JP2008182810A - Electronic device system and battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are an electronic device system capable of realizing power supply utilizing the battery characteristics of each secondary battery when a plurality of secondary batteries having different battery characteristics are used as a power source, and a battery pack used therefor. .
An electronic device system including an electronic device 2 and battery packs 1a, 1b and 1c. Each of the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c incorporates assembled batteries 14a, 14b, and 14c made of secondary batteries having different battery characteristics, and the control unit 31 of the electronic device 2 installs each of the assembled batteries 14a, 14b, and 14c. Battery packs 14a, 14b, and 14c are formed as battery packs that include battery packs including secondary batteries suitable for the usage state of the electronic device 2 by detecting the battery characteristics of the secondary battery and the usage state of the electronic device 2. The power supply is requested to the selected battery pack.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device system that uses a battery pack containing a secondary battery as a power source, and a battery pack used therefor.

  Usually, in electronic devices such as personal computers and mobile phones, a battery pack incorporating a secondary battery is used as a power source for performing various operations of the electronic devices. For example, the battery pack for the main battery and the battery pack for the auxiliary option are used separately, or the battery pack for the main battery and the battery for the auxiliary option are built in a single battery pack. .

  Patent Document 1 discloses a charger that charges both a battery pack attached to an electronic device such as a mobile phone and a spare battery pack that can be replaced with the battery pack. This charger has a configuration capable of simultaneously charging a battery pack attached to an electronic device and a spare battery pack not attached to the device, and efficiently charges two battery packs. be able to.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a portable electronic device including a battery unit in which a main battery and a spare battery are exchangeably stored. Normally, power is supplied from the battery unit from the main battery, and when the remaining charge of the main battery is low, the spare battery supplies power instead of the main battery.

Patent Document 3 discloses a charging circuit that charges a built-in battery built in an electronic device and a spare battery built in a charger. This charging circuit is mounted on the charger and charges the built-in battery and the spare battery simultaneously or in a predetermined order.
JP 2003-164070 A JP-A-11-27873 JP-A-10-275635

  As described above, electronic devices using two battery packs such as a battery pack for a main battery and a battery pack for an auxiliary option have been widely used. In these devices, two battery packs are mounted in parallel, and when one battery pack runs out of charge, power is generally supplied from the other battery pack. For this reason, when the battery characteristics are superior or inferior between the two battery packs, the power supply to the electronic device is greatly influenced by the characteristics of the battery pack having inferior battery characteristics.

  When using a plurality of secondary batteries having different battery characteristics as a power source, the present invention provides an electronic device system capable of realizing power supply utilizing the battery characteristics of each secondary battery and a battery pack used therefor The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device system according to the present invention is an electronic device system including an electronic device and a plurality of secondary batteries capable of supplying power to the electronic device and having different battery characteristics. The electronic device includes a battery detection unit that detects battery characteristics of the plurality of secondary batteries, a use state detection unit that detects a use state of the electronic device, and the electrons detected by the use state detection unit. And a selection unit that selects a secondary battery having battery characteristics that enables power supply suitable for a use state of the device from the plurality of secondary batteries.

  According to the electronic device system according to the present invention, when a plurality of secondary batteries are used as a power source, the secondary battery to be used can be appropriately selected according to the use state of the electronic device. For this reason, it is possible to supply power that can maximize the capacity by utilizing the battery characteristics of each secondary battery. Furthermore, by supplying power utilizing the battery characteristics, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of each secondary battery and to extend the life.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said use condition detection part detects the use condition of the said electronic device by monitoring the electric current which flows into the load circuit which operate | moves with the electric power supplied to the said electronic device.

  According to this configuration, the usage state of the electronic device can be detected more accurately. For this reason, the reliability of the power supply selection control in an electronic device can be improved.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said use condition detection part detects the use condition of the said electronic device by acquiring the use condition of the said electronic device which the user of the said electronic device system sets.

  According to this configuration, the usage state of the electronic device can be detected more accurately. For this reason, the reliability of the power supply selection control in an electronic device can be improved.

  In the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the electronic device further includes a table in which battery characteristics of a secondary battery that enables power supply suitable for each usage state to be assumed of the electronic device are stored in advance.

  According to this structure, since it can utilize when selecting the secondary battery suitable for the use condition of an electronic device, power supply selection control can be performed with higher precision.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said battery detection part acquires the information which shows each battery characteristic of these secondary batteries memorize | stored beforehand.

  According to this configuration, the battery characteristics of each secondary battery can be easily detected. For this reason, the power source selection control on the electronic device side can be performed at higher speed, and thereby more effective utilization of the secondary battery can be realized.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that each of these secondary batteries is incorporated in a different battery pack.

  According to this configuration, the power supply selection control is performed on the electronic device side of the electronic device system, and a large number of versatile battery packs can be used. Thereby, the convenience of an electronic device system can be improved.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that these secondary batteries are incorporated in the same battery pack.

  According to this configuration, a plurality of secondary batteries can be used in a single battery pack. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire electronic device system.

  The battery pack according to the present invention is a battery pack capable of supplying electric power to an electronic device, wherein the battery pack is used to obtain a plurality of secondary batteries having different battery characteristics and a usage state of the electronic device. A state acquisition unit and a selection unit that selects a secondary battery having a battery characteristic that enables power supply suitable for the usage state of the electronic device detected by the usage state detection unit from the plurality of secondary batteries. And a battery control unit that performs control so that electric power is supplied from the secondary battery selected by the selection unit to the electronic device.

  According to the battery pack of the present invention, when a battery pack containing a plurality of secondary batteries is used as a power source, the battery pack is used from a plurality of secondary batteries in the battery pack according to the use state of the electronic device. The secondary battery to be selected can be appropriately selected. For this reason, it is possible to supply power that can maximize the capacity by utilizing the battery characteristics of each secondary battery. Furthermore, by supplying power utilizing the battery characteristics, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of each secondary battery and to extend the life.

  In addition, since the power source selection control is performed on the battery pack side of the electronic device system, the present invention can also be applied to versatile electronic devices.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said battery pack has further the table by which the battery characteristic of the secondary battery which enables the electric power supply suitable for each use condition which should be assumed of the said electronic device was beforehand memorize | stored.

  According to this structure, since it can utilize when selecting the secondary battery suitable for the use condition of an electronic device, power supply selection control can be performed with higher precision.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said battery pack stops temporarily the remaining charge calculation operation | movement of secondary batteries other than the secondary battery which the said selection part selected among these secondary batteries.

  According to this configuration, by stopping the remaining amount calculation operation for the secondary battery whose power supply is temporarily unnecessary, it is possible to avoid the consumption of electric power required when this operation is executed. For this reason, the lifetime of the primary battery or secondary battery built in in order to supply this electric power can be aimed at, and the convenience of a battery pack can be improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when using the several secondary battery which has a mutually different battery characteristic as a power supply, the secondary battery to be used can be selected suitably according to the state by which an electronic device system is used. As a result, it is possible to supply power utilizing the battery characteristics of each secondary battery, and further, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of each secondary battery and to extend its life.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic device system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The electronic device system according to the present embodiment includes three battery packs, that is, a battery pack 1a, a battery pack 1b, a battery pack 1c, and an electronic device 2. The electronic device 2 is an electronic device such as a mobile phone, and the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c are connected to the electronic device 2 to supply power. The battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c are charged by a charger (not shown), but the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c may be charged through the electronic device 2 while being connected to the electronic device 2 at the time of charging. is there. Note that the number of battery packs connected to the electronic device 2 is not limited to three, and may be at least two.

  First, a connection configuration between the battery pack 1a and the electronic device 2 and each configuration of the battery pack 1a and the electronic device 2 will be described.

  The battery pack 1a and the electronic device 2 are connected to each other by DC high-side terminals T11a and T21a that perform power supply, communication signal terminals T12a and T22a, and GND terminals T13a and T23a for power supply and communication signals. .

  In the battery pack 1a, the DC high-side power supply path 11a extending from the terminal T11a includes FETs 12a and 13a having different conductivity types for charging and discharging, and the power supply path 11a is an assembled battery. 14a is connected to the high side terminal. The low-side terminal of the assembled battery 14a is connected to the GND terminal T13a via a DC low-side power supply path 15a, and a current detection resistor 16a that converts the charging current and the discharge current into a voltage value is interposed in the power supply path 15a. is doing.

  The assembled battery 14a is formed by connecting a plurality of secondary battery cells in series and parallel, and the temperature of the assembled battery 14a is detected by the temperature sensor 17a and input to the measuring unit 19a in the control IC 18a. Further, the inter-terminal voltage of the assembled battery 14a is read by the voltage detection circuit 20a and input to the measurement unit 19a. Furthermore, the current value detected by the current detection resistor 16a is also input to the measurement unit 19a. The measurement unit 19a converts each input value from the current detection resistor 16a, the temperature sensor 17a, and the voltage detection circuit 20a into a digital value and outputs the digital value to the control unit 21a. Here, the assembled battery 14a is configured by a plurality of secondary battery cells connected in series and parallel, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and may be configured by at least one secondary battery. good.

  The control unit 21a includes a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits, and calculates what percentage of the assembled battery 14a is fully charged by using each input value from the measurement unit 19a. Then, the calculation result is transmitted from the communication unit 22a to the electronic device 2 via the terminals T12a and T22a. In addition, the control unit 21a calculates the voltage value and current value of the charging current that requires output from the input values from the measurement unit 19a to the charger, and transmits the charging current value and current value from the communication unit 22a via the terminal T12a. Protection such as blocking the FETs 12 and 13 against a short circuit between the terminals T11a and T13a, an abnormality outside the battery pack 1a such as an abnormal current from a charger, an abnormal temperature rise of the assembled battery 14a, etc. Also works.

  In the electronic device 2, the remaining amount of the assembled battery 14 a is received by the communication unit 32 of the control IC 30, and the control unit 31 calculates the remaining usage time of the battery pack 1 a from the power consumption of various load circuits 33. The control unit 31 controls various load circuits 33 based on an input from the input unit 34 such as an input operation device.

  The connection configuration between the battery pack 1a and the electronic device 2 and the configuration of the battery pack 1a are the same for the battery pack 1b and the battery pack 1c, and will not be described here.

