Systems and methods for battery charger with safety component

• US 10,333,322 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Horizon Hobby, Llc
• Original Assignee: Horizon Hobby, Llc
• Inventors: Arends, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Levin, Naum
• Application Number:
  US15/080,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20160285282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

A battery charger with an internal power storage device may be used to facilitate fast charging of a battery by using a high C-rate. A battery charger with an internal power storage device may include a control circuit that receives operating mode instructions to operate in a base charging mode or a fast charging mode. In the base charging mode, the battery charger may be configured to concurrently charge a battery and an internal power storage device at a base C-rate using current supplied from an external power source. In the fast charging mode, the battery charger may be configured to charge the battery at a high C-rate, which is substantially higher than the base C-rate, by using the internal power storage device.

Claims

1. A battery charger, comprising:

a control circuitry configured to couple to a user interface and further configured to electrically connect to (i) a power supply, (ii) an internal power storage device, and (iii) a battery, wherein the control circuit is configured to;

receive operating mode instructions from the user interface that correspond to a desired operating mode of (i) a base charging mode or (ii) a fast charging mode;

receive battery-specific input from the user interface; and

operate the battery charger in the desired operating mode to charge the battery in the desired operating mode;

wherein, in the base charging mode, the control circuitry is configured to use power from an external power source to concurrently charge (i) the battery at a base C-rate and (ii) the internal power storage device at the base C-rate; and

wherein, in the fast charging mode, the control circuitry is configured to use current from the internal power storage device to charge the battery at a high C-rate, where the high C-rate is higher than the base C-rate.

2. The battery charger of claim 1, further comprising a battery charging circuit electrically connected to a battery connector, wherein the battery charging circuit is configured to limit a battery charging characteristic.

3. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to limit, based at least in part on the received battery-specific input, the battery charging characteristic.

4. The battery charger of claim 3, wherein the battery-specific input comprises one or more of (i) battery capacity, (ii) battery voltage, (iii) temperature, (iv) C-rate, (v) battery chemistry, and (vi) cell configuration.

5. The battery charger of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to limit, based at least in part on the received battery-specific input, an internal power storage device charging characteristic.

6. The battery charger of claim 5, wherein the internal power storage device charging characteristic comprises one or more of (i) over-current, (ii) over-voltage, (iii) under-voltage, (iv), over-temperature, (v) over-pressure, and (vi) ground fault.

7. A method for operating a battery charger, comprising:

receiving operating mode instructions from a user interface, wherein the operating mode instructions correspond to a desired operating mode for charging a battery of (i) a base charging mode or (ii) a fast charging mode; and

configuring the battery charger to operate in the desired operating mode;

wherein the base charging mode comprises configuring the battery charger to use current from an external power source to concurrently charge both (i) an internal power storage device at a base C-rate and (ii) the battery at the base C-rate; and

wherein the fast charging mode comprises configuring the battery charger to use current from the internal power storage device to charge the battery at a high C-rate, and wherein the high C-rate is higher than the base charging rate.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving battery-specific input from the user interface; and

limiting, based at least in part on the received battery-specific input, a battery charging characteristic.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

limiting, based at least in part on the received battery-specific input, an internal power storage device charging characteristic.