Battery charging control
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A battery recharging circuit in a wireless microphone comprising:
- a pair of terminals on the microphone for connecting to an external power supply;
a battery charging circuit in the microphone connected to the pair of terminals for charging a battery in the microphone;
a microcontroller in the microphone for controlling the battery charging circuit;
means for measuring unloaded and loaded voltages across the battery;
said microcontroller including battery type determining means for determining from the measured voltages whether the battery is a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery, and means for preventing recharging the battery if the battery is not determined to be a rechargeable type of battery; and
a discharge circuit operated by the microcontroller for discharging the battery;
said microcontroller including means responsive to a finding of a battery in an indeterminate charged state wherein unloaded and loaded voltage measurements cannot be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries to operate said discharge circuit for discharging the battery to a lower charged state where unloaded and loaded voltage measurements can be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wireless microphone is provided with a recharging circuit which determines if a battery in the microphone is a rechargeable type and can be safely recharged. The recharging circuitry in the microphone, which could also be included in other handheld wireless devices, determines if a battery is in a charged state where it is difficult to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. If so the battery is discharged until the battery reaches a charged state where non-rechargeable batteries can be readily distinguished from rechargeable batteries.
41 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A battery recharging circuit in a wireless microphone comprising:
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a pair of terminals on the microphone for connecting to an external power supply; a battery charging circuit in the microphone connected to the pair of terminals for charging a battery in the microphone; a microcontroller in the microphone for controlling the battery charging circuit; means for measuring unloaded and loaded voltages across the battery; said microcontroller including battery type determining means for determining from the measured voltages whether the battery is a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery, and means for preventing recharging the battery if the battery is not determined to be a rechargeable type of battery; and a discharge circuit operated by the microcontroller for discharging the battery; said microcontroller including means responsive to a finding of a battery in an indeterminate charged state wherein unloaded and loaded voltage measurements cannot be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries to operate said discharge circuit for discharging the battery to a lower charged state where unloaded and loaded voltage measurements can be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A battery recharging circuit for recharging a standard size battery or batteries in a portable handheld device comprising:
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a pair of tenninals on the handheld device for connecting the handheld device to an external power supply; a battery charging circuit in the handheld device connected to the pair of terminals for charging a battery in the handheld device; a microcontroller in the handheld device for controlling the battery charging circuit; means for measuring unloaded and loaded voltages across the battery; and a discharge circuit operated by the microcontroller for discharging the battery; said microcontroller including battery type determining means for determining from the measured voltages whether the battery is a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery, means responsive to a finding of a battery in an indeterminate charged state wherein unloaded and loaded voltage measurements cannot be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries to operate said discharge circuit for discharging the battery to a lower charged state where unloaded and loaded voltage measurements can be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries, and means for preventing recharging the battery if the battery is not determined to be a rechargeable type of battery. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A wireless microphone having a battery recharging circuit comprising:
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a microphone having microphone circuitry and a pair of terminals on the microphone for connecting to an external power supply; a battery charging circuit in the microphone connected to the pair of terminals for charging a battery in the microphone; a microcontroller in the microphone for controlling the battery charging circuit; means for measuring unloaded and loaded voltages across the battery; said microcontroller including battery type determining means for determining from the measured voltages whether the battery is a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery, means for preventing recharging the battery if the battery is not determined to be a rechargeable type of battery; and a discharge circuit overated by the microcontroller for discharging the battery; said microcontroller including means responsive to a finding of a battery in an indeterminate charged state wherein unloaded and loaded voltage measurements cannot be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries to operate said discharge circuit for discharging the battery to a lower charged state where unloaded and loaded voltage measurements can be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A battery recharging circuit in a portable handiheld device comprising:
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a pair of terminals on the device for connecting to an external power supply; a battery charging circuit in the device connected to the pair of terminals for charging a battery in the device; a microcontroller in the microphone for controlling the battery charging circuit; means for measuring unloaded and loaded voltages across the battery; said microcontroller including battery type determining means for determining from the measured voltages whether the battery is a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery, and means for preventing recharging the battery if the battery is not determined to be a rechargeable type of battery; and said microcontroller including means responsive to a finding of a battery in an indeterminate charged state wherein unloaded and loaded voltage measurements cannot be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries for preventing recharging of the battery until the battery is discharged to a lower charged state where unloaded and loaded voltage measurements can be reliably used to distinguish rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification