Battery charger for portable devices and related methods

• US 7,884,570 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Purdy, Michael L., Bayne, Ryan Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muralidar; Richard V
• Application Number:
  US12/356,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20090128091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320155-159, 320162-164, 320/132, 320/134
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/30 Charge provided using DC bus or data bus of a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries

Abstract

A battery charger may include a charger connector to be coupled to a corresponding device connector of a portable device including a rechargeable battery. The battery charger may also include a charging circuit connected to the charger connector, and a controller connected to the charger connector and the charging circuit. The controller may be for causing a portable device connected to the charger connector to identify its corresponding portable device type and its corresponding rechargeable battery type from among a plurality of different portable device types and different battery types, and for causing the charging circuit to charge the rechargeable battery based thereon.

Claims

1. A battery charger comprising:

a charger connector to be coupled to a corresponding device connector of a portable wireless communications device including a rechargeable battery and a wireless communications transceiver coupled thereto, the portable device and rechargeable battery each respectively having a portable device type and a rechargeable battery type associated therewith from among a plurality of different portable device types and different rechargeable battery types;

a charging circuit coupled to said charger connector; and

a controller coupled to said charger connector and said charging circuit for determining from the portable wireless communications device the portable device type and corresponding rechargeable battery type, and for causing said charging circuit to charge the rechargeable battery based upon a limiting charging parameter between a charging parameter for the portable device type and a corresponding charging parameter for the rechargeable battery type.

2. The battery charger of claim 1 wherein said controller enters a learning mode for learning the charging parameter for the portable device type and the charging parameter for the rechargeable battery type.

3. The battery charger of claim 1 wherein said controller enters the learning mode upon receiving a learning mode signal from the portable device.

4. The battery charger of claim 1 further comprising at least one memory coupled to said controller for storing the limiting charging parameter.

5. The battery charger of claim 1 wherein the limiting charging parameter comprises at least one of a current parameter, a voltage parameter, and a charging time.

6. The battery charger of claim 1 wherein said controller monitors said charging circuit to detect a charging error during charging of the rechargeable battery.

7. The battery charger of claim 6 further comprising an indicator coupled to said controller for providing an error indication upon detecting the charging error.

8. The battery charger of claim 1 wherein said charger connector also carries communications signals.

9. The battery charger of claim 1 wherein said charger connector comprises a universal serial bus (USB) connector.

10. A battery charging system comprising:

a portable wireless communications device comprising a device connector and including a rechargeable battery and a wireless communications transceiver coupled thereto, the portable wireless communications device and rechargeable battery each respectively having a portable device type and a rechargeable battery type associated therewith from among a plurality of different portable device types and different rechargeable battery types; and

a battery charger comprising

a charger connector to be coupled to said device connector,

a charging circuit coupled to said charger connector, and

a controller coupled to said charger connector and said charging circuit for determining from said portable wireless communications device the portable device type and the corresponding rechargeable battery type, and for causing said charging circuit to charge the rechargeable battery based upon a limiting charging parameter between a charging parameter for the portable device type and a corresponding charging parameter for the rechargeable battery type.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said controller enters a learning mode for learning the charging parameter for the portable device type and the charging parameter for the rechargeable battery type.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said controller enters the learning mode upon receiving a learning mode signal from said portable device.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising at least one memory coupled to said controller for storing the limiting charging parameter.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the limiting charging parameter comprises at least one of a current parameter, a voltage parameter, and a charging time.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein said controller monitors said charging circuit to detect a charging error during charging of the rechargeable battery.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising an indicator coupled to said controller for providing an error indication upon detecting the charging error.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein said charger connector also carries communications signals.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein said charger connector comprises a universal serial bus (USB) connector.

19. A battery charging method for a rechargeable battery carried by a portable wireless communications device, the portable wireless communications device and rechargeable battery each respectively having a portable device type and a rechargeable battery type associated therewith from among a plurality of different portable device types and different battery types, the method comprising:

coupling a device connector of the portable wireless communications device to a charger connector of a battery charger also comprising a charging circuit coupled to the charger connector, and a controller coupled to the charger connector and the charging circuit; and

using the controller for determining from the portable wireless communications device the portable device type and corresponding rechargeable battery type, and for causing the charging circuit to charge the rechargeable battery based upon a limiting charging parameter between a charging parameter for the portable device type and a corresponding charging parameter for the rechargeable battery type.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising entering the controller into a learning mode for learning the charging parameter of portable device type and the charging parameter for the rechargeable battery type.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein entering the controller into the learning mode comprises entering the controller into the learning mode upon receiving a learning mode signal from the portable device.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising storing the limiting charging parameter into at least one memory coupled to the controller.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the limiting charging parameter comprises at least one of a current parameter, a voltage parameter, and a charging time.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising using the controller to monitor the charging circuit to detect a charging error during charging of the rechargeable battery.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising using an indicator coupled to the controller for providing an error indication upon detecting the charging error.

26. The method of claim 19 further comprising using the charger connector for also carrying communications signals.

27. The method of claim 19 wherein the charger connector comprises a universal serial bus (USB) connector.