  Next, power selection control processing of the electronic device system according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When electronic device 2 according to the present embodiment uses a plurality of battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c as a power source, the battery of a secondary battery that constitutes an assembled battery built in each battery pack 1a, 1b, and 1c The power supply selection control is performed by appropriately selecting the battery pack to be used according to the state in which the electronic device system is used so that the power supply can be received utilizing the characteristics. Hereinafter, the power selection control process will be described in detail. First, the configuration of the control unit 31 of the electronic device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 2, and then the processing procedure of the power source selection control will be described.

  As described above, the control unit 31 of the electronic device 2 performs various processes in the electronic device 2 such as calculation of each remaining usage time of the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c and control of various load circuits 33. In order to execute the above power selection control process, for example, the following configuration is provided.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration that the control unit 31 should have in order to realize the power source selection control process of the electronic device 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the control unit 31 includes a battery type detection unit 3101, a usage state detection unit 3102, a selection unit 3103, a table 3104, and a request unit 3105.

  The battery type detection unit 3101 uses the communication unit 32 to detect the battery type of the secondary battery that constitutes each of the assembled batteries 14a, 14b, and 14c of the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c connected to the electronic device 2. The battery packs 1a, 1b and 1c hold battery type data indicating the battery types of the secondary batteries constituting the assembled batteries 14a, 14b and 14c, respectively. For example, the battery type data is written in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a ROM or EEPROM, and each battery pack 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c provides the battery type data in accordance with a request from the battery type detection unit 3101.

  The usage state detection unit 3102 is connected to various load circuits 33 in the electronic device 2 and the input unit 34 included in the electronic device 2, and detects a state in which the electronic device 2 is used. For example, the use state detection unit 3102 detects whether or not the load circuit 33 is on standby by monitoring the current flowing through the load circuit 33. Further, when the load circuit 33 is driven, a discharge characteristic (high rate discharge / low rate discharge) required for the power source is detected. For example, the usage state detection unit 3102 detects a usage state input from the outside of the electronic device 2 using the input unit 34. If the electronic device system is a mobile phone, the usage state may be when the electronic device 2 is driven, when the liquid crystal is turned on, during standby, or the like. Of course, the use state detected by the use state detection unit 3102 is not limited to the above. For example, a temperature sensor (not shown) indicating the environmental temperature (high temperature use / low temperature use) in which the electronic device system is used, or the input unit 34. You may detect by the input value from.

  The selection unit 3103 inputs the battery types of the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c detected by the battery type detection unit 3101 and the usage state of the electronic device 2 detected by the usage state detection unit 3102, and based on them Select a usable battery pack. The selection unit 3103 refers to the table 3104 when selecting the usable battery pack. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the table 3104. As shown in FIG. 3, the table 3104 stores in advance a plurality of usage states assumed to be set in the electronic device 2, and the usable battery types for each usage state are stored in a table format. Reference numeral 3103 is a criterion for selecting a battery pack.

  The request unit 3105 requests power supply to the usable battery pack selected by the selection unit 3103 using the communication unit 32. For example, when the selection unit 3103 selects the battery pack 1a, when the request unit 3105 requests the battery pack 1a to supply power using the communication unit 32, the control unit 21 in the control IC 18a of the battery pack 1a According to the request, the FETs 12a and 13a are controlled, the assembled battery 14a is discharged, and electric power is supplied to the electronic device 2. On the other hand, the control units 21b and 21c of the battery packs 1b and 1c not selected by the selection unit 3103 control the FETs 12b and 13b and the FETs 12c and 13c, and do not supply power from the assembled batteries 14b and 14c.

  Next, the processing procedure of the power source selection control will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of power selection control processing of the control unit 31 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the battery type detection unit 3101 detects the battery type of each of the assembled batteries 14a, 14b, and 14c from each of the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c connected to the electronic device 2 (step S101). The detection of the battery type is performed immediately after the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c are connected to the electronic device 2, for example. Or you may make it detect when the power button of the electronic device 2 is pushed by the user. In step S101, the battery type detection unit 3101 uses the communication unit 32 to transmit the battery type data indicating the battery type of the assembled battery 14a to the communication unit 22a in the control IC 18a of the battery pack 1a through the terminals T22a and T12a. Request to provide. Upon receiving the request, the communication unit 22a of the battery pack 1a acquires battery type data of the assembled battery 14a stored in the control unit 21a in advance from the control unit 21a, and again through the terminals 12a and T22a, the electronic device 2 to the communication unit 32. The communication unit 32 outputs the received battery type data of the battery pack 1 a to the battery type detection unit 3101 in the control unit 31. Similarly, the battery type detection unit 3101 acquires battery type data indicating the battery type of each of the assembled batteries 14b and 14c of the battery packs 1b and 1c.

  Next, the usage state detection unit 3102 detects the usage state of the electronic device 2 (step S102). The usage state detection unit 3102 monitors the current flowing through the load circuit 33 and acquires the input value of the input unit 34 to detect the usage state of the electronic device 2. Further, in step S102, the use state detection unit 3102 detects the environmental temperature at which the electronic device 2 is used, and detects whether the electronic device 2 is used at a high temperature or at a low temperature. good. Further, from the input value of the input unit 34, it may be detected whether the electronic device 2 is frequently used thereafter or used for a long time.

