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GoogleGranted patentPhones & computersInterest 7/10

Google patents split battery system for foldable phones

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Google has been granted a patent for a power management circuit designed for foldable devices with two separate battery sections. The system uses two different converters to draw power from these sections, allowing one part of the device to run on both batteries while another runs on just one. An active circuit also balances the energy between the two sections to keep them in sync.

Why it mattersThis design could help manage the unique physical constraints of foldable screens by allowing different parts of the device to use power more flexibly.

In the filing’s own words

In general, techniques are described that are directed to a device having a first power storage device and a second power storage device connected in series. A first power converter may generate, using electrical energy sourced from the first power storage device and the second power storage device, a first power signal to power a first set of components. A second power converter may generate, using electrical energy sourced from the first power storage device and not the second power storage device, a second power signal to power a second set of components.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A foldable device comprising: a first portion; a second portion, the first portion covering at least portion of the second portion when the foldable device is folded along an axis; a first power storage device housed in the first portion; a second power storage device housed in the second portion and connected in series with the first power storage device, wherein the first power storage device has a different power storage capacity than the second power storage device; a first power converter configured to generate, using electrical energy sourced from the first power storage device and the second power storage device, a first power signal to power a first set of components; a second power converter configured to generate, using electrical energy sourced from the first power storage device and not the second power storage device, a second power signal to power a second set of components; and an active balance circuit connected with the first power storage device and the second power storage device and configured to transfer energy between the first power storage device and the second power storage device.

Facts

Company
Google (Google LLC)
Official title
Power management circuit for multi-cell power storage devices
Patent number
US12763587B2
Application number
17997782
Filed
May 4, 2020
Granted
Oct 13, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
15

Classified under

H02J 7/342 Electricity & electronicsH02J 7/56 Electricity & electronicsH02J 7/855 Electricity & electronicsG06F 1/1652 Physics & computingH02J 2207/20 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.