Dual capacitor/battery charger

• US 6,700,352 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2000
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Radiant Power Corp. (Heico Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Radiant Power Corp. (Heico Corporation)
• Inventors: Elliott, Stephen, Mylott, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): LUK, LAWRENCE W
• Application Number:
  US09/710,020
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 320/130, 320/131, 320/137, 320/149, 320/160, 320/167, 320/128, 320/106, 324/425, 324/426
• US Class Current: 320/130
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00043 using switches, contacts or markings, e.g. optical, magnetic or barcode
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation

Abstract

A power charger which charges and provide conditioned power from at least one of a super-capacitor and a secondary battery. The type of energy device is user selectable, such that the user can select super-capacitors because of their much longer charge/discharge life and low-maintenance requirements, while another user can chose secondary batteries because of their higher stored energy, while a third user may select a combination of the two.

Claims

1. A charging unit which provides controlled power to recharge at least one energy pack from a plurality of energy packs, comprising:

a charging circuit for receiving a input used to determine a type of said energy pack from said plurality of types of energy packs;

a charge controller circuit for controlling the operation of said charging circuit which provides controlled power to recharge said energy pack based on said type of energy pack; and

an output control circuit for routing energy from said plurality of types of energy packs to an external connector.

2. A battery maintenance unit comprising:

a controller circuit, including;

a first counter which is incremented after each of a discharge and a charge of a battery;

a logic circuit for monitoring said first counter and for generating a discharge inhibit signal when said first counter equals a first predetermined number;

a discharge maintenance circuit for receiving said discharge input signal and for disabling charging of said battery upon receipt of said discharge input signal;

a second counter which is enabled by said logic circuit generating said discharge inhibit signal and which is incremented after each discharge of said battery; and

when said second counter equals a second predetermined number, said discharge maintenance circuit further enabling charging of said battery, whereby deep discharge maintenance on said battery is performed automatically.

3. The battery maintenance unit of claim 2, further comprising:

a deep maintenance system for one of discharging a battery into a resistive load in response to a second input control signal and stopping the discharge when the voltage of said battery reaches a predetermined level.

4. The battery maintenance unit of claim 2, further comprising:

an enhancement unit including one of

a first circuit to determine one of the duration from and a time stamp of one of a last deep discharge occurrence and a charge,

a second circuit to indicate the duration of the time in service of an energy pack; and

a third circuit to store an identification of said energy pack.

5. A battery charging unit, comprising

a first external connector;

at least one power supply coupled to the external connector for converting input power from the first external connecter to predetermined voltage levels;

a logic circuit, a charging circuit and an output control, each respectively coupled to the at least one power supply;

said logic circuit controlling operation of at least one of the charging circuit and the output control;

a type selector circuit coupled to the logic circuit;

said type selector circuit receiving at least one input for determining a type of energy pack connected to the battery charging unit; and

a second external connector coupled to at least one of the output control unit and the charging circuit for receiving a mating plug.

6. The battery charging unit of claim 5, said logic circuit comprising:

a counter;

said counter being incremented after a discharge and a charge of an energy storage pack;

logic circuitry coupled to the counter;

said logic circuitry monitoring said counter and generating a discharge inhibit signal when said first counter equals a first predetermined number;

a discharge maintenance circuit for receiving the discharge input signal and for disabling charging of the energy storage pack upon receipt of the discharge input signal; and

a second counter which is enabled by the logic circuit and incremented after each discharge of the energy storage pack;

wherein when the second counter equals a second predetermined number, the discharge maintenance circuit enables charging of the energy storage pack.

7. The battery charging unit of claim 5, wherein the energy storage pack is a battery pack.

8. The battery charging unit of claim 7, wherein the battery pack comprises:

a mating plug having jumpers for providing identification of the battery pack;

a deep discharge maintenance system coupled to the mating plug;

said deep discharge maintenance system one of discharges the battery pack into a resistive load in response to a second input control signal and stops the discharge when a voltage of the battery pack reaches a specific predetermined voltage;

a controller coupled to the deep discharge maintenance system; and

a secondary battery coupled to the mating plug, the controller and the deep discharge maintenance system.

9. The battery charging unit of claim 8, wherein the deep discharge maintenance system comprises:

a transistor circuit which discharges the battery pack into a resistive load upon receipt of an input control signal, said transistor circuit stopping the discharge of the battery pack when the voltage of the battery reaches a predefined level.

10. The battery charging unit of claim 9, wherein the controller outputs the input control signal.

11. The battery charging unit of claim 8, wherein a discharge-inhibit signal is provided to the deep discharge maintenance system whenever the count equals the first predetermined number of cycles, the discharge-inhibit signal enables the second counter and disables subsequent increments of the first counter, and the counters are reset when the second counter reaches the second predetermined level.

12. The battery charging unit of claim 11, wherein the controller initiates a control signal to initiate a discharge of the battery to a known fully discharged state when the first counter and second counter determine that a large number of discharge/recharge cycles have occurred.

13. The battery charging unit of claim 12, wherein the know fully discharged state is approximately 0.9V/cell for NiCd.

14. The battery charging unit of claim 13, wherein if a large number of discharge/recharge cycles have occurred, a memory defect effect has occurred.

15. The battery charging unit of claim 14, the memory effect is part of an energy capacity of the battery is inaccessible during discharge.

16. The battery charging unit of claim 12, wherein the controller only initiates deep-discharge if an extended period has occurred between a last normal discharge.

17. The battery charging unit of claim 16, wherein the extended period is in a range of from 3 to 4 hours.

18. The battery charging unit of claim 12, wherein the controller terminates deep-discharge immediately if power is re-applied to an aircraft system.

19. The battery charging unit of claim 8, wherein the deep discharge maintenance system comprises:

a transistor circuit for selectively disabling recharge of the battery pack in response to an input signal.

20. The battery charging unit of claim 5, wherein the energy storage pack is a capacitor pack.

21. The battery charging unit of claim 20, wherein the capacitor pack comprises:

a mating plug having jumpers for providing identification of the capacitor pack;

at least one buck/boost regulator coupled to the mating plug;

a capacitor coupled to the mating plug and the at least one buck/boost regulator.