  Next, the selection unit 3103 selects a battery pack to be used as a power source among the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c connected to the electronic device 2 with respect to the usage state of the electronic device 2 (step S103). In step S <b> 103, the selection unit 3103 selects a battery pack that can be used in the usage state detected by the usage state detection unit 3102 with reference to the table 3104. The table 3104 stores what is planned as the usage state of the electronic device 2, and the selection unit 3103 selects a battery pack based on the available battery type for the corresponding usage state.

  Finally, the request unit 3105 requests the battery pack selected by the selection unit 3103 to supply power to the electronic device 2 (step S104). The request unit 3105 transmits the request to the battery pack selected by the selection unit 3103 using the communication unit 32, and the battery pack that has received the request executes supply of power to the electronic device 2. On the other hand, the battery pack that is not selected by the selection unit 3103 does not supply power to the electronic device 2. Here, for the battery pack that is not selected by the selection unit 3103, for example, the operation of calculating the remaining amount of the assembled battery by the control unit 21a as described above may be temporarily stopped. By this stop, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the power source used for driving the control unit 21a. For this reason, when a primary battery or a secondary battery is used as the power source, the life of these batteries can be extended.

  In this way, the power selection control process according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is executed.

  Next, the battery pack selection process of the selection unit 3103 in step S103 will be described in more detail. Here, description will be made using the following as the battery types of the assembled batteries 14a, 14b and 14c of the battery packs 1a, 1b and 1c of FIG. Of course, it goes without saying that the present embodiment is not limited to the following.

  First, the secondary battery constituting the assembled battery 14a of the battery pack 1a is a battery suitable for “high temperature use”. More specifically, the battery has a heat-resistant porous protective film (hereinafter referred to as “A battery”). For example, this battery A is provided with a heat-resistant porous protective film containing a resin binder and an inorganic oxide on the surface of at least one of a positive electrode and a negative electrode. Even if charging / discharging is performed in a high-temperature atmosphere and the distance between the electrodes becomes narrow due to expansion of the positive electrode or the negative electrode, the porous protective film does not deteriorate or deform, so that the battery can be used safely. . Therefore, this A battery is suitable for “high temperature use”.

  Next, the secondary battery constituting the assembled battery 14b of the battery pack 1b is a battery suitable for “low temperature use and high rate discharge”. More specifically, the battery uses lithium cobalt oxide as the positive electrode active material (hereinafter referred to as “B battery”). This B battery has a feature that the discharge voltage is high because lithium cobalt oxide is used as the positive electrode active material. For this reason, even if high-rate discharge is performed at a low temperature, it does not become lower than the discharge end voltage in the initial stage of discharge. Therefore, this B battery is suitable for “low temperature use and high rate discharge”.

  Next, the secondary battery constituting the assembled battery 14c of the battery pack 1c is a battery suitable for both “use frequently used” and “use for a long time”. More specifically, a battery having a positive electrode active material made of lithium nickel cobaltate to which one or more of manganese, aluminum, iron, and copper are added (hereinafter referred to as “C battery”). This C battery is excellent in charge / discharge cycle characteristics because the change in crystal structure can be reduced even when lithium is extracted during charging. In addition, lithium nickel cobalt oxide has an energy capacity per unit mass larger than that of lithium cobalt oxide, and thus a large-capacity battery can be realized. Therefore, this C battery is suitable for both “use frequently used” and “use for a long time”.

  When the battery type of each of the assembled batteries 14a, 14b and 14c of the battery packs 1a, 1b and 1c is as described above, the usage state of the table 3104 in FIG. 3 is “high temperature use”, “low temperature use and high rate discharge”, “ “Use frequently used” and “Long use” are stored. Then, “A battery” is stored as a usable battery type for the use state “high temperature use”, and “B battery” is stored as a usable battery type for the use state “low temperature use and high rate discharge”. The “C battery” is stored as a usable battery type for the use states “usage with high use frequency” and “long use”.

  Next, the battery pack selection process of the selection unit 3103 in step S103 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the selection unit 3103 selects a battery pack in step S103 of FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the selection unit 3103 determines whether or not the use state of the electronic device 2 detected by the use state detection unit 3102 corresponds to “high temperature use” in the table 3104 (step S201). If the use state of the electronic device 2 is “high temperature use” (step S201 YES), the selection unit 3103 refers to the table 3104 and selects “A battery” which is a battery type suitable for “high temperature use” ( Step S202). Therefore, in this case, the battery pack 1 a including the assembled battery 14 a configured by the “A battery” supplies power to the electronic device 2.

  On the other hand, when the use state of the electronic device 2 does not correspond to “high temperature use” (NO in step S201), the selection unit 3103 further determines whether or not the use state of the electronic device 2 corresponds to “low temperature use and high rate discharge”. Is determined (step S203). If the usage state of the electronic device 2 is “low temperature use and high rate discharge” (YES in step S203), the selection unit 3103 refers to the table 3104, and “B” is a battery type suitable for “low temperature use and high rate discharge”. “Battery” is selected (step S204). Therefore, in this case, the battery pack 1 b including the assembled battery 14 b configured by “B battery” supplies power to the electronic device 2.

