Battery charging device having battery state indicating function

• US 4,284,944 A
• Filed: 10/12/1979
• Issued: 08/18/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwanaga, Kouichi, Kakumoto, Hiromi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US06/084,058
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 320/39, 320/40, 320/48, 320/21, 320/59, 340/636
• US Class Current: 320/139
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007186 obtained with the battery disconnected from the charge or discharge circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

Battery charging device having a function of indicating in sounds at least one of charging and discharging states of a storage battery, specifically adapted to be incorporated in battery operated electric implements. During charge operation, a charging circuit oscillatorily generates from a rectified direct current of commercial AC source current a high frequency charging voltage, of which oscillation becomes intermittent with varying intervals after a predetermined battery charge level is reached, whereby a charge complete detecting circuit causes a sound generating device to be operated to sound discriminatively initial and final charge complete indications responsive to the varying intervals. During discharge operation, a charge remind detecting circuit provides an output to the sound generating means only after a predetermined discharge level is reached, to cause the means device to be operated to sound a charge remind indication.

Claims

1. A battery charging device having a battery state indicating function comprising:

a rectifier for converting an AC source current into a direct current;

a high frequency charging circuit including a transistor, a transformer having windings respectively disposed in the collector, base and emitter circuits of said transistor, and a rectifying diode connected in series between said emitter circuit transformer winding and the emitter of said transistor, wherein a battery to be charged is connected in parallel with said series connected of said diode and said emitter circuit winding;

detecting means responsive to the charge level of a battery being charged, for producing an output signal when a predetermined level is reached;

a control circuit responsive to said detecting means for causing said charging circuit to produce an intermittent charging voltage when said predetermined charge level is reached; and

means responsive to said level detecting means for intermittently generating a sound when said predetermined level is reached, said sound generating means being responsive to the level of charge of the battery such that the length of the period between each generated sound, relative to the length of each generated sound, is varied in dependence upon the charge level.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said high frequency charging circuit further includes a parallel circuit of a first capacitor and first resistance inserted between said emitter of said transistor and said transformer winding in said base circuit, a series circuit of a second capacitor and second resistance connected in parallel to said transformer winding in said collector circuit, and a series circuit of a variable resistance and Zener diode connected in parallel to a series circuit of said transformer winding in said emitter circuit and a diode, a connecting point of said variable resistance and Zener diode being connected to the transformer winding in the base circuit.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein a series circuit of said level detecting means and said sound generating means is connected to said transformer winding in said emitter circuit.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein said level detecting means comprises a charge completion detecting circuit including a series connected rectifying diode and capacitor connected in parallel to said transformer winding in said emitter circuit, a first transistor connected at the base and emitter to respective ends of said capacitor, and a second transistor connected at the base to the collector of said first transistor.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein said sound generating means comprises a buzzer driving circuit including a capacitor connected to the emitter of said second transistor of said charge completion detecting circuit and a transistor connected at the base and emitter to respective ends of said capacitor, and a buzzer connected in emitter circuit of said transistor of said buzzer driving circuit.

6. A device according to claim 3 wherein said level detecting means comprises a charge completion detecting circuit inserted between said transformer winding in said emitter circuit of said charging circuit and said sound generating means, and a charge remind detecting circuit inserted through a switch means between said storage battery and said sound generating means for actuating the sound generating means only when the charge in the battery becomes below a predetermined level.

7. A device according to claim 5 wherein said level detecting means comprises a charge completion detecting circuit inserted between said transformer winding in said emitter circuit of said charging circuit and said sound generating means, and a charge remind detecting circuit having a switch means for connecting said charge remind detecting circuit between said storage battery and said buzzer driving circuit for actuating said buzzer only when the charge in the battery becomes below a predetermined level, said charge remind detecting circuit including a resistance connected in series with said capacitor in the buzzer driving circuit and with the battery through said switch means, a transistor connected in parallel to the capacitor in the buzzer driving circuit, and a variable resistance inserted between the base and the emitter of said transistor.