Electric device and method for charging and discharging battery unit of the same
First Claim
1. An electric device, comprising:
- a plurality of battery units detachably mounted thereon, each battery unit constituted by pairing a storage battery pack with a memory for storing at least information about charge and discharge states of the storage battery pack;
connectors provided on said each battery unit for performing electrical connection/disconnection to/from other elements of said electric device;
a driver for driving a load and a controller for controlling supply of electric power from said each battery unit through said connectors to said driver by referring to the information stored in said memory of said each mounted battery unit; and
a charger for charging said storage battery pack through said connectors by referring to the information stored in said memory of said each battery unit;
wherein said charger includes means for reading at least information about charge and discharge states of the storage battery pack stored in said memory of said each battery unit, and means for writing into said memory at least the information about charge and discharge states of said storage battery pack in the same unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electric device comprises a plurality of detachable battery units (2, 3, 4), each consisting of a set of storage battery packs (2B, 3B, 4B) and memories (11, 12, 13) storing information about the charge and discharge states of the battery packs. Connectors are provided to connect and disconnect an electric device (1) electrically incident to each battery unit being attached or detached. The device includes a driver (9) for driving a load, a charger (5) for charging the storage battery packs (2B, 3B, 4B) by referring to the information stored in the memories (11, 12, 13) of the respective mounted battery units (2, 3, 4), and a controller (6) for controlling the electric power supplied from the individual battery units (2, 3, 4) to the driver (9) by referring to the above-mentioned information.
183 Citations
14 Claims
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1. An electric device, comprising:
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a plurality of battery units detachably mounted thereon, each battery unit constituted by pairing a storage battery pack with a memory for storing at least information about charge and discharge states of the storage battery pack;
connectors provided on said each battery unit for performing electrical connection/disconnection to/from other elements of said electric device;
a driver for driving a load and a controller for controlling supply of electric power from said each battery unit through said connectors to said driver by referring to the information stored in said memory of said each mounted battery unit; and
a charger for charging said storage battery pack through said connectors by referring to the information stored in said memory of said each battery unit;
wherein said charger includes means for reading at least information about charge and discharge states of the storage battery pack stored in said memory of said each battery unit, and means for writing into said memory at least the information about charge and discharge states of said storage battery pack in the same unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
wherein said charger is provided in said each battery unit, and said charger has means for deciding a charge order by mutually referring to the information stored in said memory of said each mounted battery unit. -
3. An electric device according to claim 1,
wherein a switch connected to said storage battery pack in series is provided in said each battery units, said charger is means for charging said each storage battery pack through said switch by referring to the information stored in said memory of said each battery unit, and said controller is means for controlling supply of electric power from said storage battery pack to said driver through said switch of said each battery unit by referring to the information stored in said memory of said each battery unit. -
4. An electric device according to claim 1, wherein
said charger is constituted to be a unit attachable/detachable to/from said electric device main body. -
5. An electric device according to claim 3, wherein
said charger is constituted to be a unit attachable/detachable to/from said electric device main body. -
6. An electric device according to claim 1, wherein
said controller has means for reading the information stored in said memory of said each battery unit to control action of the whole device. -
7. An electric device according to claim 1, wherein
said memory of said each battery unit also stores information about characteristics of said storage battery pack, and said charger has means for controlling charge of said storage battery pack, by referring to the information about the characteristics of said storage battery pack stored in said memory of said each battery unit, in accordance with the characteristics. -
8. An electric device according to claim 1, wherein said memory of said each battery unit also stores information about characteristics of said storage battery pack, and said controller has means for controlling discharge from said storage battery pack, by referring to the information about the characteristics of said storage battery pack stored in said memory of said each battery unit, in accordance with the characteristics.
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9. An electric device according to claim 1, wherein
said controller has means for displaying a remaining capacity of said storage battery pack of said each battery unit based on the information stored in said each battery unit, and displaying a charge request, giving an alarm, or both when a storage battery pack needing to be charged exists.
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10. A method for charging and discharging a battery unit in an electric device comprising:
- a plurality of battery units detachably mounted thereon, each battery unit constituted by pairing a storage battery pack with a memory for storing at least information about charge and discharge states of the storage battery pack;
a driver for driving a load;
a controller for controlling supply of electric power from said each battery unit to said driver; and
a charger for charging said storage battery pack of said each battery unit,comprising the steps of;
discharging at different times the storage battery packs of said respective mounted battery units, and then charging them by said charger under the control of said controller, by referring to the information stored in said memories; and
writing into said memory at least the information about charge and discharge states of said storage battery pack in the same battery unit. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
the step of discharging and charging is a step of discharging the storage battery packs of said respective mounted battery units in decreasing order of remaining capacity, and charging them in increasing order of remaining capacity, by said controller and said charger, by referring to the information about charge and discharge states stored in said memories. -
12. A method for charging and discharging the battery unit in the electric device according to claim 10, wherein
the step of discharging and charging is a step of discharging the storage battery packs of said mounted battery units in increasing order of remaining capacity, and charging them when the remaining capacities become a predetermined value or less, by said controller and said charger, by referring to the information about charge and discharge states stored in said memories. -
13. A method for charging and discharging the battery unit in the electric device according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:
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selecting one or more of said battery units by said controller and said charger by referring to the information about charge and discharge states stored in said memories; and
selecting remaining one or more of said battery units by said controller and said charger by referring to the information about charge and discharge states stored in said memories, and wherein the step of discharging and charging is a step of discharging each of storage battery packs of former selected battery units, and charging each of storage battery packs of latter selected battery units, by said controller and said charger, by referring to the information about charge and discharge states stored in said memories of said mounted battery units.
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14. A method for charging and discharging the battery unit in the electric device according to claim 10, wherein
the step of discharging and charging is a step of discharging in order the storage battery packs of said respective mounted battery units to a predetermined remaining capacity, and then charging them, by said controller and said charger, by referring to the information about charge and discharge states stored in said memories.
- a plurality of battery units detachably mounted thereon, each battery unit constituted by pairing a storage battery pack with a memory for storing at least information about charge and discharge states of the storage battery pack;
Specification