Battery charger

• US 20020074970A1
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kawashima, Nobuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,534,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/007 Detection of the absence of a load
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/12 Precharging analysis, e.g. determining presence of battery

Abstract

A battery charger can avoid possibility of output shorting while the secondary battery is not connected and prevent use of a secondary battery other than dedicated one. The battery charger includes battery charging control means for supplying a charge current to a predetermined secondary battery via an output terminal, and output cut-off means for cutting off connection between the output terminal and the battery charging control means when the predetermined secondary battery is not loaded and for establishing connection between the output terminal and the battery charging control means when the predetermined secondary battery is loaded.

Claims

1. A battery charger comprising:

battery charging control means for supplying a charge current to a predetermined secondary battery via an output terminal; and

output cut-off means for cutting off connection between said output terminal and said battery charging control means when said predetermined secondary battery is not loaded and for establishing connection between said output terminal and said battery charging control means when said predetermined secondary battery is loaded.

2. A battery charger as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output cut-off means has a contact inserted between said output terminal and said battery charging control means in series, and is constructed with a magnetic field detecting switch which closes said contact when a magnetic field by magnetic field generating means built in said predetermined secondary battery is detected.

3. A battery charger as set forth in claim 2, wherein said magnetic field generating means is a magnet and said magnetic field detecting switch is a reed switch.

4. A battery charger as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output cut-off means comprises:

magnetic field detecting means for detecting a magnetic field by magnetic field generating means built-in said predetermined secondary battery; and

a switching element inserted between said output terminal and said battery charging control means in series and connecting said output terminal and said battery charging control means when said magnetic field is detected by said magnetic field detecting means.

5. A battery charger as set forth in claim 4, wherein said magnetic field generating means is a magnet, said magnetic field detecting means is a reed switch and said switching element is a field effect transistor.

6. A battery charger as set forth in claim 4, wherein said magnetic field generating means is a magnet, said magnetic field detecting means is a Hall IC, and said switching element is field effect transistor.

7. A battery charger as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output cut-off means comprises a mechanical switch inserted between said output terminal and said battery charging control means in series and closing said contact in response to operation of a predetermined member provided in said predetermined secondary battery.

8. A battery charger as set forth in claim 7, wherein said predetermined member provided on said predetermined secondary battery is a projecting portion, and a recess to engage with said projecting portion is formed in a main body of said battery charger, and said mechanical switch is provided on a bottom of said recessed portion.

9. A battery charger as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output cut-off means comprises:

a mechanical switch opened and closed depending upon operation by a predetermined member arranged in said predetermined secondary battery; and

a switching element inserted between said output terminal and said battery charging control means in series and establishing connection between said output terminal and said battery charging control means when said mechanical switch is placed in a condition indicative of loading of the predetermined secondary battery.