Charging Device

• US 20090108804A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi KOKI Company Limited (Koki Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi KOKI Company Limited (Koki Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Funabashi, Kazuhiko, Takano, Nobuhiro, ARADACHI, Takao
• Granted Patent: US 8,497,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4221 with battery type recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00038 using passive battery identification means, e.g. resistors or capacitors identification by mechanical connections H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charging device has a charging unit and a control unit. The charging unit charges a battery pack the battery pack being either a first type or a second type of battery pack. The first type of battery pack includes a single battery cell or a first plurality of battery cells connected in series. The second type of battery pack includes a single battery unit or a second plurality of battery units connected in series. Each battery unit includes at least two battery cells connected in parallel. The control unit controls the charging unit to control at least one of a charging current flowing through the battery pack and a charging voltage applied across the battery pack, depending on the battery pack to be charged.

Claims

1. A charging device comprising:

a charging unit that charges a battery pack, the battery pack being either a first type or a second type of battery pack, the first type of battery pack including a single battery cell or a first plurality of battery cells connected in series, the second type of battery pack including a single battery unit or a second plurality of battery units connected in series, each battery unit including at least two battery cells connected in parallel; and

a control unit that controls the charging unit to control at least one of a charging current flowing through the battery pack and a charging voltage applied across the battery pack, depending on the battery pack to be charged.

2. The charging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cell comprises a lithium ion (Li-ion) secondary cell.

3. The charging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes an identifier representing configuration of the battery cell, and

the control unit controls the at least one of the charging current or the charging voltage, depending on the identifier of the battery pack to be charged.

4. The charging device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the identifier comprises a battery identifying resistor having a resistance value corresponding to the configuration of the battery cell, and

the control unit controls the at least one of the charging current or the charging voltage, depending on the resistance value of the battery identifying resistor.

5. The charging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging unit flows a first amount of current to each battery cell of the first type of battery pack when the first type of the battery pack is charged,

the charging unit flows a second amount of current to each battery cell of the second type of battery pack when the second type of the battery pack is charged, the control unit sets the second amount of current less than the first amount of current.

6. The charging device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the charging unit applies a first voltage across each battery cell of the first type of battery pack when the first type of the battery pack is charged, the charging unit applies a second voltage across each battery cell of the second type of battery pack when the second type of the battery pack is charged, and the control unit sets the second voltage more than the first voltage.

7. The charging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging unit applies a first voltage across each battery cell of the first type of battery pack when the first type of the battery pack is charged, the charging unit applies a second voltage across each battery cell of the second type of battery pack when the second type of the battery pack is charged, and the control unit sets the first voltage less than the second voltage.

8. The charging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging unit flows a first amount of current to each battery cell of the first type of battery pack when the first type of the battery pack is charged, the charging unit flows a second amount of current to each battery cell of the second type of battery pack when the second type of the battery pack is charged, the control unit sets the first amount of current equal to the second amount of current.

9. The charging device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

an identifier determining unit that identifies the configuration of the battery cell of the battery pack according to the identifier.