Electronic controls for battery management can ensure consumer satisfaction and safety - Battery management balances device chemistry against user expectations

摘要

The capability to consume energy in portable products is growing faster than the capability to supply it; moreover, electrochemical devices are inherently dangerous. All portable and rechargeable devices must be managed in accordance to the battery laws. With this in mind, battery management can be divided into three elements: recharge, safety and security, and runtime estimation. The battery charge system requirements are simply stated as "the desire to recover the battery to a full state of charge as quickly as possible without harm to the battery or user." To accomplish this task, one must first target customer expectations. Equipment runtime ranges from 20 minutes in the case of a power tool to 5 days for a voice-only cell phone. With exceptions, recharge time naturally follows what is perceived as an acceptable period of user down time. User down time can vary from a 10-minute coffee break to overnight for the previously cited examples. The standard exceptions are based on the question, "How much is the customer willing to pay for minimal downtime?"