IP Library Granted Patent US 11,971,767
Granted Patent B2
US 11,971,767 · App. 17/447,989 · Granted Apr 30, 2024

Battery management system for gauging with low power

Inventor: Hideo Kondo (Oizumi-machi, JP)
Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
G06F1/3212G06F1/3287H02J7/0025H02J7/0048Y02D10/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,971,767
App. No.
17/447,989
Granted
Apr 30, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Implementations of fuel gauges may include a voltage sensor coupled with a memory, a processor coupled with the memory, a mode control logic circuit coupled with the voltage sensor, and a sampling timer coupled with the voltage sensor. The memory may include a plurality of relative state of charge (RSOC) values of a battery. The plurality of RSOC values may be used to calculate a plurality of internal resistance values. The fuel gauge may be configured to either increase, decrease, or maintain a sampling frequency based upon a measured power being drawn by a load coupled to the battery.

Claims (36)

1. A fuel gauge comprising:

a voltage sensor coupled with a memory;

a processor coupled with the memory;

a mode control logic circuit coupled with the processor and the voltage sensor; and

a sampling timer coupled with the mode control logic circuit and the voltage sensor;

wherein the fuel gauge is configured to one of increase, decrease, or maintain a sampling frequency based upon a fluctuation between a plurality of measured power values of a battery.

2. The fuel gauge of claim 1 , wherein the fuel gauge is configured to one of increase or decrease the sampling frequency from one of a zero sampling frequency, a low sampling frequency, a medium sampling frequency, or a high sampling frequency.

3. The fuel gauge of claim 1 , wherein the memory comprises a plurality of RSOC values derived using a Coulomb counting method.

4. The fuel gauge of claim 1 , wherein the memory comprises a plurality of RSOC values derived using a voltage tracking method.

5. The fuel gauge of claim 1 , wherein the fuel gauge is configured to calculate a plurality of internal resistance values.

6. The fuel gauge of claim 1 , wherein the voltage sensor is configured to repeatedly sample a measured power being drawn by a load from a battery at the sampling frequency corresponding to a power mode of the fuel gauge using the sampling timer.

7. The fuel gauge of claim 1 , wherein the fuel gauge is configured to compare the fluctuation between the plurality of measured power values to one or more threshold values derived from a plurality of RSOC values comprised in the memory.

8. The fuel gauge of claim 1 , further comprising a fluctuation monitor block coupled to the voltage sensor.

9. The fuel gauge of claim 1 , wherein the fuel gauge is configured to compare the fluctuation between the plurality of measured power values of the battery to one or more threshold values.

10. A fuel gauge comprising:

a voltage sensor coupled with a memory;

a processor coupled with the memory;

a mode control logic circuit coupled with the processor and the voltage sensor;

a temperature sensor coupled with the memory; and

a sampling timer coupled with the mode control logic circuit and the voltage sensor;

wherein the fuel gauge is configured to compare a fluctuation between a plurality of measured power values of a battery to one or more threshold values; and

wherein the fuel gauge is configured to one of increase or decrease a sampling frequency.

11. The fuel gauge of claim 10 , wherein the fuel gauge is configured to one of increase or decrease the sampling frequency from one of a zero sampling frequency, a low sampling frequency, a medium sampling frequency, or a high sampling frequency.

12. The fuel gauge of claim 10 , wherein the memory comprises a plurality of RSOC values derived using a Coulomb counting method.

13. The fuel gauge of claim 10 , wherein the memory comprises a plurality of RSOC values derived using a voltage tracking method.

14. The fuel gauge of claim 10 , wherein the voltage sensor is configured to repeatedly sample a measured power being drawn by a load from the battery at a sampling frequency corresponding to a power mode of the fuel gauge using the sampling timer.

15. The fuel gauge of claim 10 , wherein the one or more threshold values are derived from a plurality of RSOC values comprised in the memory.

16. The fuel gauge of claim 10 , wherein the fuel gauge is configured to one of increase or decrease the sampling frequency based upon the fluctuation between the plurality of measured power values of the battery.

17. A method of conserving power comprising:

sampling at least two measured power values of a battery using a voltage sensor coupled with a sampling timer;

determining a fluctuation between the at least two measured power values;

comparing the fluctuation between the at least two measured power values to one or more threshold power measurements; and

using the fluctuation between the at least two measured power values, sending a signal to a mode control logic circuit to one of increase, decrease, or maintain a sampling rate of a fuel gauge.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising sensing a temperature of the battery through a temperature sensor comprised in the fuel gauge.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the temperature of the battery is used to calculate the one or more threshold power measurements.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein a sampling frequency comprises one of a zero sampling frequency mode, a low sampling frequency mode, a medium sampling frequency mode, or a high sampling frequency mode.

Assignments (3)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL 058828, FRAME 0123 Recorded Aug 16, 2023
From: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 064615/0449 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 5, 2021
From: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
To: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 058828/0123 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 17, 2021
From: KONDO, HIDEO
To: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 057515/0741 →