Switching circuit for charge and discharge of mulitple battery systems

Multiple battery systems and switching networks are provided for portable electronic devices. A single switching cell (78,80) is provided per battery and a load switch (70) coupled to a battery power bus (76) to achieve proper connectivity and isolation between batteries (82,84) , a load (68) and a charger (74). The single switching cells (78,80) are configured as a back-to-back MOSFET switch devices. The charger (74) is also coupled to the battery power bus (76) and can be enabled when AC power to the portable electronic device is not available. The present invention facilitates selective connection of battery packs in a multiple battery system to a load or a charger, while still maintaining isolation between battery packs, the load and the charger.