CHARGING CIRCUIT AND CHARGING METHOD EMPLOYING THE SAME

• US 20120146591A1
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industrial Company Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industrial Company Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: WU, Fan
• Granted Patent: US 8,907,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/164
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters

Abstract

A charging circuit includes a transistor, a current regulating resistor, a field effect transistor (FET) and a main controller. The transistor includes an emitter, a base and a collector, the FET includes a source, a gate and a drain. The emitter is connected to the battery charger; the drain is connected to the battery. The main controller includes a current control unit, a charge control unit and a voltage detection unit. The current control unit transmits current signals to the base of the transistor to turn on the transistor and regulate the current values of the collector, the voltage detection unit detects the voltage of the battery and controls the charge control unit according to detection result, and the charge control unit sends a command signal to the gate to switch the FET on or off.

Claims

1. A charging circuit electrically connected between a battery charger and a battery, comprising:

a transistor comprising an emitter, a base and a collector, the emitter electrically connected to the battery charger;

a current regulating resistor electrically connected to the base of the transistor;

a field effect transistor comprising a source, a gate and a drain, the source electrically connected to the collector of the transistor, the drain electrically connected to the battery; and

a main controller that electrically connects the collector of the transistor to receive electrical energy, the main controller comprising;

a current control unit that electrically connects the base of the transistor through the current regulating resistor;

a charge control unit that electrically connects the gate of the field effect transistor; and

a voltage detection unit that electrically connects the charge control unit, the drain of the field effect transistor and the battery, wherein the current control unit transmits current signals to the base of the transistor to turn on the transistor and regulate the current values of the collector, the voltage detection unit detects the voltage of the battery to controls the charge control unit accordingly, and the charge control unit sends a command signal to the gate to switch the field effect transistor on or off.

2. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sampling resistor electrically connected between the collector of the transistor and the source of the field effect transistor, wherein the sampling resistor is capable of converting current signals to corresponding voltage signals.

3. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the main controller further comprises two current detection pins and a current detection unit, the current detection unit is electrically connected to the two current detection pins and the current control unit, the two current detection pins are electrically connected to two ends of the sampling resistor, the current detection unit detects the current through the sampling resistor, and transmits the detected current signals to the current control unit to control and regulate the value of the current through the base of the transistor.

4. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the main controller further comprises a voltage detection pin and a switch, the voltage detection unit is electrically connected to the voltage detection pin and the switch, the switch is electrically connected to the collector of the transistor through one of the current detection pins, and the voltage detection pin is electrically connected to the drain of the field effect transistor and the switch.

5. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the voltage detection unit determines the voltage of the battery is below a threshold operating voltage of the battery, the voltage detection unit sends a command signal to the charge control unit to switch the field effect transistor off, and a first charging path is formed by the battery charger, the transistor, the current detection pin, the switch and the battery to charge the battery.

6. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the voltage of the battery equals or exceeds the threshold operating voltage of the battery, the switch is switched off controlled by the voltage detection unit, the first charging path is cut off, and the voltage detection unit sends a command signal to the charge control unit to turn on the field effect transistor, and a second charging path is formed by the battery charger, the transistor, the sampling resistor, the field effect transistor and the battery to charge the battery.

7. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a charge detection unit electrically connected to the battery charger and the emitter of the transistor, wherein the charge detection unit detects current or voltage signals from the battery charger to make the main controller to charge the battery.

8. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a first filter capacitor and a filter resistor, wherein the first filter capacitor is capable of filtering noise signals, one end of the first filter capacitor is electrically connected between the emitter of the transistor and the charge detection unit, and the other end of the first filter is electrically connected to ground, and the filter resistor is electrically connected to the filter capacitor in parallel, and one end of the filter resistor is electrically connected between the emitter and the charge detection unit, the other end of the filter resistor is electrically connected to ground.

9. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a second filter capacitor, wherein the second filter capacitor filters noise signals, one end of the second filter capacitor is electrically connected between the collector of the transistor and the source of the field effect transistor, and the other end of the second filter capacitor is electrically connected to ground.

10. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transistor is a pnp transistor, the field effect transistor is a p-channel enhancement-type field effect transistor.

11. A charging circuit, comprising:

a transistor comprising an emitter, a base and a collector, the emitter electrically connected to a battery charger;

a current regulating resistor electrically connected to the base of the transistor;

a field effect transistor comprising a source, a gate and a drain, the source connected to the collector of the transistor, the drain electrically connected to a battery; and

a main controller that electrically connects the collector of the transistor to receive electrical energy, the main controller comprising;

a current control unit that electrically connects the base of the transistor through the current regulating resistor;

a charge control unit that electrically connects the gate of the field effect transistor;

a voltage detection unit that electrically connects the charge control unit, the drain of the field effect transistor and the battery; and

a switch that electrically connects the battery, the voltage detection unit and the collector of the transistor, wherein the current control unit provides and transmits a low current signal to the base of the transistor to the turn on the transistor and regulate the current value of the collector, when the switch is turned off controlled by the voltage detection unit, a first charging path is formed by the battery charger, the transistor, the switch and the battery to charge the battery;

when the switch is turned on controlled by the voltage detection unit, a second charging path is formed by the battery charger, the transistor, the field effect transistor and the battery to charge the battery.

12. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a sampling resistor electrically connected between the collector of the transistor and the source of the field effect transistor, wherein the sampling resistor is capable of converting current signals to corresponding voltage signals.

13. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 12, wherein the main controller further comprises two current detection pins and a current detection unit, the current detection unit is electrically connected to the two current detection pins and the current control unit, the two current detection pins are electrically connected to two ends of the sampling resistor, the current detection unit detects the current through the sampling resistor, and transmits the detected current signals to the current control unit to regulate the current value of the base of the transistor.

14. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 13, wherein the main controller further comprises a voltage detection pin, the voltage detection unit is electrically connected to the voltage detection pin, the switch is electrically connected to the collector of the transistor through one of the current detection pins, and the voltage detection pin is electrically connected to the drain of the field effect transistor and the switch.

15. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 14, wherein when the voltage detection unit determines the voltage of the battery is below a threshold operating voltage of the battery, the voltage detection unit sends a command signal to the charge control unit to switch the field effect transistor off, the first charging path is enabled to charge the battery.

16. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 15, wherein when the voltage of the battery equals or exceeds the threshold operating voltage of the battery, the switch is switched off controlled by the voltage detection unit, the first charging path is cut off, and the voltage detection unit sends a command signal to the charge control unit to turn on the field effect transistor, and the second charging path is activated to charge the battery.

17. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a charge detection unit electrically connected to the battery charger and the emitter of the transistor, wherein the charge detection unit detects current or voltage signals from the battery charger to make the main controller to charge the battery.

18. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a first filter capacitor, a second filter capacitor and a filter resistor, wherein one end of the first filter capacitor is electrically connected between the emitter and the charge detection unit, and the other end of the first filter is electrically connected to ground, the filter resistor is electrically connected to the filter capacitor in parallel, one end of the filter resistor is electrically connected between the emitter and the charge detection unit, the other end of the filter resistor is electrically connected to ground, and one end of the second filter capacitor is electrically connected between the collector of the transistor and the source of the field effect transistor, and the other end of the second filter capacitor is electrically connected to ground.

19. A charging method for charging a battery using a battery charger, the charging method comprising steps of:

providing a charging circuit that comprising a main controller, a transistor, and a field effect transistor, the main controller comprising a current control unit, a charge control unit, and a switch;

connecting the charging circuit to the battery charger;

powering the main controller of the charging circuit;

turning on the transistor under the control of the current control unit to form a first charging path;

charging the battery using the first charging path;

turning on the field effect transistor controlled by the charge control unit to form a second charging path; and

cutting the first charging path to charge the battery using a second charging path.

20. The charging method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first charging path is formed by the battery charger, the transistor, the switch and the battery, the second charging path is formed by the battery charger, the transistor, the field effect transistor and the battery.