Charging apparatus

• US 20050024019A1
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Naoki, Matsumoto, Naoaki
• Application Number:
  US10/878,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20050024019A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007188 the charge cycle being controlled or terminated in response to non-electric parameters

Abstract

There is provided a charging apparatus, which uses a charging control timer having a relatively simple constitution, capable of preventing an overcharge of a secondary battery while detecting the overcharge of the secondary battery even if a charge current value is relatively small. The charging apparatus that discontinues the charging in a preset expiration time period of a timer has a variable controller for controlling the preset expiration time period of a timer in response to an interrupted time if the charging operation that is interrupted before reaching the preset expiration time of a timer is started again.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus that discontinues a charging operation at a preset expiration time period of a timer, the charging apparatus comprising:

variable control means for controlling the preset expiration time period in response to an interrupted time if the charging operation is interrupted before reaching the preset expiration time period of a timer.

2. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging apparatus continues a trickle charging after the expiration time period of a timer.

3. The charging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the trickle charging after the expiration time period of a timer is a pulse charging.

4. The charging apparatus that discontinues a charging operation at a preset expiration time period of a timer, the charging apparatus comprising:

variable controller for controlling the preset expiration time period in response to an interrupted time if the charging operation is interrupted before reaching the preset expiration time period of a timer.