Method and apparatus for controlling charging process

An apparatus for controlling a charging process is provided. The apparatus comprises a first interface, a second interface, and a switch connected therebetween. The first interface may be electrically connectable to a charger to receive power, and the second interface may be electrically connectable to a device. The switch may receive a signal transmitted from the device and, in response to the signal, turn on/off the power provided from the first interface to the second interface. The apparatus is compatible with existing chargers.

Not applicable.

NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatuses for controlling the charging process of a device including a rechargeable battery, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses that are capable of providing a safe and convenient charging process for a device including a rechargeable battery.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rechargeable batteries are widely used in various electric devices, ranging from small devices such as cellular phones, tablet computers, portable media players, personal digital assistants (PDAs) or the like, to large devices such as electrical vehicles. For such electric, devices that are powered by rechargeable batteries, battery charger becomes an essential accessory.

Earlier generations of the rechargeable batteries are Nickel Cadmium batteries or Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. These types of batteries have already been replaced by Lithium batteries in the market today. Typical Lithium battery charging control is achieved by two functional circuits: a charging circuit and an overcharge protection circuit, which are implemented in the device such as a cellular phone. The charging circuit typically can detect a connection between the charger and the mobile device, and control the charging current to the battery. The charging circuit may also have a measuring circuit to gauge the battery level of the battery under charging. The overcharge protection circuit can regulate an instable voltage to protect the battery, and it can also disable the charging circuit to prevent the battery from being overcharged when the battery level reaches a predetermined level.

Until today, however, there is no existing charger that is designed to provide a convenient and safe charging process. Taking cellular phone as an example, people usually charge their cellular phones in the night before they go to bed and unplug the charger in the morning when they get up. At that time in the morning, the cellular phones may have been charged for a long time. For a legacy cellular phone that has no overcharge protection circuit, the battery may be overcharged. Even for a cellular phone that has an overcharge protection circuit built therein, although the overcharge protection circuit can disable the charging circuit to prevent the battery from being overcharged, the charger is always providing power to the charging interface of the cellular phone until it is unplugged. In other words, the charging circuit is always subject to a voltage, which may deteriorate the characteristics of the charging circuit and even shorten the life of the battery.

Accordingly, there is a need for methods and apparatus that are capable of avoiding overcharge of the rechargeable battery and preventing the deterioration of the performance of the charging circuit. Advantageously, the present invention can meet such need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is to provide methods and apparatuses that are capable of providing a safe and convenient charging process for a device including a rechargeable battery.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a charging control circuit is provided. The charging control circuit may be connected between a charger and a device to be charged. The charging control circuit may receive signals from the device to turn on/off power provided from the charger to the device. Thus, the charging control circuit can ensure that the charging power may be completely cut off when necessary. While the charging control circuit may be integrated into a conventional charger, it may also be implemented as a separate device compatible with the conventional chargers. In such a case, the charging control circuit may include a first interface, a second interface, and a switch connected therebetween. The first interface may be electrically connectable to a charger to receive power, and the second interface may be electrically connectable to a device. The switch may receive a signal transmitted from the device and, in response to the signal, turn on/off the power provided from the first interface to the second interface.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a device including a rechargeable battery, a monitor, a controller and a communication module. The monitor can monitor the charging status of the rechargeable battery, such as battery level and whether the battery is being charged. The controller may generate, based on the charging status of the rechargeable battery, a signal including a command to turn on/off power provided by a charger to the device. Then, the communication module may transmit the signal to a charging control device.

Yet another embodiment provides a method for charging a device including a rechargeable battery. The method may comprise steps of: connecting the device to a charger via a charging control module; monitoring, at the device, a charging status of the rechargeable battery; generating, at the device, a signal including a command to turn on/off power provided from the charger to the device, in response to the monitored charging status; and turning, by the charging control module, on/off the power provided from the charger to the device in response to the command.

Still another embodiment of the invention provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes instructions embodied therein, which, when executed, cause a process to perform the steps of: checking battery level of a rechargeable battery; checking whether the rechargeable battery is being charged; generating a signal to turn on/off power provided to the rechargeable battery according to the battery level and whether the rechargeable battery is being charged; and transmitting the signal to a charging control device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It is apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement.

It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. For example, when an element is referred to as being “on”, “connected to”, or “coupled to” another element, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on”, “directly connected to”, or “directly coupled to” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

Below, respective embodiments will be described in details by reference to the accompanying drawings. Incidentally, in all the drawings for describing the embodiments, the elements having the same function are given the same reference signs and numerals, and a repeated description thereon is omitted. Further, in the following embodiments, a description on the same or similar portions will not be repeated unless otherwise required.

