Charge requesting battery pack and charge-request controlled charger

• US 5,666,039 A
• Filed: 07/22/1994
• Issued: 09/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Odaohara, Shigefumi, Naitoh, Arimasa, Mito, Toshitsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US08/278,743
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 320/15, 320/5, 320/21, 320/30, 320/35, 320/36, 320/39, 320/40, 320/48
• US Class Current: 320/152
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An invention to effect charging for a battery pack at the suitable time irrespective of the kind of an installed battery pack. A battery pack detects voltage, electric current, and temperature of an accommodated battery main body. When it is determined that charging for the battery main body is required, the battery pack outputs a charge request signal. Further, when it is determined that the battery main body has been brought into a full-charged state, the battery pack stops outputting of the charge request signal. When the charge request signal is inputted from the battery pack, the charge controller causes a direct current voltage supplied from an AC/DC adapter to be supplied for the battery pack, so as to start charging the battery main body of the battery pack. Further, when the continued inputting of the charge request signal is stopped, and the charging for the battery main body is stopped.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a battery;

detecting means, coupled to said battery, for detecting charge remaining in the battery;

interpreting means, coupled to said detecting means, for determining when to start and stop charging of said battery based on information from said detecting means; and

signalling means that output a charge request, when it is determined to start charging said battery, and output a charge-stop request, when it is determined to stop charging said battery.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprises:

means for detecting a temperature of said battery;

means for detecting a magnitude of current into said battery; and

means for detecting a voltage across said battery.

3. The battery pack of claim 2, further comprising a reset means for resetting the interpreting means to an initial state when the battery charge reaches a predetermined state.

4. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein said battery comprises a plurality of individual batteries.

5. A charging device, comprising:

a connection for a battery pack;

charging means for charging a battery pack, said charging means connected to said connection to enable the charging means to charge a battery in said battery pack;

detecting means for detecting a charge request and a charge-stop request from the battery pack; and

controlling means coupled to said charging means for starting said charging means when a charge request is detected and stopping said charging means when a charge-stop request is detected.

6. The charging device in claim 5 wherein said controlling means comprises a switch having at least first and second positions and wherein said controlling means starts charging by triggering said switch to the first position and stops charging by triggering the switch to the second position.

7. The charging device in claim 6, wherein said controlling means further comprises a means for accumulating charging current for transfer through said connection.

8. The charging device in claim 5, wherein said battery is removable.