Charging control method and circuit of recharging battery

• US 5,644,210 A
• Filed: 12/28/1995
• Issued: 07/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Yong-Duk
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US08/579,822
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 320/21, 320/22, 320/31, 320/39, 320/40, 320/48
• US Class Current: 320/148
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/12 Precharging analysis, e.g. determining presence of battery

Abstract

A charging control method and circuit of a rechargable battery, able to achieve full charging of the battery by turning on/off of the battery during a given time control circuit of a recharging battery includes: a battery voltage sensing unit connected to battery inserting unit, for sensing a battery charging voltage connected; an analog/digital converter for digitalizing a voltage value sensed in the battery voltage sensing unit; a central processing unit for sensing whether or not the battery has been inserted from an output value of the analog/digital converter, repeatedly turning on/off during a given time, controlling the current supply, determining whether or not the battery is full charged, and controlling the full charged state to be displayed; a battery charging display unit for displaying the full charge state or state by a value outputted from the central processing unit; a current regulator for supplying the battery with current; a switching regulator for switching an output of the current regulator to be turned during the given time under the control of the central processing unit; and a charging path selecting unit for selecting an output of the switching regulator by the output of the central processing unit and providing the selected output to the battery inserting unit.

Claims

1. A battery charging control circuit, comprising:

battery voltage sensing means connected to battery inserting means, for sensing a battery voltage of a battery inserted in said battery inserting means;

analog/digital converter for generating voltage data by digitalizing a voltage value sensed in said battery voltage sensing means;

a central processing unit for repeatedly turning on/off a charging of said battery during a given time, controlling application of a charging current to said battery, determining whether said battery is fully charged, and controlling a visual display of a full charged state of said battery in dependence upon said voltage data;

battery charging display means for providing a visual display of one of said fully charged state of said battery and a charging state of said battery under control of said central processing unit;

a current regulator for supplying said battery with said charging current;

a switching regulator for switching an output of said current regulator to supply said charging current to said battery during said given time under the control of said central processing unit; and

charging path selecting means for selecting an output of said switching regulator to said battery inserting means to control a sequence of on-charging of the battery and interruption of the on-charging for first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth time periods until the battery is fully charged under the control of said central processing unit.

2. A charging control method of a recharging battery, comprising the steps of:

(a) checking an insertion status of said battery, providing a visual display of said insertion status of said battery, and reading a battery voltage of said battery prior to a charging;

(b) performing an on-charging of said battery and checking whether said battery voltage prior to said charging has been cleared, when said battery voltage of said battery prior to said charging read in step (a) is maintained at a first voltage state during a first time period;

(c) maintaining said battery voltage of said battery prior to said charging to a second voltage state during a second time period, when said battery voltage prior to said charging read in step (b) has not been cleared;

(d) checking whether said battery voltage prior to said charging corresponds to a third voltage state during a third time period, when said battery voltage prior to said charging read in step (c) is maintained at said second voltage state during said second time period;

(e) checking whether a counter set for said first time period exceeds a predetermined count value, when said battery voltage prior to said charging read in step (d) corresponds to said third voltage state during said third time period;

(f) checking whether a charging mode for charging said battery is set for one of a fourth time period, a fifth time period and a sixth time period;

(g) checking a charging state of said battery during said fourth time period when said charging mode is set in step (f) for said fourth time period, and converting a charging mode to said fifth time period;

(h) checking a charging state of said battery during said fifth time period, when said charging mode is set in step (f) for said fifth time period, increasing said counter by a constant value corresponding to said first time period, converting a charging mode to said sixth time period, turning off said charging of said battery, and clearing said battery voltage prior to charging; and

(i) checking a charging state of said battery during said sixth time period, when said charging mode is set in step (f) step for said sixth time period, increasing said counter by said constant value corresponding to said first time period, turning off said charging of said battery, and clearing said battery voltage prior to said charging.

3. The charging control method of claim 2, further comprised of said first voltage state of said battery corresponding to 5.4 Volts and said first time period for charging the battery corresponding to thirty minutes.

4. The charging control method of claim 2, further comprised of said second voltage state of said battery corresponding to 4.9 Volts and said second time period for charging the battery corresponding to two and one-half hours.

5. The charging control method of claim 2, further comprised of said third voltage state of said battery corresponding to 5.2 Volts and said third time period for charging the battery corresponding to fifty-five minutes.

6. The charging control method of claim 2, further comprised of said fourth time period corresponding to thirty minutes of charging said battery.

7. The charging control method of claim 2, further comprised of said fifth time period corresponding to twenty minutes of charging said battery.

8. The charging control method of claim 2, further comprised of said sixth time period corresponding to twenty-five minutes of charging said battery.

9. A process of charging a rechargeable battery, comprising:

providing a visual indication of a charging operation, when a battery is inserted in a battery charger for charging;

initially determining whether a battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above a first predetermined voltage for a first time period;

initially charging the battery with a charge current, when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above said first predetermined voltage for said first time period;

determining whether the battery voltage of the battery as initially determined has been cleared from a memory;

when the battery voltage of the battery as initially determined has been cleared from the memory, determining whether a counter set for said first time period reaches a predetermined count value;

when said counter set for said first time period does not reach said predetermined count value, determining whether a charging mode for charging the battery is set for one of said first time period, a second time period and a third time period;

when the charging mode for charging the battery is set for said first time period, charging the battery with said charge current for said first time period, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said first time period, and continuing charging the battery with said charge current until interruption when the battery voltage of the battery after the battery has been charged with said charge current no longer increases;

alternatively, when the charging mode for charging the battery is set for said second time period, charging the battery with said charge current for said second time period, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said second time period, and continuing charging the battery with said charge current until interruption when the battery voltage of the battery after the battery has been charged with said charge current no longer increases; and

alternatively, when the charging mode for charging the battery is set for said third time period, charging the battery with said charge current for said third time period, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said third time period, and continuing charging the battery with said charge current until interruption when the battery voltage of the battery after the battery has been charged with said charge current no longer increases.

