초록 ▼

A power supply system, for example, for use with a portable personal computer, includes a smart battery pack and a charging system. The smart battery pack is provided with a dedicated microcontroller for controlling the charging level of the battery charger system. In particular, the status of the b

A power supply system, for example, for use with a portable personal computer, includes a smart battery pack and a charging system. The smart battery pack is provided with a dedicated microcontroller for controlling the charging level of the battery charger system. In particular, the status of the battery including the voltage and temperature of the battery is applied to the microcontroller along with a signal representative of the current load demand of the computer system. The microcontroller, in turn, provides a control signal in the form of fixed frequency, variable duty cycle pulse width modulated (PWM) signal for controlling the charging level of the battery charger system. The duty cycle of the PWM signal is used to regulate the charging current supplied by the battery charger. In particular, the DC value of the PWM signal is used as a reference to control the charging current of the regulator to provide a variable output charging current with a relatively wide current range. As such, the battery charger is adapted to efficiently utilize the residual capacity of the battery charger system for optimizing charging of the battery packs during all operating conditions of the computer system. Moreover, the use of a PWM signal from the battery pack to control the battery charger enables a single type of battery charger to be utilized for various battery technologies.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:] [6.] A circuit for providing a signal representative of the capacity of a battery, the circuit comprising:means for sensing the electrical current supplied from a battery in a predetermined circuit; andmeans resp

[ What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:] [6.] A circuit for providing a signal representative of the capacity of a battery, the circuit comprising:means for sensing the electrical current supplied from a battery in a predetermined circuit; andmeans responsive to said sensing means for providing a signal representative of the capacity of the battery, said sensing means includes means for providing an electrical voltage signal representative of the current being supplied from the battery, said electrical voltage signal providing means includes a predetermined analog to digital converter (ADC) electrically coupled to said sensing means for providing a digital representation of said battery circuit, said predetermined ADC being a dual slope ADC having an inverting input and a non-inverting input, said digital representation providing means including means for comparing the output of said ADC with a predetermined reference voltage which switches states as a function of whether said ADC output voltage is more or less than said predetermined reference voltage.