Universal battery charging system and a method
First Claim
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1. In a battery charging system comprising a battery having a maximum voltage and a means for supplying current to the battery, a method of charging a battery comprising the steps of:
- electrically connecting said battery to said current supply means;
gradually increasing the current supplied to the battery to a predetermined current check point or until a predetermined time point which ever occurs earlier;
measuring the voltage across the battery when the current is at said current check point to provide a voltage test reading;
operating said current supply means responsively to said voltage test reading.
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Abstract
A universal battery charger and recharger for electric batteries having different charging characteristics. The battery charger includes a microprocessor receiving inputs from current, voltage and temperature sensors for controlling the battery charging profile. A replaceable memory may be included to provide an appropriate charging profile for the battery to be charged. The supply current is varied responsively to the voltage across the battery which is measured when the supply current reaches a predetermined level or after a predetermined time.
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8 Claims
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1. In a battery charging system comprising a battery having a maximum voltage and a means for supplying current to the battery, a method of charging a battery comprising the steps of:
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electrically connecting said battery to said current supply means; gradually increasing the current supplied to the battery to a predetermined current check point or until a predetermined time point which ever occurs earlier; measuring the voltage across the battery when the current is at said current check point to provide a voltage test reading; operating said current supply means responsively to said voltage test reading. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7)
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6. A method of charging relatively recently sulfated batteries comprising, in the order indicated, the steps of:
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(a) applying a constant voltage across the terminals of a battery until the charging current reaches a first predetermined current level; (b) varying the voltage supplied to the charging circuit to provide a constant, predetermined, charging current; (c) measuring the voltage across the battery after a predetermined period of time; and (d) provided a second predetermined charging current if the measured voltage is less than a predetermined voltage level.
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8. A method of charging a battery comprising, in the order indicated, the steps of:
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(a) applying a charging current to the battery to determine whether the battery will draw a first predetermined current within a first predetermined time period; (b) if the battery draws said first current within said first time period, applying a second constant predetermined current to the battery until the voltage across the battery reaches a first predetermined voltage level; (c) if the battery does not draw said first current within said first time period, applying a constant voltage across the battery until the battery'"'"'s charging current reaches a third predetermined current; (d) providing a fourth constant predetermined current to the battery; (e) measuring the voltage across the battery after a second predetermined time period; and (f) providing a fifth predetermined current to the battery if the measured voltage is less than a second predetermined voltage level.
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Specification