  On the other hand, when the usage state of the electronic device 2 does not correspond to “low temperature use and high rate discharge” (NO in step S203), the selection unit 3103 further corresponds to the usage state of the electronic device 2 corresponding to “usage with high use frequency”. Whether or not (step S205). If the use state of the electronic device 2 is “usage with high use frequency” (step S205 YES), the selection unit 3103 refers to the table 3104, and “C” is a battery type suitable for “use with high use frequency”. “Battery” is selected (step S206). Therefore, in this case, the battery pack 1 c including the assembled battery 14 c configured by “C battery” supplies power to the electronic device 2.

  On the other hand, when the use state of the electronic device 2 does not correspond to “use with high use frequency” (NO in step S205), the selection unit 3103 further determines whether the use state of the electronic device 2 corresponds to “long use”. Is determined (step S207). If the usage state of the electronic device 2 is “long-time use” (step S207 YES), the selection unit 3103 refers to the table 3104 and selects “C battery” which is a battery type suitable for “long-time use”. (Step S208). Therefore, also in this case, the battery pack 1 c including the assembled battery 14 c configured by “C battery” supplies power to the electronic device 2.

  On the other hand, when the use state of the electronic device 2 does not correspond to “long-time use” (NO in step S207), the selection unit 3103 includes electronic batteries in the battery packs 1a, 1b, and 1c connected to the electronic device 2. It is determined that there is no battery type suitable for the usage state of the device 2 (step S209). Even if a battery type suitable for the usage state of the electronic device 2 does not exist, it is necessary to select one of the battery packs because a power source for supplying power to the electronic device 2 is required. Select a battery with a large capacity and a high voltage. Or it is good also as a structure which requires the connection of the battery pack suitable for the use condition of the electronic device 2. FIG. By the way, after the selection, if the capacity of the battery is smaller than a certain threshold value, another battery having a large capacity and a high voltage is selected.

  In this way, the battery pack selection process of the selection unit 3103 in step S103 of FIG. 4 is performed.

  The electronic device 2 may further perform, for example, the following power supply stop control on the selected battery pack after starting the power supply from the selected battery pack. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of power stop control processing of the control unit 31 of the electronic device 2 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, a case where the battery pack 1b is selected as a power source for supplying power to the electronic device 2 will be described.

  In FIG. 6, the control unit 31 of the electronic device 2 uses the communication unit 32 to acquire voltage / current / temperature measurement data and remaining capacity calculation data of the assembled battery 14 b from the battery pack 1 b receiving power supply. (Step S301). When the control unit 31 of the electronic device 2 calculates the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 14b using the voltage / current / temperature measurement data of the assembled battery 14b, the data calculated by the control unit 21b of the battery pack 1b is used. It is not necessary to acquire in this step S301. On the other hand, when the data calculated by the control unit 21b of the battery pack 1b is acquired in this step S301, only the voltage data among the measurement data of the assembled battery 14b may be acquired.

  Next, the control unit 31 uses the voltage data acquired from the battery pack 1b to calculate the minimum cell voltage among the voltages of the secondary battery cells constituting the assembled battery 14b, and the minimum cell voltage is a predetermined threshold value. It is determined whether or not the following is true (step S302).

  In the above step S302, if the minimum cell voltage is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold (step S302 YES), the control unit 31 further acquires the remaining capacity calculation data acquired from the battery pack 1b or the remaining capacity calculation data calculated by the control unit 31. Is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold (step S303).

  In step S303, if the remaining capacity calculation data of the assembled battery 14b is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (YES in step S303), the control unit 31 performs various power supply stop controls on the battery pack 1b (step S304). . Here, various kinds of power supply stop control executed for the battery pack 1b include power-off of the electronic device 2 itself, an alarm notification indicating a decrease in the remaining capacity of the battery pack 1b, control of quick charge for the battery pack 1b, and the like. Is mentioned.

  When the minimum cell voltage of the assembled battery 14b is larger than a predetermined threshold value in step S302 (NO in step S302), or when the remaining capacity calculation data of the assembled battery 14b is larger than the predetermined threshold value in step S303. (Step S303 NO), it returns to Step S301 again, and the control part 31 will continue power supply stop control.

  As described above, according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, when a plurality of battery packs are used as a power source, the battery pack to be used is appropriately selected according to the state in which the electronic device system is used. Can do. For this reason, the battery characteristics of the secondary battery that makes up the battery pack built in each battery pack can be utilized to maximize the capability, and at the same time, the secondary battery can be prevented from degrading and its life can be extended. You can also plan.

