Battery charger and power reduction system and method

• US 7,573,235 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U.S. Govt., As Represented by The Dept., of the Navy
• Original Assignee: America By Mail, Inc.
• Inventors: Hand, Evan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Han; Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, EMILY P
• Application Number:
  US11/239,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20070069690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 320/122, 320/132, 320/157, 320/162
• US Class Current: 320/122
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits

Abstract

The present invention is a shunt-type, battery-charging device that (through the use of a power dissipation and/or power reduction system and/or method) is designed to reduce the likelihood of overcharging and the possible deleterious effects (and cooling requirements) associated with the generation of heat during the charging process. Generally, the power reduction system and/or method may control the amount of power being used by the battery charger by monitoring the batteries'"'"' level of charge during charging, and by correspondingly reducing the magnitude of the charging current in response to such monitored level.

Claims

1. A battery charging apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

a programmable current source for providing a charging current to at least one rechargeable battery;

a charging circuit in parallel electrical connection to said programmable current source, wherein said charging circuit;

detects that said at least one rechargeable battery is in operational electrical communications with said battery charging apparatus;

determines whether said charging circuit is actively charging said at least one rechargeable battery; and

determines the magnitude of a bypass current bypassing said at least one rechargeable battery;

a controller comprised of a power reduction algorithm for controlling the magnitude of said charging current provided by said programmable current source, wherein said controller is in electrical communication with said charging circuit and said programmable current source, and wherein said power reduction algorithm analyzes;

(a) the magnitude of said charging current;

(b) whether said charging circuit is actively charging said at least one rechargeable battery; and

(c) the magnitude of said bypass current bypassing said at least one rechargeable battery;

wherein, based on said power reduction algorithm analysis, said controller adjusts the magnitude of said charging current in response to changes in said bypass current; and

at least one battery charging slot in electrical communication with said programmable current source, wherein each of said at least one battery charging slot is capable of operationally holding at least one of said at least one rechargeable battery and enabling each of said at least one rechargeable battery to receive said charging current from said programmable current source.

2. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein said current source is at least one solar cell.

3. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein said current source is at least one solar array.