)-222(N). The controller 210 can also record the power information of the plurality of batteries 222(1)-222(N).

Next, in step S33, the controller 210 determines whether the multiple voltage values are equal. In response to determining that the plurality of voltage values are equal (step S33àYes), execute step S35; in response to determining that the plurality of voltage values are not equal (step S33àNo), execute step S34.

Specifically, in order to allow battery modules to be discharged with high power through parallel connection, all batteries connected in parallel need to be at the same voltage value to prevent the batteries from charging and discharging each other (for example, the higher voltage charges the lower voltage /Discharge).

In step S34, the controller 210 performs a discharging operation on the second battery of the plurality of batteries 222(1) to 222(N), so that the second voltage value of the second battery is equal to the The third voltage value of the third battery among the plurality of batteries 222(1) to 222(N), wherein the third voltage value is the smallest one of the plurality of voltage values. Specifically, the controller 210 can identify the smallest (third voltage value) among the voltage values of all batteries 222(1) to 222(N), and the controller 210 can set the third voltage value As the reference voltage for the maximum power mode. Next, the controller 210 performs a discharge operation on all batteries whose voltage value is greater than the third voltage value (for example, the second voltage value of the second battery is greater than the third voltage value) until all the batteries 222(1)~ The voltage value of 222(N) is equal to the third voltage value.

In step S35, the controller 210 controls (instructs) the battery connection interface 221 to connect the plurality of batteries 222(1) to 222(N) in parallel, and via the plurality of batteries 222( 1)～222(N) to provide power to the external electronic device 10 together.

On the other hand, if the controller 210 determines that the power supply mode of the battery management device 10 is not the maximum power mode (for example, the long-term power supply mode), the process proceeds to step S36. In step S36, the controller 210 controls (instructs) the battery connection interface 221 to connect a first battery of the plurality of batteries in series, and provide power to external electronics via the first battery connected in series.装置10。 Device 10.

More specifically, as described above, the controller 210 can identify the plurality of voltage values corresponding to the plurality of batteries 222(1)-222(N). Then, the controller 210 may select the battery with the smallest voltage value from the plurality of batteries as the first battery, and control (instruct) the battery connection interface 221 to only connect in series (for example, make the corresponding plug The slot is in a conducting state) the first battery (ie, other unselected batteries will be disconnected (eg, disconnected state)).

It is worth mentioning that, in one embodiment, before determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode, the controller 210 determines whether the battery management device 20 is connected to an external power source (eg, commercial power) . In response to determining that the battery management device 20 is connected to the external power source, the controller 210 then performs the step of determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device 20 is the maximum power mode; The battery management device 20 is not connected to the external power source, the controller 210 does not perform the step of determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode, and the controller 210 controls the battery connection The interface 221 connects a fourth battery of the plurality of batteries in series and provides power to the external electronic device 10 through the fourth battery connected in series. The fourth battery may be the same as the first battery.

In summary, the power supply method and battery management device provided by the embodiments of the present invention can reflect the determination that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, connect a first battery of the plurality of batteries in series, and Provide power to an external electronic device via the first battery connected in series; or in response to determining that the power supply mode is the maximum power mode, parallel the multiple batteries with the same voltage value and pass the parallel connection The plurality of batteries jointly provide power to the external electronic device, so as to provide greater power to the external electronic device or provide longer time power to the electronic device, thereby improving the battery management device Power supply capacity.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

10: Electronic device 20: Battery management device 210: Controller 220: battery module 221: battery connection interface 222(1)~(N): battery 230: Power connection interface circuit 240: display 250: power supply 260: input unit 223: drawer A, B, C: buttons S31, S32, S33, S34, S35, S36: Process steps of the power supply method

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a battery management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is an external schematic diagram of a battery management device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2B is an internal schematic diagram of a battery management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a data writing method according to an embodiment of the invention.