  Further, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the power supply selection control is performed on the electronic device side of the electronic device system, so that a versatile battery pack can be used. For this reason, the battery pack which has many different battery characteristics can be used, and, thereby, the convenience of an electronic device system can be improved.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the first embodiment, a plurality of battery packs that can be connected to an electronic device and have different battery characteristics are prepared, and the electronic device is in a use state so that power can be supplied utilizing the battery characteristics of each battery pack. The power supply selection control for selecting a suitable battery pack was executed. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a plurality of assembled batteries having different battery characteristics are mounted on a single battery pack, so that the power supply utilizing the battery characteristics of each assembled battery can be used. Power supply selection control is performed to select a suitable assembled battery within a single battery pack.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic device system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The electronic device system according to the present embodiment includes a single battery pack 1 and an electronic device 2. Similar to the first embodiment, the electronic device 2 is an electronic device such as a mobile phone, and the battery pack 1 is connected to the electronic device 2 to supply power. The battery pack 1 includes three assembled batteries, that is, an assembled battery 14d, an assembled battery 14e, and an assembled battery 14f. The battery pack 1 is charged by a charger (not shown) as in the first embodiment, but is charged through the electronic device 2 while the battery pack 1 is connected to the electronic device 2 at the time of charging. In some cases. Note that the number of battery packs incorporated in the battery pack 1 is not limited to three, and may be at least two.

  Initially, the structure of the battery pack 1 is demonstrated using FIG. Note that the connection configuration between the battery pack 1 and the electronic device 2 and the configuration of the electronic device 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are not described here.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the battery pack 1, the DC high-side power supply path 11 d extending from the terminal T <b> 11 includes FET 12 d and FET 13 d having different conductivity types for charging and discharging, The power supply path 11d is connected to the high-side terminal of the assembled battery 14d. The low-side terminal of the assembled battery 14d is connected to the GND terminal T13 via a DC low-side power supply path 15d, and a current detection resistor 16d that converts charging current and discharge current into a voltage value is interposed in the power supply path 15d. is doing.

  The assembled battery 14d is formed by connecting a plurality of secondary battery cells in series and parallel, and the temperature of the assembled battery 14d is detected by the temperature sensor 17d and input to the measuring unit 19 in the control IC 18. Further, the inter-terminal voltage of the assembled battery 14 d is read by the voltage detection circuit 20 d and input to the measuring unit 19. Furthermore, the current value detected by the current detection resistor 16 d is also input to the measurement unit 19. The measurement unit 19 converts each input value from the current detection resistor 16d, the temperature sensor 17d, and the voltage detection circuit 20d into a digital value and outputs the digital value to the control unit 21. The current detection resistors 16d, 16e, and 16f may be one common current detection resistor.

  The control unit 21 includes a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits, and uses each input value from the measurement unit 19 to calculate what percentage of the assembled battery 14d is fully charged. Then, the calculation result is transmitted from the communication unit 22 to the electronic device 2 via the terminals T12 and T22. In addition, the control unit 21 calculates the voltage value and current value of the charging current requesting output from the input values from the measurement unit 19 to the charger, and transmits the voltage value and the current value from the communication unit 22 via the terminal T12. Protection such as blocking the FETs 12d and 13d against a short circuit between the terminals T11 and T13, an abnormality outside the battery pack 1 such as an abnormal current from the charger, an abnormal temperature rise of the assembled battery 14d, etc. Also works.

  The configuration of the assembled battery 14d in the battery pack 1 described above is the same for the assembled battery 14e and the assembled battery 14f, and will not be described here.

  Next, power selection control processing of the electronic device system according to the present embodiment will be described. In the electronic device 2 according to the present embodiment, when the battery pack 1 including a plurality of assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f is used as a power source, the secondary battery that constitutes each assembled battery 14d, 14e, and 14f Power selection control is performed by appropriately selecting an assembled battery to be used from among a plurality of assembled batteries in the battery pack 1 according to the usage state of the electronic device system so that the power supply can be received utilizing the characteristics. To do. The power selection control process will be described below. Note that the configuration that the control unit 31 of the electronic device 2 should have in order to execute the power supply selection control process according to the present embodiment may be the same as that of the first embodiment.

  Next, a processing procedure for power supply selection control according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of power selection control processing of the control unit 31 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the battery type detection unit 3101 detects the battery types of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f from the battery pack 1 connected to the electronic device 2 (step S401). The detection of the battery type is performed immediately after the battery pack 1 is connected to the electronic device 2, for example. Or you may make it detect when the power button of the electronic device 2 is pushed by the user. In step S401, the battery type detection unit 3101 indicates the battery types of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f to the communication unit 22 in the control IC 18 of the battery pack 1 through the terminals T22 and T12 using the communication unit 32. Request to provide data for each battery type. When receiving the request, the communication unit 22 of the battery pack 1 acquires the battery type data of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f stored in the control unit 21 in advance from the control unit 21, and again receives the terminals T12 and The data is sent to the communication unit 32 of the electronic device 2 through T22. The communication unit 32 outputs the received battery type data of the battery pack 1 to the battery type detection unit 3101 in the control unit 31.

  Next, the usage state detection unit 3102 detects the usage state of the electronic device 2 (step S402). The usage state detection unit 3102 monitors the current flowing through the load circuit 33 and acquires the input value of the input unit 34 to detect the usage state of the electronic device 2. Further, in step S102, the use state detection unit 3102 detects the environmental temperature at which the electronic device 2 is used, and detects whether the electronic device 2 is used at a high temperature or at a low temperature. good. Further, from the input value of the input unit 34, it may be detected whether the electronic device 2 is frequently used thereafter or used for a long time.

