Patent ID: 11876189
Assignee: RICHTEK TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  G  Y | IPC G  H

Claim 12:
13. A battery system, comprising plural battery modules which operate respectively in a bottom mode and a top mode during an enabled state; wherein the plural battery modules include a bottom battery module and a top battery module; wherein the bottom battery module is configured to be operable in the bottom mode, and the top battery module is configured to be operable in the top mode; wherein each of the plural battery modules includes:
a battery unit, including at least one battery, wherein the battery unit generates a battery unit voltage between a positive terminal and a negative terminal of the battery unit; and
a battery control circuit, powered by the battery unit voltage and configured to operably detect the battery unit voltage and/or to control the battery unit, wherein the battery control circuit includes an enable terminal, an upstream input terminal, an upstream output terminal, a downstream input terminal, and a downstream output terminal, and when the upstream input terminal is at an upstream enabling level, the battery module enters the enabled state;
wherein the battery module enters a mode determining step during the enabled state, wherein in the mode determining step:
when the enable terminal is at the operation enabling level and the upstream input terminal is at an upstream disabling level, the battery module is determined to be operating in the bottom mode; or
when the enable terminal is at an operation disabling level, the upstream input terminal is at the upstream enabling level, and the downstream input terminal is at a downstream enabling level, the battery module is determined to be operating in the top mode;

wherein after the mode determining step, the battery control circuit conducts a daisy chain upstream step and a daisy chain downstream step;
wherein in the daisy chain upstream step, when the battery module operates in the bottom mode, the upstream output terminal switches to the upstream enabling level; after the daisy chain upstream step, the battery control circuit conducts the daisy chain downstream step;
wherein in the daisy chain downstream step:
when the battery module operates in the top mode, the downstream output terminal switches to the downstream enabling level;

wherein the battery control circuit of the top battery module corresponds to a top battery control circuit, wherein the battery control circuit of the bottom battery module corresponds to a bottom battery control circuit;
wherein the bottom battery module and the top battery module are coupled to form a daisy chain;
wherein the upstream output terminal of the bottom battery control circuit is coupled to the upstream input terminal of the top battery control circuit; wherein the downstream output terminal of the top battery control circuit is coupled to the downstream input terminal of the bottom battery control circuit;
wherein the battery units of the plural battery modules are connected in series to generate a battery system voltage between a battery output positive terminal and a battery output negative terminal of the battery system;
wherein the enable terminal of the bottom battery control circuit is configured to receive a daisy chain starting signal from a master control circuit, wherein when the daisy chain starting signal switches to the operation enabling level, a daisy chain enabling procedure is started; and the upstream input terminal of the bottom battery control circuit is coupled to a reference voltage which is at the upstream disabling level;
wherein after each battery module of the battery system finishes the mode determining step, the upstream step and the downstream step, the bottom battery control circuit informs the master control circuit that the daisy chain enabling procedure has finished.