Charging apparatus for car storage batteries

• US 5,936,381 A
• Filed: 01/13/1998
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Soo Chan Suh
• Original Assignee: Soo Chan Suh
• Inventors: Suh, Soo Chan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIN, KYUNG E
• Application Number:
  US09/005,725
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/104, 320/105, 363/16, 363/17, 363/28, 363/24, 363/25, 363/26, 363/97, 363/98, 363/134, 363/131, 363/132, 363/49, 363/61, 363/55, 363/56
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

The present invention is a charging apparatus devised to make it possible with the help of another car to start a failed engine resulted from an old storage battery or from over-charging by inserting cigar jack in a car without opening the bonnet and without the issue of polarity arising. In general, enough current can'"'"'t be attained even if storage batteries in two cars are connected through a cigar jack. This is due to the narrow difference between the voltage of the two storage batteries. Furthermore, sufficient current can not be attained and it takes a long time because the voltage drop caused by internal resistance in the cable is not negligible. To resolve such problems, the present invention includes a small-sized switch mode power supply, generates needed voltage from the power source and outputs the voltage overlapped to the supplying voltage, which creates an effective charging in a short time. In addition, it aims to achieve safer operation by built-in maximum current limiting circuit and voltage regulating circuit.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries for inserting cigar light plug into cigar jacks in two cars, one is to supply a power source and the other is to be supplied with the power source, and for charging the car to be supplied with the power source, said apparatus comprising:

a voltage converting means, which includes a power source of low voltage directly insulated from input, for overlapping voltage from a voltage generation circuit to input voltage and for obtaining enough charging current by securing voltage difference from two storage batteries;

a current limiting means which includes a current detecting resistance, for generating voltage drop in both ends of the current detecting resistance when charging current from storage battery exceeds a predetermined value and for lowering output current when voltage drop is higher than voltage from a first dividing resistance which is connected to a predetermined reference voltage; and

a voltage regulating means which is connected to an output terminal and for lowering output voltage when voltage from a second dividing resistance is higher than the predetermined reference voltage.

2. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 1, further comprising a light for emergencies and a function selective switch to turn the light on or off.

3. A charging apparatus of car storage batteries as in claim 2, which can be used as the charging apparatus for car storage batteries with the function selective switch on and can turn on the light with the function selective switch off.

4. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 1, further comprising indicating means to visually inform charging status.

5. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 1, further including a certification switch to check how much voltage is charged in the charging apparatus.

6. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 1, which check the charging status of the storage battery by interrupting charging whenever the certification switch is pushed.

7. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 1, further comprising indicating means to show whether charging is completed or not, and wherein the indicating means turns on in accordance with charging status whenever the certification switch for charging status is pushed.

8. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 3, further comprising a light mode switch, and wherein the light continuously turns on with the said switch on and the light can be used as an emergency indicating light by alternating to turn on/off with switch off.

9. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 2, further comprising indicating means to visually inform charging status.

10. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 3, further comprising indicating means to visually inform charging status.

11. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 2, further including a certification switch to check how much voltage is charged in the charging apparatus.

12. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 3, further including a certification switch to check how much voltage is charged in the charging apparatus.

13. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 4, further including a certification switch to check how much voltage is charged in the charging apparatus.

14. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 2, which check the charging status of the storage battery by interrupting charging whenever the certification switch is pushed.

15. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 3, which check the charging status of the storage battery by interrupting charging whenever the certification switch is pushed.

16. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 4, which check the charging status of the storage battery by interrupting charging whenever the certification switch is pushed.

17. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 5, which check the charging status of the storage battery by interrupting charging whenever the certification switch is pushed.

18. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 2, further comprising indicating means to show whether charging is completed or not, and wherein the indicating means turns on in accordance with charging status whenever the certification switch for charging status is pushed.

19. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 3, further comprising indicating means to show whether charging is completed or not, and wherein the indicating means turns on in accordance with charging status whenever the certification switch for charging status is pushed.

20. A charging apparatus for car storage batteries as in claim 4, further comprising indicating means to show whether charging is completed or not, and wherein the indicating means turns on in accordance with charging status whenever the certification switch for charging status is pushed.