  Next, the selection unit 3103 selects an assembled battery to be used as a power source among the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f in the battery pack 1 connected to the electronic device 2 with respect to the usage state of the electronic device 2. (Step S403). In step S <b> 403, the selection unit 3103 selects an assembled battery suitable for the usage state detected by the usage state detection unit 3102 with reference to the table 3104. The table 3104 stores what is planned as the usage state of the electronic device 2, and the selection unit 3103 selects an assembled battery based on the usable battery type for the corresponding usage state.

  Finally, the request unit 3105 requests the battery pack 1 to supply power from the assembled battery selected by the selection unit 3103 (step S404). The request unit 3105 uses the communication unit 32, and the selection unit 3103 sends the request to the battery pack 1, and the battery pack 1 that receives the request executes supply of power from the selected assembled battery. On the other hand, power is not supplied from the assembled battery not selected by the selection unit 3103 to the electronic device 2.

  In this way, the power selection control process according to the second embodiment of the present invention is executed.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when a battery pack containing a plurality of assembled batteries is used as a power source, a plurality of battery packs in the battery pack are used according to the use state of the electronic device system. An assembled battery to be used can be appropriately selected from the assembled batteries. For this reason, the battery characteristics of the secondary batteries that make up each assembled battery can be utilized to maximize the performance, and at the same time, the deterioration of the secondary batteries that make up each assembled battery can be suppressed and the life can be extended. Can be planned.

  Further, according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, a plurality of assembled batteries can be used with a single battery pack. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire electronic device system.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In Embodiments 1 and 2 described above, the control unit of the electronic device executes power source selection control for selecting a battery type suitable for the usage state of the electronic device. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the above-described power source selection control is executed by the battery pack itself that contains a plurality of assembled batteries.

  Hereinafter, the process of the power supply selection control of the electronic device system according to the present embodiment will be described. The electronic device system according to the present embodiment is realized with the same configuration as that of the second embodiment.

  When the battery pack 1 according to the present embodiment incorporates a plurality of assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f, the battery pack 1 according to the present embodiment utilizes the battery characteristics of the secondary battery that constitutes each of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f. Power supply selection control is performed by appropriately selecting an assembled battery used for power supply in accordance with the usage state of the electronic device system so that power can be supplied.

  The control unit 21 of the battery pack 1 performs calculation of each remaining amount of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f, and control of charging / discharging of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f, but the power selection control according to the present embodiment. In order to execute processing, for example, the following configuration is provided.

  FIG. 9 shows a configuration that the control unit 21 should have in order to realize the power supply selection control process of the battery pack 1 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the control unit 21 includes a battery type acquisition unit 2101, a memory 2102, a usage state acquisition unit 2103, a selection unit 2104, a table 2105, and an assembled battery control unit 2106.

  The battery type acquisition unit 2101 detects the battery type of the secondary battery that constitutes each of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f built in the battery pack 1. As shown in FIG. 10, the battery type data indicating the battery type of the secondary battery constituting each of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f is stored in the memory 2102 in advance, and the battery type of each of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f is stored. Are stored in a table format, and the battery type acquisition unit 2101 detects the battery type of each of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f by referring to the memory 2102. The memory 2102 is configured by a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a ROM or an EEPROM, for example, and the battery type acquisition unit 2101 can randomly access the memory 2102 at high speed.

  The usage state acquisition unit 2103 uses the communication unit 22 to detect a state in which the electronic device 2 is used. The usage state acquisition unit 2103 acquires the usage state of the electronic device 2 from the electronic device 2 itself, and the electronic device 2 detects the usage state as follows, for example. The control unit 31 of the electronic device 2 is connected to various load circuits 33 in the electronic device 2 and an input unit 34 included in the electronic device 2 and detects a state in which the electronic device 2 is used. For example, by monitoring the current flowing through the load circuit 33, it is detected whether or not the load circuit 33 is on standby. Further, when the load circuit 33 is driven, a discharge characteristic (high rate discharge / low rate discharge) required for the power source is detected. Further, for example, the use state input from the outside of the electronic device 2 is detected using the input unit 34. If the electronic device system is a mobile phone, the usage state may be when the electronic device 2 is driven, when the liquid crystal is turned on, during standby, or the like. Furthermore, the environmental temperature (high temperature use / low temperature use) in which the electronic device system is used may be detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) or an input value from the input unit 34.

  The selection unit 2104 inputs the battery types of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f detected by the battery type acquisition unit 2101 and the usage state of the electronic device 2 detected by the usage state detection unit 3102, and based on them Select a usable battery pack. The selection unit 3103 refers to the table 2105 when selecting the usable assembled battery. Similar to FIG. 3, a plurality of usage states assumed to be set in the electronic device 2 are stored in the table 2105 in advance, and usable battery types for each usage state are stored in a table format. This is a criterion for selecting an assembled battery.

  The assembled battery control unit 2106 controls the FETs 12d to 13f to supply power from the usable assembled battery selected by the selection unit 2104, and discharges the assembled battery selected by the selection unit 2104 to supply power. At the same time, power is not supplied from the battery pack not selected.