Referring toFIG. 1, charging control device100has a first interface101, such as a jack, and a second interface109, such as a plug. The jack101may allow a charger cable to be plugged into and thus receive power provided by the charger, for example, the charger110as shown inFIG. 2. It would be understood that the charger110may be any known charger. The plug109may be plugged into a device, for example, the device120shown inFIG. 2, to charge the device by the power received from the charger110. AlthoughFIG. 1shows a rectangular outline of the charging control device100, it may also have any other physical shape.

Now turning toFIG. 2, the charging control device100may be connected between the charger110and the device120by using its first interface101and second interface109as shown inFIG. 1. Again, the charger110may be any existing charger, so a description in detail of its structure will be omitted here. The charging control device100further includes a switch103connected in series in the path for transmitting the power from the charger110to the device120. Thus, the switch103can switch on/off the power to the device120. The switch103may be under the control of a control module105. The control module105may receive a signal transmitted from the device120including a command to turn on/off the power provided from the charger110to the device120, and in response to the signal, generate a controlling instruction to tarn on/off the switch103. In a preferable embodiment as shown inFIG. 2, the signal may be communicated wirelessly from the device120to the charging control device100. In such a case, the charging control device100may include an antenna107to receive the wirelessly communicated signal. In an example, the signal may be transmitted via a Bluetooth channel. As an option, the charging control device100can acquire necessary power from the charger110. The amount of power necessary for operation of the charging control device100is so small that it would not adversely affect the charging of the device120.

The device120may be any device that contains a rechargeable battery121. For example, the device120may be portable electronic devices such as a cellular phone, a pad, a tablet, a media player, a personal digital assistant (RDA), and the like. The device120may also be an electric vehicle that powered by a plurality of rechargeable batteries121mounted therein. The device120may further include a charging monitor123, a charging controller125and a communication module127.

The charging monitor123may monitor the charging status of the device120, i.e., the charging status of the rechargeable battery121, and generate information about the monitored charging status. The information may be provided to, and processed in, the charging controller125, where the signal including the command to turn on/off the power provided from the charger110to the device120may be generated based on the information about the charging status of the rechargeable battery121. Then, the signal may be transmitted through the communication module127to the charging control device100. As previously discussed, the signal may be transmitted wirelessly. In such a case, the communication module127may further include an antenna129to transmit the signal wirelessly to the charging control device100.

Hereinafter, the charging monitor123and the charging controller125will be discussed in more details in terms of their operations for a better understanding of the principle of the present invention. The charging, monitor123may check the charging status of the rechargeable battery121, such as a battery level of the rechargeable battery121and whether the rechargeable battery121is being charged. If the battery level is greater than or equal to a maximum threshold and the rechargeable battery121is being charged, the charging controller125may generate a signal including a command to turn off the power provided from the charger110to the device120. Thus, the rechargeable battery121may be prevented from being overcharged. On the other hand, if the battery level is lower than the maximum threshold and the rechargeable battery121is not being charged, the charging controller125may generate a signal including a command to turn on the power provided from the charger110to the device120. Thus, the rechargeable battery121may be prevented from being undercharged.

Continue to refer toFIG. 2, as previously discussed, the control module105included in the charging control device100may generate, in response to the signal from the device120, a controlling instruction to turn on/off the switch103. Since the switch103is connected between the charger110and the device120, the charging power provided from the charger110may be completely turned off. Thus, there is no voltage applied to the device120, thereby preventing deterioration of the performance of the charging circuit included in the device120.

It should be understood that the charging monitor123and the charging controller125may be implemented by software, hardware or firmware. In a preferable embodiment, the charging monitor123and the charging controller125may be implemented as an app, and the app may be downloaded through internet and then installed in the device120. In particular, when the device120is an electrical vehicle, the app may be downloaded by a Car2X communication subsystem, or the app may be acquired through a removable medium such as a SD card or a USB disk. The app may be executed by a processor to implement the process as discussed above. Thus, the charging control device100as set forth herein is compatible with existing chargers and electric devices such as smart phones, and it is very easy for customers to implement the embodiments as described herein.

In some other embodiments, the signal for controlling the switch103may be communicated by a wire connected between the charging control device100and the device120, instead of using wireless transmission between the antenna107and the antenna129. As an option, the wire may be integrated within the cable for providing power to the device120, and the interface of the device120for receiving the power may be adapted accordingly.

With the charging control device100, the device120does not need any overcharge protection circuit built therein anymore. For example, the device120may just need to install an app therein. The charging control device100may be used with a plurality of devices120such as a cellular phone, a pad, a tablet, a computer, and the like. As a benefit of the present invention, the overall cost of the charging system is reduced. In addition, when the charging control device100turns off charging of the device120, no power is delivered to the device120, making device120in a definitely safe condition.

FIG. 4shows a flow diagram illustrating a method implemented in a device for managing a charging process in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that the method may be implemented with more or less steps, and the steps may be performed in an order different than that shown inFIG. 4. For example, two or more steps may be performed concurrently, and a step shown after another step may be performed before the “another step”. Under the teaching of the present invention, such variations and modifications would become apparent for those skilled in the art.

Referring toFIG. 4, the method starts with a block302. Then, the charging monitor123may check304a battery level of the rechargeable battery121. If the battery level is less than or equal to306a minimum threshold, it indicates that the rechargeable battery121is at a very low battery level and battery charging needs to be maintained or initiated. Then, the method proceeds to block312. Otherwise, the method proceeds to block308. At the block308, it is determined whether the battery level is greater than or equal to a maximum threshold, if yes, it indicates that the rechargeable battery121is at a very high battery level and it should not be charged any more to avoid overcharge. Then, the method proceeds to block322. Otherwise, the method proceeds to block312.

At the block312, the charging monitor123may check whether the rechargeable battery121is being charged. If the rechargeable battery121is314being charged, the method returns back to the block304; otherwise, it proceeds to block318. At the block318, the device120may establish a communication connection to the charging control device100. As previously discussed, the communication connection may be a wireless communication connection, such as a Bluetooth channel established between the antenna129of the device120and the antenna107of the charging control device100. In another embodiment, the communication connection may also be a wired communication connection.

Next, the method proceeds to block320where the signal generated by the charging controller125to turn on the power provided from the charger110to the device120may be passed via the communication connection to the charging control device100. In response to the signal, the charging control device100may turn on the switch103so as to start charging the device120. Then, after a delay316of a predetermined period of time, the method may check312again whether the rechargeable battery121is being charged.

Returning back to the block308, if the battery level is higher than or equal to a maximum threshold, it indicates that battery charging should be stopped immediately to avoid overcharge. Then, at the block322, the device120may establish a communication connection to the charging control device100. The block322may be the same as the block318, so its description in detail will be omitted here. Next, at the block324, the signal generated by the charging controller125to turn off the power provided from the charger110to the device120may be passed via the communication connection to the charging control device100. In response to the signal, the charging control device100may turn off the switch103so as to cut off the power to the device120. Thus, overcharge may be prevented for the rechargeable battery121. Next, the charging monitor123may check whether the rechargeable battery121is being charged. If it is determined at the block328that the rechargeable battery121is being charged, the method proceeds to the block324where the signal will be transmitted again. If the rechargeable battery121is not being charged, the method may return back to the block304after a delay310of a predetermined period of time.

As discussed above, the process ofFIG. 4may be implemented as software such as an app that may be distributed through internet. Customers may download the app through internet and install it in their devices such as cellular phones. The app may operate in conjunction with the charging control device100that may be implemented as a separate device (FIG. 2) or integrated in the charger (FIG. 3) so as to provide a safe charging process for the device120.

Now referring toFIG. 3, there is shown another charging system in which an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented. Please note that the same or similar components will be denoted by the same or similar numerals and the description thereof in detail will be omitted here.

As shown inFIG. 3, the charging system includes a charger200and the device120. The device120has been described with reference toFIGS. 1, 2 and 4, so it will not be described in details here. The charger200includes a charging module210and a charging control module220.

The charging module210may fulfill the functions of a conventional charger. Specifically, the charging module210may receive power from an external power supply such as a receptacle and convert the power to voltage/current that is acceptable for the device120. The charging control module220may be connected in series between the charging module210and the device120to control the power provided from the charging module210to the device120. Specifically, the charging control module220may include the switch103, the control module105and the antenna107. Since the switch103, the control module105and the antenna107have been discussed in details with reference toFIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the description of which will be omitted here.

It should be appreciated that the charging system shown inFIG. 3is similar to the charging system shown inFIG. 2except that the charging control device100is integrated into the charger110. Therefore, other aspects of the system inFIG. 3are the same as, or similar to, those inFIG. 2, and will be not be described in details here.

Although embodiments set forth above are shown as being directed to conventional wired charging, it would be understood that the embodiments are also applicable for wireless charging. For example, the charging control device100may be integrated into a wireless charger to turn on/off the electromagnetic wave that carries power to the device120.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of the invention, and what is intended by the applicant to be the scope of the invention, is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent correction.