COMPACT BATTERY CHARGER FOR RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES OF VARIOUS PHYSICAL SIZES AND ELECTRICAL CAPABILITIES

• US 3,579,075 A
• Filed: 08/14/1968
• Issued: 05/18/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gates Energy Products, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Linton E. Floyd
• Inventors: Floyd, Linton E.
• Application Number:
  US04/752,543
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• US Class Current: 320/110
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A portable device for simultaneously charging a plurality of batteries of different electrical and physical characteristics. The input power consists of standard household alternating current which is converted within the device to half-wave rectified current. A plurality of current limiting charging circuits is provided and an included housing is formed with battery retaining recesses sized to mechanically discriminate each battery so that it will connect only with the corresponding circuit which has been designed to provide a proper charging current for the corresponding batteries.

Claims

1. A battery charging device comprising:

a housing, a battery charging circuit in said housing provided with a plurality of circuit branches, means for connecting said battery charging circuit with an electrical energy source, respective impedance means connected with each of said circuit branches so as to provide in each of said circuit branches a predetermined optimum charge circuit have a corresponding battery size, and discriminating means including a battery retaining means in said housing arranged to simultaneously and alternatively accommodate at least two different physical sizes of battery cells, at least two of which cells have different electrical characteristics, said discriminating means further including electrical contact means whereby said respective cells can be selectively connected with each of said circuit branches.

2. A battery charging device according to claim 1, said housing including a floor portion, said battery retaining means of said discriminating means comprising means forming a plurality of recesses in said floor portion, said electrical contact means including respective electrical contact pairs positioned adjacent each of said recesses and connected into respective ones of said circuit branches, each electrical contact of a respective contact pair being positioned with respect to said recesses so that a respective one circuit branch into which said electrical contact is connected can conduct current only when a particular one batter cell size is positioned adjacent said contact.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein said battery charging circuit includes:

transformer means and current rectifying means;

said impedance means comprising incandescent lamp means connected into said circuit branches and having predetermined different impedance values, corresponding to said predetermined optimum charge current.

4. The device according to claim 2 wherein:

said electrical contact pairs of said discriminating means include negative and positive charger contact pairs, said battery retaining means of said discriminating means including means adjacent to edges of the positive charger contact pairs to prevent a negative battery terminal from making electrical contact therewith.

5. The device according to claim 4, said housing defining a face, said means adjacent said edges including indentations formed in said housing face adjacent said retaining means, said positive contact pairs being mounted within said indentations to preclude a negative battery terminal of a battery cell within said retaining means from making electrical contact with a positive charger contact.

6. The device according to claim 3, said incandescent lamp means including an incandescent lamp and resistance means in parallel with said lamp in said circuit branch to increase the charge current in said branch so as to achieve said predetermined optimum current therein.

7. The device according to claim 3, said incandescent lamp means including an incandescent lamp and resistance means in series with said lamp in said circuit branch to decrease the charge current in said branch so as to achieve said predetermined optimum current therein.

8. The device according to claim 3, said incandescent lamp means comprising a plurality of incandescent lamps, said housing being provided with a translucent lens mounted in a wall of said housing and positioned covering a plurality of said incandescent lamps for viewing various combinations of lamp brightness through the housing wall.

9. The device according to claim 3, said circuit branches including individual sets of parallel branch circuits, said current rectifying means including a plurality of diodes electrically connected in said battery charging circuit, one of said diodes being connected to a first set of said parallel branch circuits to conduct electrical energy through said first set of circuits during one half cycle, and another of said diodes being connected to a second set of said parallel branch circuits to conduct electrical energy through said second set of parallel branch circuits during the opposite half cycle.

10. The device according to claim 4, said housing defining a face, said means adjacent said edges including rib means protruding from said housing face adjacent said retaining means and disposed adjacent the edges of the positive charger contact pairs, said means forming the recesses in said housing floor portion being positioned relative to said protruding rib means to preclude a negative battery terminal of a battery cell from making contact with a positive charger contact of a respective contact pair.

11. The device according to claim 1, said discriminating means including sloping protruding rib means disposed adjacent said battery retaining means and arranged so as to correspond in depth to the protruding length of the positive battery contact of a respective cell size and so as to preclude contact of said positive battery contact beyond said rib means at predetermined zones along the slope of said rib means.

12. The device according to claim 1, said housing defining a vertical face, and indentation means formed in said face adjacent said retainer means, said indentation means defining a plurality of surfaces defining zones disposed at different depth distances from said face so as to correspond in depth to the protruding length of the positive battery contact of a respective cell size so as to preclude contact of said positive battery contact beyond predetermined indentation depths at predetermined zones.