Battery finish charge device

• US 6,867,568 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2002
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boundless Technologies Incorporated (Video Display Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boundless Technologies Incorporated (Video Display Corporation)
• Inventors: Feaver, Timothy L., Olson, John, Lyman, Philip C.
• Primary Examiner(s): LUK, LAWRENCE W
• Application Number:
  US10/218,854
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 320/162, 320/157, 320/152, 320/151, 320/140, 320/137, 320/134, 320/132
• US Class Current: 320/162
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00711 with introduction of pulses during the charging process
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1492 by means of controlling devices between the generator output and the battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

A system for charging batteries by applying a high voltage finish charge to a battery with an electronic charging device connected in series between a state-of-the-art charging system or alternator and the to-be-charged battery, without the use of any other external power source.

Claims

1. A finish charge device for a battery having a positive and a negative terminal, including, in combination:

electronic circuitry;

a plurality of leads in electrical connection to said electronic circuitry, including an input lead for electrical connection to a standard charger or alternator, an output lead for electrical connection to a terminal of a to-be-charged battery, and a voltage sensor lead for electrical connection to the terminal of such a to-be-charged battery;

said electronic circuitry including an input voltage sensor in electrical connection to said input lead, a finish charge power supply in electrical connection between a standard battery charger or alternator through said input lead and a to-be-charged battery through said output lead, electronic switches in electrical connection between a standard battery charger or alternator through said input lead and a to-be-charged battery through said finish charge power supply and said output lead and said voltage sensor lead, and wherein all said electronic circuitry components are discrete; and

a microprocessor in electrical connection with said electronic circuitry and all of its components;

whereby said microprocessor of said finish charge device is programmed to use input power from a standard charger or alternator or to-be-charged to provide an advantageously higher voltage finish charge to a to-be-charged battery, and wherein said electronic switch functions to selectively transfer input power to said finish charge power supply and then output power at the said advantageously higher voltage to a to-be-charged battery, said electronic switch functions to leave a to-be-charged battery disconnected from any form of charging, or to connect a to-be-charged battery to said finish charge power supply, or to connect a to-be-charged battery to a standard charger or alternator or external load, all as controlled by said microprocessor.

2. The finish charge device of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor includes a math processor, timers, counters, program memory space carrying programs specific to the functionality of said charge finish device, scratch pad memory space and analog voltage measurement capability and wherein said microprocessor is capable of producing output signals, whereby said finish charge power supply receives input power from a standard external standard charger or alternator or the to-be-charged battery and boosts that charge to a required constant current finish charge voltage output using standard feedback control techniques, whereby the selected current value is sized to match the total capacity, or size, of the to-be-charged battery.

3. The finish charge device of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor is programmed to produce a constant current finishing charge with no voltage limit for a selected period of time to finish charging a to-be-charged battery.

4. The finish charge device of claim 3 wherein said microprocessor is programmed to produce a pulsed constant current charge for periods of from about 5 seconds to about 60 seconds followed by current-interruption, for periods of from about 5 seconds to about 60 seconds for a selected period of time to finish charging a to-be-charged battery.

5. The finish charge device of claim 1 wherein said finish charge power supply is any state-of-the-art dc-dc switching converter.

6. The finish charge device of claim 1 wherein said electronic switch is selected from the group of switches consisting of a momentary relay, a latching relay, and a pair of field-effect transistors, and combinations thereof.

7. The finish charge device of claim 1 wherein said electronic circuitry components are carried by one or more electronic circuit board.

8. The finish charge device of claim 1 wherein said output lead and said voltage sensor lead carry standard battery terminal connectors.

9. The finish charge device of claim 8 wherein said connectors and said leads are integrated with a housing carrying said finish charge device and said leads.

10. An electronic battery finish charge device for modifying the current and voltage characterstics of a standard battery charger or alternator in order to finish the charging of a battery having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, including, in combination:

an input lead for electrical connection to a standard charger or alternator

an input voltage sensor lead in electrical connection to a standard charger or alternator;

an output lead for electrical connection to the positive terminal of any such battery;

an output voltage sensor lead in electrical connection to the negative terminal of any such battery;

electronic switching means located between any such standard battery charger or alternator and any such battery, said electronic switching means being capable of being set to be in or out of electrical connection to said input lead and said input voltage sensor lead and thence through said input lead and said input voltage sensor lead to any such standard battery charger or alternator, said electronic switching means also being capable of being set to be in or out of electrical connection to said output lead and said output voltage sensor lead to any such battery;

a finish charge power converter for modifying the current and voltage characteristics of the current and voltage of any such standard battery charger or alternator, said finish charge power converter being in electrical connection to said electronic switching means and then, depending upon the setting of said electronic switching means capable of being adjusted to be in electrical connection to any such standard charger or alternator to modify the current and voltage characteristics of any such standard battery charger or alternator, said finish charge power converter also in electrical connection to said electronic switching means, and then, depending upon the setting of said electronic switching means capable of being adjusted to be in electrical connection to said output lead and thence to any positive terminal of any such battery and also to said output voltage sensor lead and thence to any negative terminal of any such battery;

