Battery monitoring system including bridge communication device

Inventors: Guoxing Li (Sunnyvale, CA); Sterling Du (Palo Alto, CA); Bin Zhu (Fremont, CA); Wei Yao (Wuhan, CN)

Assignee: O2Micro Inc.

G01R31/371 G01R31/382

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12663474
App. No.: 18/386,564
Granted: Jun 23, 2026
Kind: B2

External Links

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Abstract

In a bridge communication device that receives information for statuses of a battery from a monitoring device that monitors the statuses, an upstream communication port can transmit the information to an upstream bridge communication device; a downstream communication port can transmit the information to a downstream bridge communication device; a master communication module can transmit the information to a controller if the master communication module is enabled to communicate with the controller; and a slave communication module can operate in an upstream mode or a downstream mode if the master communication module is not enabled to communicate with the controller. In the upstream mode, the slave communication module transmits the information to the controller through the upstream communication port and the upstream bridge communication device. In the downstream mode, the slave communication module transmits the information to the controller through the downstream communication port and the downstream bridge communication device.

Claims (36)

1 . A battery monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of bridge communication devices comprising a base bridge communication device coupled to a second bridge communication device,

wherein said base bridge communication device is operable for receiving first information for a status of a first battery of a plurality of batteries from a first battery monitoring device that monitors said status of said first battery and for transmitting said first information to a controller, and wherein said base bridge communication device comprises an upstream communication port and a downstream communication port;

wherein said second bridge communication device is coupled to said base bridge communication device through said upstream communication port and said downstream communication port, and is operable for receiving second information for a status of a second battery of said plurality of batteries from a second battery monitoring device that monitors said status of said second battery and for transmitting said second information to said controller through said base bridge communication device;

wherein said base bridge communication device is further operable for receiving a direction-setting instruction from said controller;

wherein if said direction-setting instruction sets said plurality of bridge communication devices to communicate with said controller in an upstream direction, said base bridge communication device transmits a status-read command to said second bridge communication device through said upstream communication port and receives said second information from said second bridge communication device through said upstream communication port; and

wherein if said direction-setting instruction sets said plurality of bridge communication devices to communicate with said controller in a downstream direction, said base bridge communication device transmits a status-read command to said second bridge communication device through said downstream communication port and receives said second information from said second bridge communication device through said downstream communication port.

2 . The battery monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein said base bridge communication device is operable for communicating with said first battery monitoring device via a first protocol and communicating with said controller via a second protocol.

3 . The battery monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein said first protocol comprises a communication protocol selected from the group consisting of UART (universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter) protocol, SPI (serial peripheral interface) protocol, and I 2 C (inter-integrated circuit) protocol.

4 . The battery monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein each bridge communication device of said plurality of bridge communication devices comprises a respective external communication port, wherein the external communication port of said base bridge communication device is operable for transmitting said first information to said controller, and wherein the external communication port of said second bridge communication device

is operable for receiving information for an environmental status of said second battery from an external device.

5 . The battery monitoring system of claim 4 , wherein said environmental status comprises temperature.

6 . The battery monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of bridge communication devices comprises said base bridge communication device coupled to other bridge communication devices that comprise said second bridge communication device, wherein each bridge communication device of said other bridge communication devices is operable for receiving, from a corresponding battery monitoring device, information for a status of a corresponding battery of said plurality of batteries,

wherein said each bridge communication device comprises a respective upstream communication port and a respective downstream communication port,

wherein in said upstream direction, said status-read command transmitted through said upstream communication port of said base bridge communication device is configured to instruct said each bridge communication device of said other bridge communication devices to transmit said information for said status of said corresponding battery to said controller through said respective downstream communication port, and

wherein in said downstream direction, said status-read command transmitted through said downstream communication port of said base bridge communication device is configured to instruct said each bridge communication device of said other bridge communication devices to transmit said information for said status of said corresponding battery to said controller through said respective upstream communication port.

7 . A method, comprising:

receiving, at a base bridge communication device of a plurality of bridge communication devices coupled to each other, first information for a status of a first battery of a plurality of batteries from a first battery monitoring device that monitors said status of said first battery;

transmitting said first information from said base bridge communication device to a controller;

receiving, at a second bridge communication device of said plurality of bridge communication devices, second information for a status of a second battery of said plurality of batteries from a second battery monitoring device that monitors said status of said second battery;

transmitting said second information from said second bridge communication device to said controller through said base bridge communication device;

receiving, at said base bridge communication device, a direction-setting instruction from said controller;

if said direction-setting instruction sets said plurality of bridge communication devices to communicate with said controller in an upstream direction, transmitting a status-read command to said second bridge communication device through an upstream communication port of said base bridge communication device and receiving said second information from said second bridge communication device at said upstream communication port; and

if said direction-setting instruction sets said plurality of bridge communication devices to communicate with said controller in a downstream direction, transmitting a status-read command to said second bridge communication device through a downstream communication port of said base bridge communication device and receiving said second information from said second bridge communication device at said downstream communication port.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein each bridge communication device of said plurality of bridge communication devices comprises a respective external communication port, and wherein said method further comprises:

transmitting said first information to said controller from said base bridge communication device through the external communication port of said base bridge communication device; and

receiving, at the external communication port of said second bridge communication device, information for an environmental status of said second battery from an external device.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said environmental status comprises temperature.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said plurality of bridge communication devices comprises said base bridge communication device and other bridge communication devices that comprise said second bridge communication device, and wherein said method further comprises:

receiving, at each bridge communication device of said other bridge communication devices, information for a status of a corresponding battery of said plurality of batteries, wherein said each bridge communication device comprises a respective upstream communication port and a respective downstream communication port;

if said direction-setting instruction sets said plurality of bridge communication devices to communicate with said controller in said upstream direction, instructing, using said status-read command transmitted through said upstream communication port of said base bridge communication device, said each bridge communication device of said other bridge communication devices to send said information for said status of said corresponding battery to said controller through said respective downstream communication port; and

if said direction-setting instruction sets said plurality of bridge communication devices to communicate with said controller in said downstream direction, instructing, using said status-read command transmitted through said downstream communication port of said base bridge communication device, said each bridge communication device of said other bridge communication devices to send said information for said status of said corresponding battery to said controller through said respective upstream communication port.

11 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

communicating, using said base bridge communication device, with said first battery monitoring device via a first protocol; and

communicating, using said base bridge communication device, with said controller via a second protocol.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said first protocol comprises a communication protocol selected from the group consisting of UART (universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter) protocol, SPI (serial peripheral interface) protocol, and I 2 C (inter-integrated circuit) protocol.