Battery charger with charging current controller

• US 5,289,101 A
• Filed: 04/24/1991
• Issued: 02/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited), Makita Corporation, Okada Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited), Makita Corporation, Okada Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Furuta, Masami, Niwa, Hideiki, Iwatsuki, Takao, Matsumoto, Toshio, Watanabe, Hideki, Sugiura, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): KINCAID, KRISTINE LYNN
• Application Number:
  US07/690,563
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 320/21, 320/31, 320/32, 320/39, 320/40, 363/18, 363/19, 363/20, 363/21
• US Class Current: 320/145
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters

Abstract

A battery charger includes a transformer having a primary coil and a secondary coil, a switch for duty control of a current flowing through the primary coil of the transformer, a detector for detecting a value of a current flowing through the secondary coil of the transformer, and a secondary controller for receiving the detected value from the detector and for outputting a charge control signal. The pulse of the charge control signal is modulated in accordance with the detected value by the detector. The battery charger further includes a light emitter controlled by the charge control signal for flickering, a phototransistor turning on and off according to the flickering of the light emitter, and a primary controller for converting the ratio of the time during on of the phototransistor to the time during off of the phototransistor into an analog value, and for outputting to the switch a pulse signal which is modulated to have a duty cycle corresponding to the analog value so as to control a duty cycle of the switch.

Claims

1. A battery charger with a charging current controller comprising:

a transformer having a primary coil and a secondary coil;

a switch for duty control of a current flowing through said primary coil of said transformer;

a detector for detecting a value of a charging current flowing through said secondary coil of said transformer;

a secondary controller for receiving the detected value from said detector and for outputting a charge control signal, the pulse width of which is modulated in accordance with the detected value by said detector;

a light emitter controlled by said charge control signal for flickering;

a phototransistor turning on and off according to the flickering of said light emitter; and

a primary controller for converting the ratio of the time during on of the phototransistor to the time during off of the phototransistor into an analog value, and for outputting to said switch a pulse signal which is modulated to have a duty cycle corresponding to the analog value so as to control a duty cycle of said switch;

a second detector for detecting a value of the current flowing through said primary coil of said transformer;

a comparator for receiving the detected value from said second detector and for comparing the detected value with a predetermined value; and

means for compulsory turning off said pulse signal which is applied to turn on said switch when the detected value exceeds said predetermined value.

2. The battery charger as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for compulsory turning off said pulse signal internally includes a flip-flop circuit, so that said switch is turned on at each cycle.