S31, S32, S33, S34, S35, S36: Process steps of the power supply method

Claims (10)

A power supply method is suitable for a battery management device connected to an external electronic device, wherein the battery management device has a plurality of batteries, and the method includes: Determine whether a power supply mode of the battery management device is a maximum power mode; In response to determining that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, a first battery of the plurality of batteries is connected in series, and power is provided to an external electronic device through the first battery connected in series; In response to determining that the power supply mode is the maximum power mode, identify multiple voltage values corresponding to the multiple batteries, and determine whether the multiple voltage values are equal; and In response to determining that the multiple voltage values are all equal, the multiple batteries are connected in parallel, and the multiple batteries connected in parallel are used to jointly provide power to the external electronic device. The power supply method as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the method further includes: In response to determining that the plurality of voltage values are not equal, a discharge operation is performed on a second battery of the plurality of batteries, so that a second voltage value of the second battery is equal to that of the plurality of batteries A third voltage value of a third battery, wherein the third voltage value is the smallest of the plurality of voltage values, and the identification of the plurality of voltage values corresponding to the plurality of batteries is performed again, And the step of judging whether the multiple voltage values are equal. The power supply method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein before the step of determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode, Determining whether the battery management device is connected to an external power source; In response to determining that the battery management device is connected to the external power source, executing the step of determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode; and In response to determining that the battery management device is not connected to the external power source, and not performing the step of determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode, a fourth battery of the plurality of batteries is connected in series And the power is provided to the external electronic device through the fourth battery connected in series. The power supply method according to claim 1, wherein in response to determining that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, before the first battery of the plurality of batteries is connected in series, the method It also includes: Identifying the multiple voltage values corresponding to the multiple batteries; and The battery with the smallest voltage value is selected from the plurality of batteries as the first battery. As the power supply method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the method further includes: An input operation applied to an input unit of the battery management device is received to set the power supply mode of the battery management device to the maximum power mode or a long-term power supply mode. A battery management device includes: A power connection interface circuit for coupling to an external electronic device; A battery module including a plurality of batteries and a battery connection interface; and A controller coupled to the power connection interface circuit and the battery module, The controller is used to determine whether a power supply mode of the battery management device is a maximum power mode, Wherein, in response to determining that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, the controller is further used to control the battery connection interface to connect a first battery of the plurality of batteries in series, and pass the serial connection The first battery provides power to the external electronic device, Wherein, in response to determining that the power supply mode is the maximum power mode, the controller is further configured to identify multiple voltage values corresponding to the multiple batteries, and determine whether the multiple voltage values are equal, In response to determining that the multiple voltage values are equal, the controller is further used to control the battery connection interface to connect the multiple batteries in parallel, and to provide power to all the batteries through the multiple batteries connected in parallel. The external electronic device. The battery management device as described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein In response to determining that the plurality of voltage values are not equal, the controller is further configured to perform a discharge operation on a second battery of the plurality of batteries, so that a second voltage value of the second battery is equal to A third voltage value of a third battery of the plurality of batteries, wherein the third voltage value is the smallest of the plurality of voltage values, and the identification corresponding to the plurality of batteries is re-executed The step of determining whether the plurality of voltage values are equal. The battery management device described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein before determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode, The controller determines whether the battery management device is connected to an external power source, Wherein in response to determining that the battery management device is connected to the external power source, the controller then executes the step of determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode, Wherein in response to determining that the battery management device is not connected to the external power source, the controller does not perform the step of determining whether the power supply mode of the battery management device is the maximum power mode, and the controller controls all The battery connection interface is used to connect a fourth battery of the plurality of batteries in series and provide power to the external electronic device through the fourth battery connected in series. The battery management device according to claim 6, wherein in response to determining that the power supply mode is not the maximum power mode, the controller controls the battery connection interface to connect the plurality of batteries in series Before the first battery, The controller identifies the multiple voltage values corresponding to the multiple batteries, The controller selects the battery with the smallest voltage value from the plurality of batteries as the first battery. The battery management device according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the battery management device further includes an input unit, wherein The controller receives an input operation applied to the input unit to set the power supply mode of the battery management device to the maximum power mode or a long-term power supply mode.

Images