  Next, the processing procedure of the power source selection control will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure of power selection control processing of the control unit 21 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the battery type acquisition unit 2101 detects the battery type of each of the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f (step S501). The detection of the battery type is performed immediately after the battery pack 1 is connected to the electronic device 2, for example. Or you may make it detect when the power button of the electronic device 2 is pushed by the user.

  Next, the usage status acquisition unit 2103 detects the usage status of the electronic device 2 (step S502).

  Next, the selection unit 2104 selects an assembled battery to be used as a power source among the assembled batteries 14d, 14e, and 14f with respect to the usage state of the electronic device 2 (step S503).

  Finally, the assembled battery control unit 2106 controls the FETs 12d to 13f so that power is supplied from the assembled battery selected by the selection unit 2104 to the electronic device 2 (step S504).

  In this way, the power supply selection control process according to the third embodiment of the present invention is executed.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, when a battery pack containing a plurality of assembled batteries is used as a power source, a plurality of battery packs in the battery pack are used according to the usage state of the electronic device system. An assembled battery to be used can be appropriately selected from the assembled batteries. For this reason, the battery characteristics of the secondary batteries that make up each assembled battery can be utilized to maximize the performance, and at the same time, the deterioration of the secondary batteries that make up each assembled battery can be suppressed and the life can be extended. Can be planned.

  Further, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, since the power source selection control is performed on the battery pack side of the electronic device system, it can also be applied to general-purpose electronic devices.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably used for an electronic device such as a mobile phone that uses a battery pack using a lithium ion secondary battery as a power source.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic device system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure which the control part 31 should be provided in order to implement | achieve the process of the power supply selection control of the electronic device 2 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the table 3104 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the power supply selection control of the control part 31 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a selection unit 3103 selects a battery pack in step S103 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process of the power supply stop control of the control part 31 of the electronic device 2 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic device system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the power supply selection control of the control part 31 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure which the control part 21 should be provided in order to implement | achieve the process of the power supply selection control of the battery pack 1 which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the memory 2102 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the power supply selection control of the control part 21 which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1a, 1b, 1c Battery pack 2 Electronic device 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f, 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 15e, 15f Feeding path 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, 12f, 13a 13b, 13c, 13d, 13e, 13f FET
14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, 14f Battery pack 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f Current detection resistor 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f Temperature sensor 18, 18a, 18b, 18c, 30 Control IC
19, 19a, 19b, 19c Measurement unit 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f Voltage detection circuit 21, 21a, 21b, 21c, 31 Control unit 22, 22a, 22b, 22c, 32 Communication unit 33 Load circuit 34 Input Unit 2101 battery type acquisition unit 3101 battery type detection unit 2102 memory 2103 use state acquisition unit 3102 use state detection unit 2104, 3103 selection unit 2105, 3104 table 2106 assembled battery control unit 3105 request unit T11, T21, T12, T22, T13, T23, T11a, T21a, T12a, T22a, T13a, T23a, T11b, T21b, T12b, T22b, T13b, T23b, T11c, T21c, T12c, T22c, T13c, T23c terminals

Claims (10)

An electronic device system comprising: an electronic device; and a plurality of secondary batteries capable of supplying power to the electronic device and having different battery characteristics,
The electronic device is
A battery detector for detecting battery characteristics of the plurality of secondary batteries;
A use state detector for detecting a use state of the electronic device;
A selection unit that selects a secondary battery having a battery characteristic that enables power supply suitable for the usage state of the electronic device detected by the usage state detection unit from the plurality of secondary batteries. Electronic device system featuring   2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the usage state detection unit detects a usage state of the electronic device by monitoring a current flowing in a load circuit that operates with electric power supplied to the electronic device. Equipment system.   The said use condition detection part detects the use condition of the said electronic device by acquiring the use condition of the said electronic device which the user of the said electronic device system sets, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Electronic equipment system.   The said electronic device further has the table by which the battery characteristic of the secondary battery which enables the electric power supply suitable for each use condition which should be assumed of the said electronic device was beforehand memorize | stored. 4. The electronic device system according to any one of 3.   The electronic device system according to claim 1, wherein the battery detection unit acquires information indicating battery characteristics of each of the plurality of secondary batteries stored in advance.   The electronic device system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of secondary batteries is built in different battery packs.   The electronic device system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of secondary batteries are built in the same battery pack. A battery pack capable of supplying electric power to an electronic device,
The battery pack is
A plurality of secondary batteries having different battery characteristics;
A usage state acquisition unit for acquiring a usage state of the electronic device;
A selection unit that selects a secondary battery having a battery characteristic that enables power supply suitable for the usage state of the electronic device detected by the usage state detection unit from the plurality of secondary batteries;
A battery pack, comprising: a battery control unit configured to control power supply from the secondary battery selected by the selection unit to the electronic device.   9. The battery pack according to claim 8, further comprising a table in which battery characteristics of a secondary battery that enable power supply suitable for each of the assumed usage states of the electronic device are stored in advance. The battery pack described.   10. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the battery pack temporarily stops a remaining battery level calculation operation of secondary batteries other than the secondary battery selected by the selection unit among the plurality of secondary batteries. Battery pack.

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