Apple Inc.

Soundararajan Manthiri

Richard Hung Minh Dinh

Daniel William Jarvis

Richard M Mank

Hongli Dai

Meng Chi Lee

Karthik Kadirvel

Vijayasekaran Boovaragavan

Rishabh Bhargava

Julian Malinski

Julien Marcil

Steven D Sterz

Emery Artemus Sanford

Anthony Sagala Montevirgen

Charles A Schwalbach

Nalin Chaturvedi

Tyson Benner Manullang

David Glen Havskjold

Steven G Herbst

Yongxuan Hu

Stephen D Sterz

Vikas Agrawal

David M Demuro

Glenn David Henshaw

Yiming Lou

Jeffery J Terlizzi

David M DeMuro

Jose V Santos

Steve Sterz

Rob Hoyt

Methods and systems for detecting and compensating for expansion of rechargeable batteries over time. An expansion detector may be coupled to or positioned proximate a rechargeable battery to monitor for expansion thereof. After expansion exceeding a selected threshold is detected, the expansion detector may report the expansion to an associated processing unit. The processing unit may undertake to arrest further rechargeable battery expansion by modifying or changing one or more characteristics of charging and/or discharging circuitry coupled to the rechargeable battery. For example, the processing unit may charge the rechargeable battery at a lower rate or with reduced voltage after detecting expansion.

Methods for determining and controlling battery expansion

This application relates to methods and apparatus for predicting power and energy availability of a battery. The prediction is made based on a given amount of time, which represents a period in which the battery may be required to operate. Additionally, a learning cycle is incorporated to update a battery model of the battery with certain parameters. The battery model is updated by introducing a time-varying current to the battery and analyzing the voltage response of the battery. A model-based predictive algorithm is used in combination with the battery model to predict battery output parameters based on variables derived from the learning cycle and additional inputs supplied to the model-based predictive algorithm. After one or more iterations, or using a simplified model-based equation, the model-based predictive algorithm can provide an accurate prediction for the maximum current that the battery can supply for a predetermined period of time.

Methods and apparatus for battery power and energy availability prediction

Power management systems for an electronic product demonstration fixture for demonstrating portable electronic devices. The product demonstration fixture may include an exhibition portion and a base portion. A portable electronic device offered for sale may be affixed to the exhibition portion. The base portion may include an electronic display, an auxiliary battery, and an auxiliary controller. The auxiliary controller may direct power from the auxiliary battery to the electronic display upon determining that a battery within the electronic display has fallen below a particular selected level. Similarly the auxiliary controller may direct power from the auxiliary battery to the portable electronic device offered for sale upon determining that a battery within the portable electronic device has fallen below a selected level.

Power management systems for product demonstration fixtures

In general, techniques are disclosed for providing short circuit protection to a battery pack having a number of battery cells, at least some of which are connected in parallel. Short circuit protection is provided by using pairs of electronic switches (e.g., integrated circuits consisting of a pair of transistors designed as battery charge/discharge switches) serially connected between one terminal of a battery cell and a battery pack's common node&#x2014;a position which is upstream of conventional battery pack fault controllers. The state of all such switches may be controlled by a control unit that is also upstream of a conventional fault controller. The combination of switch pairs and control unit can provide a battery pack with over current (short circuit) protection without the use of thermal cutoff devises. The described devices and systems can also provide over voltage, under voltage and over temperature protection.

Protection of parallel connected cells in battery packs

This disclosure relates generally to the field of providing highly accurate over current fault protection in charging systems and, more particularly, to systems in which the charge over current protection (COCP) and discharge over current protection (DOCP) circuitry in electronic devices are particularly resilient to variations in field-effect transistor (FET) resistance with temperature, gate drive, and/or process shift; variations in printed circuit board (PCB) resistance; and variations in integrated circuit (IC) trip voltages. Through the use of novel circuit designs disclosed herein that effectively 'bypass' the traditional 'power FETs' that control the current flow to the battery pack(s) of the electronic device using a novel &#x201c;sense FET&#x201d; concept, the major sources of error in current sensing may be eliminated without compromising any safety features of the electronic device, thus allowing for more accurate over current fault protection systems for battery packs across a wide range of operating conditions and temperatures.

Highly accurate over current fault protection for battery packs

An electronic device that displays a battery status is described. In particular, based on the occurrence or presence of an environmental condition (such as an extrinsic environmental factor and/or a current electronic-device usage factor), the electronic device may determine an inaccessible-charge condition of a battery in the electronic device. For example, the environmental condition may include: a temperature of the battery less than the temperature threshold value; and/or a discharge rate of the battery greater than the discharge threshold value. In response to the inaccessible-charge condition, the electronic device may display indications of two or more battery-charge parameters, including: an accessible battery charge, an inaccessible battery charge that is currently unavailable for use because of the environmental condition, and/or a total battery charge.

Portable electronic device with accessible-charge indicator

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that manages use of a battery in a portable electronic device. During operation, the system attempts to regulate a voltage on a battery terminal in the portable electronic device to a first voltage level. Upon identifying an inability to regulate the voltage on the battery terminal to the first voltage level during a first detection period, the system detects a presence of the battery in the portable electronic device.

Battery detection via voltage regulation of battery terminals

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Soundararajan Manthiri