Battery charger for multiple mobile devices

• US 8,294,427 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Takahiro, Ito, Shogo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES RUIZ, JOHALI ALEJANDRA
• Application Number:
  US12/060,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20080265836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 320/114, 320/137
• US Class Current: 320/137
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/22 The load being a portable electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

A disclosed battery charger comprises multiple interfaces provided corresponding to multiple mobile devices, the interfaces being connected to the mobile devices in wired or wireless connection; a charge parameter setting unit setting one or more charge parameters for the mobile devices; a switching control unit switching timing of charging the multiple mobile devices based on the charge parameters set by the charge parameter setting unit; and a charging unit charging one of the mobile devices selected by the switching control unit.

Claims

1. A battery charger, comprising:

multiple interfaces provided corresponding to multiple mobile devices, the interfaces being connected to the mobile devices in wired or wireless connection;

a charge parameter setting unit setting a number of charge cycles specified by a user for the mobile devices, the number of charge cycles being a number of cycles over which an equal amount of charge will be delivered to a mobile device of the user such that the mobile devices of the user is fully charged when the number of charge cycles is complete;

a switching control unit switching timing of charging the multiple mobile devices based on the number of charge cycles specified by the user; and

a

a charging unit charging one of the mobile devices selected by the switching control unit via a corresponding interface, the charging unit charging each of the mobile devices intensively by a respective charge amount, the respective charge amount being a quotient derived from division of a required charge amount of a mobile device of the user divided by the number of charge cycles specified by the user.

2. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a condition detection unit detecting a charge condition and/or a connection condition of each of the mobile devices; and

a charge necessity determination unit determining whether each of the mobile devices has to be charged based on the detected condition,

wherein when the charge necessity determination unit determines that one of the mobile devices does not have to be charged, the switching control unit skips the mobile device and selects a next one of the mobile devices.

3. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switching control unit determines whether the charge parameters set by the charge parameter setting unit are satisfied, and when the charge parameters are satisfied, the switching control unit switches to a next one of the mobile devices.

4. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a charge condition detection unit detecting a charge condition of each of the mobile devices,

wherein if the charge condition detection unit detects that a current one of the mobile devices has been fully charged, the switching control unit switches to a next one of the mobile devices even when the charge parameters have not been satisfied.

5. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the charge parameters are satisfied for one of the mobile devices as a result of a previous charge cycle, the switching control unit skips the one of the mobile devices in a current charge cycle.

6. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a connector for receiving power from another battery charger.

7. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of charge cycles is equal to two.

8. A method of charging multiple mobile devices, the method comprising:

connecting the multiple mobile devices to a single battery charger in wired or wireless connection;

setting a number of charge cycles specified by a user for each of the mobile devices, the number of charge cycles being a number of cycles over which an equal amount of charge will be delivered to a mobile device of the user such that the mobile device of the user is fully charged when the number of charge cycles is complete;

switching timing of charging the mobile devices based on the number of charge cycles specified by the user; and

charging one of the mobile devices selected in the switching step, the charging including charging each of the mobile devices intensively by a respective charge amount, the respective charge amount being a quotient derived from division of a required charge amount of a mobile device of the user divided by the number of charge cycles specified by the user.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a charge condition of each of the mobile devices,

wherein if it is detected in the detecting step that a current one of the mobile devices has been fully charged, the charging is switched to a next one of the mobile devices in the switching step even when the charge parameters have not been satisfied.