CHARGING SYSTEM AND CHARGER

• US 20120019200A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: ABE, Takamitsu
• Granted Patent: US 9,124,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/107
• 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 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charger that charges a battery unit including a secondary battery, includes a receiving unit, a detection unit, a determination unit, and a control unit. The receiving unit receives, from the battery unit, battery state information indicating a state of the battery unit, if the secondary battery is being charged. The detection unit detects charge state information indicating the state of the battery unit, if the secondary battery is being charged. The determination unit determines, using the battery state information and the charge state information, whether the battery unit is in a normal state. The control unit controls charging of the secondary battery in the battery unit depending on whether the battery unit is in the normal state.

Claims

1. A charger comprising:

a charging unit that charges a battery;

a obtaining unit that obtains first information indicating a current of the battery from the battery;

a detection unit that detects second information indicating a current of the battery; and

a control unit that controls the charging unit by using the first information and the second information.

2. The charger according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the charging unit based on a difference between a current corresponding to the first information and a current corresponding to the second information.

3. The charger according to claim 2 wherein a current corresponding to the first information includes a current corrected by the control unit based on the first information, and a current corresponding to the second information includes a current corrected by the control unit based on the second information.

4. The charger according to claim 2, wherein the control unit does not stop charging of the battery if the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the control unit controls the charging unit to stop charging of the battery if the difference is not less than the predetermined value.

5. A charger comprising:

a charging unit that charges a battery;

a obtaining unit that obtains first information indicating a charge capacity of the battery from the battery;

a detection unit that detects second information indicating a charge capacity of the battery; and

a control unit that controls the charging unit by using the first information and the second information.

6. The charger according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the charging unit based on a difference between a charge capacity corresponding to the first information and a charge capacity corresponding to the second information.

7. The charger according to claim 6, wherein a charge capacity corresponding to the first information includes a charge capacity corrected by the control unit based on the first information, and a charge capacity corresponding to the second information includes a charge capacity corrected by the control unit based on the second information.

8. The charger according to claim 6, wherein the control unit does not stop charging of the battery if the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the control unit controls the charging unit to stop charging of the battery if the difference is not less than the predetermined value.

9. A charger comprising:

a charging unit that charges a battery;

a obtaining unit that obtains first information indicating a temperature of the battery from the battery;

a detection unit that detects second information indicating a temperature of the battery; and

a control unit that controls the charging unit by using the first information and the second information.

10. The charger according to claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the charging unit based on a difference between a temperature corresponding to the first information and a temperature corresponding to the second information.

11. The charger according to claim 10, wherein a temperature corresponding to the first information includes a temperature corrected by the control unit based on the first information, and a temperature corresponding to the second information includes a temperature corrected by the control unit based on the second information.

12. The charger according to claim 10, wherein the control unit does not stop charging of the battery if the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the control unit controls the charging unit to stop charging of the battery if the difference is not less than the predetermined value.

13. The charger according to claim 9, wherein the battery includes a temperature detector that detects the temperature of the battery,

a temperature of the battery corresponding to the first information is detected by the temperature detector based on a voltage supplied to the temperature detector from the battery, and

a temperature of the battery corresponding to the second information is detected by the temperature detector based on a voltage supplied to the temperature detector from the charger.

14. A method for controlling a charger that charges a battery, the method comprising:

obtaining first information indicating a current of the battery from the battery;

detecting second information indicating a current of the battery; and

controlling charging of the battery by using the first information and the second information.

15. A method for controlling a charger that charges a battery, the method comprising:

obtaining first information indicating a charge capacity of the battery from the battery;

detecting second information indicating a charge capacity of the battery; and

controlling charging of the battery by using the first information and the second information.

16. A method for controlling a charger that charges a battery, the method comprising:

obtaining first information indicating a temperature of the battery from the battery;

detecting second information indicating a temperature of the battery; and

controlling charging of the battery by using the first information and the second information.