Battery pack, charging device, and electronic device

• US 8,339,095 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOATENG, ALEXIS ASIEDUA
• Application Number:
  US12/125,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20080290835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,678 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/107, 320/132, 320/134, 320/135, 320/136, 320/137, 320/148, 320/149, 320/150, 320/160, 320/161, 320/162, 320/164
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/202 Casings or frames around the primary casing of a single cell or a single battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charging device capable of appropriately grasping the charged state of a battery pack using data stored in a memory of the battery pack even when the battery pack becomes commercial as a new product. A charging device determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of a battery pack mounted thereon based on a charging current supplied and/or a charging voltage applied to the battery pack. A charge control microcomputer reads charging characteristics data from a memory of the battery pack, and generates a data table associating at least one of the charging current supplied and the charging voltage applied to the battery pack and the charged state data with each other, based on the charging characteristics data read out. The microcomputer determines charged state data indicative of a charged state of the battery pack, based on the generated data table.

Claims

1. A charging device on which a battery pack including a memory is connected, comprising:

a detecting unit that detects charged state data indicating a charged state of the battery pack based on a charging current supplied to the battery pack, a charging voltage supplied to the battery pack, and a first data table;

a generating unit that generates a second data table by using characteristics data stored in the memory; and

a control unit that determines whether the first data table is stored in the charging device by using identification data of the battery pack obtained from the memory, wherein the control unit controls the generating unit to generate the second data table based on whether the first data table is stored in the charging device, the detecting unit detects charged state data based on a charging current supplied to the battery pack, a charging voltage supplied to the battery pack, and the second data table if the first data table is not stored in the charging device and the first data table includes a data table associated with a charging current, a charging voltage, and a charged state data.

2. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the second data table includes a data table associated with a charging current, a charging voltage, and a charged state data.

3. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the charging device has data tables for detecting charged state data of a battery pack, and the detecting unit selects the first data table from the data tables by using identification data of the battery pack and a temperature of the battery pack.

4. The charging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storing unit that stores charged state data detected by the detecting unit in the memory.

9. The charging device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit corrects charged state data detected by the detecting unit based on a number of times where charged state data detected by the detecting unit is stored in the memory.

10. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the characteristics data includes a charging voltage, a charging current, full charge capacity ratio, and remaining charge capacity.

11. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the first data table is stored in the charging device if predetermined identification data corresponding to the identification of the battery pack is stored in the charging device, and the control unit does not determine that the first data table is stored in the charging device if the predetermined identification data is not stored in the charging device.

12. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit does not control the generating unit to generate the second data table if it is determined that the first data table is stored in the charging device, and the control unit controls the generating unit to generate the second data table if it is not determined that the first data table is stored in the charging device.

5. An electronic device on which a battery pack including a memory is connected, comprising:

a detecting unit that detects charged state data indicating a charged state of the battery pack based on an output voltage output from the battery pack and a first data table;

a generating unit that generates a second data table by using characteristics data stored in the memory; and

a control unit that determines whether the first data table is stored in the electronic device by using identification data of the battery pack obtained from the memory, wherein the control unit controls the generating unit to generate the second data table based on whether the first data table is stored in the electronic device, the detecting unit detects charged state data based on an output voltage output from the battery pack and the second data table if the first data table is not stored in the electronic device, and the first data table includes a data table associated with an output voltage and a charged state data.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the second data table includes a data table associated with an output voltage and a charged state data.

7. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the electronic device has data tables for detecting charged state data of a battery pack and the detecting unit selects the first data table from the data tables by using identification data of the battery pack and a temperature of the battery pack.

8. The electronic device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a storing unit that stores charged state data detected by the detecting unit in the memory.

13. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the characteristics data includes output voltage, discharge load, full charge capacity ratio, and remaining capacity.

14. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit determines that the first data table is stored in the electronic device if predetermined identification data corresponding to the identification of the battery pack is stored in the electronic device, and the control unit does not determine that the first data table is stored in the electronic device if the predetermined identification data is not stored in the electronic device.

15. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit does not control the generating unit to generate the second data table if it is determined that the first data table is stored in the electronic device, and the control unit controls the generating unit to generate the second data table if it is not determined that the first data table is stored in the electronic device.