Battery charger for mobile apparatus

• US 5,172,045 A
• Filed: 10/10/1991
• Issued: 12/15/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeyasu, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): HICKEY, ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US07/774,619
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 320/37, 320/38, 320/15, 307/66
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1423 with multiple batteries

Abstract

A battery charger includes a switching circuit (8) for supplying the current to the timer (3) from the secondary battery (6). The battery charger also includes a detecting circuit (7) for activating the switching circuit (8) by charging the voltage into the capacitor (11). Further, the battery charger includes diodes (16) and (14) for supplying the current to the timer (3) from the outside battery (22) and from the secondary battery (6) respectively, and for preventing backward current flow to the respective power sources. The battery charger of the present invention prevents overcharging and extends the lifetime of the secondary battery in the mobile apparatus.

Claims

1. A battery charger for a mobile apparatus having a charge circuit for supplying charge current to a secondary battery, a timer for setting the timer counter to count the charging time of the secondary battery, a first transistor for supplying and cutting off the charge current supplied from the charge circuit to the secondary battery and a first diode for preventing backward current flow from the secondary battery, comprising:

a switching circuit for supplying current to the timer from the secondary battery;

a detecting circuit for activating the switching circuit; and

second and third diodes for supplying current to the timer from an outside battery and from the secondary battery respectively, and for preventing backward current to the respective batteries.

2. The battery charger for a mobile apparatus of claim 1, wherein said detecting circuit comprises a fourth diode, a resistor, a capacitor and a second transistor wherein the voltage stored in the capacitor activates the second transistor.

3. The battery charger for a mobile apparatus of claim 2, wherein said switching circuit comprises a third transistor and a resistor and wherein the base of the third transistor is connected to the collector of the second transistor through the resistor, the emitter of the third transistor being connected to the secondary battery, and the collector of the third transistor being connected to the minus terminal of the second diode.