CHARGE CONTROLLING CIRCUIT

• US 20080143300A1
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Nobuhito
• Granted Patent: US 7,923,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/155
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007188 the charge cycle being controlled or terminated in response to non-electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charge controlling circuit controls charging of a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. An electric power supplied from an external charger to the lithium-ion rechargeable battery is taken by a charging terminal. When the charging terminal is connected to the external charger, whether or not a charge prohibition condition is satisfied is determined by a CPU. A charging operation is prohibited when the charge prohibition condition is satisfied, but is permitted when the charge prohibition condition is not satisfied. Here, the charge prohibition condition includes a shortest time condition that a time during which the charging terminal is detached from the external charger is above a defined time decided in view of an instantaneous power interruption.

Claims

1. A charge controlling circuit comprising:

a first determiner for determining whether or not a charging power supplied from an external charger to a secondary battery is present;

a second determiner for determining whether or not a charge prohibition condition is satisfied when it is determined that a charging power supplied from said external charger to said secondary battery is present by said first determiner;

a prohibiter for prohibiting a charging operation when it is determined that said charge prohibition condition is satisfied by said second determiner; and

a permitter for permitting said charging operation when it is determined that said charge prohibition condition is not satisfied by said second determiner, wherein

said charge prohibition condition includes a time condition that a time during which it is determined by said first determiner that the charging power supplied from said external charger to said secondary battery is not present is above a defined time including a predetermined time or more.

2. A charge controlling circuit according to claim 1, further comprising an activator for activating a timer when supply of said charging power is interrupted;

and a stopper for stopping said timer when supply of said charging power is started, wherein

the time defining said time condition corresponds to a counted time by said timer.

3. A charge controlling circuit according to claim 1, wherein said charge prohibition condition further includes a power source condition that a present time belongs to a period from a power-on operation to a power-off operation.

4. A charge controlling circuit according to claim 1, wherein said charge prohibition condition further includes a voltage condition that a voltage of said secondary battery is above a threshold value.

5. A mobile terminal comprising a charge controlling circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A storage medium being machine-readable by a processor of a charge controlling circuit, said storage medium stores a program which causes said processor to execute:

a first determining step for determining whether or not a charging power supplied from an external charger to a secondary battery is present;

a second determining step for determining whether or not a charge prohibition condition is satisfied when it is determined that a charging power supplied from said external charger to said secondary battery is present by said first determining step;

a prohibiting step for prohibiting a charging operation when it is determined that said charge prohibition condition is satisfied by said second determining step; and

a permitting step for permitting said charging operation when it is determined that said charge prohibition condition is not satisfied by said second determining step, wherein

said charge prohibition condition includes a time condition that a time during which it is determined by said first determining step that the charging power supplied from said external charger to said secondary battery is not present is above a defined time including a predetermined time or more.

7. A charge controlling method in a charge controlling circuit, including following steps of:

a) determining whether or not a charging power supplied from an external charger to a secondary battery is present;

b) determining whether or not a charge prohibition condition is satisfied when it is determined that a charging power supplied from said external charger to said secondary battery is present by said first determining step;

c) prohibiting a charging operation when it is determined that said charge prohibition condition is satisfied by said second determining step; and

d) permitting said charging operation when it is determined that said charge prohibition condition is not satisfied by said second determining step, wherein

said charge prohibition condition includes a time condition that a time during which it is determined by said first determining step that the charging power supplied from said external charger to said secondary battery is not present is above a defined time including a predetermined time or more.