This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 103126703 filed on Aug. 5, 2014, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure generally relates to a backup battery, and more particularly, to a smart backup battery for improving system reliability.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a large system, a backup battery is used as a simple UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), which can provide backup electric power in case of system AC (Alternating Current) power failure. However, the backup battery is kept in a fully charged state and operated in a high-temperature environment, and therefore it has a shorter battery life than a general battery does. As a result, it has become a critical challenge for engineers to design a novel backup battery with high reliability and long usage time.
In a preferred embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a backup battery including a battery cell, a storage medium, and a processor. The storage medium is configured to store a computer program. The processor is configured to execute the computer program so as to monitor the operating state of the battery cell. The processor selectively generates one or more output signals according to the operating state of the battery cell.
In some embodiments, the processor sets the battery cell to have available capacity which is lower than 80% of its maximum battery capacity, and when the battery cell is charged up to 70% of its maximum charge, the processor outputs a full-charge indication signal. In some embodiments, when remaining charge of the battery cell is lower than 30% of its maximum charge, the processor outputs a first level signal. In some embodiments, when remaining charge of the battery cell is lower than 50% of its maximum charge, the processor outputs a second level signal. In some embodiments, when the battery cell has been used for 5 years or more, the processor outputs a third level signal. In some embodiments, when a voltage, a current, or a temperature of the battery cell is greater than an acceptable value, the processor outputs a temporary failure signal. In some embodiments, when a fuse connected to the battery cell melts, the processor outputs a permanent failure signal. In some embodiments, when a 180-day period has expired and remaining charge of the battery cell is lower than 70% of its maximum charge, the processor calibrates an open-circuited voltage, a self-discharging rate, and an impedance value of the battery cell. In some embodiments, the battery cell provides electric power for a system end, and when the processor receives a power-down signal from the system end, the processor controls the battery cell to stop providing the electric power. In some embodiments, the processor further controls a light-emitting diode to generate a flash-light signal according to the output signals.
The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In order to illustrate the purposes, features and advantages of the invention, the embodiments and figures of the invention are shown in detail as follows.
In some embodiments, the backup battery 200 is connected to a system end 220. The system end 220 may be a large system or a POS system. Normally, the system end 220 is supplied by an AC power supply source 230. If a power-down event happens to the AC power supply source 230, the backup battery 200 will supply backup electric power to the system end 220 for final data storage. More particularly, a positive output terminal TP and a negative output terminal TN of the backup battery 200 are both connected to the system end 220, and therefore these terminals provide a backup output voltage difference therebetween. In addition, a data transmission terminal DATA and a clock transmission terminal CLK of the backup battery 200 are also connected to the system end 220, such that the system end 220 can communicate and exchange signal contents with the backup battery 200 through these transmission terminals. Since the system end 220 is usually located in a high-temperature and closed environment and the backup battery 200 out of use is always kept in a full-power state, the environmental condition tends to shorten the usage time of the backup battery 200. In order to solve the problem, the invention provides a smart design, which causes the processor 130 of the backup battery 200 to output the output signals SE relative to the battery cell 110 automatically. As a result, the system end 220 can analyze the output signals SE and obtain operating state information of the battery cell 110. If the battery cell 110 is aged or has insufficient capacity, the system end 220 will be notified of the fact and make necessary preparations in advance. In some embodiments, the processor 130 is further connected to a display device, and the display device shows the operating state information of the battery cell 110 according to the output signals SE. In alternative embodiments, the processor 130 further controls an LED (Light-Emitting Diode) 180 to generate a flash-light signal according to the output signals SE. The operator can understand, by reading the message shown on the display device or LED, whether the backup battery 200 needs fixing or replacing.
The following embodiments describe a variety of output signals SE which are outputted by the processor 130. It should be understood that the embodiments are just exemplary, rather than limitations of the invention.
The output signals SE of the processor 130 include a full-charge signal, a first level signal, a second level signal, a third level signal, a temporary failure signal, and a permanent failure signal. In order to increase the safety margin, the battery cell 110 may be downgraded for use, and the processor 130 may set the battery cell 110 to have available capacity which is lower than 80% of its maximum battery capacity. For example, if the battery cell 110 has maximum battery capacity of 2800 mAh (Milliampere*Hour), the processor 130 may set the available capacity of the battery cell 110 to 2200 mAh (2200/2800=78.6%<80%). In other words, the maximum charge of the battery cell 110 is 2200 mAh, rather than original 2800 mAh. When the battery cell 110 is charged up to 70% of its maximum charge, the processor 130 outputs a full-charge indication signal. The 70% full-charge indication can prevent the backup battery 200 from always being charged up to 95% of its maximum charge, as with a conventional battery. Therefore, the backup battery 200 of the invention can have longer usage time. In alternative embodiments, the 70% full-charge indication may be replaced with an 80% or 60% full-charge indication, and a similar level of performance may be also achieved. The processor 130 may include a built-in counter. When the counter indicates that the battery cell 110 has been used for 5 years or more (or it exceeds a period of 5 years after the battery cell 110 left the factory), the processor 130 outputs a third level signal (Level 3). The processor 130 may further monitor the remaining charge of the battery cell 110. When the remaining charge of the battery cell 110 is lower than 50% of its maximum charge, the processor 130 outputs a second level signal (Level 2). In addition, when the remaining charge of the battery cell 110 is lower than 30% of its maximum charge, the processor 130 outputs a first level signal (Level 1). The above level signals are used to remind the operator of the safety condition of the battery cell 110. The priority from high to low is the first level signal, the second level signal, and the third level signal. For example, if the processor 130 outputs the first level signal, it means that the remaining charge of the battery cell 110 is not enough for the system end 220 to perform the final data storage process, and the operator should immediately replace the backup battery 200 so as to avoid data loss. On the other hand, when the voltage, the current, or the temperature of the battery cell 110 is greater than an acceptable value, the processor 130 outputs a temporary failure signal, indicating that the backup battery 200 should be out of use for a period of time for recovery. When a fuse 170 connected to the battery cell 110 melts, the processor 130 outputs a permanent failure signal, indicating that the backup battery 200 is broken and is no longer available. The above steps of monitoring battery state and outputting signals can be performed by writing appropriate computer program codes into the storage medium 120 and by executing the computer program codes with the processor 130. In alternative embodiments, the storage medium 120, the processor 130, and the computer program codes are implemented with specific combinational logic circuits and sequential circuits.
In some embodiments, the LED 180 displays different output signals SE as Table I.
In alternative embodiments, the system end 220 displays different output signals SE as indicated in Table II.
The invention provides a smart back battery which can automatically output its battery state information to a system end according to its own status. Therefore, the system end and the operator can understand the operating state and reduce the risk that the backup battery is old or over its normal usage time and cannot work normally. In addition, by performing the above charging, discharging, and calibrating processes, the backup battery can be well monitored during its usage time and maintained at good performances.
Note that the above parameters are not limitations of the invention. An engineer can adjust these settings or values according to different requirements. It is understood that the backup battery of the invention are not limited to the configurations of
The method of the invention, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of a program code (i.e., executable instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMS, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine thereby becomes an apparatus for practicing the methods. The methods may also be embodied in the form of a program code transmitted over some transmission medium, such as electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the disclosed methods. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operates analogously to application specific logic circuits.
Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having the same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the invention. It is intended that the standard and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosed embodiments being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
103126703 | Aug 2014 | TW | national |