Charging/discharging apparatus and method, power supplying apparatus and method, power supplying system and method, program storage medium, and program

• US 6,825,639 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2003
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Yukio, Sato, Hideyuki, Tashiro, Kei, Murata, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US10/257,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20030188204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 320/127, 320/128, 320/132, 320/149, 320/157, 320/162, 320/164
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In case of the present invention, a microcomputer (271) controls a charging mode changeover switch (275) and connects the switch to a terminal (275d) to change the terminal (275d) to an initial charging mode power source (278). In this case, the microcomputer (271) requests the information on the charging capacity stored in a microcomputer (252) as charging information, the charging voltage measured by a voltage detector (258) and a standard charging capacity and obtains the information through a communication circuits (254) and (272). The microcomputer (271) obtains an actual charging capacity in accordance with a received measured charging voltage, compares the actual charging capacity with a stored charging capacity, and updates the actual charging capacity to zero when the comparison result is equal to or larger than a threshold value and the charging voltage is equal to or less than another threshold value. According to the present invention, a charging capacity is correctly corrected.

Claims

1. A charging/discharging apparatus for receiving power from a power supplying apparatus, comprising:

standard charging capacity storing means for storing a standard charging capacity;

charging capacity storing means for storing the present charging capacity;

charging voltage value measuring means for measuring a charging voltage value;

transmitting means for transmitting the information on said standard charging capacity, said charging capacity, and said charging voltage value to said power supplying apparatus;

receiving means for receiving a command for correcting said charging capacity from said power supplying apparatus; and

correcting means for correcting said stored charging capacity based on said command received from said receiving means.

2. A charging/discharging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said charging voltage value measuring means measures a charging voltage value when the value of the power supplied from said power supplying apparatus is equal to zero or a sufficiently small value close to zero.

3. A charging/discharging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said correcting means corrects said stored charging capacity to zero or a value corresponding to zero when said charging voltage value is equal to or less than a predetermined voltage value corresponding to said charging capacity close to zero and the charging capacity stored by said charging capacity storing means has a predetermined rate of said standard charging capacity.

4. A charging/discharging apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising current value measuring means for measuring a charging current value or discharging current value.

5. A charging/discharging apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said current value measuring means measures a charging current value or a discharging current value when the value of the current of the power supplied from said power supplying apparatus is equal to zero or a sufficiently small value close to zero.

7. A charging/discharging apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said transmitting means further transmits said charging current value, said discharging current value, or temperature data to said power supplying apparatus in addition to the information on said standard charging capacity, said charging capacity and said charging voltage value.

6. A charging/discharging apparatus according to clam 4, characterized in that said correcting means corrects said stored charging capacity to zero when said charging current value is equal to or less than a current value corresponding to said charging capacity close to zero and the charging capacity stored by said charging capacity storing means has a predetermined rate of said standard charging capacity.

8. A charging/discharging method of a charging/discharging apparatus for receiving power from a power supplying apparatus, comprising:

a standard charging capacity storing step for storing a standard charging capacity;

a charging capacity storing step for storing the present charging capacity;

a charging voltage value measuring step for measuring a charging voltage value;

a transmitting step for transmitting the information on said standard charging capacity, said charging capacity, and said charging voltage value to said power supplying apparatus;

a receiving step for receiving a command for correcting said charging capacity from said power supplying apparatus; and

a correcting step for correcting said stored charging capacity based on said command received through the processing in said receiving step.

9. A power supplying apparatus for supplying power to a charging/discharging apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving the information on the standard charging capacity, the charging capacity and the charging voltage value of said charging/discharging apparatus; and

transmitting means for transmitting a command for correcting said charging capacity to zero or a value corresponding to zero to said charging/discharging apparatus when said charging voltage value is equal to or less than a predetermined voltage value corresponding to said charging capacity close to zero and said charging capacity has a predetermined rate of said standard charging capacity or more.

10. A power supplying apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising current controlling means for controlling the value of the current of the power to be supplied to said charging/discharging apparatus;

characterized in that

said charging voltage value is equal to a value when said current is controlled to zero or a sufficiently small value close to zero.

11. A power supplying apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that said receiving means further receives a charging current value or discharging current value in addition to said standard charging capacity, said charging capacity and said charging voltage value transmitted from said charging/discharging apparatus.

12. A power supplying apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising current controlling means for controlling the value of the current of the power to be supplied to said charging/discharging apparatus;

characterized in that

said charging current value or the discharging current value is equal to a value when said current value is controlled to zero or a sufficiently small value close to zero.

13. A power supplying method of a power supplying apparatus for supplying power to a charging/discharging apparatus, characterized by including:

a receiving step for receiving the information on the standard charging capacity, the charging capacity and the charging voltage value of said charging/discharging apparatus transmitted from said charging/discharging apparatus; and

a transmitting step for transmitting a command for correcting said charging capacity to zero or a value corresponding to zero to said charging/discharging apparatus when said charging voltage value is equal to or less than a predetermined voltage value corresponding to said charging capacity close to zero and the charging capacity has a predetermined rate of said standard charging capacity or more.

14. A power supplying system comprising a charging/discharging apparatus and a power supplying apparatus, characterized in that

said charging/discharging apparatus is provided with;

standard charging capacity storing means for storing a standard charging capacity;

charging capacity storing means for storing the present charging capacity;

charging voltage value measuring means for measuring a charging voltage value;

first transmitting means for transmitting the information on said standard charging capacity, said charging capacity and said charging voltage value to said power supplying apparatus,

first receiving means for receiving a command for correcting said charging capacity from said power supplying apparatus, and

correcting means for correcting said stored charging capacity based on the command received by said first receiving means, and

said power supplying apparatus is provided with;

second receiving means for receiving the information on the standard charging capacity, the charging capacity and the charging voltage value of said charging/discharging apparatus transmitted from said charging/discharging apparatus; and

second transmitting means for transmitting a command for correcting said charging capacity to zero or a value corresponding to zero when said charging voltage value is equal to or less than a predetermined voltage value corresponding to said charging capacity close to zero and said charging capacity has a predetermined rate of said standard charging capacity or more.

15. A power supplying method of a power supplying system comprising a charging/discharging apparatus and a power supplying apparatus, characterized in that

a charging/discharging method of said charging/discharging apparatus includes;

a standard charging capacity storing step for storing a standard charging capacity;

a charging capacity storing step for storing the present charging capacity;

a charging voltage value measuring step for measuring a charging voltage value;

a first transmitting step for transmitting said standard charging capacity, said charging capacity, and said charging voltage value to said power supplying apparatus;

a first receiving step for receiving a command for correcting said charging capacity from said power supplying apparatus; and

a correcting step for correcting said stored charging capacity based on said command received through the processing in said first receiving step, and

a power supplying method of said power supplying apparatus includes;

a second receiving step for receiving the information on the standard charging capacity, the charging capacity and the charging voltage value of said charging/discharging apparatus transmitted from said charging/discharging apparatus, and

a second transmitting step for transmitting a command for correcting said charging capacity to zero or a value corresponding to zero to said charging/discharging apparatus when said charging voltage value is equal to or less than a predetermined voltage value corresponding to said charging capacity close to zero and said charging capacity has a predetermined rate of said standard charging capacity or more.