JPH07239734A - Information processor which can be driven by battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an information processor, which can be driven by a battery, with electric power from a battery pack constituted by connecting >=2 small group batteries, each consisting of 2 series-connected lithium ion secondary batteries, in parallel into one pack. CONSTITUTION:This information processor is provided with the battery pack 12 constituted by connecting plural sets of two-cells-series-connected lithium ion secondary batteries (A, B, and C) in parallel, switches 13A, 13B, and 13C which are individually inserted in the charging/discharging lines of the respective sets of two-cells-series-connected batteries, a charging circuit 15, and a control circuit 18 which controls the switches and charging circuit, and, the switches 13A, 13B, and 13C are brought under selective ON/OFF control to charge and discharge the sets of two-cells-series-connected batteries, one by one, in order, thereby supplying the electric power to the system.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a word processor which can be operated by a battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A rechargeable secondary battery is used as a battery used in a battery-operable personal computer, and in particular, a nickel-cadmium battery (Ni-C).
d), or nickel-hydrogen battery (Ni-MH) or the like is used.

Using a battery pack in which a large number of single cells are connected in series, charging and discharging is performed from one battery pack. These batteries are used in a configuration as shown in FIG.

However, in devices such as personal computers capable of operating on batteries, there is a demand for miniaturization of batteries in response to demands for miniaturization and weight reduction. Battery downsizing is
Since it affects the performance of the equipment such as operating time, it is necessary to increase the capacity.

However, further increase in capacity of Ni-Cd batteries and Ni-MH batteries is approaching the limit. Therefore, recently, a lithium ion secondary battery having a higher capacity per volume and weight than Ni-Cd and Ni-MH has become practical. This lithium-ion secondary battery is Ni
Since a large number of cells such as -Cd and Ni-MH batteries cannot be connected in series and used, it can only be used for small capacity devices.

[0006]

As described above, the lithium-ion secondary battery cannot be used by connecting a large number of cells in series like a Ni-Cd or Ni-MH battery, and therefore can be used only for a small capacity device. There was a problem of not having.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a battery-operable information processing device having a large capacity using a lithium ion secondary battery.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a battery pack in which a plurality of lithium ion secondary batteries connected in series are connected in parallel and a charging / discharging path of each of the two series batteries are individually interposed. A switch, a charging circuit, and a control circuit for controlling the switch and the charging circuit are provided to control ON / OFF of the switch to sequentially charge or discharge the two series batteries one by one, thereby performing a system. It is characterized by supplying power to.

[0009]

In the case where three sets of two series batteries (A, B, C) are connected in parallel as an example, the control circuit first sets 2 when charging.
The switch interposed in the charging / discharging path of the series battery (A) is turned on. At this time, the charging circuit receives power from the external power source to charge the two-series battery (A). When the charging circuit of the two-series battery (A) is detected, the charging circuit informs the control circuit of this, and the control circuit turns off the switch interposed in the charging / discharging path of the two-series battery (A) by this information. To start the next charge, the switch interposed in the charge / discharge path of the two-series battery (B) is turned on. Thereafter, similarly, the two-series battery (B) and the two-series battery (C) are sequentially charged.
The same applies when four or more two series batteries are connected in parallel.

At the time of discharging (for example, when supplying power to the system), the two-series battery (A) is first discharged as described above, and after the two-series battery (A) is completely discharged, the two-series battery (A) is discharged. ), The switch interposed in the charge / discharge path is turned off, the switch interposed in the charge / discharge path of the two-series battery (B) is turned on, and the two-series battery (B) is discharged. However, at this time,
The control circuit stores the state of charge of each two-series battery, prevents the empty (highly discharged) battery from turning on, and issues a warning to the system when all the batteries are empty.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 11 is a single battery cell, which is a lithium ion secondary battery. Here, this battery single cell 1
An example is shown in which two 1s are connected in series and three sets of these two series batteries (hereinafter referred to as two direct batteries) A, B and C are connected in parallel.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a battery pack having a built-in lithium-ion secondary battery composed of the above-mentioned three sets of two direct batteries, which supplies power to the system. 13A, 13B, 1
3C is a switch individually interposed in each charging / discharging path of the two direct batteries A, B, C, and selects a battery (two direct batteries) to be charged or used.

An external power source 14 supplies electric power to the system 17 or the charging circuit 15. A charging circuit 15 charges the batteries (two direct batteries A, B, C) of the battery pack 12.

Reference numeral 16 is a DC / DC converter, which converts the voltage of the electric power supplied from the battery pack 12 or an external power source into an operating voltage suitable for the system 17. Reference numeral 17 denotes a system, which includes a CPU, a memory and the like, and processes data.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a control circuit, which performs charging control, battery switching control, and the like. The operation of the above embodiment will now be described. During charging, the control circuit 18 first sets the battery pack 1
Switch 13 interposed in the charging / discharging path of 2 straight battery A in 2
Turn A on.

At this time, the charging circuit 15 uses the external power source 14
The direct-current battery A is charged by being supplied with electric power from. When the charging circuit 15 completes the charging of the secondary battery A, the charging circuit 15 notifies the control circuit 18 to that effect.

Based on this information, the control circuit 18 turns off the switch 13A interposed in the charging / discharging path of the secondary battery A,
To start the next charging, the switch 13B interposed in the charging / discharging path of the secondary battery B is turned on. Thereafter, similarly, the second direct battery B and then the second direct battery C are charged.

Here, an example in which three or more two direct batteries are connected in parallel is shown, but the same applies when four or more two direct batteries are connected in parallel. At the time of discharging (for example, when power is supplied to the system 17), similarly, the 2-serial battery A in the battery pack 12 is discharged, and after the 2-serial battery A is completely discharged, the 2-serial battery A is interposed in the charging / discharging path. The switch 13A is turned off, and the switch 13B interposed in the charging / discharging path of the battery 2 is turned on.
The direct battery B is discharged.

However, at this time, the control circuit 18 stores the charge state of each of the two direct batteries (A, B, C) and does not turn on (use) an empty battery whose battery capacity is exhausted. If empty, it alerts system 17.

For example, when there is an input from the external power source 14, it is possible to supply power from the external power source 14 to the system 17 and perform charging similar to the above with the surplus power.

As described above, by selectively using the lithium ion secondary battery, a larger capacity of electric power can be supplied from the battery pack 12 to the system 17 requiring a large capacity battery.

[0022]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in a battery-operable information processing device, a lithium ion secondary battery can be used to supply a larger amount of electric power from a battery pack.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional battery drive circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Battery single cell (lithium ion secondary battery), 12 ...
Battery pack, 13A, 13B, 13C ... Switch, 14
... external power supply, 15 ... charging circuit, 16 ... DC / DC converter, 17 ... system, 18 ... control circuit, A, B, C ...
Two series batteries (two direct batteries).

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. Two lithium ion secondary batteries are connected in series, and this is used as one small assembled battery, and this small assembled battery is connected to two batteries.
An information processing apparatus capable of being driven by a battery, characterized in that power is supplied from a battery pack in which a large number of batteries connected in parallel are formed into a pack shape. 2. The battery-operable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising one battery charging circuit for sequentially charging the small assembled batteries one by one. 3. The battery-operable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising two or more battery charging circuits for charging a plurality of small set batteries at the same time.