CHARGE CONTROL DEVICE AND CHARGE CONTROL METHOD

• US 20130113417A1
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakashima, Ryoichi
• Application Number:
  US13/667,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20130113417A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge 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

Abstract

A charge control device includes a current acquisition unit that acquires a charge current value of each battery, and a main charge unit that performs main charge for each battery based on the charge current value acquired by the current acquisition unit.

Claims

1. A charge control device comprising:

a current acquisition unit that acquires a charge current value of each battery; and

a main charge unit that performs a main charge for each battery based on the charge current value acquired by the current acquisition unit.

2. The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the main charge unit performs the main charge for each battery in the order of from the highest charge current value.

3. The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein, after a battery selected for the main charge based on a charge current value is fully charged, the main charge unit performs the main charge for a remaining battery based on a charge current value.

4. The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the current acquisition unit acquires each of the charge current values by performing the test charge for each battery only for a short period of time.

5. The charge control device according to claim 1, being an electronic device using discharged currents from each battery as a power source.

6. The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the main charge unit switches a battery to be charged when the charge current value of a battery being charged decreases and becomes lower than the current value acquired from a battery not being charged by a fixed value or higher.

7. The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the main charge unit switches a battery to be charged when the charge current value of a battery being charged decreases, and becomes lower than the current value acquired from a battery not being charged, and then a fixed period of time elapses.

8. The charge control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a voltage acquisition unit that acquires a voltage value of each battery,

wherein, when the difference between charge current values of each battery acquired by the current acquisition unit is equal to or lower than a fixed value, the main charge unit performs the main charge in the order of batteries having lower voltage values acquired by the voltage acquisition unit.

9. The charge control device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a temperature acquisition unit that acquires the temperature of each battery,

wherein the main charge unit performs the main charge for each battery in the order of from the highest charge current value, excluding a battery of which the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit exceeds a reference value.

10. The charge control device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a full-charge capacity acquisition unit that acquires the full-charge capacity of each battery,

wherein, when the difference between the charge current values of batteries acquired by the current acquisition unit is equal to or lower than a fixed value, the main charge unit performs the main charge in the order of batteries having larger full-charge capacities acquired by the full-charge capacity acquisition unit.

11. The charge control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a number of charging and discharging times acquisition unit that acquires the number of charging and discharging times of each battery,

wherein, when the difference between the charge current values of batteries acquired by the current acquisition unit is equal to or lower than a fixed value, the main charge unit performs the main charge in the order of batteries having the fewer number of charging and discharging times acquired by the number of charging and discharging times acquisition unit.

12. A charge control method comprising:

acquiring a charge current value of each battery; and

performing a main charge for each battery based on the charge current value acquired in the acquiring.