Battery charger charging time control
First Claim
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1. A circuit for charging a battery, comprising:
- a temperature signal input for inputting a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the battery;
a switch having an input to couple to a power source and an output for coupling to the battery, the switch to selectively supply power to the output under control of a control signal; and
a controller coupled to the temperature signal input and to the switch to generate the control signal, the controller calculating a rate of change of the temperature signal and storing a peak rate of change value during a battery charging interval, the controller to generate the control signal to control the switch to disable charging of the battery when the rate of change drops below the peak rate of change value by a temperature rate of change threshold amount.
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Abstract
A circuit (103) for charging a battery (101) is connected to an input (126) for inputting a signal indicative of a temperature of the battery. A switch (108) selectively supplies power to the battery under the control of a control signal. A microcontroller (140) calculates a rate of change of the temperature signal and stores a peak rate of change during a battery charging interval. The microcontroller is operable to control the switch to disable charging of the battery when the temperature rate of change drops below the peak value by a rate of change threshold amount.
46 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A circuit for charging a battery, comprising:
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a temperature signal input for inputting a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the battery; a switch having an input to couple to a power source and an output for coupling to the battery, the switch to selectively supply power to the output under control of a control signal; and a controller coupled to the temperature signal input and to the switch to generate the control signal, the controller calculating a rate of change of the temperature signal and storing a peak rate of change value during a battery charging interval, the controller to generate the control signal to control the switch to disable charging of the battery when the rate of change drops below the peak rate of change value by a temperature rate of change threshold amount. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of supplying charging power to a battery having a charging current injection rate capacity, comprising the steps of:
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injecting current into the battery at a an intermediate current rate which is less than the charging current injection capacity; measuring a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the battery; monitoring a rate of change of the temperature signal; storing a peak value of the rate of change during a charging interval; and interrupting charging if the rate of change drops below the peak value by a first non-zero threshold amount. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification