Integrated circuit for controlling charging, charging device using the integrated circuit, and method for detecting connection of secondary battery

• US 7,671,564 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RICOH Electronic Devices Co., Ltd. (Nisshinbo Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kamatani, Tomohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US12/164,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20080272738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/116, 320/128, 320/133, 320/134, 320/136, 320/155, 320/157, 320/158, 320/162, 320/164, 713/300, 713/324
• US Class Current: 320/128
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An integrated circuit for charging a secondary battery including a charge current detection circuit detecting a charge current output from a charging transistor, and generating a signal including the charge current information; a voltage comparison circuit comparing a voltage of the battery with one or more predetermined voltages, and generating a signal including the voltage comparison information; and a charge controlling circuit controlling the charging transistor according to information on the voltage of the battery and the signals output from the charge current detection circuit and the voltage comparison circuit such that the charging transistor performs constant current charging or constant voltage charging, wherein the charge controlling circuit stops applying a charge current for a predetermined time in the beginning of charging, and judges that the battery is abnormally connected when the voltage of the battery becomes less than a predetermined voltage within the predetermined time.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit for charging a secondary battery via a charging transistor, comprising:

a charge current detection circuit which detects a charge current output from the charging transistor, and generates and outputs a signal including the charge current information;

a voltage comparison circuit which compares a voltage of the secondary battery with one or more predetermined voltages, and generates and outputs a signal including the voltage comparison information; and

a charge controlling circuit which controls the charging transistor according to information on the voltage of the secondary battery and the signals output from the charge current detection circuit and the voltage comparison circuit such that the charging transistor performs constant current charging in which a predetermined current is output or constant voltage charging in which a charge current is output so that the secondary battery has a predetermined voltage,

wherein, when the voltage comparison circuit detects that the voltage of the secondary battery becomes not less than a predetermined voltage V2, the charge controlling circuit stops applying a charge current for a predetermined time T2, and

wherein, when the voltage comparison circuit detects that the voltage of the secondary battery becomes less than a predetermined voltage V2−

less than the voltage V2 within the predetermined time T2, the charge controlling circuit judges that the secondary battery is abnormally connected and performs an abnormality correction treatment.

2. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage comparison circuit includes:

a comparator which compares the voltage of the secondary battery with the voltage V2 and generates and outputs a signal S2 including the comparison information to the charge controlling circuit,

wherein the comparator has a hysteresis controlled according to a control signal input from the charge controlling circuit, and

wherein the voltage V2−

is a difference between the voltage V2 and the hysteresis.

3. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein, when the charge current detection circuit detects that the charge current applied to the secondary battery becomes less than a predetermined current i2, and further detects that the charge current becomes less than a predetermined current i1 less than the current i2 within a predetermined time T4, the charge controlling circuit judges that the secondary battery is abnormally connected and performs an abnormality correction treatment.

4. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

when the voltage comparison circuit detects that the voltage of the secondary battery becomes not less than a predetermined voltage V3 greater than the voltage V2, the charge controlling circuit stops applying a charge current for a predetermined time T3, and

when the voltage comparison circuit detects that the voltage of the secondary battery becomes less than a predetermined voltage V3−

, which is greater than the voltage V2 and less than the voltage V3, within the predetermined time T3, the charge controlling circuit judges that the secondary battery is abnormally connected and performs an abnormality correction treatment.

5. The integrated circuit according to claim 4, wherein the voltage comparison circuit includes:

a first comparator which compares the voltage of the secondary battery with the voltage V2 and generates and outputs a first signal S2 including the comparison information to the charge controlling circuit; and

a second comparator which compares the voltage of the secondary battery with the voltage V3 and generates and outputs a second signal S3 including the comparison information to the charge controlling circuit,

wherein the first and second comparators have a first hysteresis and a second hysteresis, respectively, controlled according to control signals input from the charge controlling circuit, and

wherein the voltage V2−

is a difference between the voltage V2 and the first hysteresis, and the voltage V3−

is a difference between the voltage V3 and the second hysteresis.

6. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input terminal which is connected with the secondary battery and to which the voltage of the secondary battery is input; and

a current source which applies a current while being controlled according to the control signals input from the charge controlling circuit,

wherein the charge controlling circuit controls drive of the current source according to an external control signal for controlling a consumption current of a load to which a power is applied from the secondary battery.

7. The integrated circuit according to claim 6, wherein:

the charge controlling circuit allows the current source to operate when the external signal is a signal to reduce the consumption current is input while the charge current is not supplied to the secondary battery, and

when input of the external signal is stopped, the charge controlling circuit stops the operation of the current source.

8. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein, when the charge controlling circuit judges that the secondary battery is abnormally connected, the charge controlling circuit stops applying a charge current to the secondary battery.

9. A charging device for performing a constant current charging or a constant voltage charging to a secondary battery comprising:

a DC power source configured to apply a DC power to a charging transistor;

the charging transistor configured to apply a charge current to the secondary battery; and

a charge controlling integrated circuit for controlling the charging transistor according to the information on the charge current applied to the secondary battery and the voltage of the secondary battery,

wherein the charge controlling integrated circuit is the integrated circuit according to claim 1.

10. A method for detecting connection of a secondary battery comprising:

applying a charge current to a secondary battery through a charging transistor;

checking the voltage of the secondary battery;

stopping applying a charge current for a predetermined time T2 when the voltage of the secondary battery becomes not less than a predetermined voltage V2; and

performing an abnormality correction treatment when the voltage of the secondary battery becomes less than a predetermined voltage V2−

less than the voltage V2 within the time T2.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the abnormality correction treatment performing step comprises:

stopping applying a charge current to the secondary battery.

11. A method for detecting connection of a secondary battery comprising:

applying a charge current to a secondary battery through a charging transistor;

checking the voltage of the secondary battery;

stopping applying a charge current for a predetermined time T2 when the voltage of the secondary battery becomes not less than a predetermined voltage V2; and

performing an abnormality correction treatment when the voltage of the secondary battery becomes less than a predetermined voltage V2−

less than the voltage V2 within the time T2,

wherein when the voltage of the secondary battery does not become less than the predetermined voltage V2 within the time T2, the method further comprises;

checking the charge current for a predetermined second time T4 when the charge current applied to the secondary battery is less than a predetermined current i2; and

performing an abnormality correction treatment when the current is less than a predetermined current i1 less than the current i2 within the time T4.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

stopping the charge current to the secondary battery for a predetermined time T3 when the voltage of the secondary battery becomes not less than a predetermined voltage V3 before the charge current checking step; and

performing an abnormality correction treatment when the voltage becomes less than a predetermined voltage V3−

, which is greater than the voltage V2 and less than the voltage V3 within the time T3.