10. The process of claim 9, further comprised of said first predetermined voltage corresponding to 5.4 Volts and said first time period for charging the battery corresponding to thirty minutes.

11. The process of claim 9, further comprising:

when the battery voltage of the battery as initially determined has not been cleared from the memory, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above a second predetermined voltage;

when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is above said second predetermined voltage, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above a third predetermined voltage;

when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above said second predetermined voltage, continuing charging the battery for a fourth time period and then determining whether the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above said third predetermined voltage;

when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is above said third predetermined voltage, proceeding to determine whether said counter set for said first time period reaches said predetermined count value; and

when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above said third predetermined voltage, continuing charging the battery for a fifth time period and then proceeding to determine whether said counter set for said first time period reaches said predetermined count value.

12. The process of claim 11, further comprised of said second predetermined voltage corresponding to 4.9 Volts, said fourth time period for charging the battery corresponding to two and one-half hours, said third predetermined voltage corresponding to 5.2 Volts, and said fifth time period for charging the battery corresponding to fifty-five minutes.

13. The process of claim 9, further comprised of said first time period for charging the battery corresponding to thirty minutes, said second time period for charging the battery corresponding to twenty minutes, and said third time period for charging the battery corresponding to twenty-five minutes.

14. The process of claim 13, further comprised of said battery being charged with said charge current for said first time period by:

determining first whether the battery has been charged for said first time period when the charging mode is set for said first time period;

determining whether the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said first time period;

when the battery voltage of the battery does not increase after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said first time period, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery after charging is substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging;

when the battery voltage of the battery after charging is not substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging, providing a visual display of a full charged state of the battery and terminating the charging operation; and

when the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said first time period, and alternatively, when the battery voltage of the battery after charging is substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging, converting the charging mode for said first time period to the charging mode for said second time period, clearing the battery voltage prior to charging from said memory, interrupting supply of said charge current to the battery for charging for a fourth time period and then returning to said initial charging of the battery with said charge current.

15. The process of claim 14, further comprised of fourth time period for interrupting charging the battery corresponding to thirty minutes.

16. The process of claim 13, further comprised of said battery being charged with said charge current for said second time period by:

determining first whether the battery has been charged for said second time period when the charging mode is set for said second time period;

determining whether the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said second time period;

when the battery voltage of the battery does not increase after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said second time period, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery after charging is substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging;

when the battery voltage of the battery after charging is not substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging, providing a visual display of a full charged state of the battery and terminating the charging operation; and

when the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said second time period, and alternatively, when the battery voltage of the battery after charging is substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging, converting the charging mode for said second time period to the charging mode for said third time period, clearing the battery voltage prior to charging from said memory, interrupting supply of said charge current to the battery for charging for a fourth time period and then returning to said initial charging of the battery with said charge current.

17. The process of claim 16, further comprised of said fourth time period for interrupting charging the battery corresponding to ten minutes.

18. The process of claim 13, further comprised of said battery being charged with said charge current for said third time period by:

determining first whether the battery has been charged for said third time period when the charging mode is set for said third time period;

determining whether the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said third time period;

when the battery voltage of the battery does not increase after the battery has been charged with said charge current for said third time period, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery after charging is substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging;

when the battery voltage of the battery after charging is not substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging, providing a visual display of a full charged state of the battery and terminating the charging operation; and

when the battery voltage of the battery increases after the battery has been charge current for said charge current for said third time period, and alternative, when the battery voltage of the battery after charging is substantially the same as the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging, converting the charging mode for said third time period back to the charging mode for said second time period, clearing the battery voltage prior to charging from said memory, and interrupting supply of said charge current to the battery for charging for a fourth time period and then returning to said initial charging of the battery with said charge current.

19. The process of claim 18, further comprised of said fourth time period for interrupting charging the battery corresponding to five minutes.

20. The process of claim 9, further comprising:

when said counter set for said first time period reaches said predetermined count value, clearing the battery voltage prior to charging from said memory, interrupting supply of said charge current to the battery for charging for a fourth time period, resetting the charging mode for said first time period and then returning to said initial charging of the battery with said charge current.

21. The process of claim 20, further comprised of said first time period for charging the battery corresponding to thirty minutes, and said fourth time period for interrupting charging the battery corresponding to thirty minutes.

22. The process of claim 21, further comprising:

when the battery voltage of the battery as initially determined has not been cleared from the memory, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above 4.9 Volts;

when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is above 4.9 Volts, determining whether the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above 5.2 Volts;

when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above 4.9 Volts, continuing charging the battery for two and one-half hours and then determining whether the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above 5.2 Volts;

when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is above 5.2 Volts, proceeding to determine whether said counter set for said first time period reaches said predetermined count value; and

when the battery voltage of the battery prior to charging is not above 5.2 Volts, continuing charging the battery for fifty-five minutes and then proceeding to determine whether said counter set for said first time period reaches said predetermined count value.