Method and apparatus for charging lead-acid-accumulators

• US 4,833,391 A
• Filed: 08/27/1987
• Issued: 05/23/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: INELCO A/S, HANDVAERKERVEJ 6 DK-9690 FJERRITSLEV, DENMARK
• Original Assignee: Inelco A/S
• Inventors: Thun, Niels
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, R. J.
• Application Number:
  US07/090,123
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 320/22-24, 320/31, 320/32, 320/39, 320/40
• US Class Current: 320/160
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/17 Sensing of "gassing" voltage

Abstract

The charging apparatus for lead-acid-accumulators controls the charging current and the charging voltage above the gassing voltage level according to a linearly declining characteristic. The charging current and the charging voltage are converted to a current signal (50) and a voltage signal (60) which are normalized (70, 80) and combined (150) into an indicating signal (160) which is constant as long as the charging current and the charging voltage follow the linear characteristic. A regulating device (130, 140, 40) compares the indicating signal (160) to a reference signal (132) for correcting the charging current and the charging voltage. The current signal (50) and the voltage signal (60) are converted to the indicating signal (160) by means of a weighted summation. For performing the summation there is provided an operational amplifier circuit.

Claims

1. A method for charging lead-acid-accumulators, wherein the charging current above the charging voltage level at which gassing occurs decreases with increasing charging voltage according to a mainly linear characteristic, characterized in that the charging current and the charging voltage per accumulator-cell is controlled in such a way, that the linear characteristic (3,302) followed above the gassing voltage level crosses the gassing voltage level at about 0.5 I₅, and has an inclination (a) between approximately 0.5 V/I₅ and approximately 0.1 V/I₅.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the linear characteristic (3,302) followed above the gassing voltage level has an inclination (a) of about 0.2 V/I₅.

3. Apparatus for charging lead-acid-accumulators, where the charging current above the charging voltage level at which gassing occurs decreases with increasing charging voltage according to a mainly linear characteristic, and which is provided with a controllable charging current source, a current sensor for providing a first signal in proportion with the charging current, a voltage sensor for providing a second signal in proportion with the charging voltage, and a control device coupled to the sensors and to the charging current source for controlling the charging process, characterized in that the control device is furnished with at least one converter device (70,80,150) for converting the first signal (50,55) and the second signal (60,65) to an indication signal (160) which is constant to the extent that the charging current and the charging voltage are following the linear characteristic (3,302), and with at least one regulating device (30,40,130) which is configured to provide, by comparing the indication signal (160) with a reference signal (132), a regulating signal for the charging current source (20) such that the charging current and the charging voltage at any time are corrected in accordance with the linear characteristic (3,302).

4. Charging apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the converter device (70,80,150) is configured to generate a weighed sum of the first signal (50,55) and the second signal (60,65), and to generate the indication signal (160,V_W) in proportion therewith, such that the inclination (a) of the linear characteristic (3,302) is determined by the weights of the signals in the summation mainly.

5. Charging apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the converter device (70,80,150) is provided with a first voltage generator (230,260) for converting the first signal (50,55) to a first voltage (263) in proportion therewith, a second voltage generator (250) for converting the second signal (60,65) to a second voltage (253) in proportion therewith, and two resistances (R₁,R₂) connected in series and each coupled to one of the said voltages (253,263) at its terminal, remote from the connection point (290) between the resistances, and that the regulating device (30,40,130) is coupled to receive the voltage at the connection point (290) between the resistances (R₁,R₂) as indication signal.

6. Charging apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the first voltage generator (230,260) is provided with an adjusting device (230) for adjusting the conversion factor between the first signal (50,55) and the first voltage (263) in such a way that both the charging current and the inclination of the linear characteristic may be simultaneously adjusted to accumulators of different capacity by operating the adjusting device (230).

7. Charging apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the adjusting device (230) is placed on an operating panel (10) as to be manually operable.

8. Charging apparaatus according to anyone of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that each voltage generator consists of an operational amplifier (250,260) and where in the signal is supplied to a non-inverting input terminal (251,261) and the voltage is collected from an output terminal (253,263) which is connected with an inverting input terminal (252,262) of the operational amplifier (250,260).

9. Charging apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that first signal is supplied to the non-inverting input terminal (261) of the first voltage generator (260) via a contact lever of a potentiometer (230) serving as adjusting device.