a microprocessor in electrical connection with said input lead and said input voltage sensor lead, with said electronic switching means, said microprocessor using power from any such standard charger or alternator or any such battery to operate said microprocessor, said microprocessor being programmed to sense said voltage from any such standard charger or alternator and also to sense said voltage from any such battery and to adjust said electronic switching means to selectively transfer power from said standard charger or alternator directly to any such battery, or to selectively transfer power to said finish charge power supply to modify the current and voltage characteristics from any such standard battery charger or alternator to provide a finish charge, and wherein said microprocessor operates said electronic switching means to selectively transfer such modified current and voltage power to any such battery, said microprocessor further being capable of operating sad electronic switching means to terminate any current and voltage power transmission between any standard charger or alternator and any such, all as controlled by said microprocessor;

whereby said battery charge electronic assembly will selectively use the power from any such standard charger or alternator or any such battery to operate said microprocessor to selectively charge any such battery, or to modify the current and voltage characteristics of said standard battery charger or alternator to apply a modified current and voltage finish charge to any such battery, or to terminate any current and voltage connection between said standard battery charger or alternator to any such battery.

11. The electronics battery finish charge device of claim 10, wherein said microprocessor, said finish charge power converter and said voltage input and output sensor leads include means for determining a near end of charge condition, whereby the said electronics battery finish charge device operates said finish charge power converter modifies the current and voltage of the said standard battery charger to create a finish charge.

12. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein said finish charge power converter and said electronic switching means include additional means to convert power from any such battery charger or alternator to a higher finish charge voltage.

13. The battery finish charge device of claim 12 wherein said finish charge power converter is a direct current-direct current power converter.

14. The battery finish charge device of claim 11 wherein said input voltage sensor lead, said output sensor lead, said electronic switching means and said microprocessor include additional means for measuring and recording the voltage of any such battery while any such battery is being directly charged by any such standard charger, without modification of the current or voltage, then, when a predetermined voltage is sensed, activating said electronic switching means to interrupt charging of any such battery by any such battery charger or alternator, then impressing a constant current charge of predetermined magnitude from said finish charge power converter, then measuring and recording the voltage of any such battery during the constant current charge of predetermined magnitude, then comparing the voltage of any such battery before and after impressing such a constant current charge of predetermined magnitude and determining whether to return to charging of any such battery by any such standard battery charger or alternator or to continue to impress the current charge of predetermined magnitude, whereby the end of charge condition is evaluated and the constant current charge of predetermined magnitude is continued or discontinued or the finish charge is withheld or applied to any such battery.

15. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein said electronic switching means, said microprocessor and said leads include additional means to disconnect any such battery from any such standard battery charger or alternator, and thence to connect said finish charge power converter to any such battery.

16. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein said electronic switching means and said microprocessor include additional means to provide an intermediate position of said switching means such that any such battery may be disconnected from both any such standard battery charger or alternator and from said finish charge power converter, whereby any such battery is at open-circuit.

17. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein said finish charge power converter and said electronic switching means include additional means to provide a constant current finish charge of predetermined magnitude, whereby any such battery terminal voltage is allowed to increase above the voltage limit of any such standard battery charger or alternator and wherein the constant current finish charge of predetermined magnitude continues for a predetermined period of time.

18. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein said finish charge power converter, said microprocessor and said electronic switching means include additional means to provide a constant current charge, whereby any such battery terminal voltage is allowed to increase above the voltage limit of any such standard battery charger or alternator for a predetermined time and then rest for a predetermined time, and wherein an on and off sequence continues for a predetermined period of time.

19. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein said microprocessor and said electronic switching means include additional means to establish when a criteria for disconnection or connection of any such battery to any such standard battery charger or alternator or connection of any such battery to said finish charge power converter are sensed, and then to take action to effect the proper switch connection.

20. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 further including a sealed enclosure to protect the device.

21. The battery finish charge device of claim 20 wherein an input lead is attached to said enclosure of said device to allow said device to be both electrically connected and mechanically secured to any such positive terminal of any such battery.

22. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein a to-be-charged battery is present and connected to said output lead and to said output voltage sensor lead, and wherein said battery is a 6 volt or 12 volt or 24 volt lead-acid battery.

23. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein said input voltage sensor lead, said output voltage sensor lead, said microprocessor and said electronic switching means include additional means to prevent the application of a subsequent finish charge to any such battery prior to the discharge of any such battery.

24. The battery finish charge device of claim 10 wherein said input voltage sensor lead, said output sensor lead, said microprocessor and said electronic switching means include additional means to sense a load demand from any such battery and respond by disconnecting said finish charge power converter and reconnecting any such standard battery charger or alternator.