BATTERY PACK, CHARGING DEVICE, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20080290835A1
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 8,339,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/112
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charging device capable of appropriately grasping the charged state of a battery pack using data stored in a memory of the battery pack even when the battery pack becomes commercial as a new product. A charging device determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon based on a charging current supplied and/or a charging voltage applied to the battery pack. A charge control microcomputer reads charging characteristics data from a memory of the battery pack, and generates a data table associating at least one of the charging current supplied and the charging voltage applied to the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the charging characteristics data read out. The microcomputer determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

Claims

1. A charging device that determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon based on at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack, comprising:

a reading unit configured to read charging characteristics data from a memory of the battery pack;

a data table-generating unit configured to generate a data table associating at least one of charging current supplied to and charging voltage applied to the battery pack and charged state data with each other, based on the read charging characteristics data; and

a charged state data-determining unit configured to determine charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

2. A charging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging characteristics data includes at least a charging voltage, a charging current, a full charge capacity ratio, and a charge capacity of the battery pack.

3. A charging device that has data tables for determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon, based on at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack, comprising:

a reading unit configured to read out identification data indicative of a type of the battery pack from a memory of the battery pack;

a determining unit configured to determine whether or not there is a data table corresponding to the identification data read out;

a data table-generating unit configured to be operable when it is determined that there is no data table corresponding to the identification data read out, to read out charging characteristics data from the memory of the battery pack using said reading unit, and generate a data table associating at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the charging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining unit configured to determine charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

4. A charging device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the charging characteristics data includes at least a charging voltage, a charging current, a full charge capacity ratio, and a charge capacity of the battery pack.

5. An electronic device that determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon based on an output voltage from the battery pack, comprising:

a reading unit configured to read out discharging characteristics data from a memory of the battery pack;

a data table-generating unit configured to generate a data table associating an output voltage from the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the discharging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining unit configured to determine charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

6. An electronic device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the discharging characteristics data includes at least an output voltage, a discharge load, a full charge capacity ratio, and a charge capacity of the battery pack.

7. An electronic device that has data tables for determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon, based on an output voltage from the battery pack, comprising:

a reading unit configured to read out identification data indicative of a type of the battery pack from a memory of the battery pack;

a determining unit configured to determine whether or not there is a data table corresponding to the identification data read out;

a data table-generating unit configured to be operable when it is determined that there is no data table corresponding to the identification data read out, to read out discharging characteristics data from the memory of the battery pack using said reading unit, and generate a data table associating an output voltage from the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the discharging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining unit configured to determine charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

8. An electronic device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the discharging characteristics data includes at least an output voltage, a discharge load, a full charge capacity ratio, and a charge capacity of the battery pack.

9. A battery pack for being mounted on a charging device that generates a data table associating at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack and charged state data, and determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack based on the generated data table, comprising:

a memory configured to store charging characteristics data for generating a data table associating at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack and charged state data.

10. A battery pack for being mounted on an electronic device that generates a data table associating an output voltage from the battery pack mounted thereon and charged state data, and determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack based on the generated data table, comprising:

a memory configured to store discharging characteristics data for generating a data table associating an output voltage from the battery pack and the charged state data.

11. A method of controlling a charging device that determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon based on at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack, comprising:

a reading step of reading out charging characteristics data from a memory of the battery pack;

a data table-generating step of generating a data table associating at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the charging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining step of determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

12. A method of controlling a charging device that has data tables for determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon, based on at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack, comprising:

a reading step of reading out identification data indicative of a type of the battery pack from a memory of the battery pack;

a determining step of determining whether or not there is a data table corresponding to the identification data read out;

a data table-generating step of, when it is determined that there is no data table corresponding to the identification data read out, reading out charging characteristics data from the memory of the battery pack, and generating a data table associating at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the charging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining step of determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

13. A method of controlling an electronic device that determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon based on an output voltage from the battery pack, comprising:

a reading step of reading out discharging characteristics data from a memory of the battery pack;

a data table-generating step of generating a data table associating an output voltage from the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the discharging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining step of determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

14. A method of controlling an electronic device that has data tables for determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon, based on an output voltage from the battery pack, comprising:

a reading step of reading out identification data indicative of a type of the battery pack from a memory of the battery pack;

a determining step of determining whether or not there is a data table corresponding to the identification data read out;

a data table-generating step of, when it is determined that there is no data table corresponding to the identification data read out, reading out discharging characteristics data from the memory of the battery pack, and generating a data table associating an output voltage from the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the discharging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining step of determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

15. A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling a charging device that determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon based on at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack,

wherein the method comprises:

a reading step of reading out charging characteristics data from a memory of the battery pack;

a data table-generating step of generating a data table associating at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the charging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining step of determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

16. A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling a charging device that has data tables for determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon, based on at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack,

wherein the method comprises:

a reading step of reading out identification data indicative of a type of the battery pack from a memory of the battery pack;

a determining step of determining whether or not there is a data table corresponding to the identification data read out;

a data table-generating step of, when it is determined that there is no data table corresponding to the identification data read out, reading out charging characteristics data from the memory of the battery pack, and generating a data table associating at least one of a charging current supplied to and a charging voltage applied to the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the charging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining step of determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

17. A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling an electronic device that determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon based on an output voltage from the battery pack,

wherein the method comprises:

a reading step of reading out discharging characteristics data from a memory of the battery pack;

a data table-generating step of generating a data table associating an output voltage from the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the discharging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining step of determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

18. A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling an electronic device that has data tables for determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon, based on an output voltage from the battery pack,

wherein the method comprises:

a reading step of reading out identification data indicative of a type of the battery pack from a memory of the battery pack;

a determining step of determining whether or not there is a data table corresponding to the identification data read out;

a data table-generating step of, when it is determined that there is no data table corresponding to the identification data read out, reading out discharging characteristics data from the memory of the battery pack, and generating a data table associating an output voltage from the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the discharging characteristics data read out; and

a charged state data-determining step of determining charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.